Daily Reading: 31 March 2009

Wow, the Bible always amazes me with its wisdom and insight into daily human life.  I was taught a long time ago that if I wanted to understand mankind then I needed to understand man.  So in college I took Psychology, Sociology, Biology, and other natural and social sciences.

But the more I go to church, the more I read God's word, the more I begin to realize that if I TRULY want to understand mankind, then I need to study God.  

I enjoy reading stories that show God's heart and his compassion for me.  In Deuteronomy 18:16 it says that the people of Israel BEGGED God to stay away from them.  They didn't even want to hear His voice!  And what did God say?  "Fine, I will do as they requested."

But He can't keep from loving us and communicating His will to us.  He sends a prophet that will "proclaim on My behalf".  

How amazing is God's love?!  That even when I push Him away (which is quite often) and shut his voice out of my life (which is a regular occurrence) HE still pursues ME!

And yet, He doesn't push me to love Him.  In Luke 9:42, Jesus has been asked to heal a child with an evil spirit.  He told the people that they were "stubborn" and "faithless" and yet, He didn't just walk up and heal the boy.  He ASKED the father to have faith and bring the boy to Him.  Jesus didn't push the man to believe, but still gave him the opportunity, even though the man had already exhibited qualities of faithlessness.  How amazing!

In Psalm 73:1 it says, "Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure."  That verse, by itself, would depress me sometimes when my heart wasn't so pure.  But then I read the next verse and remember how much I enjoy David's testimony of falling down and getting back up again: "But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff!  My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone."

There are some characters in the Bible that I cannot relate to.  Joshua is one of these. He seems to have an almost impossible strength of character!  But David is so relatable because, like him, I have fallen down the mountain, patched up my cuts and scrapes through the grace of God, and climbed back up.

A question I hear a lot from my friends is "how can GOOD things happen to BAD people?".  There are a lot of different ways I answered that question before, but after reading through the rest of Psalm 73 it become much clearer.  I am going to write the entire Psalm here in the NLT.

3. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

4. They seem to live such a painless life; their bodies are so healthy and strong.

5.  They aren't troubled like other people or plagued with problems like everyone else.

6.  They wear pride like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty.

7.  These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!

8.  They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.

9.  They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.

10.  And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.

11.  "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask.  "Is the Most High even aware of what is happening?"

12.  Look at these arrogant people--enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

13.  Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong?

14.  All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

15.  If I had really spoken this way, I would have been a traitor to your people

16.  So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.  But what a difficult task it is!

17.  Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I thought about the destiny of the wicked.

18.  Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.

19.  In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors.

20.  Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake.  When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life.

21.  Then I realized how bitter I had become, how pained I had been by all I had seen.

22.  I was so foolish and ignorant--I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

23.  Yet I still belong to you; you are holding my right hand.

24.  You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

25.  Whom have I in heaven but you?  I desire you more than anything on earth.

26.  My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

27.  But those who desert Him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.

28.  But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things that you do.

third house from the end

I go to Jordan Ford at least once a week to get a free car wash (sorry, only for people who bought their car there). Recently, I ran into an old high school buddy named Jacob, who also works in the used car area. But usually, a guy named James takes my car through.

I've been getting to know James for some time now and that's been good, but on this particular occasion, a middle-aged woman came out and hopped in my drivers seat.
"Hi, I'm Jonathan"
"Hi, I'm Roxanne".
We talked, as most polite humans do, about a host of different topics. Where she used to work, how she got the job she has now, and what her hobbies are (it's a long car wash).Then we got on the topic of where I went to elementary school. I told her Battell, on Cedar Street. She said that she used to live off of Cedar, on Lawrence.

I said, "Oh, that's interesting, I used to live on Lawrence too". She asked me where, and I said, "I don't remember the exact address, but it was the third house from the end on the right, just before Division". She snapped her head to the right and looked at me real funny. She said, "Was it a duplex?" I told her it was.

Her mouth dropped open and she did a double take. She said, "That was the exact house that I used to live in!" She lived in the same house I did, just ten years before my family moved in.

Now, is this a coincidence? No. Not only has the Lord allowed me to develop a relationship with James, but he also placed Jacob there (someone I already know), and now this woman named Roxanne, who I now have this very weird connection with. There were quit a few layoffs at Jordan ford recently, and they only kept three people in the used car area; three people that I now have a direct connection with. I believe that the Lord is priming this as a significant ministry opportunity.

"At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ."~Colossians 4:3 (NET)

servant's reward

Have you ever been blessed by the Lord? Some things happen and I don't necessarily think that the Lord is blessing me, when in fact, He probably is.

First example. Last December I was sitting at Fort Bragg getting ready to head overseas. Because of the ice on the streets, me and some buddies decided to stay in our barracks and play a game of Spades and order pizza. There were six of us and the pizza came by the truckloads. We finished our game around 11pm and the guys started to head back to their rooms just down the hall. The weather had turned worse and freezing rain was now coming down pretty hard. No one wanted to run the empty pizza boxes out to the dumpster about 200 meters away from the building, so I volunteered. I cleaned up everything, all the tables, the half-eaten breadsticks, the marinara sauce, and hauled those four empty boxes to the dumpster in my sweatpants. On the way to the dumpster, I found a $20 bill.

"Cool!", I thought as I picked it up. I walked another five feat and found another $20 bill, then another, then another, then another. In total, I found $100! I thought that it was neat that I had volunteered to be a servant and reaped the reward. The next morning I told everyone in the building that I had found a certain amount of money, but no one claimed it. It's literally like it fell from the sky.

Second example. My brother called me late on Thursday and said that he and his friends wanted to get together for poker. Well, it was past 9pm and the weather was said to get really bad, I hadn't had any coffee, my brother lived 25 minutes away, I had to swing by the ATM to get $5 for the buy-in......my mind was racing with a thousand reasons NOT TO GO. Then I had this quiet thought of "He's my brother and I need to reach out to him whenever he reaches out to me". And I went. Now, mind you, I have never won at a poker game in my life (and I've played quite a few) but I won the top prize of $30 that night. And I got to spend time with my little brother. Did God honor my obedience to do what was right? When I get to heaven I'll ask Him.

pull out all the stops

I wanted to share a short paragraph that my pastor gave me just before I left for Iraq. It's an excerpt from a letter written by a missionary out in the jungles of New Guinea:

Man, it is great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old devil's heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease. He doesn't waste time on a lukewarm bunch. He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him. You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back. When you're on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up, and some don't bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on mourning? No sir. That's the time to pull out the stops and shout, Hallelujah! The old fellow's getting it in the neck and hitting back. Heaven is leaning over the battlements and watching. "Will he stick it?" And as they see Who is with us, as they see the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away. Glory to God! We're not going to run away. We're going to stand.

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it."~1st Corinthians 10:13

The three onlookers

At GCC this past Wednesday Ron spoke about setting up "ducks" in my life that are difinitive places where I have seen God working. I pulled this story from a year ago, but wanted to share it with you if you haven't heard it.

//December 29,2007//
This past week was spent in Minnesota with my fantastic family. It was a welcome break from Fort Bragg.My trip was very interesting. I left Kalamazoo around 0230, hoping to beat the rush through Chicago and make it to Minneapolis around 10am. The roads were clear and traffic was light when I left. The temperature was around 48 degrees.

I got through Chicago without incident. However, as soon as I hit the west side, the temperature started to drop very quickly and the snow began to fall. Temperatures were now at 16 degrees.I kept driving north into Wisconsin cheese country, as the temperature kept dropping and the traffic steadily became more congested.

I pulled over around 0740 to grab some coffee from Starbucks. They weren't open yet because their delivery truck was stuck in the weather, however, after my sob story of being deployed to Iraq and this potentially being my last cup of hot coffee in the United States, they were obliged to give me a fresh brewed cup. As they passed it out the window they said, "Don't drink it for a while because it's extra, extra hot." And they were right. Even with gloves on and the cardboard coffee wrap, my hands still felt hot.I got back on the freeway and kept driving north, determined to "be home for Christmas".

About fifteen minutes later I'm cruising along and decided to call my mom on my high-speed hands free device. We're chatting and joking when all of a sudden my car hit black ice and immediately began turning clockwise on the freeway at 55 mph. It completed a 180 degree turn, slid to the side of the road, hit the ditch, flipped on it side, and continued sliding into the ditch until it came to a halt. I had my seatbelt on, and was laying on my side with the ground right next to my head. I was still on speakerphone with my mom, and had just finished narrating the entire thing to her as it happened, so she sounded very distressed and asked me all sorts of questions.

I undo my seatbelt and turn off the vehicle. I look up to the passenger door and there are two faces staring back at me. It shocked me at first because it had only been 30 seconds or so since the accident. They ask if I'm okay. "Yeah, I'm fine." It was two men who looked like they were from West Virginia and had baled hay their entire lives.One man opened the passenger door and held it open for me, while the other grabbed my hands and helped me out. As I'm pulled out, I noticed there was a third person standing next to the two men. It was a women, dressed in a white fur coat. She says, "Are you okay? Do you have any injuries? I'm a registered nurse, let me look you over."

She has me pull off my hat, she examines my head, and then checks for any other injuries. She smiles and says, "Everything checks out". Just then, a police car pulls up. Again, I'm shocked because I hadn't called for any help yet. The state police officer began asking me questions, and put me into his car to stay warm. The officer needed my registration, so I went to my vehicle and opened the passenger door, holding it open while I fumbled around in the glove compartment. Those doors are heavier than they look!

After a moment, I retrieved my registration. As I was shutting the door, I noticed my coffee cup. Remember? That steaming hot cup of coffee? It was sitting, straight up, without the lid, on the drivers side window, completely full. It had not spilled one drop during the accident. Unbelievable.I walked back to the police cruiser, just as a fire truck was stopping at the scene to check that there weren't any injuries. It was still only five minutes after the accident.

About five minutes later, a tow truck pulls up, flips my car right side up, and hoists it out of the ditch and onto the back of his truck.The truck driver took me south, about five miles, to DeForest. We drop my car off at the repair shop and he offers me a ride to the airport to pick up a rental. I said, "Aren't you still on duty?" He says, "Actually, this works out well. You were my last pickup so I'm off the clock now and would be happy to give you a ride." So, he drives me twenty minutes south to Madison to get a rental.

I decided to continue driving to Minneapolis, but I first wanted to grab everything out of my car in case it was declared a "total". As I'm cleaning out my car, another tow truck drops off another SUV that had rolled. The truck driver says, "I hope you aren't planning to go out there, it's real bad. We just received a call to go and get another car that had flipped in the ditch." This changed my mind, and I got a hotel room and waited out the storm. So I made it up safely the next day. After thinking about the incident and going over everything in my head, I realize how much God had His hand on the entire accident.

The most amazing part were the three people who arrived almost instantly after the crash happened. Although I didn't think of it at the time, I never recalled any vehicles at the scene but mine. The three onlookers didn't have a car anywhere near mine and I never saw where they went after my attention was diverted to the police officer. I am convinced that the Lord allowed me to visually see my guardian angels, even for a brief moment.

He also provided a police car, a fire truck, and a tow truck right behind me before the accident happened so that they were on the scene immediately. He orchestrated where my hot coffee would fly during the accident, and he provided me transportation to the airport by means of an off-duty truck driver. And to top it off, I didn't have any injuries. I am grateful this holiday season to worship a God who answers prayers before I even ask.

"Before they call, I will answer. While they are still speaking, I will hear."-Isaiah 65:24

the chair

My roommate and I had a very interesting encounter yesterday.

Our neighbor living below us, Walter, came up and gave us a chair that he didn't want anymore. My roommate Randy told me to come out and look at it because it bothered him. When I looked at it, I agreed. The old chair was beautiful, made of dark shining wood, and didn't have a crack in it. However, in the center of the chair back was a large engraving of a devils face, mouth full of fangs, and eyes beading out in 3D. Both Randy and my spirits felt off just looking at it. We didn't know what the history was behind the chair, but we both knew something wasn't right with it.

Randy and I have prayed over our apartment, so we knew that any type of evil spirit would be bound by the blood of Christ.

We nervously laughed about the hideous image and threw a towel over the back of the chair, promising each other that we would give it back to Walter in the morning.

About ten minutes later Walter came back up to our apartment, saying that he forgot to tell us something. We told him that we didn't want the chair and gave it back to him.

Then he says, "What did you guys do to my chair?" We told him we didn't do anything to it. Then we looked at it and our mouths dropped open as we saw that the entire demonic face, just the face, had turned ash white and was filled with many large cracks and hundreds of tiny ones. This once beautiful but ominous chair had turned into a disgusting and wimpy old chair....all within ten minutes.

Walter later told us that he and his wife had always felt wierd around the chair, and that they had moved it from room to room, hoping to get rid of its negative presence. This has opened doors of spiritual discussion with our neighbors. Please pray for them.

I don't know everything that happened in my apartment yesterday, but I do know that, as Christians, there is authority at our disposal that flows from the reservoir of power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This same power is used to overcome the works of Satan in our daily lives.

Praise God that we are not under Satan's power or subject to his authority. In Christ, we are above all demonic rule, authority, and power.

"...the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who belive. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might..." Eph 1:19

San Francisco 2006

I think I am becoming a running junkie. Over the past year and a half, I have really become attached to my running regime. It’s one thing, other than my devotionals, that when I don’t do it, I actually miss it. This past weekend I did the San Francisco half-marathon. It was a blast. The excitement and the energy of all my fellow runners is too difficult to explain in words.

The race began at 0530 in front of the Ferry Building (not fairy), and wound itself through the entire city. I ran along the SF Marina, then partway up the Presidio Hill, then through a park (whose sprinklers were still on because it was so early), then down along the Bay, and up another large hill until I reached my favorite part: The Golden Gate Bridge. It was awesome! I turned around on the other side and caught a view of the entire city right after sunrise. It was breathtaking. Then back over the Golden Gate, up another large part of the Presidio Hill, through little Italy and China town, ending up at Golden Gate Park.

I wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be, and regretted not doing the full marathon. I finished better than I had planned. I was able to maintain a 7:10 minute mile the entire race, running it in 1 hour 34 minutes. Out of the 3858 people that were running the first half-marathon I finished 41st, and 15th in my age group of 20-24 year olds. It felt really good. I look forward to my next race, the San Jose Half-Marathon in October!

fresh strawberries

I had an interesting encounter yesterday. I was walking through Farmers Market, a weekly gathering of local merchants in downtown Monterey, and had just finished getting some fresh strawberries and blackberries for my smoothie addiction when someone behind me called my name. I turned around to see a longtime friend, David Wynegar, who has apparently moved to Monterey while his girlfriend is studying at MPC. I was shocked. Despite the fact that neither of us knew we were out here, it was such a weird meeting! I was so shocked, I forgot to get his cell phone or any contact information whatsoever. Maybe hell be at the market next week too.

My parents came out to visit for Memorial Day. We had such a relaxing week. We spent a day and a half in San Francisco, touring everything from Alcatraz Island to China Town. We even managed to hop a ride on the trolley. We spent the last part of the trip in Monterey. We headed out to Pebble Beach for half a day, went to Bubba Gumps, walked along the beach, and just spent time enjoying each others company. We ate a lot of food (including that amazing meal on Coast Guard Pier) and laughed until my mom almost had an accident. Also, a good friend of mine from GCC came up to visit, Stephen Hinkel is his name, and serving God is his game.

Went out to the Range two weeks ago. It was at Fort Hunter-Liggett, which is about 2 ½ hours south of Monterey. We left base at 0230 in the morning (where does the Army come up with these times?!) and as soon as we left the Monterey area, the temperature shot up from 64 to 80. On the way down, we almost had a serious accident, one that may have injured or killed many soldiers. We were approaching Hunter-Liggett and getting off on the exit ramp when suddenly the brakes in our bus went out. The driver tried to pump them, but nothing happened. We continued our exit at 55 mph, flying through the intersection at the bottom (and that stop sign). Praise God though that no one was coming through the intersection, and that the entrance ramp to get back on the highway was right through the intersection, rather than a jog to the left or right. Also praise God that we were the first vehicle. If we had been any other vehicle (and there were five buses), we would have slammed into the back or side of another vehicle as it was turning at 55 mph. I wonder how many guardian angels were following us on our trip that day.

The Arabic school house that I attend issued every one of its student brand new, still in the box, Video iPod. Retail value $300. Unbelievable where the Army spends its money. It has been nice to have though.

I have so much more to write, but its late and I need to head back home and sleep. Plus, they just turned the lights off at the coffee shop Im sitting at.

20 miles a week

It is official. My fellow classmates and I are a third of the way through our Arabic program. I can't believe that in less than a year I will be home and fluent (give or take a few words) in Arabic. It doesn't seem like that day will get here!

This past week has flown by. We had Friday off becuase of a base-wide "Language Day", which was such a blast to attend. We had high schoolers and teachers from all over the country come to see how the DLI operates and teaches languages so quickly. We had teachers from as far away as Michigan and New York join us. It was great.

This past Friday I went and saw the Da Vinci Code. It was the first time that I had been to a movie that was completely sold out (our group of four had to split up to find a seat), and that had protesters and camera crews outside. It made for an enjoyable night. The movie was done really well but I recommend reading up on your church history before going to see it, as there are many blatant errors in the film. Click here for a link to some good material.

Saturday I spent with my roommate Randy. We went for a seven mile run from Asilomar to Lover's Point and back. It was a beautiful day, right around 74 degrees with a light breeze. I have really gotten into the sport of running. I run over 20 miles a week and have met a lot of new people doing so. I see people all the time in downtown Monterey that I know just because they run the same trails/roads that I do. It's like a secret little community that I never knew existed! We're all training for the same thing too, the San Franscisco Marathon. So whenever we see each other we say, "You better be training hard if you want to beat me!"
My prayer is that I can run the race of life with the same fervor and run alongside a strong group of Christians that can motivate me when I'm down and keep me accountable when I'm weak.

I think the LORD has blessed me with such a group. I have been attending a Bible study at a couple's house in Monterey for nearly three months and have really gotten to enjoy the people there. Saturday we went to see Ice Age 2 and then headed back to their house where Rich cooked us his famous BBQ spare ribs. They were delicious. Then, in a surprise move, we decided to go to the beach for a bonfire (yes at 11pm). It was such a blessing. We spent about an hour talking with each other, roasting marshmallows, joking around, and then 45 minutes in worship: Andy on the guitar and God on the drums (the ocean). I remember looking up at the stars and thinking, "If this is even a glimpse of Heaven, being surrounded by friends and worshipping you all the time, then I can't wait to get there."

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.~Ecclesiastes 4:12

the un-lit floor

As most of you know, I was forced to find an apartment because there is a housing shortage on base. This past Good Friday was the first day I stayed in my new place. I borrowed a blow-up air mattress, a table, a couple of chairs, and some silverware from the Army housing department, and officially “moved in”.

Over the past week I have discovered, through the pain in my back and neck, that sleeping on an air mattress every night is not beneficial to my health. So yesterday my roommate and I heading to our neighbor hood Ikea store. Actually it was the store in Palo Alto, nearly an hour and a half north of Monterey. Distance doesn’t matter much when you have phenomenal deals to back it up.

When we arrived we were both overwhelmed with the sheer power and monstrosity of the place. For those of you who have never been to an Ikea, it is too difficult to put into words. Maybe I’ll try to after our next visit.

Anyway, we spent all day walking through the showrooms, picking out things for the apartment. We ate a delicious Swedish lunch (at the Ikea restaurant), and then headed down to the warehouse to pick up the things we liked. We had so much stuff! Randy was pushing a flat cart full of furniture, and I was pushing not one, but TWO wheeled carts (talk about a task) filled with miscellaneous items for our humble abode.

We didn’t measure any of the items and therefore didn’t discover until returning to the car that none of the furniture fit in the back of my vehicle. So we had to take off the headrests for the driver and passenger and lean forward a little bit on our ride home. Randy thought that he would be decapitated if we hit someone, but I assured him that this wouldn’t happen (I really had no idea).

We made a quick tour stop at Moffit Air Field, which is home to two of the last three standing Air Force Blimp Hangers from World War Two. They are huge structures, made completely of wood, and did I mention they’re huge?! It was interesting also, because there were some Army guys on the base standing around in their PT’s. We stopped and asked them for directions, and one of the guys in the group walks forward saying that he recognized me. Turns out that I served in Iraq with this guy for six months! It seems that the Army gets smaller and smaller with every year that passes.

Returned home, I ran and picked up a good friend from the airport, went to Quizno’s for dinner, picked up a friend from base to help us build our furniture, then returned home again to begin our tedious task.

Let me just say that it started out well. We built a chair, built Randy’s bed, built a couple of lights (forgot to get lightbulbs), and then started work on my bed. It was around 9:00pm when we started my bed, and by 10:00 we were just about done. Right around this time is when I’m trying to find my mattress to put on my bed. “Randy, have you seen my mattress?” Nope. I jokingly run down to the car thinking I had left it in there on accident. I return, more desperate then when I had left. No mattress.

Apparently, after reviewing the days events, we realized that we had left the $100 mattress at the checkout lane. We took it out of the cart so the cashier could scan it. “So I guess I won’t be sleeping on my bed tonight”, I said, as a tear slowly rolled down my cheek and fell on the un-lit floor. We determined that it would be okay. We’d just go back to Ikea the next day, receipt in hand, and explain the whole situation. They’ll give us another mattress.

“Randy, where are the receipts?”

Apparently, partly because Ikea doesn’t believe in shopping bags, we left the receipts in the cart, which we left in the parking lot. So no receipts. This will be an interesting problem to solve.

I told Randy, “Well that's fine, I’ll just sleep on the futon that we got for the living room, but I am not sleeping on that blow-up air mattress again.” As we began assembling the futon we realized that we had forgotten to purchase a mattress for it.

I slept in the living room last night, like a guest in my own home, with a partially constructed bed in my bed room, a partially constructed futon right next to me, a lamp with no light bulbs right above me, on an air-mattress that I knew would have no air by morning.


Matthew 6:6-8 (ESV) But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [7] "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

slamming her feet

This past week has been extremely busy. I was forced out of the barracks by the Army because there isn't enough room on base to house all of the soldiers, therefore, sergeants have to go. I spent most of my free time last week looking for a place to live which consequently, caused some things to fall by the wayside. Things such as Physical Training, keeping in contact with loved ones, etc, etc. All the important things basically fell to the side!

To top it off, we had our first C-1 test this past Thursday and Friday. For those of you unfamiliar with how testing works at my language institute, let me just tell you that it is a very long process. We have five parts to our tests: Speaking, Reading, Listening, Arabic-English translation, and English-Arabic translation. I received the results back on Monday and, praise God, received all A's and B's. Not a bad start to my academic report card.

Had an amazing Easter celebration weekend as well. Watched the Passion of the Christ on Friday with my Bible Study group as well as had communion with them. That was a very powerful time for us. We sang songs and reflected on Christs sacrifice well into the evening.
I have had the priveledge to connect with some amazing Christians here on base who truly have a passion for the Lord. I look forward to the work we can do together in the advancement of God's Kingdom.

Monday began the week anew. Not much to report on, other than a delicious Tuesday night dinner at the Joneses house (potato caserol with a mixed fruit bowl). The only highlight from this week was this morning when I was backing out of my apartment complex. I accidently hit a parked car as I was turning my wheel. It wouldn't have been so bad, but like I said, it was in mid-turn so it basically scraped their car all the way down. I couldn't even see the car because I have to back up down a hill. Having just moved in, I don't think this is the best way to meet my new neighbors.

I don't know why I'm thinking about this right now, but I was running on the treadmill in the gym, as is my daily routine, and there was this old Korean lady running next to me. I was running fast, right around 9.5 mph, and I could hear this elderly Korean next to me keeping up at my pace. Frustrated, I bumped it up to 10 mph. She kept right up. Finally, I glanced over and looked at her treadmill screen, only to discover that she was actually "running" at 3.7 mph. She was just slamming her feet down so hard and taking such little steps that it sounded like she was running much faster. The scene just made me stop and laugh right there on my machine.

Anyway, that's been my week. I'm still in class. Still studying Arabic. Still learning a lot. And still giving God all the credit.

Intimate Knowledge

"Feeling low again, insignificant. My thoughts and fears overcome my mind, I find that there's no easy way to run from everything that's haunting me. I'm looking in the mirror for a smile, nothing is returned no matter how hard I try."

I know that these words may not seem like words of encouragement, however today, these were exactly the words I needed to hear.

I find it absolutely shocking that the person I'm around the most, the person that I should know everything about, constantly surprises me with what he does (or doesn't do). Yep, I'm around myself 24 hours a day and there are still many days where some of the things I do stun me. Despite my most valiant efforts, I have been the author of broken friendships, crippled dreams, and many unwanted detours in my race of life.

Again, I know this sounds depressing, and it has been a very depressing time right now, however the end of the story is good, so bear with me. My story continues:

"Now it's sinking in and I can't defend the broken man that I've become. I find there's nothing here that I made for myself and why I let it fall apart again."

Why do I do the things that I hate?

Galatians 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

This verse didn't leave a very positive taste in my mouth. I thought, "So basically it's pointless to try and avoid sin in my life because there is no way out from its control." However, once I read verses 16 and 18, all became clear, and suddenly this thing called life became much more hopeful:

Galatians 5:16 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:18 (ESV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The word walk literally means "to tread all around". Sometimes I am content to tread next to the Spirit, but usually I tread in front of Him, taking Him where I want to go. This is where a lot of my problems in life develop.

Yes, I have made some dumb mistakes. Yes, I have destroyed relationships in the process. And I am sorry for my actions.

Through it all, there is a person closer than a brother. There is someone with whom I can weep my sufferings. And there is someone who is willing to forgive me when I screw up. Someone who knows me more intimately than even I know myself.

The song concludes in a soft moment of brokenness:
"But what I can't see is what you see inside of me. Help me to see what you see inside of me."

the basis for my values

It is the end of the day, I have been in class for nearly nine hours, and my mouth is dry from the vitamin pills I am currently taking. Due to my exhaustion, I will be writing from the top of my head, rather than sitting and constructing sentences that make sense. As a leader, my day has been somewhat frustrating. I won't go into the details, but if I can write out some of what I'm thinking it might help me stay in check.

Here at the DLI (Defense Language Institute) I have been assigned two primary leadership positions: Squad Leader for ten IET soldiers and Section Leader for a class of ten. During my time in the Army, I have learned a lot about leadership. And while it is true that I base some of my decisions on past experiences, it isn't what drives me, nor is it the foundation for my values. This is one reason why I don't enjoy sharing "war stories" or even the things I have done or been witness to.

The Army is big on values. So much in fact that they post their "values" all over the place: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage have become one of my mantras during my career. But if one really thinks about it, these aren't really values. Let's say a situation comes up where a soldier must decide on being a good friend to his buddy (loyalty) or between turning him in (duty). What does he do? Thus, the Army Values aren't really values, rather virtues. They're great to have, but don't help a soldier come to a definite conclusion in their decision.

I guess what I needed to remind myself of was this: If there is one thing I've learned during the span of my career, one aspect of life that I have been blessed to see, it would be that throughout everything Yahweh is present. He is here in Monterey, He was with me jumping out of planes, He was with me in Iraq and the other twelve countries I've been to, and He is here with me now. One of my favorite things about Him is that He never changes. No matter where I go, He's there, ready to accept me for who I am and where I'm at. Because of this, His holy Word has become the light for my dark path. It has become the basis for my values.

Lord, help me today. Help me become the leader and man you want me to become. Allow me to see the world through Your eyes, rather than my own, and help me to remain strong through difficult times, keeping my eyes fixed on You. I rest in Your arms.

put down the Big Mac

This past week has been intense, both in class and out. Class has been going by at blazing speeds. It is only by the grace of God that I have: a. not fallen asleep during a lecture, b. been able to understand most of what the teachers are talking about, and c. not thrown myself out of the second story window due to insanity. This course consumes me. There is not much else I think about during the day other than Arabic and how can I learn more Arabic?

As most of you know, I run as a pastime. In fact, I have been putting in at least four miles a day, the latter part of the run usually being straight uphill. This past Saturday I was running through downtown Monterey, past the quaint shops smelling of fresh coffee, to the top of a few parking garages, and then past the flock of swans in El Estero Park; all this while I dodge old people strolling along the boardwalk. My usual routine when running through town is that when I get stopped by a traffic light, I get down and do push-ups until the light changes. On this particular day I was doing push-ups when I heard this loud *CRASH* behind me. I turned around to see that a small car accident had occured about four feet from where I was exercising. The person who was rear-ended (a woman of large proportions, not to be trifled with) decided that the accident was cause enough to put down the Big Mac she was consuming, and get out of her car to see what had happened. She steps out, holding in her other hand a large vanilla ice cream cone. The man who rear-ended her was an elderly Korean man, who by the sounds of things, couldn't speak a word of English. I haven't seen a funnier sight than these two strangers try to talk out their new problem together!

Every morning I ask the LORD to use me. To let me be a light to a dark world. To let my life count for something. With that prayer, I ask that He allow me to encounter who He wants me to during that particular day. Just as those two strangers in the intersection met, that's how I want the LORD to arrange my meetings with people. I'm not saying I want to get in accidents with people! But it has been amazing to see the people God brings across my path, if I'm willing to see them.

This evening someone on my floor, someone that I barely knew, asked if I wanted to go to the chow hall with him. It wasn't my usual routine, but I agreed. At chow, I asked how his language was going, what his plans were for the Army, and where he saw himself in a few years. We laughed and joked as we shared life stories. I then asked how his family was. He became silent, the smile gone. He put his fork down and looked away for a moment. Then he looked at me and said, "Well, one of my closest relatives was just released from prison. Unfortunately he got involved with his old life-style and this past weekend someone shot him in the back. He's paralyzed from the waist down." Wow. I sat back and sighed heavily at this ubrupt change in conversational tone. I let him continue talking about the great times they had when they were younger, all the while praying that the LORD would give me the words to say.

When he had finished, I started speaking, realizing that it was the Holy Spirit speaking, not myself. "So do you ever wonder what causes two people, with the same type of upbringing, to travel down completely different paths in life?" He had never thought of this before. His belief is that it's all random chance. That people don't have much control over their choices and that most of life is plotted out circumstancially. Our time was then cut short because he had to leave.

It is true that, as A.W. Tozer said, "God created the world in such a way that in the end, everyone gets exactly what he or she wanted."

It is also true that there is a hurting world out there in desperate need of someone to share the truth with them. I admit, I must be more bold in my faith, not backing down when the time comes, rather, standing firm on the Chief Cornerstone, the Author and Finisher of my faith.

The LORD is good and His mercies endure forever.

And for those of you wondering: Yes, when the light changed, I jumped to my feet and continued on my run, laughing all the way back to base.

Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.
~Psalm 25:4-5 (HCSB)

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sipping on coffee

This past week has been very interesting. Our class finally finished our Sound and Script portion of our curriculum with the culmination of our test this past Friday. So it is official: I can read and write Arabic. I don't know what the words are, but I can read it and write it. One of the many hurdles I must cross while here has finally been completed.

I had an interesting encounter at the Del Monte Shopping Center a couple of days ago. I was there with my friend Randy and for some reason I turned around in the middle of the store and started to stare at these three men. I wasn't even sure why I was staring. One of them came up and asked me why I was staring at them and I told him I wasn't sure. I then asked them where they were from, to which they replied, "Saudi Arabia". So that was it! I was staring at them because they were speaking Arabic to each other. My mind must have subconsiously picked it up. We quickly became friends once they found out Randy and I were students of Arabic. Each of them are Colonels in the Saudi Army, one of which is an F-16 pilot. All of them are studying at the Naval Post-Graduate School, located just down the street from the DLI. Before we departed, they gave us an open invitation to visit them at the NPS for some Arabic speaking practice. They told us their room number and building and we parted ways.

The next morning (Saturday) Randy and I were driving around doing errands when he suggested we visit our Arabic friends at NPS. I agreed, although neither of us remembered the building or room number. All we could remember was that it was on the third floor. We went to the front gate and asked where they put the foreign students and the guard told us the building. However, when we got to the building, we realized that it would be impossible to find them because there were too many rooms on the third floor. We searched, but no one was around to ask for help. As we were about to give up, we noticed the door to one room propped open. So we knocked and peaked inside. And wouldn't you guess? It was our friends we met the night before! We had a great time talking Arabic with them while sipping on coffee and munching on snacks. It almost reminded me of when my team would meet with the Mayor of Tikrit in Iraq. Well, except for the part where we had to wear body armor, things would explode, or people would shoot at you.

Wow, that was a long story for what it was worth. I just thought it was an interesting encounter.

Some of us went out to an Afghanistan Restaurant tonight in Pacific Grove (picture above). The food was great, but it was much more enjoyable getting to know my fellow servicemen. They are all professionals and motivated to accomplishing the mission of learning Arabic.

I don't really have a lot of energy right now. I can see that my writing is getting worse by the minute, so I'm going to have to write more at another time!

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or it he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
~Luke 11:11-13

smacked in the face with a 2x4

I think there are only two constants in life. Two things that never change no matter what comes their way. The first is the love and grace of Yahweh, and the second is the beautiful weather in Monterey. Wow. What a gorgeous day (view insert of our parade field on base).

I have finally broken down and bought a cell phone. I am back in the loop (view insert).

I visited a new church today called Shoreline Community Church. It's located within Monterey, about ten minutes from base, and it reminds me a lot of GCC. They have core classes 101 through 401, they have parking lot ministry, a great children's ministry, a praise band that rocks, and the message presented by the pastor is amazing. I feel extremely blessed to have found this church because there were no ads for it in the yellow pages (weird huh?). Someone told me about it on Friday night and I researched it online.

Class has been going very well, considering I study all the time just to get by. I have never (literally, NEVER) studied this hard for anything in my life. That includes when I came through DLI four years ago for Serbian-Croatian. The Lord has been faithful though. I have an increased energy during class and I find that I can concentrate at night when I need to study.

Speaking of class, I have also been blessed to have a great section. There are ten of us in the same class from all areas of the military (Navy, Air Force, etc) and we have grown close just over these past few weeks. Eight of the ten went with me to the Joneses house last night for some dinner and a study session (surprised?). It was a blast. They are great to have in class and bounce Arabic off of.

Happy Birthday Laurakaga.

I had a mandatory APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) this past week. The way it's set up on this base is, if you score high enough you are exempt from the mandatory company PT (which is every Mon, Wed, and Fri). Well, the mandatory company PT was getting really old because it wasn't really working me and it was taking up a lot of my time. This only motivated me more to get a good score on the APFT. And YES! I achieved a high enough score to be exempt from company PT and do my own physical training during the week. I figure it will save me about four to five hours a week.

I have been praying, for over a month, for someone who I can consistantly pray with. About a week and a half ago one of the guys in my class just walked up and asked me if I wanted to pray with him three times a week before school. Have you ever been smacked in the face with a 2x4 from God? I am excited just writing about it! What an answer to prayer!

I don't think I will be able to keep my five a month Starbucks commitment. I'm sorry to those of you who will now take me off of your top 8. I'm at four and it's only Feb 5th.

Tomorrow on base there is a DIA briefing. I think I'll go just to see what they offer. I'll let you know what I find out.

I was running through downtown Monterey (view insert if you forgot how beautiful it looks) and listening to Blessed Be Your Name. What an awesome song. It gets me pumped up everytime I hear it. Especially on warm beautiful days. "Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me..." Oh, and it's cool that I can amaze the Lord with my faith.

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed...
~Matthew 8:10a

the sweet factor

So here I am, drinking tea. It doesn't have any caffeine in it because I don't want to be up late tonight, so I added a heaping spoonful of honey to bring up the sweet factor. I am also extremely sore right now. I ran again on the beach today with three friends from my barracks, and it is still very difficult. Granted, we went further than last time, and I think we ran harder, but I am not accustomed to running partially sideways and on a soft surface.

We officially began classes today as well. I was able to meet my MLI (Military Language Instructor) and become accustomed with the thirty pounds of books, audio cd's, and computer software that is going to be my life for the next 63 weeks. I did get the bonus of receiving a free MP3 player, courtesy of our tax dollars. They said they might give us an iPod (strictly for studying).

Oh, and just so you all know, I am in the process of searching for a cell phone. That's right, a cell phone. There I said it. It's out there for all to see.

I have been keeping up with all of my New Year's Resolutions. My least favorite and most difficult to do is the Starbucks limit. Not only do we have around seven Starbucks on this peninsula, but I just heard yesterday that they will be opening not one, but TWO Starbucks on base! Being able to see it everyday will make it more difficult, however I will remain steadfast!

My favorite resolution to keep has been reading through the Bible in a year. It has been just about a year since I've read through Genesis and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. The other day I read through an interesting passage. In chapter 12 verse 7, Abraham is building an altar to the Lord to commemorate His visit. Whenever I read passages like this I always thought that the people who built them worshiped God just that one time. However, chapter 13 verse 4 says, "[Bethel] was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped the LORD."

I often have been caught in the trap of praising God for things that happen to me right here right now and then, a few weeks later, forgetting about them never again worshiping God for His great works. This next year, especially since I've been back at my old stomping grounds, I will pray for God to remind me of the great things He brought me through here so that I may write them down and praise Him all over again.

it was natural for her

So I have finally made it to beautiful Monterey, CA. I decided to travel along I-80 through the exciting states of Iowa and Nebraska. I thought, "I don't want to miss any remarkable sites that these parts of the Union have to offer". Yeah, I drove through at night and I must say it was more exciting than during the day.

I arrived Thursday night and stayed with my long-time friends Dennis and Susan Jones. It was good getting caught up with them. Interestingly enough, it felt as though I had never left. They remodeled their Carmel Valley home, but other than that, not much has changed.

My inprocessing doesn't officially begin until Tuesday morning, however, since I've been stationed here before and know the ropes, I was able to do a lot of my inprocessing on Friday. I just walked around informally introducing myself to people and getting all of my checkmarks in the appropriate boxes.

I did meet a very interesting lady while I was doing all this. Her name is Ms. Costello, she works in the personnel office as a civilian contractor, and she was here when I left three years ago. Well, she's still here, only with a cane and a slight limp (she's old). I said hi to her and she said, "Hang on, I have something for you". She left for a moment, and returned with a piece of paper in her hand. "Do you have any friends who are from the Vietnam Era? Do they have any diseases? Here is a list of diseases the VA will cover if your friend claims it." I didn't know what to say to her. Sure, I have quite a few friends who fought in Vietnam, but she didn't even know who I was and she was already talking to me like we were friends. Then I remembered that this woman ALWAYS talked about ways to help soldiers. She had been helping soldiers for so many years that that was all she could think about....all the time. So it was natural for her to approach a soldier she didn't know and tell them about all the wonderful opportunities within their grasp.

I want to have that same passion about Christ and his precious Book. I want to approach complete strangers and tell them about Him, the one who saves their soul. I want that to be the first thought I have in the morning and the last thought I have at night.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time running around town doing odds and ends. I reached my 5 a month Starbucks limit on Saturday (doh!). I also moved all of my things into the barracks which conveniently is located on the third floor. The personnel office asked if I wanted to live off post since I'm high enough in rank to do so. I told them I wasn't interested. I figure it will cause more grief going on and off post every day. Plus, I can meet so many more people living on post and I have everything I need right at my fingertips.

Speaking of people, my roommate is a Russian. Yep, full-blooded. Moved to the USA when he was seven. I invited him to church yesterday and he accepted! We both went to church this morning at Lighthouse Baptist. My experience there is going to have to be another story. I wasn't sure if I would still attend there because it is a smaller church and I'm used to GCC and meeting hundreds of people at a time with numerous service opportunities. However, I prayed for an answer and I believe the Lord provided me with that. I'll explain tomorrow.

Anyway, that's my life right now. I went for my first run on the beach yesterday and it was beautifully difficult. I forgot how hard running on sand is. The last time I ran on sand was when I dunked Jeanna at Lake Michigan and she was chasing me with a knife made out of sea shells. She's crazy.

For those who have read this far, I miss you and look forward to when we can all be in paradise celebrating our Lord every day, never having to worry about saying goodbye again.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
~1st Corinthians 9:25

my "spiritual shopping list"

This past year has been an amazing time of growth for me. The Lord has brought me through many things. The year started off well, as I was involved with my former church doing youth ministry and assisting with Sunday Morning Worship. I was involved in a serious relationship, which I was convinced would culminate into marriage by summer. The Lord had other plans though. It was revealed to me that my ex-fiance and I were never meant to be together. We were wired much differently, sharing opposing views on too many "big things" of life. The engagement ended in May, at which time I stopped attending my former church and began attending Granger Community Church. My first Sunday there I learned of a HOUSE PARTY that would be coming to my neighborhood, so naturally I signed up. At the party the following Saturday, I sat across from a young couple who informed me that there was this group of fired up single Christians who meet at the Beanery every Sunday night for fellowship and Bible study. I followed up on this wonderful opportunity, and as we all know, the rest is history

This year has been filled with many new friendships, putting my past behind me, and moving on with a revitalized passion for life and ministry. The Lord has placed me exactly where he wants. I feel it, deep down inside. Before I attended GCC my view of how churches should operate was so tiny. Over the past seven months, my eyes have been opened to the amazing possibility that church can be fun, exciting, and worshipful all at the same time! Church isn't a ritual I need to do every week so I can check off my "spiritual shopping list".

Speaking of checking things off, have any of you made New Year's Resolutions? I have eight this year and I would like to share them with you:

2005 RESOLUTIONS:
1. Before I see an R rated movie, I will go to a Christian website with movie analysis and decide if it is something I want to fill my head with. I will not attend any movies with explicit sexual content.
2. I will set aside time each day to read my One Year Bible passages. I will not get more than one week behind in readings.
3. I will read through all of the Gospels once a month.
4. I will not be a "garbage can" for other people's gossip.
5. I will say "NO!" to five social events every month.
6. I will limit myself to five Starbucks coffees every month.
7. I will bring twenty friends from school to church; with five of those friends becoming permanently integrated into the group.
8. I will give all the glory of my success to God.

With the help of the Holy Spirit I can look back in one year and say that each of these goals were accomplished. Happy New Year to you all!

no land in sight

I have had one busy week. Packing, closing down my pending obligations, and trying to fit as much time in with family and friends that is humanly possible. I have not been entirely successful at the latter, however, that will change over the next few days. I am just about finished with my packing, and now I can begin to focus on the people that I cherish and love.

I have still been able to maintain my strict routine, despite all of the life changes I'm going through. Every morning I arise to make breakfast, watch the headlines, and then off to the gym for a couple of hours. As most of you know, I exercise at a retirement community, which has been such a wonderful experience for me. I chat with the old people while I bike, I "help them" with some of their weight lifting techniques (I think they want to have someone to talk with more than anything else), and afterwards us old guys go down and play volleyball or share war stories. The knowledge base that the elderly have is simply amazing! I gain such insight just by listening and laughing with them.

I first walked in to that gym thinking, "Okay, I'm the young guy here and I feel good being able to run circles around these crippled people". It's true, I can lift ten times as much, run eight miles faster, and do more crunches in one sitting then they'll do in the rest of their lives. But over the course of time, the opposite has occurred: I have learned from them. Crazy how that happens, isn't it? I thought I was better, only to be given a quick reminder of a valuable lesson.

I don't know if it's because I have California constantly on my mind, but all I can hear from God right now are lessons on trusting in Him. One of my favorite authors, Oswald Chambers, put it this way: When we have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not.

I never understood what he meant by that until the other day when I read through the passage of Christ walking on the water. Jesus was out there, through the chaos, through the storm, and with the disciples who had no land in sight. God was not working toward a particular finish; His end was the process. I realized that I must look past my obstacles in life and be able to see Christ walking on the waves, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. If I have a further end in view, I am not paying sufficient attention to the immediate present. It is the process, not the end which is glorifying to God.

Lord, I pray that I can focus on you, watching your calm eyes even though the waves of life are overpowering my little boat. I love you Father. I will depend on you and your power right now.

"And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side..."
~Mark 6:45

Sunday School

I know that around this time of year we are concentrating on the birth of our Lord, His sacrifice for us, and the redemptive plan He has for our lives. Here in America we are free to do as we wish, worship God in the streets, even singing Christian music out loud in the middle of a supermarket (as I often do).

Oversees missionaries often do not have such opportunities. There are many parts of the world where things we take for granted such as Sunday School are outlawed. Keep them in your prayers. For many, their Christmas will be spent in the confines of a cold, damp jail cell.

Read this story to find out more.

the one con

This past week has been quite amazing for me. Have you ever had a time in your life when you thought you knew where you were going, what you were supposed to do, and why you were in a particular place? I thought I had it all figured out. I thought that God had allowed me to remain in the Michiana area while I continue my education and ministry opportunities at GCC.

However, this proved to be an incorrect assumption. While I was working in Kalamazoo this past week, I received an email from the highest levels of my command, informing me that I was to attend language school out in Monterey, CA. "How could this be?", I thought. I was sure that God had answered my prayers the week before when my school was cancelled. It wasn't until I called my command that things started to make sense.

I spoke to the woman in charge of handling the schools. She said, "I don't know why, but you are getting through the system. You shouldn't be going, but you are. There must be some reason for you to go." That last sentence made me think. Do I truly believe there is a divine purpose to everything? Is my life being formed by God even as I type this post?

I would find out later that my acceptance to this school for a second time is extremely rare, almost unheard of. You see, the regulations state that SOCOM will only pay for one language per soldier. Since I've already studied and graduated from a language, it should be impossible for me to get another. Yet I'm going. How is this possible?

So here I am. Ready to go, but hesitant to leave. I will truly miss my friends at GCC. They have become like siblings to me. I will miss our dinners after church, the laughter as we share our crazy life stories together, our intimate moments of worship and Bible studies, the enthusiasm of participating in Oasis and Sun City Kids, long hilarious days at the beach, Friday night movies, roadtrips, laughter, fun, enjoyment, fellowship.

When I discovered I was to attend DLI (Defense Language Institute), I made a list of pro's and con's for going. On the list, the pro's far outnumbered the con's. Almost two to one. I thought, "Well, this proves it's better for me to go, I shouldn't complain". Then my aunt told me, "Jonathan, it doesn't matter how many pro's you have. The one con of 'homesickness' can defeat all the pro's on that list." And she is right. I know that there is a grand purpose for me to go. But it will not diminish the fact that I am going to be homesick for my dearest friends while I'm out there. I am sure that Paul missed his family and friends while he was on his missionary journeys. I'm sure he despised creating those close friendships, only to depart months later. The one thing I can learn from Paul is that he had his eyes on the endstate. He knew that he was fulfilling a heavenly purpose despite his feelings.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, you love is eternal; do not abandon the work of your hands.
~Psalm 138:8

a new ab machine

I think one of the things I enjoy doing most in life, besides attending GCC, helping out with it's ministries or reading through Ephesians, is exercising. I enjoy it so much because I have so much built up energy that I just need to release. Maybe it's that time of life I'm going through, not quite sure, but it just feels good to vent all of the energy I have on my weight machines. My favorite part of my exercise routine has become my abdominals. I don't know why, but over the past two months, I have become obsessed with toning and mastering the art of ab workouts. I have seen many parallels between my exercise life and my spiritual life. I saw one yesterday that was so blatant that I just have to write about it today.

My gymnasium received a new ab machine last week. It's awesome, you sit in this chair and bounce all over the place while your abs are being stretched . . . trust me, it's cool. When I approached the machine, I thought, "Okay, I'm a professional at abs, have been for years, this machine . . . it is nothing to me". I sat in it, it seemed easy, however, by the same time the following day I realized that I had jumped to an unfortunate conclusion. Yep, my abs were hurting, so bad that I was hardly able to sit down straight (you know how you kind of bend to the side as you sit, yeah that was me).

The point that was presented to me is this: Sometimes I think I am an expert in a particular field, only to realize that I'm not, that it has become a painful process, and God is intent on growing me in that area.

In the past I would sometimes think, "Well, the going's getting tough, so it must not be God's will that I'm here". I have since learned that this is completely unscriptural. Now I believe that Christians should live above life's circumstances, not be guided by them. I once heard a motivational speaker say, "You may have to set sail by the tide, but you'd better be guided by the stars." It's true that circumstances may have an effect on my plans, but I have a far greater accountability to God. I must follow Him, not the tide of circumstance.

Each time I go back to that gym, I face off with that machine, as if it's my arch-nemesis. I have now put that painful machine in my exercise routine three times a week. Hopefully, given a little time, the pain will turn to strength!

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am
~Phillipians 4:11

our struggle

Well, I spent last night almost in tears reading some of the hateful words written about GCC and its ministry. I found this website through a friend's blog and after reading it for over a half-an-hour, I came to the realization that there is definitely a battle going on. And it's happening right under our noses.

I have been attending GCC for 8 months, and in that short amount of time my spiritual life has grown by leaps and bounds. I have been warmly welcomed into a small group, been to Core Class 101 (enrolled in 201), listened to sermons that have stirred my heart in ways I never thought, and participated in various church ministries such as Oasis and Sun City Kids.

I still find it hard to believe that there are people, Christian brothers and sisters, who despise GCC. Why? I'm not quite sure. But it's a scary thing to read their hateful words. I actually found myself angry at them. I wanted to give them a piece of my mind. I had to stop, breath deeply, and forgive them, confessing that it was wrong to think such ways (I actually had to say Galatians 5:22-23 and Eph 6:12 a few times). I had to remind myself that our battle is not against our fellow man, but against the dark rulers of this world.

I had considered not including the website in this posting, because I was unsure of its effects to those who read it. But after I finished reading it for myself, I realized that it is important to understand that we must be vigilant and aware that the Evil One is out to destroy the ministry of GCC. If you haven't begun praying for our church leadership, now is the time to start. As my friend Dr. Hovind says, "if you don't want to shoot, you can at least carry bullets".

THE ANTI-GCC SITE

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
~Ephesians 6:12

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
~Galatians 5:22-23

guide my steps

Have any of you ever been so excited about God and doing His work that you don't want to do anything else? I have been experiencing that a lot lately, just by being at GCC. Being involved with nevaeH on Sunday's, Oasis on Wednesday's, and helping out with Sun City Kids have really been a blessing in my life. I have also begun the try-out process for the drama team. Things are really beginning to cement in my life, and it feels good. It feels right. I know that God is beginning to use me in the areas He has gifted me in.

I was driving back from church last night, thrilled after working with the middle-schoolers and seeing their excitement for God. I turned off my radio and I prayed, "God, I know that it probably isn't possible, because I have a course reservation to go to California in January and study Arabic with the military, but you know my heart, and you know that I enjoy working for you here at GCC. Please God, if it be your will, let me stay. Let me find a good job here, and keep me where you have begun to plant me."

Then it happened. I opened my email today and found a letter from my military liason telling me that it was a mistake that I was scheduled to go to Monterey. WHAT?! Could this be a sign from God? The night before I had prayed that if it be His will for me to stay, then the door would be closed. And here I am, not 12 hours later, staring at an email telling me to stay.

If it ends up that I don't go, I still have a lot of things I need to work out, like finding a job, a place to live, etc. But one thing's for sure: I will allow God to guide my steps, being sensitive to His leading, not my own. I am going to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, even though I don't know where He is leading me.

One of my favorite authors, Oswald Chambers, put it best when he said, "The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not understand what He was after."

I covet your prayers during this period of transition; when I am leaning on the Lord, not understanding exactly what He has in store for me.

driving around Tikrit (Iraq letter)

Iraq Correspondence: 18 June 2004

Well, another week has passed. It seems to be going by so quickly. You know what they say. "Time flies when you're in an Arabic country far from home". I think that's how the saying goes.

Each Friday is my team's maintenance day, a chance to work on our vehicles. Chan and I take our vehicles down to the motorpool and then the mechanics tell us what new and interesting things are wrong with it this week. We've both been taking an active role in the repairing of the vehicle. So much, in fact, that the mechanics are letting us do most, if not all, of the work. I can repair fly-wheels, starters, alternators, oil filters, air filters, etc. It's actually become some what of a hobby for me. Anyway, so yesterday I take my vehicle down and they tell me that the half-shaft was popped out of socket. I had never worked on a half-shaft yet, so I said, "that doesn't sound too good". The mechanic, understanding I wasn't mechanically inclined, said, "No, it isn't. I'm surprised you didn't lose control and drive off the road. You're really lucky." I said that it wasn't luck, but God's providentialism. I'm always amazed at how God takes care of us. This was an example when I should have crashed while driving around Tikrit, but God is always at work around me, and wouldn't allow that to happen. We had Bible study last night and the topic was miracles, and God's provision. Interesting how God brings circumstances to coincide on the same day you read about them in the scriptures.

Happy Father's Day dad. Tomorrow, in celebration of father's everywhere, my battalion is going to have a cookout. It should be a good time. The personnel/records sergeant for my battalion, had 3,000 waterballoons mailed to her. Also on the schedule are many games of volleyball. It looks to be a very relaxing, enjoyable day.

The picture I've included is one of myself and Boyd out in Tikrit, cooling down by eating some of the local's ice cream. Some of the 1st Infantry Division soldiers that go out with us refuse to eat anything on the economy. They claim that they will get extremely sick. I've been eating everything from ice cream, to what I believe were lamb intestines, and nothing has happened to me. Maybe I've just been lucky.

One of the main nuisances here are the power outages. We have about fifteen a day. Sometimes they last for a few seconds, other times they last for hours. I have compiled a "top ten list" of worst times power can go out. And number ten . . . .

10. While you're running around base and suddenly all the street lights go out, so you have to cautiously walk back to your barracks (which could be a couple miles away).

9. During chow, when you can't see what you're eating (or how big it is) until it's in your mouth.

8. When you are watching the news and the power shuts off right during one of President Bush's speeches.

7. When you're on the phone to someone at home, and the line suddenly goes dead.

6. When you're in the middle of a briefing to your commander, and suddenly you lose your power point presentation (I knew I should have printed those out, as a backup!)

5. After five minutes of running on the treadmill, and it goes dead. You worked up a sweat, but you didn't get an exercise.

4. When you're in the middle of watching a Kent Hovind DVD.

3. When you're in the shower and the water stops, while you're lathered up.

2. When it's hot and you really need the air conditioner to work.

And the #1 Worst time power can go out . . . . .

1. When you're taking a dump. "Did I get it all?"

Thank you all for your prayers. God is at work. It is very evident. I am definately being "pruned" by God right now. Things to pray for: That I can grow closer to my major. That an opportunity will present itself to speak with Chan about Christ. He needs to hear it from a different angle, then what I've been approaching him with. Please pray for wisdom in this area.

Love in Christ,
Jonathan

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

~John 15:2

submitted for approval (Iraq letter)

I have decided to close out my Yahoo account. I know, it's crazy, but I'm beginning to enjoy this blogging thing. It has allowed me to connect with people on a level that I never thought possible. I can read people's daily activities, understand who they are, and actually talk with them about topics that they are concerned with! Amazing.

I have had a lot of experiences in my life. Some exciting, some dangerous, and some just plain boring. Over the next few days, I would like to share some of these with you. Most of these I found on my yahoo account, in my saved file, and I wanted to permanately keep them, and I thought that putting them on the blog was the best way to do that. I'll start with some of my Iraq correspondence:

Things have been going well over on this side of the world. Tikrit, thankfully, is a very quite place right now. Attacks have been minimal, and casualties have been few and far between. We credit most of the improvements to the fact that we are pumping a ton of money into the Iraqi economy. Now, I don't know about you, but most people I know have never held two million US$ in their palms. We are approving projects here in the 1/4 million to 1/2 million dollar price range. New schools, new roads, new hospitals. Each day I am astounded at how much money is being contributed to the reconstruction effort.

What is the Civil Affairs role in all of this you may ask? (Some of you are asking what civil affairs is, that's my job.) We go out each day and meet with the locals to ensure that the commanders mission is being accomplished (reconstruction efforts), and that projects are being proposed and submitted for approval. It's amazing to think that the work of forces in Iraq today will have a drastic effect on foreign policy between America and Iraq in ten years. The way that we impact these children and young adults here will determine if they grow up to become "bad guys" or democratic, free thinking adults.

To get a bit more personal, I find much enjoyment in what is being accomplished here. My dad has informed me that the news back home is filled with anti-war sentiment. I've seen some of that, in what little news I get here, and it saddens me. The other day I heard Al Bore, I mean Gore, talk about how "American forces have no idea what their mission is over there, and commanders are not instructing them on proper procedures". He was referring to the prison abuse. Well let me say that we have a very good idea of what our mission is and I for one feel very well trained in my profession. We are here to win the war on terror and free an oppressed people. What better mission can there be than that?

All in all, things are going well. My faith in the Lord has brought me through many difficult times here. He is very good, and blesses me richly each day. I look forward to seeing you all soon, and will maintain contact through this newsletter.

Love in Christ,
Jonathan Anderstrom

"I will be strong and courageous,
I will not be terrified, or discouraged.
For the LORD my GOD is with me
Wherever I go."

-Joshua 1:9