Optimists, Realists, and Pessimists

First question: Which of the three in the title are you?  If you'd like a little help, let me give you a brief description of each.

Optimist: Sees the good and the possibilities in almost all situations.  May even seem to be unrealistic at times.

Realist: Sees things "as they really are".  What is possible is only what you can see and count on.

Pessimist: Sees the problems and pitfalls in most situations.  May seem to think everything will end in disaster.

Does one of these seem to describe you?  Here's another challenge.  Ask three of your friends which of these categories would seem to fit you.  Do you think their answer will correspond to how you see yourself?

What does this have to do with faith and life?  Well, it seems that, when we view ourselves as one of these, we tend to discount those who may be of the other two.  If you are a realist, you may think that the optimist puts too much hope in God coming through, and you may think that the pessimist is way too negative.  If you are an optimist, the realist doesn't seem to think big enough or seem to step out in faith, and the pessimist really irritates you.  If you are a pessimist, the realist doesn't seem to count the dangers that could happen, and the optimist is really irritating.

As I think about this from a biblical perspective, it seems that we try to make one of these "more" biblical than the others.  And yet, I see that all three are actively at work in the life of the Christian.

For a Christian, we can be optimistic because our God is greater than us and can do things beyond what we can think or imagine.  In essence, we can never dream of something so big that God could not actually do it.  We can be realistic because God has given us the things of this world to make wise use of.  While God can always bring more to our use as He sees fit, when we make our plans, He wants us to use wisdom with those things that He has already provided.  We can also be pessimistic in that we realize that all people have a sinful nature, and the chances are that it will rear its ugly head at some point, and so we should plan that things will not always go as nice and smooth as we might like.

It's difficult to open our eyes and hearts up to those who may tend to be different from us.  And yet, there is much wisdom in listening, learning, and growing with those who may think differently than we do.

"Natural" Disasters and Prayers

Today our thoughts and prayers are with the millions of people who have been affected by hurricane Irene on the east coast.  I know quite a few people out that way, and have been thinking of them and praying for them as they weather the storm.

It seems like events of this nature often serve as rallying points for prayer.  A huge storm hits and causes people to be relocated, damages property, and puts people without power and food, and we rally with prayer.  Someone we know gets very sick, and we rally with prayer.  Someone has to make a big decision in life, or comes to a turning point in life, and we rally with prayers.  And this is a very good thing.

I believe that it's good for us to have times of more intense prayer.  Yet, at the same time, I often wonder why we need something "big" to stir us up in our prayer lives.  I know we humans are awed by the "big"ness of something, and yet, I cannot help but think that there are so many small things in life which call for an equal fervency to prayer.

One line which I learned growing up has to do with what I know as the second commandment.  The commandment says not to take the name of the LORD our God in vain.  The meaning which I learned says that we should "call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks."  And I think that this is instructive for three fairly significant reasons.

First, call upon God in every trouble.  While it is natural for something larger to bring out greater feelings and emotions in us, that probably is not the best impetus for prayer.  God wants to hear everything, not just the big things.  Calling on Him in every trouble may mean talking to Him when major things happen, and when "minor" things happen.  God wants to hear from me about the aches and pains from a good, long run just as much as He wants to hear from me about my concern for the people on the coast affected by the hurricane.

Next, praise.  One of the tendencies I have witnessed in people is a great desire to pray when things go wrong, but not necessarily to give thanks when things go right.  Just think of it this way.  Did you praise God that the sun came up this morning?  Or that you could get out of bed?  Or that you had food for breakfast?  Or that He has provided a job by which you have income?  Praise of God isn't something that is reserved only for Sunday mornings, but for everything in life.

Finally, give thanks.  Saying thank you is one of the best acknowledgments when someone does something for you, or gives you something.  When you give, and no thanks are returned, it smacks of ingratitude.  If you go out of your way to present a nice gift to someone, and they act as though it's nothing special, you are likely to wonder if they really view it as a gift.  And since everything in this life is a gift from God, giving thanks to Him is only appropriate, no matter how big or how small.

I want to encourage you to be praying for the big things in life, such as when hurricanes strike and affect to many people.   But I also want to encourage you to be praying for more than you may be right now in life.  Yes, bring troubles to God, both large and small.  Also, remember that God is to be praised for who He is and what He has done.  And give thanks for the many gifts that He continues to pour forth into your life!

Life, Faith, and Marathons

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." St. Paul to Christians in Corinth

This morning, I completed our local half-marathon.  This has become something of a tradition for me, as this is the third year in a row I have run this race.  And over these races, I have come to know a little bit about running.

I have seen the need to train my body, not just to run, but how to endure.  I've learned how to sense when I may have a muscle that is in need of rest or massaging.  I have learned how to listen to my breathing to tell how much I am exerting myself, so I know when I can speed up and when I can slow down.  And I have also learned how, when the miles have passed, you have to be mentally ready to get push through all the way to the end.

All of this preparation has also served to open my eyes up a bit to our lives as Christians.  I have come to see that our faith life is a marathon, not a sprint (yes, I know I only ran a half, but no worries, the full one comes up in three weeks, so expect me to revisit this topic then).  And yet, this is where I feel that I, and many other spiritual leaders, have failed to prepare God's people for this endurance run, which Paul mentioned in the verse above.

If you start off in a sprint when running a half marathon, you are going to be walking after a couple of miles.  So also, when we see people come to faith in Jesus, we often put them in positions where they are sprinting out with their faith.  We get them involved in as many things as we can, hoping to nurture the momentum of their new faith.  But you can only sprint so far before you have to stop.  Thus, we have so many who come to faith, but then burn out, and I believe we could have served them better by preparing them for the life of faith differently.

Likewise, you don't just wake up one morning and run a half marathon with no training.  And yet, when it comes to faith, we often put people in positions where they have no preparation, no training, and then we wonder why they falter along the way.  We may wonder if their faith is where it needed to be rather than asking ourselves if we helped them learn how to go through the marathon of life in being a Christian.

While eating is essential to life, I have also learned that what you eat has a very great impact on how you run.  You don't go out and have a huge burger, fries, baked potato, and a couple of beers to wash it down the night before.  You learn what food best gives the needed energy for the race without affecting your insides too much.  And think of the relation to the marathon of our faith and life.  I know I've been guilty of just telling people to eat to feed their faith life (as in, just read the Bible).  Imagine how much better it would be to give them a guide, to know when to hit the really meaty stuff, and when to take in those lighter things, like stories.  Letting them know when they can take a treat, such as the Psalms or some of the poetic writings, gives them something to look forward to.  And then, the basic staple of the Gospels helps to serve as some really good, nutritious, every-day kind of food.

It's amazing how often you can find something in life that relates so well to faith.  Maybe above all other things, that is the reason I run.  I have found so many insights into my faith since I started, and I hope that you, also, can find something in your life that brings you greater depth in your faith life.  Peace!

Creativity and God

The first two chapters of the Bible detail God's creation of everything in existence.  We could simply sum up those two chapters with something simple like "God created".  We are even told in those chapters that God then passed His creativity on to the creation that He had just made.  To the plants, He gave the ability to create new plants.  To the animals, He gave the ability to create young animals.  And finally, to the man and the woman, He gave the ability to create future generations.

When we look around at the creation, we also see that God is creative in the diversity which He made.  Not only are there a number of different kinds of plants and animals, but within each grouping, there is also great diversity.  Take, for example, dogs.  Not only do we have dogs, but we have a great diversity and variety of dogs.  Some are big, some are small, some are cute, and some make good guard dogs.  And then, even within a particular kind of dog, there are a variety of personalities and characteristics.

God is a God of creativity.  That's also part of the reason that He has given us humans our minds.  He intends for us to be creative.  This leads to things like works of art, creativity in things like writing, and all sorts of other disciplines, like architecture, engineering, cooking, and so on.  It truly does seem as though God has given us an almost unending supply of creativity when it comes to the things of this world.

And yet, we find that we can take that creativity too far.  Anytime that we cross over the line into areas that are against God's will and desire, we've entered into a destructive area of creativity.  Just watch some television shows, and you can see where creativity can easily cross the line into sinful behavior.  Surf the internet, and you can probably find a number of areas which cross that line, as well. 

God seems to love creativity.  Yet, He has also established boundaries to that creativity.  I hope that, having read this post, it encourages you to branch out into even more creativity in your life.

A new Catch-word: Authentic

"Let what you say be simply "Yes" or "No"; anything more than this comes from evil."  Jesus

One word that I have found myself using more and more recently is the word authentic.  To be authentic is to be original and real, but it also carries a sense that relates to integrity.  If you are authentic, you aren't hiding something, or after some kind of secret agenda.  I've been amazed how often I can say something to someone, and you can just tell that they are trying to figure out what I really am trying to get at rather than to trust that I actually meant what I said.

We're all used to looking for hidden messages in what people say.  After all, it's not all that often that people actually say what they mean, or mean what they say.  And yet, as I look at these words from Jesus that I quoted above, it would seem that Jesus has no place for hidden meanings.

Jesus was, and is, truly authentic.  He is original, as He existed as God from before the creation of the world.  But Jesus is also authentic in that He meant what He said, and didn't try to imply other things, or have other agendas.  To a woman who wasn't an Israelite, He made the claim quite clearly: I came only for the lost sheep of Israel.  And then, when she made an awesome statement that showed her faith in Him, He responded with equal forthrightness: Your faith has healed your daughter.  When confronted by His opponents (who often tried to say one thing, yet mean another), Jesus used the cold truth, which often stopped them in their tracks.

I really do believe that there is a part of us that wants someone in our life who will simply "tell it like it is".  We want someone to let us know where others see the fake faces that we put on for others, or the ways that we may say one thing, but really want something else.  Yes, we are very frightened of this, since it reveals our sin and faults and shortcomings, and yet, I really do think that almost all of us would want someone to point these out to us, so that we can make appropriate changes, rather than allow us to keep fooling ourselves (and haven't you noticed that most people can tell when you aren't being authentic with them?).

One last thought on this: the natural thing to do when we catch someone being inauthentic is to make them regret it.  And yet, one thing that God makes clear throughout the Bible is that this type of correction is best made from a standpoint of loving the other person, not getting even with them, or lashing out in anger.  I know that I, personally, would be much more receptive to a person who pointed out a fault, but showed that they wanted it addressed because they cared about me, rather than pointing it out as if to demean me and make themselves feel better.  That, also, is part of being authentic.

Reaction to the News: Mothers, the Office, and the Home

On Monday, while I was running on the treadmill at my local gym, I was watching the Headline News network.  One feature that they kept running was a feature on mothers and the impact of the workplace.  In particular, they were making the claim that studies have shown that mothers who work have less depression, more energy, and things of that nature, whereas their counterparts who stay at home to nurture children are more depressed, less energetic, and things like that.

I have several thoughts which that news piece brought to mind.  First, that really does seem to show just how much we in America have put our value on what we do rather than who we are.  If you are an athlete who makes millions of dollars, you have value.  If you are a productive member of society, you have value.  But then, if you're just someone who stays home with kids, then you seem to not have much value.  What was once hailed as the highest role a woman could play has now been reduced to something that is of low value and almost seems to make a woman a second-rate citizen.

One of the great impacts that Martin Luther had in understanding the Bible was the value that God places upon every role in life.  The fact is, we all have many different roles that we each play, and each one carries a great deal of importance and value.  For example, I am a son to my parents, a brother to my sisters, a godfather to two darling children, a husband to my wife, and a spiritual leader to those I serve.  In addition, I have found additional value in my role as a runner, as a student in a doctoral program, and in other places where I give of my time to serve.

That is what disturbed me so much about this news article.  It basically seemed to be saying that mothers who stay at home with their children suffer more and are more likely to suffer from things like depression.  In other words, they don't see the value that they bring to the role that they play.  Our society has taken motherhood and basically put it into a place where a woman has a child, and then is expected to put that child aside (into daycare or school or some other fitting place) and then go back to being a productive member of society if they are to have any value, either in the eyes of others or of themselves.

To me, that is simply wrong.  The very core building block of any society is the family.  That means that the highest roles that we can play in society begins with husband and wife.  First and foremost, man and woman should be dedicated to each other and value each other for what God has made them to be, giving thanks that the other one is part of your life.  Then, the next highest roles come directly from the fruit of that relationship, those of father and mother to any children who may come forth from that relationship.  I honestly cannot think of any higher role that a man or a woman can play than these two, as God gives opportunity.

While I understand the sad reality that many women do indeed have to work in order to maintain a life for the family, I sincerely hope that those of you who read this and are mothers value that role of mother as one of the highest ones in society, regardless of what society may say or think.  And for those of you who are not mothers, I hope that these thoughts cause you to think about how you may portray the value of being a mother to those you share your life with.

Reaction to the News: Fights and Football Games

Every once in a while, some story from the TV headlines will grab my attention and make me want to comment on it.  So from now on, every once in a while, you will be treated to what I will call "Reaction to the News", sharing a news story and then thinking about some of the implications of it, especially concerning our faith life.

Over this past weekend, a football game was played between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders.  During this game, and shortly after, a number of fights broke out, and even some shootings that are believed to be related to the game.  This is in addition to the beating of a man at a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants earlier this year, which left a man in a coma for a couple of months.  Yesterday, I saw a few news casts talking about this story.

My take: One of the implications of the American sense of individuality is that people come to think of themselves as the most important, and not having to be accountable to anyone for their actions or words.  This sense of individuality was still present in our country around the middle of the last century, say, around the 1950's, but there was also a sense of community, and of people's places in the community.  People were still valued for their individual gifts and abilities, but there was a high sense of community, getting to know your neighbor, meeting people on the street, sitting on the front porch, and having social community gatherings.

Much of that has been lost in the current stress on individuality that is, unfortunately, at play in America (and seems to be spreading throughout the world even more).  Now it is much more common not to really know your neighbor, to avoid making much contact as you pass on the street, and striving for what you want most rather than what may best benefit the community or society as a whole.  Everyone wants their own part, and it doesn't seem to matter if they have to step on others to get it.

That's why I'm not surprised at events such as these fights, beatings, and shootings.  People stand around and watch the fight, but no one tries to jump in and stop it.  Granted, you never know if one of the people has a gun or knife, so I have no doubt that there is some sense of self-preservation at work, but mostly, I just think people don't want to stop things like that.  They'd rather get out their cameras and see if they can get their 15 minutes of fame from what happens to someone else.

In his definitions of the various commandments from God, Martin Luther put an explanation that carries two senses for each.  The first sense is what God desires for us to avoid.  So, in the commandment against murder, he says we should not hurt or harm our neighbor.  But then, Luther sees a further meaning.  He goes on to say that we should help and support him in every physical need.  In other words, failure to do this is also a breaking of the commandment, just as Jesus illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan recorded in Luke 10.

In some ways, our society here in America has already moved past the point of making this an easy fix.  Simply putting the Ten Commandments up at schools will not do the trick, nor will even more strict laws, as you simply cannot legislate morality or ethics.  It requires a deeper solution, one which comes when love toward one's neighbor is practiced, or when one has compassion on another.  It comes when we don't view our neighbor as someone who may be standing in our way, but as a priceless treasure from God.  It comes when we lay aside what may be best for our own individual self and seek what is best for the overall community.

My last thought is that I expect things will continue to get worse, and stories like this will come to be in the news more and more frequently.  But my hope is that Christians throughout the world give thought to how they view their neighbor, and then strive to show more compassion and  community rather than a sense of individuality.

Random Thoughts

Just another day with a few random thoughts. 

I really do wonder how many people in America consider this country to be "Christian".  With some of my travels, in interacting with people from other countries, I know that this is the general view.  Just a thought, but I think most people would equate America as Christian simply because so many people reflect some of the Christian values in their lives.  Thus, this perception is based more on how people act rather than what people believe.  Thoughts?

When I think about spiritual leaders, I see the challenge that comes with the territory (maybe that's because I am one!).  When you think of the spiritual leaders to which you have been exposed in your life, have you seen their role as  (1) one of teaching and proclaiming the elements of the faith, as (2) one of teaching how to live a life that reflects the faith of the person, as (3) making sure that those who belong to that particular fellowship all have the same beliefs and practices, or as (4) teaching a whole-life application of faith and how you live out that faith in life?

From a practical standpoint, when churches and other spiritual organizations seek to keep people informed about activities, meetings, gatherings, etc, what form of communication would best be utilized in your particular circumstances?  Email?  Facebook?  A phone call?  A text message?  Some other way?  If that organization sent out regular updates on activities and the like (such as a monthly newsletter), which means would best facilitate you reading it?

I look forward to any responses that happen to roll around!

What we take for granted

There are a lot of things that we take for granted in life.  When we go to sleep, we often take it for granted that we will wake up the next morning, and that the sun will come up, and that we'll have water and power and food and other such things.  We take for granted the fact that we have a place where we can go to worship, and that we have the freedom to gather in such places.

I had one incident during my time in Russia that taught me a bit about this.  While we were on our retreat at Lake Baikal, two mornings we woke up to no power and no water.  Now, normally for me, I get up and take a shower.  It helps get me in the flow of the day.  So on those days when it's not available, I tend to feel a little bit like the day is "off." 

That was a relatively minor thing.  In talking with those who serve as spiritual leaders in congregations, especially in Siberia, I came across another thing that I typically take for granted.  When the communists took over in the early part of last century, they seized many of the church facilities and used them for other functions.  You may recall that part of the communist thinking is that there is no God, so they felt free to either destroy or convert many churches to other uses.

Since the fall of communism, Christianity has once again dug its roots in Russia.  However, many of the buildings that belonged to churches before communism have yet to be restored to the people.  There is a lengthy process when it comes to trying to reclaim those buildings for use.  For many Christian groups, they are having to be creative when it comes to finding places of worship to gather together.

I have found that I often take for granted the building in which we worship.  Yes, it's about 40something years old, and it has its problems.  The roof may be developing a leak, and there is a crack in one wall.  It gets really hot during the summer and really cold during the winter.  But it has stood there for over 40 years, and likely will continue standing there for quite a few more.

That means that the people of this community have a place to gather for worship.  And yet, I often wonder how many take that for granted.  I know of people who vacation all summer, and their expectation very likely is that the building and people will still be there when they decide to come back.  There are those who wake up on a Sunday morning and think that they are tired or have had a long week or weekend, and so they'll just go next Sunday.  They take it for granted that the place and people will still be there.

Now, is it likely that the people and the building will still be there?  It seems so.  And yet, one of the things that I have gathered from reading the Bible is that God really doesn't want us to start taking His gifts to us for granted.  That goes for the day we get to live, the spouse and family we have, our place of worship, the food on our table, the air that we breathe, and so many other things.  It is not as though we are entitled to these.  God makes it clear that everything we have in this life is a gift, and not something to be taken for granted.

I recognize that our human nature is such that we will inevitably take things for granted.  We tend to de-value those things that are always there or that are very common.  And yet, I cannot help but wonder if it wouldn't be good for us to take a few moments every once in a while and just think about the things that we so easily take for granted.  Take a moment to thank God for all of those things in life.  Sure, you may forget to consider it as a gift even a few seconds or minutes later, but I truly do believe that our life is much richer when we consider and give thanks for those things that are so easily taken for granted.

Excess, Buildings, and Christianity

While in Moscow recently, my group had a chance to tour the armory located at the Kremlin.  This armory is a museum in which, as you may have guessed, quite a few weapons, suits of armor, and the like are located.  But one of the surprises I saw as we toured was that it wasn't devoted only to weapons and implements of war.  Inside, there were also a fair number of vestments for clergy, wagons that has been used by the nobility, and clothing in the style which the nobility would have worn.

While quite a few things caught my eye there, a number of different pieces in particular came across as very striking.  On many Christian altars, you will find a book which includes the Bible readings, selected prayers, psalms, and other rites and rituals used in worship.  These books are called altar books.  There is even one on the altar in the church I am part of.  It's a fairly ordinary looking book, pretty much looking exactly like the hymnals in the pews.

That was not the case for these altar books, though.  I understand that the Orthodox tradition places a great deal of importance on icons and decorations, and these altar books were designed like that.  Many of them were about 3 feet tall and about 2 feet wide.  But, even more than the drawings and icons on them, was the gold which was used to decorate them.

Yes, gold decorating altar books.  In fact, on many of these, the gold was almost as thick as the cover of the book.  And that got me thinking.  Why was it necessary to go to such excess for something like an altar book?  Yes, I understand that many people are moved by their faith to donate and give valuable possessions for things that are important in their faith life.  But why would the clergy need a gold-plated altar book while many of the people who would worship there might not even be able to feed themselves each week?

I admit that, here in America, this same phenomenon can often be observed.  We build large, ornate buildings with stained glass windows and high quality sound systems and large signs.  We have state of the art projectors and computers and amplifiers (that is, those who can afford these things).  And still, my question is, "Why are these necessary?"

I can recall only two buildings that the Lord our God ever called for to be constructed: the tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem.  True, in each of these cases, He called for high quality materials, but He did that to create a giving heart in His people.  I'm struck by the words of Jesus when the disciples were looking at the temple and admiring its architecture: Not one of these bricks will remain on another.

To put it in another context, God says that the two greatest things we can do as we live is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then to love our neighbor as ourselves.  How do we demonstrate that love when we spend our money on extra, even excessive things to decorate what only Christians may see?  How does it benefit our neighbor when we have amplified Christian music that never touches the ears of an unbeliever?  How do we share Christ's forgiveness when our stained glass windows are pointed in toward the sanctuary? 

Would not the funds for such things be put to better use to share the message of the good news and care for people in their needs?  Wouldn't it serve our neighbor better if we found ways of reaching him or her with matters of importance in their life rather than put our money toward a better electric organ or guitar?

Don't get me wrong.  Part of our life together as Christians calls for things like a building to worship in, or instruments to guide us when we sing.  What I am talking about is the excess to which we go on such things, rather than using such funding to truly demonstrate Christ's love for neighbor.  Those are the things that will endure forever.  A nice, ornate building or window, or an expensive organ or guitar, won't.

Expectations of Spiritual Leaders

What do we expect of those who serve as spiritual leaders?  I've had occasion to ponder this question in the past, and my recent trip to Russia has made me start thinking about that question again.  To help set the stage for some of my thoughts, I want to try to re-create what I have heard called the "ideal" pastor before.

The ideal pastor: He's young, so that he can work with the youth, but he has to have at least 10 years of experience.  He spends plenty of time working on his sermon so that everyone gets something out of it every Sunday without fail, but he also dedicates a significant amount of time to visiting every single person of the congregation at least twice a year.  He is faithfully at every meeting of every group of the church, but also has a great family life and spends lots of time with his family.  He is expected to be available anytime anyone simply wants to stop in his office or give him a call, but he should also be out in the community doing the work of outreach.  He should be ministering to the needs of everyone in the congregation, but should also be pastoring a growing church and be at the forefront of all evangelism efforts.  He should be present at every event, and always have a kind word for everyone.  He should also be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the church, of doctrine, and yet able to teach these things in interesting ways.

I remember hearing that a few times growing up, and then when I was at school to become a pastor.  That's when I realized why pastors and other spiritual leaders tend to burn out so much.  Look at that list of expectations (often conveyed as "unwritten" rules).  Even if the number of hours in a week were doubled, any man would have a difficult time living up to such expectations.

This is not to say that we shouldn't have high expectations of our pastors or spiritual leaders.  I personally believe that they should be held to a very high standard.  However, sometimes we can cross the line into the unreasonable, or we put expectations upon our spiritual leaders that are not so much in line with things spiritual, but with our own personal wants and desires.

One thing that struck me while in Russia was how many of these men are being trained to serve as spiritual leaders and pastors, and yet, are in the process of their studies to be pastors.  Here in America, we do not typically have people go serve as a pastor until they have been properly trained in theology (and perhaps a few other things).  But in Russia, that is a luxury that few are able to afford.

That made me think.  Right now, in the church body that I am part of, new graduates are finding it difficult to get assignments.  It's not because there is a shortage of need, but because congregations want the "ideal" pastor from above.  They want someone who has experience rather than growing with the man as he grows into the position.  More and more, this is becoming a greater challenge here in America.  Other places, such as Russia, have created their system around that.  They train men while they are serving, and that sounds different to us simply because our model just would not work for them.

In my church body, however, we are starting to realize that the cost of moving someone to a seminary for a four-year degree program, relocating them at least two times for a year of internship (called vicarage), and then moving them to a new location to serve is fairly prohibitive.  I sometimes wonder how many men have chosen not to pursue this career for that reason alone.  Training someone as he remains in a community, teaching him as he ministers, and allowing him and the congregation to grow together would seem to have some benefits.

Is either of these systems perfect?  Hardly.  Each has its pitfalls and downfalls.  Some of these problems stem from the system, and some from the expectations placed upon spiritual leaders by the congregations.  While I admit that I do not have many suggestions for an improved system, what I hope for, more than anything, is that you give some thought to your expectations of your spiritual leader or pastor.  Are your expectations reasonable?  Have you shared them with him?  Have they been explained to him at some point?  And if you find that some of these expectations are not reasonable, what can you do to begin the process of changing those expectations?  A challenge?  Yes.  But I would see it as a very worthwhile challenge.

Christians and Isolation

I live in a mountain valley.  There is a fairly large city about 90 miles away, and to get there, you have to drive over the mountain pass and then take the interstate for a while before you get to the city.  In the mountain valley, the church I am at is the only one of my affiliation, and the nearest one is about 45 miles away.

There are times when I can feel very isolated from other people who share the particulars of my faith life.  Yes, I and the leaders from some of the other churches get together, but I know that there are opportunities for the churches in the big city to get together more frequently than the times when I join them.  I don't hold that against them, and in fact, am very happy that they have that opportunity.

As I was visiting Russia, however, I truly learned a bit about isolation.  Meeting other church leaders, I heard stories of them having to travel 48 hours on a train to get to the place where we were all meeting together.  Even on a day when traffic is bad, I can still get to the big city in about two hours.  That's when I started to learn what it really means to be isolated from others who share faith.

As in practically all things, there are both strengths and weaknesses to isolation.  One strength is that I rarely feel I have to look over my shoulder to see if someone is watching over what I do with suspicious eyes.  I don't feel pressure from my peers, or feel like my every thought or decision is being overly analyzed and scrutinized.  This allows me to work and carry on God's ministry without having to worry about being judged if I make a misstep, or if someone dislikes what I do or how I approach a particular situation.

But this also leads to a major weakness of isolation, one which I feel very keenly.  I am the kind of person that loves to bounce thoughts and ideas off of other people.  I enjoy the give and take that comes along with thinking through problems or situations with others.  I have come to see the value in that, just like the one Proverb says, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.  In relative isolation, this is something I keenly miss.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for these men in the Siberian part of Russia who endure such isolation.  I also see how they take intentional steps to battle against the isolation.  Each week, they all have time on Skype, where they communicate and connect with each other.  In talking with a number of them, it really seems that they are quite regular about this.  I admire that, especially when I see men here in America who take the regular meetings that we have for granted, or avoid them because they don't agree with others in the group.

Isolation makes the world seem so large.  Connection and communication with others seems to shrink the miles (or kilometers, if you will).  I know, on my part, I really value the time I get to spend with others who share my faith.  My hope is that those of you reading this will also come to more highly value the time you get to spend with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Alcohol, conferences, and their connection

During my time in Russia, we held a five day conference in Siberia.  This conference was for church workers and their wives.  The first day of the conference, as we all gathered together, the President of the district laid out a few ground rules for our time together.  One of the more interesting ones was that no alcohol was to be consumed for the duration of the conference.

In light of the problem of alcoholism in Russia, this rule made perfect sense.  Since the problem of alcoholism is so prevalent in Russia (I would argue that it is here in America too, though we just don't want to admit it), I fully supported this rule.  When men and women in Christ come together, while there are occasions where a friendly drink or two may be appropriate, holding a conference in which the problems of hangovers, or even people who have one or two and then let their loose tongues wag is not something that is going to happen, was something I was looking forward to.

I found it very nice and refreshing to have conversations with people who were sober minded (I have taken part in past conferences or meetings where one or two people may have had a few drinks, and then proceeded to share their thoughts on everything under the sun).  I also was struck by the thought: what would happen if a similar rule was put in place when pastors in my particular church body came together to meet.

This is where I think our American sense of individualism would really be highlighted.  If such a rule were put in place, I have no doubt that there would be many who would simply reply, "You can't tell me what to do" or some variation of this.  And yet, I think that having sober-minded conversations with my brothers in Christ could serve to give us clear heads to pray together, worship together, and actually talk about things together without the negative effects of alcohol interfering.

Don't get me wrong.  I am not at all opposed to sharing a beer or two (or, even better, a really nice glass of wine!).  I do think that there are occasions where that is appropriate, and others where it isn't.  When we gather to make decisions that concern the state of a particular church body, or when we are supposed to be having productive talks, I think that alcohol has a greater negative effect than we may realize.

(As I write these things, I also feel compelled to mention that I believe the problem of alcoholism strikes many more pastors than we really may think.  Such a rule would remove that temptation from them, and, as for those who truly do not have this problem, looking upon our brother's need in love really should compel us to avoid something that is a temptation for him out of his benefit, and not do it simply because it's my right.  Again, just my personal thoughts, though I do believe that God mentions doing things such as this quite often in the Bible.)

Culture and Christianity

Many books have been written about the connections and the differences between culture and Christianity.  I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel here, but rather, to share some of the ways that I saw that Christianity has the ability to both shape a culture and to fit into a particular culture, sharing a few observations from my recent time in Russia.  My hope is that, as you read, you start to consider how Christianity impacts the culture in which you live, and how the culture in which you live has impacted the form that Christianity takes.

Today I want to focus solely on one thing, the title which the head of the Lutheran Church of Ingria bears.  Ari Kuggapi oversees the Lutheran Church of Ingria, and he is known by the title Bishop.  Having spent just a mere hour and a half with Bishop Kuggapi, I could see the importance of his faith in his life, the importance of that faith going out and being declared, and his genuine humbleness as he serves his God and Savior.

But I can see where that title, Bishop, would not necessarily work in all places.  In Russia, it is a very appropriate title, as their culture and society is one in which people are used to those who are "in charge" simply giving directions for others to follow through.  Other Christian church bodies use this same title, and it implies a kind of structure of authority, with the bishop being recognized as "overseeing" others.

I honestly cannot see how this same structure or title would work in North America, however.  Here, we have a culture which prizes individuality, and the individual's choice.  Having someone "in authority" over us causes us a lot of problems.  Even in my church body, where we have men who are selected to "oversee" geographical regions, the thought is very present that they carry no authority to tell others what they can or cannot do.  In many ways, these men are supposed to encourage and provide, but really cannot give direction or demonstrate authority over others.

Is one way right and the other wrong?  It would seem that the Russian way sounds strange in American ears.  Having someone who can tell a pastor if he is doing something right or wrong, and that there are consequences if he doesn't change, seems rather dictatorial and open to abuse, and so, Americans who are raised with individuality as a hallmark of their culture would naturally not be in favor of such a system.  However, for the people in Russia, who have a culture of authority and following authority, it fits rather well.

I can imagine that a Russian pastor who worked in America would wonder who really is in charge around here (a question I have frequently asked myself).  Our particular culture and values would seem very strange to him, and he might wonder what the consequences are if someone really does get out of line.  Those who are chosen to be in positions of authority very likely would seem as though they don't really have any authority.  Anyone who tries to tell an individual pastor what he can or cannot do is likely to be told that he has no authority to do so.

There are a number of places in the Bible that speak to each of these scenarios, and our human nature rebels against the things we really don't want to hear.  I truly do believe that, at times, our thoughts and reactions are guided more by the culture that we live in than by what God says in the Bible.  To me, the saddest part is when we choose not to think about it or really even try to do anything about it.

Russia Mission Trip: Days 17 and 18

Today's post will bring an end to the recap of the trip.  Over the next few days, as I post, I will share a few specific cultural observations about my time in Russia, and will share some of my thoughts on how that impacts the sharing of the Good News of Jesus.  Then, my hope is to share some pictures, describing different things, and letting you see a few of the same things that I saw along the way.

Day 17 (Wednesday) of our trip was a day pretty much dedicated to shopping.  You may recall that we had actually spent quite a bit of time in-country traveling around, and because of that schedule and the various luggage restrictions, we hadn't wanted to buy a lot of souvenirs and the like.  If we had, we would have had to carry them all over Russia, risking baggage weight limitations and breakage.  So we had planned this day at the end of our trip to look for things to bring home.

I shared a little bit about the shopping experience Carrie and I had at the open air market close by our hotel.  But today, we would be heading into town, to a place called Arbat Street, where a significant number of shops were located.  So we loaded up on the metro and headed down that direction.

Carrie and I had done quite a bit of our shopping the day before, but there were still a few more things we wanted to get, such as memorable things for ourselves, and we wanted to keep our eyes open in case any great gift ideas presented themselves.  So, for the next few hours, we wandered up the street, looking in the various shops.  We did find a matrioshka for Carrie, as well as a small one for myself.  We also found a Russia flag, which we had been looking for, and a few other odds and ends to help us remember our time in Russia.

Once again, it was fairly hot outside, so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.  Going in some of the shops was very nice, since a few of them were air conditioned.  At various times, our group was pretty well spaced out.  Some of us, such as Carrie and I, had done most of our shopping, so we didn't linger long in some of the shops after we had looked through them.  Others spent a little more time looking around.  Since we knew this would be the case, we had arranged to meet up at the Hard Rock Cafe located toward the end of the street.

Eventually, everyone made their way to the Hard Rock, and several of our group sat down for a drink and some food.  However, Carrie and I wanted to check out a few other things, and to eat at a McDonald's, to see if they had any different kinds of food there.  So we ventured up the street a little bit further, found our McD's, and went in to order.  It was a madhouse, filled with people.  I have to admit that there really wasn't much exciting on the menu, so we got our food and found a place to sit down and eat.

Once we finished up, we went back down to the Hard Rock.  The rest of the group was wrapping up their meal, so we were kind of lingering around in the street.  That's when we had one of those strange occurrences happen.  A lady came across us and asked if we were Americans.  We said we were, and she asked if she could conduct a brief interview with us.  Both Carrie and I agreed, and so she started asking us questions.  It seemed that Wendy's had started being introduced into Russia.  Now, you may recall that Wendy's has that red-haired freckled girl as their "mascot".  Well, it seems that the image of her which was being portrayed in Russia was a little more "sexed up".  So this reporter asked us our thoughts on that, on how such an image would be received in the States, if the people of the United States were prude, and other similar questions.  She said that she was from The World magazine, and that our answers could be included in her article in the near future.  I guess we'll have to see if that happens or not!

Once we finished eating, we caught the metro toward the edge of town, where we were planning to take a boat ride along the river that flows through Moscow.  We got on our boat, and found some spots in the shade along the sides of the boat, and started to float up the river.  I really enjoyed this boat ride.  It allowed us to see some of the sights of Moscow, since many of the more famous places are situated along the edge of the river.  We saw Our Savior cathedral, the Kremlin, Gorky Park, and even the stadium where the 1980 Olympics were held (you may recall that the U.S. boycotted those Olympics).  It was nice and relaxing, and overall, a pretty nice way to wrap up our time together.

Once the boat ride was over, we caught the metro (once we found where to get on it) back to our hotel.  There we met the man who had made most of the arrangements for our trip, Alexey.  He had been my contact person with lining up everything for the trip, from choosing hotels to transportation to shuttles, and we all really appreciated his work.  So he met us at the hotel for a few minutes, where we presented him with the last cowboy hat.  He said that, when it finally turned cooler in Moscow, he would wear it.  We all thanked him over and over for all of his work on our behalf.

  It was dinner time, so we made our way to this little shop where you could buy almost anything you wanted to, foodwise.  Some of our group had found this place the day before, and so we all headed over there for this last supper together.

Wouldn't you know it, just as we got to the shop, the power to the store went out.  We waited a little bit, sitting around talking, until the power came back on (about 5-10 minutes later).  They had a couple of places to try different foods, so we ordered up.  It was a delicious meal.  I had some kind of sandwich wrap with some rather delicious meat and other things inside.  Jon, our missionary, closed out our time together with a devotion, as well as a challenge to let this trip be a springboard forward as we thought about the ways to continue sharing the Good News of forgiveness in Jesus.

Then, it was candy buying time.  Carrie and I had tried a number of different candies throughout Russia, and wanted to bring some back for others to try.  The poor young girl behind the counter kept having to climb up her ladder, get some candy, bring it down to weigh it, and then climb back up the ladder if the weight wasn't up to what it needed to be.  Carrie and I brought back 4 different kinds of candy, and several other members of our group also bought candy, too.  I think that young lady really got her workout that day.

We then headed back to our hotel.  It was time to start packing, as the next day would be an early day to head to the airport.

So we got up early the next morning, went down for breakfast, and then our shuttle arrived to pick us up at 8:00 AM.  I have to admit that this was the nicest shuttle ride of the whole trip.  Air conditioning and comfortable seats!  We all commented that, if we had this shuttle when we first arrived, we would have been too spoiled with our expectations for the rest of the trip, so it was good that this best shuttle had been saved for last.

We arrived at the airport and started our process of checking in and going through security.  We shared one last prayer with Jon, who had to get to the train station, as he would be heading up to St. Petersburg for some work up there.  We thanked him for everything he had done for us, for traveling with us, and for putting up with us.  He headed off, and we went through security to get on our plane.

The route we took on our return took us over the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, and Norway), and then out over Greenland and Iceland.  We got to see some very astonishing views of Greenland (they really should rename it Snowland, since it was still covered with snow).  Mountains topped with snow, little breaks where rivers or lakes were forming.  Carrie managed to snap a few pictures out of the window to catch that majestic beauty.

Finally, our plane landed in New York some 10 hours after we left Moscow.  Local time was only about 4 hours later than the time we had left Moscow.  I think we could all officially say that it was to be the longest day of our lives!  Anytime you add 10 extra hours to a day, it makes for a long day.  Since we would all be heading out on separate flights from New York, we said our goodbyes there, and then Carrie and I headed for our plane to Salt Lake City.

What a surprise when we saw the husband of one of the ladies of the congregation in Utah also on the same flight with us.  Carrie got his attention and we waved to him.  We later found out that he had spent the week in Germany and just happened to be on the same New York to Salt Lake flight that we were on.

We landed at the airport, ready to just get home and fall asleep.  Our flight landed a little after 10:30 PM, and we had a short ride to the place where we had parked our car.  That's when we were in for a shock.  The car wouldn't start.  The battery was dead.  Even after we tried charging it up (the shuttle driver for the parking company was a tremendous help to us!), it wouldn't even try starting.  It seems that almost three weeks of sitting in the heat had sapped the battery dry.

So we ended up calling our roadside assistance, who sent a tow truck to take the car to a local dealership.  Then, we had the shuttle driver take us back to the airport, where we rented a car to drive back home.  By the time we got into the car to begin our 90 minute drive back, it was just after 1:30 AM.  I can honestly say that was the longest day of my life.

That brings an end to my recap of the trip.  I hope that my sharing has been enjoyable for all of you, and my prayer is that it also inspires you to venture outside of your comfort zones to see where all God really is at work in this world around us.  My experience has been that He is often at work in ways and places that we would think are the most unlikely.

(One last word on the car.  We ended up having to get a new battery for the car.  That meant that Friday afternoon, we had to drive back down in two cars, drop off the rental, then we dropped off a nice note for the shuttle driver who had been so helpful the night before, and then, finally, head over to pick up the car.  In the end, all is well that ends well, and this little side adventure did indeed end well.  I should also note that this was the only travel problem we had the whole time.  How ironic that it happened as we got back, here in the United States, where we tend to think of transportation as more reliable than in other countries.  Maybe God has a strange sense of humor!)

Russia Mission Trip: Days 15 and 16

Monday, July 25 arrived, marking the 15th day of our trip to Russia.  That also made it the longest that I had ever been outside of the United States.  I had gone to visit Carrie a couple of times while she was living in Macau, but none of those visits had taken up two full weeks. 

That Monday, we awoke and started packing up.  Breakfast and lunch, as well as our morning session, would be the same as they had been the previous days.  However, that afternoon, it was time to head back to Ulan Ude, and to say goodbye to our Russian friends.  So it was a little sad as we ate breakfast, and as we went through our morning session.

The morning session wrapped up the discussion on raising children.  Once again, the topic seemed to resonate with everyone.  Once it was complete, though, we then had a wonderful experience.  We pastors and wives from the United States wanted to offer our prayers for each of the people present at the retreat.  So we had them sit down, and we put our hands upon them and prayed over each of them.  If the family was there as a couple, we prayed for both of them.

This was a very meaningful experience for me.  I had gotten to know some of these men and women fairly well.  To know that we were praying for them, and that God would continue to bless their work, well, it really touched me deeply.  Knowing that we may or may not ever see them again seemed to make it even more crucial that we recognize the connections that had formed over the past few days, which I think we all did.

After that, we had a bit of a surprise for the Russians.  We had brought along a number of card games, as well as a few other prizes, and so it was time for a giveaway!  We arranged it in a lottery fashion, so that each person drew a number, and then the person who drew #1 got to select first, and on down the line.  It was really funny to see the things that people wanted, although we also noticed that a few of those who drew later were somewhat disappointed that the thing they wanted was already chosen.  However, we are thinking that we will still send a few of them the things that we know they really wanted.

After lunch, it was time to start saying goodbye.  A few of the participants had driven to the retreat center, and so this was our time to say goodbye.  Hugs were exchanged, hands were shaken, and then it was time to load up our stuff on the bus.  A nice, three hour ride back to Ulan Ude was upon us.

It was amazing to see the difference in all of us as we drove back.  When we had first driven out to the retreat center, everyone had been tired and unfamiliar with each other.  That had led to a fairly quiet ride.  However, this return trip found a lot more discussion taking place.  We had a lot of questions as we drove through the countryside, and they tried to answer as many as they could.  I also noticed just how many small potato farms there were along the side of the road.  Those Russians must sure love their potatoes!

We dropped off a couple of people at the train station, and a couple of others at the places where they were staying until it was time to head back, and then the bus took us to the hotel where we would be staying that night.  As we rode, we encountered rush hour in Ulan Ude.  There were a few times where I think we could have walked a lot faster than the traffic.  However, we did eventually get to our hotel.

We settled in, and then, it was time for dinner.  We had decided on a good Chinese restaurant, so we put on our walking shoes and headed out.  We walked up the sidewalk for a while, and then came to where we could catch a tram.  The tram took us for a few stops, where we got off, and then saw our restaurant.  The smells were so nice, and we went in.

I have to admit that I really do like Chinese food.  Not really all the things we get in America, which tend to be too much on the fried end of things.  But good Chinese food can be really delicious.  We ordered up a number of different dishes to try, to pass around the table so that everyone could get some.  We had some chicken, some fried rice, and some other Chinese traditional dishes.  But we also had one thing that I had not tried before: horse.

I know, some of you reading this may have just gotten grossed out by that.  However, I have to say that horse really does taste good.  It really is a lot like beef, only a lot more lean.  After a good meal, we then started to head back to our hotel.  It had been a long day, and I think we were all ready to turn in, especially since we needed to get up early for our return flight to Moscow the next day.

That Tuesday morning we awoke early, and Carrie jumped in the shower.  She took a fairly short shower, and then it was my turn.  It was about this time when we noticed yet another difference between hotels there and the ones we are used to.  In our bathroom, we had a small water heater over the toilet.  I should emphasize small.  By the time I started my shower, the hot water had run out!  The water coming out of the faucet wasn't cool, it was COLD!  So I ended up doing a very quick, short shower, trying my best to get ready for the day.

We had another shuttle waiting for us, and we rode out to the airport.  We went and got our boarding passes, and then made our way through security.  We still had a little time before our flight, so we looked at some shops, and even made a few small purchases.  Then, it was time to board our plane.

At this particular airport, they don't have what we usually think of as gates.  We all moved into a small room with an exit out onto the jetway, and then, they took the first group of passengers.  Only, we didn't ride a bus or anything to the plane, we simply walked over the plane (about 100 meters away).  We walked directly underneath our plane in order to climb up the stairs and get on board.  At least it was a beautiful morning, and we got a few snapshots of the airport, the plane, and a military helicopter that had landed as we waited.

Then, it was time to take off.  This was actually a very comfortable plane ride.  We had plenty of legroom, the air was blowing, and the seats were comfy.  We flew over Lake Baikal, which was beautiful from the air.  We also flew over a number of mountains, and a few towns along the way.  The Siberian District president and his wife were also on the flight, and they pointed out a few of the towns where the pastors worked.  We didn't fly over one or two of their towns until we were almost 3 hours into the flight!  I can't imagine taking a train that distance, especially one without a sleep compartment.  Once again I was reminded of their challenges in simply finding time to be together with each other.

We landed in Moscow, said goodbye to Juha and Anu, and then re-entered the heat.  We caught our shuttle back to the same hotel we had stayed in previously.  We were able to check in quickly, and then, since there was an open air market nearby, that meant it was time to start doing a little souvenior shopping.

Since we had traveled west, our six hour flight had only cost us 2 hours in terms of relative time.  We had taken off around 9:00 AM and we landed in Moscow at 11:00 AM.  Thus, it was the warmest part of the day as we walked over to the market to start looking at everything they had to offer.

Carrie and I had a few things in mind that we wanted to get, both for ourselves and as gifts.  I found one of the nice Russian winter hats (I think it is called a shapka), and purchased one made out of rabbit.  I think I tried on about 10 different ones, which really set my head to sweating.  I'm looking forward to the winter when I get to wear it once or twice!

We also found a number of gemstones, some of them mined from Siberia, and we stopped to purchase one for Carrie.  We also had looked around and found a number of matrioshka figures, which are really neat.  These are painted wooden dolls, but they are hollow inside.  So when you open it up, you find a slightly smaller one, and then that one opens up to reveal another, and so on.  We actually saw a few that had as many as 15 inside!  The biggest was rather large, and some of the small ones got really small (as in, a small pebble with eyes painted on it!).

Carrie and I ended up shopping a bit longer than the rest of the group.  I think that the heat of the day had gotten to us all a bit, as well as approaching dinnertime.  We kept looking and found a few things like a set of playing cards, and spent a little time bargaining for some of the things we wanted.  About an hour after the others were done, we went over and joined them at a little restaurant for a little food and relaxing.

I should also mention that this travel day happened to also be Carrie's birthday.  We found a surprise waiting for us when we got back up to our hotel room.  In front of the TV, there was a card from the hotel.  At first, I thought it might be something that needed to be dealt with.  But we found that it was a birthday card from the hotel.  They had taken our passports to register us at the hotel (as they did at all the hotels we had checked into), and must have noticed her birthday.  It was so nice to see that they recognized that.

Yes, I did remember that it was her birthday, too.  In fact, before we left the United States, I had purchased some birthday balloons, and had taken a few minutes to blow some of them up for her.  I think spending time with my wife in another country is just about the best kind of gift one can have.

This also reminds me of another Russian cultural thing.  When it comes to birthdays, the person who is celebrating is the one who is supposed to have gifts for the others.  So the one thing that Carrie heard quite a bit that day from our group is, "Happy birthday, what are you going to get me?"  I think Russians may be on to something, though I may feel different when the birthday happens to be my own!

Russia Mission Trip: Days 13 and 14

Day 13 of our mission trip was a Saturday, and as we woke up, we had a surprise awaiting us.  No power, and no water.  Since Carrie and I were up somewhat early that day, we thought that we could wait for showers and the like until things turned on.  So we waited.  And we waited a little longer.  And a little longer.  It finally got to about 30 minutes before breakfast was supposed to be served (9:00 each day we were at the retreat center) when people started knocking on doors, telling us that breakfast would be delayed until 10:00 because of no power and water.

Finally, we did get both power and water, though initially the water that came out of the faucet was a very interesting color.  So we let it run for a bit before taking quick showers and heading off to breakfast.  So, other than a short delay, we didn't really get too far behind on the day.

That morning, one of the couples of our group led our usual morning block of time discussion, and it was on the topic of marriage.  The material they covered seemed to resonate rather well with everyone involved, and they even had a few cute little action scenes, which people got a kick out of.  Then, at one point, they released all the married couples to go off and engage in a few marriage-building things leading up to lunch.

Since not all of the men there were either married or had their wives with them, we engaged in a time for talking about a number of different topics.  Jon, our missionary on hand, asked a question about the problems that they faced in dealing with marriage and other related topics.  To my surprise, one of the challenges that is found in Russia is the challenge of homosexual behavior.  We asked questions to get a little deeper at what these challenges were, and were surprised to find how their prison system seems to be notorious for creating homosexual behaviors.  A significant number of men who enter prison are "made" homosexual by other prisoners, not by choice, but by the action being enforced upon them.  Thus, when they are released, they struggle mightily with their identity.

Now, you may remember that the topic of the day was marriage.  This topic had a great impact on me and Carrie, since it also coincided with our anniversary!  We got to celebrate the fact that God had joined us together 6 years earlier, and we gave thanks to God for the wonderful years we have had together, and the many more that (hopefully) lay ahead.

That afternoon, during our break time, we decided to introduce the Russians to a few American card games.  We had brought along some decks of Uno and Phase 10, and we started teaching these games as we played them that afternoon.  Pretty soon, there was a nice small group of us gathered around a table, skipping each other, reversing the direction of play, and, of course, accusing each other of cheating (isn't that a regular part of card games?).  All in all, that really made the afternoon fly by.

That evening, the women had planned for a session together yet again, so the women departed from our card playing, while we kept on going all the way to dinner.  I think a few of us really wouldn't have minded missing dinner to keep playing cards if there had been another place to eat nearby.  Alas, that wasn't the case, so we reluctantly put the cards away and went to eat.

After dinner, we had our usual devotion time together, and this was when I first noticed that this group of various people from all over the world was really starting to connect and get to know each other.  There were more smiles and laughs, and, in general, it seemed that people wanted to spend a little more time together.  And, of course, I was so thankful that Carrie and I got to celebrate our anniversary in another country!

The next morning, Sunday, once again we woke to no power or water.  This time the water came on a little bit before the power, so we were able to get showers in, even in the relative darkness of the bathroom.  We went over to breakfast where, I assume, they had a generator of sorts, since they were able to get our breakfast ready.

Then, it was time for worship.  Vladimir, the pastor of the church where we first went when we flew into Ulan Ude a few days earlier, would be leading the time of worship, and Randy would be giving the sermon that day.  This was something that both Carrie and I had really been looking forward to.  I had my little video camera along, and found a place to set it up to record the whole service.  We sang together, we prayed together (even though in different languages), we worshiped together, and we received Jesus' body and blood together.  It's just a great and awesome thing to know that we have that togetherness in Jesus, no matter where in the world we may be, or who we may worshiping with, or whatever language may be spoken.

Following the worship time, we had a few gifts that we wanted to present to the Russians.  One of our group (who was unable to go on the trip) had spent a number of hours hand-making stoles for us to present to the pastors.  For those who may not be familiar with these, a stole is the strip of cloth that you can see many pastors wearing over the back of their neck that hangs down the front over both shoulders.  They are typically different colors for the different parts of the year, and the stoles we presented were reversible.  Thus, by giving each pastor two stoles, we were able to give them four different colors: red, blue, white, and green (which are the primary colors that pastors in the Lutheran Church wear throughout the year).

Then, we had the gift that seemed to generate the most excitement from the group.  Randy, the pastor from Texas, had purchased crushable, wool, waterproof cowboy hats for the pastors.  When Jon, the missionary, carried them around the corner, you could see all of their eyes light up.  It pretty much turned into a free-for-all, with everyone looking for the size and color that worked best for them.  And, in the end, it seemed like everyone got a cowboy hat that worked just fine for them!

Then, the women of our group had a few gifts for the women.  They had some small bottles of lotion and some little make-up packs that they passed out along with jewelry boxes, and the women really seemed to like them a lot.  There were a lot of hugs going around, and it just became obvious how closely the women were bonding in their times together.  And that meant that pretty much everyone who attended the retreat got a little gift or two to take home, to remember their time together with us.

After a short break, we then gathered again to start our next session, talking about raising children.  It was funny, from my perspective, to see all the nods and smiles that so many of the Russians had, which seemed to indicate that raising children anywhere in the world presents the same sets of problems, regardless of culture or nationality.

That afternoon, during our break time, we wanted to go see some of the local villages.  You may remember from yesterday's post that Carrie and I had already headed out in one direction with Slava, and this time, we headed the other way with most of our American group and the district president and his wife, Juha and Anu (from Finland).  It was great to have a nice, sunny day to walk along the road, chat with each other, see some of the houses and villages, and just spend time together.  Yes, we did make a few stops and pick up a few supplies, but the time together was perhaps the most meaningful part of that little journey.

When we arrived back at the retreat center, we found that there were a few Russians who had been waiting to play cards with us again.  So it was back to Phase 10, which really seemed to be the favorite of a couple of them.  I think we're even going to have to ship a pack of Phase 10 cards to one of the men who really really liked the game.

That evening, you could tell that we were getting close to the end of our time together.  In our reflection and sharing time, it was very emotional.  We had begun to say our goodbyes, since we would have our morning session, and then the bus would be taking us back to Ulan Ude in the afternoon.  For those of you who know me fairly well, you probably already know that I was the first one to shed a few tears.  On the day when we had been talking about marriage, I had shared with my group that I was the one to cry when Carrie and I got married, and one of the men said that they had a proverb in Russia: the man who cries will have long life.  So as I stood up to share some of the moments of the retreat that were meaningful for me, I told them all that I expect that I'll have a fairly long life, since the tears were already flowing at that point.

After our devotion and reflection time (which included a time where the Russians all shared prayer requests and we all prayed for them and their ministries in various places throughout Siberia), Carrie and I were asked to spend a little time hearing about some of the ministries that are taking place in Russia.  This was rather unexpected, and yet, we came away encouraged that God is truly doing His great work of sharing the Good News of forgiveness through Jesus throughout Siberia.

Russia Mission Trip: Days 11 and 12

When our group begin planning for our mission trip about three years ago, one of the things that was highlighted to us was that we would be planning and preparing for a retreat for pastors and their wives somewhere in Russia.  At the time, we didn't really know where in Russia that would be, or what all would be involved.  We did, however, know that we and our congregations in the United States would take it upon ourselves to cover the costs, not only of the retreat, but of the transportation for the various pastors and wives who would be in attendance.

That seems like a rather significant challenge, and the truth is, it really was a challenge.  We would not only be providing for our costs to travel, eat, sleep, and the like while in Russia, but we would also be covering costs for others.  We actually chose that because we wanted something that would challenge and stretch us.  We didn't want to simply arrive in a country, help with an already-established ministry, and then leave.  We wanted to be active in planning and preparing, and to really make sure that the trip would have an impact on us, as well as require us to go above and beyond ourselves.

Thus, when the retreat on the shores of Lake Baikal began on Thursday, July 21, we came to the major point of our mission trip.  These church leaders and wives were the reason we had chosen this particular trip.  This retreat and conference was about them, making sure that we were there to serve them, and to help build them up and encourage them as they carried on the task of ministering to people with God's good news.  This is what we had been building up to for almost three full years.

Day one of the retreat featured a focus on developing and growing in prayer life.  It was led by Randy, one of the pastors of our group.  Following breakfast, we had a four hour time slot devoted to learning together.  So we gathered together in one room in the retreat center, and Randy began to teach us.

One of the interesting parts of this retreat was the need for translators.  The seven of us from the United States barely knew any words in Russian.  While quite a few of the Russians had some level of English, the entire conference would need to be translated.  Thus, we had hired two translators to be part of our retreat, translating sentence by sentence everything that was to be shared throughout the five days of the retreat.

Randy discussed several ways for all of us to grow in our prayer lives.  Not only did he emphasize the need for prayer, but he also gave several practical ideas on how to make our prayer lives even more vibrant than what they may already be.  Randy quickly became adept at speaking with a translator, and it was generally amazing to see how focused everyone was on the subject.  Even though we pretty much sat together for the full four hours, the time seemed to fly by.

Having given us several different resources, Randy mentioned that we could take some of the afternoon time to actually go and practice this.  We had intentionally left the afternoons open, both to allow free time, but to also give the Russians time together.  They are so spread out in the places where they serve, and they get to see each other so infrequently, that we wanted to make sure that they had time to spend together.  That was what each afternoon was dedicated toward, and it seemed to fulfill that purpose nicely.

However, not all of us wanted to simply sit around and talk.  Just about 100 meters, or the length of a football field, away lay the deepest freshwater lake in the world.  How many times would I have the opportunity to say that I went swimming in the largest freshwater lake in the world?  So, several of the Russians, and a couple of us Americans, made our way down to the side of the lake, swimming clothes at the ready.

Let me just say that this lake was rather chilly.  Along the shallow shores, the temperature may have been in the 60s (good thing it was a warm, sunny day).  However, as you moved further out, it got colder.  Having walked about another 100 meters out, the water begin to get up to about my waist.  It had probably dropped a good 5-10 degrees, too!  Yet, my friend Slava challenged me to go even further.  So we finally made it out to where the water was up to our chins (which dropped the temperature another good 5-10 degrees!).  It was chilly, but after swimming around in it for a while, I found that I actually got fairly used to it.

After swimming around a little bit, I made my way to the shore, where my wife and a few others were standing.  As we made our way back to the shore, it was a very interesting sight.  In Russia, especially in agricultural areas like where we were staying, fences are fairly rare.  To get down to the lake, we had to walk through a herd of horses.  So now, as we were making our way back to the shore, there was another herd, this one of cows, just meandering their way along the shore (and leaving all of the tell-tale signs that cows had been there!).  A couple were even walking a little bit out into the lake, as though they were ready for a swim, too!

After warming up a bit, Slava decided that we should go back into the lake.  This time we went all the way out to where our feet weren't touching anymore.  It was another exhilarating experience, and is one that I will never forget.  After all, how many Americans can say they have swam in the largest freshwater lake in the world, in Siberia?

This would not be the last adventure we had in the afternoons, but this one was perhaps one of the most fun.  It was great to spend time with our friends and get to know them.  And then, after dinner that evening (which began at 7:00), we had our reflection time of the day.  We had a devotion for the evening, and spent a little more time talking with one another and sharing stories of our prayer lives as well.

That afternoon, Carrie and I also had a little chore to attend to.  We had been traveling for several days, and had brought along a limited number of clothing options.  So our free time that afternoon found us doing laundry in the bathtub in our room!  It actually went pretty well, as we had brought along some detergent, and then I, on my hands and knees, performed the function of the washing machine.  After washing and rinsing out the clothes, we hung them around our room and out on the balcony to dry for a while, and then went on our adventure down to the lake.


That evening, I have to admit that I was pretty tired.  However, I found it tough to go to sleep.  In earlier posts, I have mentioned that we were so far north that the sun did not go down for very long each night.  The same was true for where we were in Siberia.  The sun probably didn't truly go down until around 1:00, and came back up shortly after 4:00.  Since I am a person who sleeps according to sunlight, that meant that I didn't sleep very much that night.  It also didn't help that we had not fully overcome the effects of moving 5 time zones further east, either!

The next day was a day designated for me to lead the men, and for Carrie to do a separate session with the women of the group.  So, after breakfast, the men gathered in the same room, and the women gathered in a room in another building of the retreat center.  My focus on the day was our identity as Christians, and specifically, I wanted to bring out a few thoughts and ideas on how to grow in this even when we may live in isolated areas without much connection with our fellow Christians.

Right from the beginning of this session, I discovered one of the challenges of translation.  We may tend to think that words simply have another word to describe them in another language.  But I quickly discovered that this is not the case.  The word "identity" seemed not to have a direct correlation, at least, not in the way that I was hoping for.  I've noticed this challenge from time to time in some of the other languages that I have learned, and recognize that any word which is not a specific "thing" may be a bit more difficult to translate.  For example, we cannot simply point to something and say "this is an identity" like we can with, say, a rock or a car.  There is more of a concept rather than a thing, and translating concepts is much more challenging than translating words for things.

I also discovered that my whole presentation, while received quite well, had a number of these concepts that required much more explanation than I had thought would be necessary.  I spoke on how we grow in not only our understanding, but our living out what the Bible says.  We first pray for God to have us know the meaning of what we are reading, then we read parts of the Bible that may speak about the topic we are interested in, and then we see how we may struggle to bring our lives in line with what God says in the Bible.  I found that words such as challenge, struggle, and difficulty are words that are not easily translated, which led to the need for extra time to explain what I was trying to convey.  I still do wonder if I made myself understood or not.

Carrie led the women in some time together, and it seems that women tend to bond quicker than men.  Carrie's overall theme was to develop spiritual growth ideas for the women, especially since they tend to be even more isolated than the men.  She discovered that there is a lot of room for opportunity and growth, and the women enjoyed their time so much that they would actually schedule extra time together over the next few days.

That afternoon it turned a bit rainy and wet.   But that didn't stop the adventures.  Slava, the same one who went swimming the day before in the lake, wanted to go for a walk.  So Carrie and I decided to go along with him.  We started walking toward a post office, which was only about a kilometer away.  We wanted to mail a couple of postcards, but found that they didn't have the proper postage for our cards.  So we kept on walking.

We left the small village our resort was in, and found ourselves walking through the woods.  However, as we hit the edge of town, we had an unexpected surprise.  There was a pack of dogs, and they were all fighting with each other.  It was pretty vicious, too.  I really did think they were trying to kill one of the dogs, and was afraid that they might see us as some kind of threat.  Thankfully, we made it past with no problems.

We walked through the woods for a couple more kilometers before we came to the next little village.  Right at the outskirts of the village was a bridge leading over a decent sized river.  We crossed over it right as a large truck carrying lumber came up to it.  However, the truck was too heavy to cross the bridge, so he did the next best thing: he went on this little side road through the river.  It wasn't really that deep, but it was fun to watch.

We made our way into the little village, with the plan to walk back toward our resort along the side of the lake.  Along the way, we met a few interesting people.  Of course, we relied upon Slava to translate for us (his English was pretty good!).  We met one lady who shared some of the history of the village with us.  We also saw a sign up with fish for sale.  We noticed that Slava kept looking back at the sign even after we had passed.  We followed the road down to the lake, where it was very windy, and where a slight shower had started. 

As we walked along the shore, the thought suddenly hit me.  We had crossed over a river.  To get back, we would have to cross over that same river.  I wondered if there would be a way to do it.  As we got closer, we discovered that there wasn't.  There were a couple of canoes that someone had left there, but we didn't think it would be right to "borrow" them to get across the river, which was narrower, but deeper at this point.  That also meant that we couldn't just walk across.  It was at least 5-6 feet deeper at the shallowest place.  So we had no choice but to turn back and return the way we had come.

So we followed the road back into the village.  As we passed the house with the fish for sale sign, Slava again kept looking it at it.  Then, the man of the house came out and started up his car.  His son climbed into the car.  Suddenly, Slava took off running back for the house.  He started having a conversation with the man, and waved as the two of us to come back.  Just as we got to the house, Slava and the man went into his yard, where the man was showing off his fish.  Slava seemed to be telling him that he wanted some.  So the man pulled out a couple of different fish and gave them to Slava.  All this time, they were chatting away.

Finally, the man wrapped up the fish, but we had seen no money change hands.  Then, as we walked out of the yard, the man indicated that we should get in his car.  He then proceeded to give us a ride back to our resort.  Carrie and I sat in the backseat with the little boy, while Slava and the man rode in the front and chatted the whole way.  He dropped us off, and Slava left him 50 rubles (to get something for his son, Slava said).  We asked Slava if it was common for people to be so nice, and he assured us that this kind of thing happened all the time in Siberia.  We were amazed!

That evening, we had another good time for devotion and reflection.  After our devotion, the women went to continue their sessions together, while we men reflected on this process of growing as Christians.  A number of helpful suggestions were made, and a few even gave some feedback to me for consideration.  We also shared a number of stories on ways that we had been challenged to grow, which I find is still a necessity, even after 10 years in my career.

Perhaps the most meaningful thing for me about this whole day was the interactivity of the men.  I intentionally set up my presentation to give them time to talk in groups.  I had no idea that this would be such a good thing.  Every time I had to break into their discussion to move to the next point, I could see that they were really getting into the discussions.  More than anything, I hope and pray that I provided a few things to help them grow in their spiritual walks.

Russia Mission Trip: Days 9 and 10

Tuesday, July 19 marked the end of our time in St. Petersburg.  We woke up that morning and packed up, as we had a flight to catch.  We were to fly into Moscow, and then, after a fairly lengthy layover, we would head out to Siberia, landing in a town called Ulan Ude.  So that morning found us eating our last breakfast at our fairly nice hotel, and then packing up our bags and catching our shuttle yet again, for a trip to the airport.

We made it to the airport, and got on our plane.  It was a relatively short flight to Moscow, a little more than an hour (the train ride had taken 8 hours, but it was also not the fast train).  We arrived in Moscow, and guess what: it was hot again.  Also, there was no air conditioning in the airport, which meant fairly sweltering conditions anywhere we would go.

Another interesting thing had happened on our flight from St. Petersburg to Moscow.  We had actually met up with the President of the Siberian District of the Lutheran Chuch in Russia (named Ingria), and so, we got to spend our layover time in the airport with them.  We looked around for a place to eat a little food, and finally found something resembling a food court.  So everyone went to get some food, and we all sat down and sweated together.

We got to know Juha and Anu during that time.  One funny thing: while we were sitting there eating and sweating, we found out just how much Anu loves her coffee.  Though it was probably in the 80s or 90s inside the airport, she just HAD to have her hot coffee.  Many of the rest of us marveled at her ability to drink the hot drink in the sweltering conditions.

Finally, it was time to catch our plane.  We got on late that evening (this flight was an overnight flight, landing around 9 AM on Wednesday in Ulan Ude).  The first thing we noticed was that the plane was HOT.  Not just stuffy, but hot.  We thought that, once we took off, the vents would kick in and we would cool down and, hopefully, catch a little sleep, but we would find out that this simply wasn't to be the case.  It made for a miserable night of sleep, and thus, led to a group of unhappy campers when we landed in Ulan Ude, near the Mongolian border.

This overnight flight was a 6 hour flight.  And yet, just to give you a bit of perspective, this hardly got us halfway across Russia.  I would imagine that a flight from Moscow to Vladivostock would probably take longer than our flight from New York to Moscow.  We had made the transition to a place which was 5 time zones earlier than what we had been in while in Moscow and St. Petersburg.  That's just how massively large the country of Russia is.

Practically everyone needed to use the restroom, so we all ran downstairs in the airport to where the restrooms were.  This is when my wife, Carrie, had a moment that took her back to her time living in China: squatty potties.  Instead of toilets like we are used to, the airport basically had holes in the ground in which you did your business (oh, and no toilet paper, either).  It was a reminder of our proximity to China and Mongolia, where such things are fairly common.  Yet another way of realizing just how far we had traveled.

We caught our shuttle from there to one of the churches in town.  Only, this wasn't really a church, but a few rooms on the lower level of an apartment complex.  Many of the Lutheran churches in Russia have similar accommodations.  This has led to some problems with the Orthodox Church in Russia, who has made the claim that, in order to be a recognized religion and not a sect, you need to have a building of your own.  There is actually a good reason for this, as, at the time of the collapse of communism, many sects raced into Russia and did a considerable amount of harm to the religious life there.  However, this presents challenges to legitimate churches who simply do not have the funds to purchase or build buildings for themselves.

We waited in the church for many of the pastors and wives to arrive.  We would be riding on a bus with them out to the retreat center on the shores of Lake Baikal, the largest fresh-water lake in the world.  As they trickled in from their bus or train rides (some as long as 45 hours with only a seat, not a bed!), we introduced ourselves.  Of course, we needed translators, since many of them did not have a working level of English.  This also meant that we would be taking two translators along with us to our retreat, to aid in the retreat that we Americans would be leading.

Once everyone had arrived, we went out to get some food.  We caught a tram toward the downtown area, and, as we got off, the heavens opened up and poured down rain.  None of us had really been expecting this.  We heard over and over again that "it never rains in Ulan Ude".  We just happened to show up on the one day of a massive downpour.  So we waded through the water flowing down the streets toward a little place to get some food.  Carrie and I, of course, decided to try out a few of the local foods, and really did like them. 

Following that, we got to look out across the street at something which, I was told, is in the Guiness book of World Records: the largest bust of Lenin in the world.  In the city square, there is a huge bust of his head, and I mean huge.  We did get a few pictures, and I'll work to include them in some future blog posts. 

After a brief stop at the post office, it was back to the church to load up everything for our ride to the retreat center.  We got all of us on the bus, and then, we were off.  It would be a little over three hours, with one stop along the way.  We traveled through some majestic mountains, and saw many trees.  Parts of the road were unpaved, and most of the rest of the road was a small, two lane road.  But finally, we made it.

One of the first things that the Russians saw as we pulled up to the retreat center was a Sauna Bar.  Saunas are huge for both Russians and Fins (we had a few Finnish pastors and wives in attendance, as well).  So we unloaded the bus, got our room assignments, and got checked in to the place that would be home for the next 5 days.

When I say retreat center, you may be thinking about some fancy place with all sorts of accommodations.  However, let me dispel you of that right up front.  We had two twin beds in our room (in fact, this was something we had in every one of our hotels).  We had a table, a couple of chairs, and a place to hang up clothes.  We also had a bathroom with a tub and shower, but with no shower curtain.  We had a couple of electricity plugs, and that was pretty much it.  Oh, and a hot water pitcher for coffee and tea, if we wanted it.

With a long day of travel and with a short night of sleep on the flight, we were all pretty tired.  We did take a little time to introduce ourselves to each other, but for the most part, we were all tired and wanted to get to bed.  So it was off to our rooms to try and get some sleep, for the next day, we would begin our retreat, which was the biggest part of our whole trip.  More on that in the next post!