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Hello Ethnos-

One of the passages in Proverbs that overlaps both last week's talk (on work) and this coming weekend's talk (on family) is Proverbs 31:10-31. It's the passage about the ideal wife. I don't know what sort of picture comes to your mind, but frankly the passage is pretty shocking/amazing. Intrigued? Take a look when you get a chance...

Hello Ethnos-

Wow, what a week. Amid the historic and mind-boggling election decisions of Tuesday, I heard from a few of you of the big and small things going on in your life, things that are as important as an election (if not more). I guess that's the thing about life: some things can get blown out of proportion in terms of importance, other things can get overrated. It's a good thing Jesus reigns over everything. God help us trust Him.

See you soon-
Yucan

Hello Ethnos:

I heard a number of great comments about how God used Anna's message this last week on deeper friendships. I too was challenged, needing to embrace and work through some conflict issues in my life. It's great to know that we are a community striving for these things. And it's great to have a community where all of us- Anna included- have a role to play in making this community what it is!

Hello Ethnos-

Living in God's presence: it's not easy. On one hand, it would seem like it should be relatively easy- God is everywhere, we can never get away from His presence, so no problem, right? On the other hand, we find ourselves in desperate places like the songwriter in the Bible: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?" (Ps. 22:1)

Hello Ethnos:

I had a very surprising "run in" with the government this week. I was at a pastor's luncheon, actually, with the Chief Administrative Officer of San Diego County. "Who's this guy? What difference does he make?" Turns out this guy (Walt) and his office does a lot to keep our daily lives functioning, from making sure the gas pump isn't cheating us to managing the foster care system in the county, and a lot of stuff in between (for more, see http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/cao/index.html).

Hello Ethnos:

There are multiple stories in the Bible where the concept of learning is key.

I think of Luke 24, for example, where a few followers of Jesus didn't get that Jesus had to die. And so Jesus, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets... interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (24:27)

Hello Ethnos-

Decisions. We're faced with tens, if not hundreds, of them daily:

- Should I stay in bed a little longer?
- What should I wear?
- Do I really need to respect my boss with this protocol?
- Should I call him back? Do I want to go out on that date?
- Do I eat now, or a little later?
- How much should go in my IRA this month?

And the list goes on and on.

Some are pretty easy to think through. Others, however, can cause great anxiety, especially if they involve saying "no" to something or someone that has great value for us.

Last week I read an interesting proverb and was inspired:

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. (Prov. 14:4)

It seems a bit cryptic, to say the least. But as I was thinking on it, it seemed to point to this general idea: a good life- one with "abundance"- can get messy. Sure, we can live a non-messy life, one with a clean manger, but if we want to see some crops- well, we need to get some oxen.

I heard this last Sunday together was great! Worship, the message (did you like Jason, by the way?), the food, Mexico team... Praise God for that. As many of you know by now, I am currently in Singapore doing some research and learning from the Singaporean Church. It has been an exciting trip, one in which I have seen first hand the amazing work of God in our world. As I have mentioned before, the centers of Christianity have now moved South and Eastward, and the church in Singapore is a testimony to that.

Yen and I watched a movie this last Sunday that I want to recommend here. End of the Spear, a 2006 release, tells the true story of 5 young 20-30 somethings that lost their lives in an attempt to share the message of Jesus to the Auca Indians of South America. It was a gripping movie, capturing a number of the themes we looked at over the summer. If you have a chance, rent it/buy it/borrow it this week, get some friends together, and watch it. Seriously- I think it'll cap off our summer together in a great manner.