tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142465269464966192024-03-19T10:11:48.503-07:00Here Today... Gone to MaliJennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-14085840357315018762019-06-18T07:13:00.000-07:002019-06-18T07:13:23.209-07:00GOD IS NOT RECKLESS. Sorry, despite what you sing at your church, he's not.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know some people will accuse me of playing the old lady,
fuddy-duddy card here. But guess what: I’m disturbed by the popular CCM song, “Reckless
Love.” This despite hearing it in many contexts where sound doctrine is preached,
and the Word of God is rightly divided. I have even heard it in a Reformed church!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The lyrics for the most part are pretty good. The first
verse is reminiscent of Ps. 139 and Jeremiah 1:5. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;">Verse 1</span></b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before I spoke a word, You were singing over
me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have been so, so good to me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life
in me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have been so, so kind to me</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As to the chorus, there is no question that God’s love is
overwhelming and never-ending, but… reckless?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;">Chorus</span></b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless
love of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found,
leaves the ninety-nine<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still
You give Yourself away<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless
love of God</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I thought perhaps reckless had a shade of meaning with which
I was not familiar, so I googled the <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">definition in several dictionaries: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Oxford</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: </span><span style="color: #525252; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action; h</span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">eedless of danger or the consequences of one's actions; rash
or impetuous</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Merriam-Webster</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: <span class="dttext"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #303336; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">marked by lack of proper
caution;</span></span><strong><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #303336; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong><span class="dttext"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #303336; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">careless of consequences</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Free Dictionary</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: <span class="hvr"><span style="color: #404040;">acting</span></span><span style="color: #404040;"> or <span class="hvr">done</span> <span class="hvr">with</span> a <span class="hvr">lack</span> of <span class="hvr">care</span> or <span class="hvr">caution;</span> <span class="hvr">carele</span></span><span class="hvr">ss</span> or <span class="hvr">irresponsible</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">No, the definition was quite clear. It gets worse when you examine
synonyms:</span><br /><ul>
<li><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;">Merriam-Webster</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">: </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">daredevil</span></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">,</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">devil-may-care</span></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">,</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">foolhardy</span></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">,</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">harum-scarum</span></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">,</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">hell-for-leather</span></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">,</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">irresponsible</span></span></i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">kamikaze</span></span></i></li>
<li><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;">Dictionary.com</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">: </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">rash</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">heedless</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">incautious</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">negligent</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">imprudent</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-indent: -0.25in;">Collins Thesaurus</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">: </span><span class="syn" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">careless, wild, rash, irresponsible, precipitate, hasty, mindless, negligent, headlong, madcap, ill-advised, regardless, foolhardy, daredevil, thoughtless, indiscreet, imprudent, heedless, devil-may-care, inattentive, incautious, harebrained, harum-scarum</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you find even one word in there that accurately
describes God or his love? So why are we singing this in our Bible-believing,
evangelical churches?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This song is a production of Bethel Music,
where I found the lyrics (printed in entirety at the end of the blog post). After
the lyrics, there is a statement by the songwriter which indicates that he knew
<i>reckless</i> might not sit well with some people. He says:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"When I used the phrase,
'the reckless love of God,' when we say it, we're not saying that God Himself
is reckless, He's not crazy. We are, however, saying that the way He loves, is
in many regards, quite so. But what I mean is this: He's utterly unconcerned
with the consequences of His own actions with regard to His own safety, comfort
and well-being. He doesn't wonder what He'll gain or lose by putting Himself on
the line, He simply puts Himself out there on the off-chance that you and I
might look back at Him and give Him that love in return."</span></span></i><span style="background: rgb(238, 238, 255); color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> - Cory Asbury.</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://bethelmusic.com/chords-and-lyrics/reckless-love/">https://bethelmusic.com/chords-and-lyrics/reckless-love/</a></span><span style="background: #EEEEFF; color: black; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Methinks he doth protest too much and knew
that reckless was really not a good word choice. I don’t blame him completely
because I don’t expect theological sophistication from a songwriter, but I
would think one of the Biblically trained pastors at Bethel Church would be on
top of an issue like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Having said all that, I <i>do</i> enjoy
this song and find it very “singable” (not true of all CCM). But when I sing
it, I insert a more accurate word, such as…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, <b>sovereign</b>
love of God OR<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, <b>faithful</b>
love of God OR<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 14pt;">Glorious</span></b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 14pt;"> OR <b>righteous</b> OR <b>saving</b> OR <b>holy</b>…</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You get the idea. Let’s exalt our God in <b><i><u>TRUTH</u></i></b>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;">Reckless Love</span></b><span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Written by Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, and Ran
Jackson<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <b>Verse 1</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before I spoke a word, You were singing over
me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have been so, so good to me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life
in me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have been so, so kind to me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Chorus</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless
love of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found,
leaves the ninety-nine<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still
You give Yourself away<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless
love of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <b>Verse 2</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I was Your foe, still Your love fought
for me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have been so, so good to me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have been so, so kind to me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <b>Bridge</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There’s no shadow You won’t light up<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mountain You won’t climb up<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coming after me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There’s no wall You won’t kick down<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lie You won’t tear down<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #504b48; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coming after me<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://bethelmusic.com/chords-and-lyrics/reckless-love/">https://bethelmusic.com/chords-and-lyrics/reckless-love/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-23950062875220938142017-08-01T10:20:00.000-07:002017-08-01T10:20:34.624-07:00DANCING IN BAMAKO<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dancing in Bamako</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Don’t you love the scenes in period films where they dance
the quadrille or some other stylized dance so beautifully? I always wish I knew
the steps so I could join in.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Driving in Bamako is a little like one of those dances, and
I’ve actually learned to enjoy it! For one thing, one is not limited by nuisances
such as red lights. Oh, they are there, but they don’t always mean Stop, like
in America. Sometimes they mean, Turn left now that oncoming traffic has to
stop. Or turn right now that the motorcycles have to stop. (There’s not a
blanket “Turn right on red after stop” rule like in America; do this at the
wrong intersection and you risk getting a
ticket)!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I most enjoy the intersections where the traffic lights are
not functioning. That’s where you really learn to dance, edging forward to look
for your opening and then plunging gracefully through.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s not all as graceful and perfect as it sounds, of
course. Remember the scene in BBC’s <i>Pride
and Prejudice</i> when Lizzie Bennett had to rebuke Mr. Collins for his
missteps? The local minibuses which provide public transportation to the
masses, called SOTRAMAs, are the Mr. Collinses of Bamako traffic. They go where
they will and as they will. Most of the drivers have not learned the correct
steps to the dance (I’m not even sure if most of them have actually learned to
drive), and they don’t care to, either. They plunge willy-nilly into traffic as
if they didn’t even know it was a dance!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, imagine again that scene in <i>P&P.</i> What if a prankster had released hundreds
of cockroaches onto the dance floor, and suddenly everyone had to dance <i>La Cucaracha</i> at the same time as the
minuet or the scotch reel? That is what it’s like dealing with the myriad motorbikes
of Mali, massing and merging like a swarming horde of maggots, making
the dance miserable and maladroit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If it weren’t for them, driving in Bamako would be perfect.
Almost. [To be fair, Bamako traffic was evidently the worst part of my daughter's-in-law trip here last year, so not everyone sees it from the same perspective.]</span></span></div>
Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-90867013058741699412014-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:002014-02-17T14:49:14.485-08:00WHAT IS YOUR AMERICAN NICKNAME?<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When we first came to Mali nearly three
decades ago, everyone wanted us to take Malian names. We ended up
with Yacouba for Jim, which is the local equivalent of his real name
(Jim = James = Jacob = Yacouba), and Djeneba for me (kinda sounds
like Jennifer, right?).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So shortly into each semester, I
challenge my English students at Go Global Mali to take English
names. Turnabout is fair play, right? They have been quite
good-natured about it, and I confess I have enjoyed “dubbing”
them with some of my favorite names.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
First, I recommend they do what Jim did
– use a cognate if it exists. Equivalents often do in the case of
religious names. So Moussa becomes Moses, Issiaka becomes Isaac,
Daouda is David, Saran is Sara, and so on. My students don't always
want to use these, however, so Adama chose to become Alexander. Can
you guess the English equivalents of the following: Harouna, Nuhun,
Yaya, and Issa? (Post your responses in the comments or on Facebook,
and no spoilers allowed if you have ever lived in West Africa!)
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next, I suggest they try to choose a
name which begins with the same letter as their real name – it
helps us all remember, and it seems logical. However, there are
always those who want to name themselves after a popular TV or movie
character. So there is a Jack (Jack Bauer, <i>24</i>), a Linc
(someone from <i>Prison Break</i>, a show I have never watched –
would someone please tell me if he's a good guy or a bad guy?!?) and
Palmer (Pres. David Palmer, also from <i>24</i>).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For those who opt to take names using
their first initial, I supply a list of choices. And to be honest,
this is the most fun part for me because I sneak in the names of
family and friends and even <i>my</i> favorite TV characters. So this
semester, Kadiatou, whose local nickname is Kady, chose Kate. I think
she was thinking of Kate Middleton, which is cool so we call her
Princess sometimes, but it also makes me think of my Aunt Kate.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
M is a common first letter here, with
all the Mohameds and Mamadous and Mahamanes, etc., so I always have
to give a fairly large selection of M names for guys, and I was
delighted when one chose Marshall (after my cousin of the same name),
another chose Moe (our niece Rosanne's husband), and – my real <i>coup</i>
– someone chose Malcolm, as in Malcolm Reynolds from <i>Firefly</i>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One student's name is Cheick, and it
was challenging to find names for him. I listed both “Sh”
(because Cheick is pronounced with a sh sound) and “Ch” options.
I wanted him to choose Charles, because that was my father's name,
but I was also rooting for Sheldon (another cousin), Shawn (<i>Psych</i>),
and the one he eventually chose, Chauncey (a very good friend from
Wilkens Ave. Mennonite Church).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And by the way, my student, Djeneba –
the same as my Malian name – picked Jenny. :-)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-70234540899482461552012-03-24T13:53:00.000-07:002012-03-24T14:41:05.037-07:00BLOGGING THE COUP<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
It’s Day Four since we’ve been in “hibernation” due to the <i>coup d’état
</i>in Mali. This has provided a lot of time for reflection, but also for
boredom, so it’s a good opportunity to add to my blog for the first time in six
months!<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
In brief, I was headed to Bamako on Wednesday with the team from Christ for
Humanity (Ronda Tyson, Vicki Ray, DeMarco Taylor), after a productive ten days
in Kayes, and anticipating three days of training ESL teachers in Bamako.
Arriving in Kati, about 15km/9m (one hour) from the capital, the bus offloaded
us, saying there was a “little problem.” We assumed this was a mechanical issue,
but soon learned that there was a strike or a demonstration on the road between
us and Bamako. We hoped to get moving again in a few hours, but instead the bus
turned around and headed into the bush for protection in case demonstrators
resorted to property destruction. By then, we were the only passengers left on
the bus, and were in contact with the US Embassy. We learned that the
“demonstration” was actually a failed coup attempt. The Embassy advised us to
stay in Kati and found us an American lady living here with her son who was
willing to take us in.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
In the morning, the mutinous soldiers successfully seized the presidential
palace and announced on national television at 4.30am the success of their
<i>putsch. </i>The reason for the coup is the dissatisfaction of certain
factions of the army with the conduct of the war against the Tuareg rebellion in
the north of Mali. Tuareg mercenaries returned from the conflict in Libya with
state-of-the-art weapons and resumed their decades-long, on-and-off insurgency.
Malian troops are undersupplied with arms and even such basics as food, and
their weaponry is definitely inferior to that of the insurgents. [To familiarize
yourself with the history of the Tuareg conflict, check out the second hyperlink
below.]<br />
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Our hostess is a poli-sci major, and her Malian friends come and go, so we
spend a lot of time discussing “the situation.” Some obvious questions present
themselves:<br />
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Malian presidential elections are scheduled in one month. Why overthrow the
government when the “end” of the current administration is in sight? One Malian
man said, “A month is a long time when you are a soldier lacking ammunition and
hungry.” Point taken, but one goal of the new ruling committee is to restore
democracy. Exactly how does canceling upcoming elections restore
democracy?<br />
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Where are the generals? The highest ranking officer involved in the
<i>coup</i> is a captain, and the president of the Democratic Committee is
only 39 years old. Young soldiers are literally running wild in the streets,
confiscating vehicles, shooting rifles in the air, looting shops, and assaulting
women. No wonder people perceive that their new leaders are not in control.
Speculation is that the older soldiers are loyal to the president, or that they
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Unintended consequences include giving an advantage to the rebels in the
north, who are making a move southward to take advantage of the instability.
Furthermore, the north and east are experiencing the worst famine in over a
decade, and for the time being international aid has been cut off.<br />
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For these and many other reasons we are greatly concerned for the future of our adopted homeland.<br />
Please click on the third link below, which is the blog I wish I had
written!<br />
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1. My five minutes of fame (I am quoted in this article): <a href="http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/03/22/malian-military-stages-coup/">http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/03/22/malian-military-stages-coup/</a><br />
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2. An explanation of the roots of the Tuareg conflict (written by a
journalist we know who attended Dakar Academy): <a href="http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/03/23/the-malian-coup-decades-of-rebellion-and-one-night-of-gunfire/">http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/03/23/the-malian-coup-decades-of-rebellion-and-one-night-of-gunfire/</a><br />
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3. An excellent early analysis of the situation:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_728202490"> </a><a href="http://africasacountry.com/2012/03/23/malis-coup-first-thoughts/">http://africasacountry.com/2012/03/23/malis-coup-first-thoughts/</a><br />
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4. A map of the Tuareg conflict region:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_728202496"> </a><a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Tuareg-Rebels-a-Threat-in-Unstable-Mali-144089386.html" title="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Tuareg-Rebels-a-Threat-in-Unstable-Mali-144089386.html">http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Tuareg-Rebels-a-Threat-in-Unstable-Mali-144089386.html</a><br />
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5. 10 Malian political parties condemn the coup: <a href="http://www.malijet.com/actualite-politique-au-mali/40657-declaration-commune-de-10-partis-politiques-au-mali.html">http://www.malijet.com/actualite-politique-au-mali/40657-declaration-commune-de-10-partis-politiques-au-mali.html</a></div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-83738305920106675072011-11-07T11:41:00.000-08:002011-11-07T11:44:17.386-08:00NaBloPoMa<br />
I haven't posted to my blog since June and I just found out that this is NaBloPoMa: National Blog Posting Month, when we are supposed to post daily.<br />
<br />
Now doesn't that sound a little like NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month (which has been around since, like, forever)? And what a coincidence, they are both being held in November. I guess there are just so many Na....Mo's out there, and so few months, that the organizers couldn't find another month to squeeze NaBloPoMa in!<br />
<br />
So even tho I'm not doing NaNoWriMo, I've decided to boycott NaBloPoMa in protest of their lack of originality. Not that it means much since, like I said, I haven't posted for five months anyway! But I just had to get my 2 cents in here.<br />
<br />
I call on would-be novelists and lukewarm bloggers to unite!Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-464484347598580922011-06-24T12:48:00.000-07:002011-06-24T12:52:10.958-07:00HOW LOCAL IS LOCAL?<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I just finished Barbara Kingsolver’s fascinating book on her family’s year of eating locally, <b>Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. </b>I was happy to be challenged about the food choices I make, based on how much fuel and energy are expended to get my food to market. There is also the issue of supporting local farmers, instead of those in another region or another country.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Initially, I was patting myself on the back, because most of the produce we buy is local. We can even eat bananas till they come out the whazoo (a food Ms. Kingsolver’s family must pass on since it comes from the tropics). But then I remembered those Moroccan apples in my fridge. Morocco is on the African continent, but it’s two countries away from here. Oops. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There’s also a section of our market here which sells produce trucked in from the Malian Region of Sikasso. Is that local? It’s in Mali, but it’s about as far from where we live as you can go without entering Côte d’Ivoire. It’s about 1000km from here – that’s 600 miles. Now Ms. Kingsolver suggests a standard of 100 miles for those living in fertile areas, such as southern California, or in her case, Virginia. But she used to live in Tuscon – a very Mali-like climate – and in that case she suggests 250 miles. So even by that standard, I should avoid the Sikasso section of the market. Hm. On the other hand, a lot of the vendors in the local section buy their goods in bulk in the Sikasso Market, so I may end up buying them anyway, but paying more. (I also just calculated the distance my apples had to travel: almost ten times the generous limit for Mali or Arizona!).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But, really, fresh produce is not the issue here. We are strangers in a strange land, and as such we like to splurge on imported goods so we can eat like back home. It’s not even much of a splurge (except for cheese). Cans of veggies, jars of jam, containers of applesauce can all be found in my pantry, most from the European Union, and fairly reasonably priced. How about coffee: at least our instant coffee comes from the neighboring coffee-producing country of Côte d’Ivoire, but our “real” coffee is shipped <i>from</i> there to be processed in <i>France</i>, and then <i>back</i> here. Double jeopardy on hydrocarbons! (To be fair, you can buy ground Ivoirian coffee here, but as my daughter, Danielle, says, it tastes like ground peanuts. The Ivoirian instant actually tastes better than the Ivoirian ground coffee).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Still, I have not even touched on the biggest food import problem in West Africa. What if the local people wanted to eat locally? They are pretty much good to go as far as produce is concerned, and few are rich enough to buy imported canned goods and cheese anyway, so they don't miss them. Even the sheep and cattle butchered here are all local (we see the cows being led to the slaughterhouse every night on foot). But the center of the Malian diet is RICE. Where does that come from? Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the USA… Definitely NOT local.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How did people become so dependent on a food they do not produce? First of all, some rice <i>is</i> produced in Mali (Sikasso again, where it is more tropical than savannah, and has a greater rainfall), but it costs more than imported rice, and there is not enough of it for everyone if the whole population decided to start eating it. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Are there alternatives? There are several, the primary being millet. The problem is that all of the alternatives are more labor intensive than rice. Rice is Fast Food! All you gotta do is pick over it a bit, wash it and cook it. Millet needs to have the husk pounded off, then winnowed, and then it needs to be milled. It’s a lot of work. Malian women already work much harder than Western women in food preparation. Who can blame them for wanting to simplify their lives a bit with the convenience of rice? Furthermore, although rice is more expensive than millet, it goes farther. Say you can get 2 cups of cooked rice from a pound (pulling numbers out of the air here). A pound of millet only yields 1½ cups cooked. So not only do you have to work harder, you have to prepare more of it. At certain times of year, the price becomes almost equivalent. And finally, most people like the taste of rice better.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I don’t know what the solution is for my Malian friends. They are all addicted to green tea from China, and there’s no way they are going to give that up. I don’t even have a good solution for myself! I am going to ask for Malian rice at the market from now on, because I can afford to pay the higher price. There are also some Malian produced jams, which although expensive, I will try to buy to support the local industry. I could also make more jams myself. But what about my applesauce and cheese and coffee and canned corn and Moroccan apples and powdered milk? That’s a hard one! I guess the important thing is to be as conscientious as possible, making every effort to buy locally, even if it’s not practical to do so 100%. Wish me luck! (And read the book – I highly recommend it!)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-86795567974994457992011-05-24T03:40:00.000-07:002011-05-24T03:40:00.887-07:00Quote of the Week<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">As much or more than any theological concern, biblical teaching on end times should be approached with humility.</span><br />
Matthew Dickerson<br />
Christianity Today online<br />
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/june/whogetsleftbehind.htmlJennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-47998925297872486482011-04-06T05:02:00.000-07:002011-04-06T05:02:11.580-07:00An Open Letter to Dove World Outreach Center<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear Pastors Jones and Sapp, </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Congratulations on the headlines you have created around the world this week. Not only did you burn a Koran but your actions led to the death of UN workers in Afghanistan, many of whom were not even Americans. May I ask what this has accomplished: has the Gospel been advanced amongst Muslims because there is one less Koran in the world? Are the Muslims of Gainesville beating down your door to know how they can be saved? It seems your actions were worse than futile, they were damaging to the work of the Gospel and to the lives of God’s servants. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not denying the responsibility of the Taliban and Islamists who actually perpetrated the recent acts of murder and terror. There is no doubt that they will answer to God for this, and let’s hope they will also be held accountable by the legal authorities of their nation (if they can catch them).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But there is no doubt that your actions instigated this new wave of violence against Westerners in Central Asia. There is no doubt that you have placed at risk every American working in <i>any</i> capacity in the Muslim world. Worse, you have compromised the Gospel witness of thousands of Christian workers seeking to share the Love of Christ all over the Islamic World.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What right do you have before the Living God to jeopardize the work HE has called Christian men and women to do in HIS name for HIS glory? They may have chosen to risk their lives for the Gospel, but it is not your place to exacerbate that risk. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">How can you justify putting such lives in peril in the name of Freedom of Speech, while God’s real servants and true believers put their lives on the line for the Gospel, and while your nation’s military serves in Harm’s Way in the Muslim World to protect that freedom?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Missionaries have enough work to do responding to the theological arguments of those who deny the deity of Christ, who believe the Bible has been changed, who do not believe Jesus died on the cross, and who argue for the superiority of Mohamed. But those conversations eventually lead to meaningful conversations on spiritual things and a sharing of the Gospel. Now, however, Christian workers have to waste time explaining why a church which supposedly believes what they do would commit such an egregious act, and convince people that they would never do the same. It takes a long time to build trust with a Muslim and you may have cancelled the work of years for some missionaries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I examined your church’s website to see the extent of your missions outreach, especially your outreach to Muslims. And I found <i>nothing</i>. How can a church which has the name “World Outreach” in its name have no world missionary program? How can “an apostolic church with a world vision” which is so concerned about the evils of Islam be doing nothing about that evil in the manner prescribed by Jesus: “Go ye and make disciples of all nations”???</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the home front, what is Dove World Outreach Center doing to reach the 1,500 Muslim residents of Gainesville? Is there any campus outreach to the 600 Muslim students at UF? Have your members been trained to reach out to their Muslim neighbors in ways that are respectful, culturally appropriate and pleasing to the Lord, not alienating?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have either of you, Pastor Sapp or Pastor Jones, ever had a normal conversation with a Muslim? Guess what: they are people like you and me, with many of the same concerns: how to make ends meet, raising their children to be men and women of faith and morality, whether their team will make it to the Series. Evangelical Christians often have more common ground with observant Muslims than with our American neighbors, who may be only nominal Christians or practice no religion at all. Instead of a hostile approach focusing on differences, why not try to “love your neighbor,” and extend hospitality and friendship to them? Through such relationships, you will eventually have the opportunity to discuss your religious differences in an atmosphere of trust. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is no way to undo this pointless, egregious act. But you can move forward by first repenting before the Lord Jesus Christ for your damage to the work of the Gospel, and then apologizing and seeking forgiveness of those whom you offended, making it clear that the Lord whom you claim to serve would never have acted in such a manner. Finally, you can focus the efforts of your church from now on to reaching your neighbors and the world with the Gospel of our Loving Lord and Savior, who gave his life for sinners, of whom you and I are chief.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sincerely yours,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jennifer A. Bowers</span></div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-59879175902266662032011-03-08T10:05:00.000-08:002011-03-08T10:13:58.448-08:002010 by the Numbers<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">What we did in 2010: by the numbers<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Our organization has had various ways of keeping track of how we spend our time, and this year we were asked for "metrics," which they will presumably publish somewhere to show everyone how effective UWM is. We were slow to gather these numbers, but when finished, we were pretty impressed (I'll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back!).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Some of the items below we did <i>not </i>send to the Mission (I think you'll figure out which ones), but I hope you enjoy the list overall: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>1</b>: woman of the Soninké tribe discipled through weekly Bible studies and baptism preparation. (Jennifer)<br />
<b> 1</b>: Christian FM-radio station launched by a Malian Christian NGO with help from UWM (we have provided facilities and electricity, and helped them to find equipment); they currently broadcast about <b>18 </b>hrs/day.<br />
<b> 1</b>: semester served on board of Dakar Academy. (Jennifer)<br />
<b> 1</b>: son graduated from Dakar Academy, with honors, and launched into the World. (Benjamin)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>2</b>: graduate classes completed for education degree. (Jennifer)<br />
<b> 2</b>: new missionaries recruited for MALI, in a seconding agreement with WEC, to reach the Moors. (Andrew & Mary)<br />
<b> 2</b>: evangelism and medical teams to the Moors (about 15 participants all told, to 8 villages altogether).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<b> 5</b>: meetings of the Malian Assoc. of Evangelicals attended by Jim, where he is serving on the Committee of Reconciliation to head off a split in the organization.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>6</b>: men taught in Bambara language Bible school (in partnership with Norwegian Lutheran Mission).<br />
<br />
<b> 10</b>: meetings with the local Christian school committee.<br />
<b> 10</b>: ESL teachers observed and trained in Bamako during 2 weeks in January. (Jennifer)<br />
<b> 15</b>: meetings in churches last summer (where we were featured at the Missions Night of the annual conference of the Church of Christ (Holiness), in St. Louis.) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<b> 22</b>: visits to disciple new Fulani believer in Kayes (who came to Christ through the "Common Ground" method of evangelism). (Jim)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>26.5</b>: years of service in Mali.<br />
<b> 27</b>: women trained in leadership seminars (in partnership with Marcie Harris). (Jennifer)<br />
<b> 28</b>: years married to same spouse!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<b> 35</b>: Christian Fulani leaders hosted in JCMWA* annual conference in Kayes for one week<br />
<b> 30</b>: visits to Fulani villages for outreach and supervision of the well project in Duduya. (Jim)<br />
<b> 40</b>: meetings with the Kayes Pastors' Cooperative for prayer and planning of joint evangelistic events. (Jim)<br />
<b> 49</b>: shows of original Star Trek watched!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<b> 52</b>: beggars helped on our front porch by prayer, food, Bible reading, cash, work, clothing, loans, empathy, medicine, counsel, etc.<br />
<b> 75</b>: friendship evangelism visits among mostly Fulani friends, often playing Bible story cassettes or mp3 players like the Megavoice, and drinking lots of strong, sweet green tea. (Jim)<br />
<br />
<b> 150</b>: radio broadcasts in the Fulani & Moor languages (on 2 different stations).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>168</b>: cards & letters sent by Snail mail, not counting Christmas cards. (mostly Jennifer)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>175</b>: dollars paid to the MVA of MD as a fine over an insurance disagreement about our car (they wanted over $3000 and this was the compromise we reached!!!)<br />
<br />
<b> 12,000</b>: miles traveled June-August in the USA & Canada to facilitate partnerships, raise funds, promote ministry, and keep in touch with supporters including many visits with churches and dear friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>*JCMWA: Joint Christian Ministry in West Africa, a network of ministries to the Fulani to which we belong.</o:p></div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-36773572234247462302010-09-05T07:15:00.000-07:002010-09-05T07:34:04.708-07:00YET ANOTHER TRAVEL TALEGreetings from Dakar! Our journey started Friday the 3rd, when we were deposited at the airport at 3pm by Tim Haley of Christ Fellowship Church in Fallston, MD: thanks for the ride, Tim!<br />
<br />
We didn't have a long wait and boarded well before 5pm (departure time was 5.40), but then... we waited. We were informed that the computer which controls the fuel gauge and fuel distribution on the plane was malfunctioning and would have to be fixed. They had already moved out from the terminal and eventually had to taxi back in to another bay. They rebooted the computer involved, then all the computers, then they "rebooted" the whole airplane, i.e., they turned off everything for about 10 minutes. While we waited we found our friend Julie Adamson (whom we had somehow missed in the departure lounge) and enjoyed chatting with her. The a/c was running onboard, so we were not uncomfortable, but we had nothing to eat or drink except water during the 6 hour wait. For some reason, they did not activate the entertainment system either. Finally, around the time they got it fixed (or "came up with a fix" I should say, b/c they never did fix that computer and actually did a work-around), they decided to serve us dinner while refueling at 10.30pm, so we took off after 11. Then all went well and we arrived as scheduled in exactly 8 hours. Hurricane Earl presented no problems whatsoever, although they flew due south a bit further than usual before heading across the Atlantic, just in case.<br />
<br />
One thing I want to mention is that the passengers were all very gracious while waiting. We were all frustrated, but no one got nasty or mean or gave the crew a hard time.<br />
<br />
It's more humid here than even in Baltimore, but the temperature is about the same. We'll live. We are enjoying the hospitality of Alex & Amet DaSylvio-Fall. It was great to worship at Dakar Academy today with Danielle, Susanna, and many other friends. Lord willing, we will head to Kayes on Wednesday or Thursday in our own car.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your prayers and good thoughts as we travel!Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-83125351891511260812010-06-04T05:58:00.000-07:002010-06-04T05:58:41.781-07:00Puppy Love<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cbk%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cbk%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_preview.wmf" rel="Preview"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cbk%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cbk%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><style>
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</style><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve come to understand why they take pets to visit people in nursing homes, and why people who own pets live longer than those who don’t. Yes, I’ve been struck by Puppy Love.<o:p></o:p></span> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We’ve always had cats around the house and in general I still prefer cats. They take care of themselves, they are very clean and they don’t slobber. I do hate the litter box, but that’s a small thing. The one thing I could wish is that they were more affectionate. We’ve had the occasional friendly cat, but for the most part ours have been typically aloof. I’ve heard all the suggestions and claims that the earlier a cat is handled, the friendlier it will be and can tell you scientifically and empirically: it ain’t so! We have had some mother cats who had twice or even thrice annual litters, and with four children in the house, you better believe they were handled almost from Day One. But our percentage of affectionate felines is no higher, and perhaps much lower, than anyone else’s. Sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m pretty picky about dogs, on the other hand. For me to like a dog, it has to be small to medium sized (no miniatures, please), short-haired, and clean around the mouth so it doesn’t have spittle on its chops all the time! I would prefer a breed which gets along with cats (not a hunter) and is quiet. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We got Chester, a 3y.o. dachshund, from homegoing missionaries about a year and a half ago. He is small, short-haired, and does not drool (check, check, check). But dachshunds are hunting dogs, so he has chased off all our cats. And he does bark a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But I can live with that because he is so affectionate and cuddly and cute! He came into our Empty Nest and filled my mother’s heart with joy. Corny, I know, but besides being away at boarding school, college and work most of the time, my children are at an age when they don’t like to hug much. It’s just not their Love Language… but it’s <i>mine</i> and I miss it terribly! So Chester is filling that hole in my heart. He’s poorly trained and disobedient, and before we had him neutered he ran off all the time, but he has calmed down a lot since then, and will do almost anything for a cookie.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-74158768176388580462010-05-24T03:55:00.000-07:002010-05-24T03:55:47.241-07:00Quote of the Week... about LOST<div class="quote"><span class="quo">A funny summary from the "815 Sentences About LOST" blog by a critic who has never watched the show: </span></div><div class="quote"><span class="quo"> </span></div><div class="quote"><span class="quo">“</span>As both “Lost” the series as well as 815 Sentences About Lost draws to a close, it may seem blasphemous that someone who has never seen a single, solitary episode of “Lost” would write an entry attempting to briefly summarize the plot of “Lost” for this website, but that is exactly what I intend to do. Following a plane crash, a bunch of strangers find themselves stranded on a mysterious desert island. Among the stranded are Matthew Fox, some dude named “Sawyer,” that serial killer guy who stalked Lindsay Dole on “The Practice,” that Asian guy who played the Wolfram and Hart lawyer on “Angel” who eventually got turned into a zombie and Gunn chopped his head off (spoiler alert!), that other guy who sold Larry David pot one time on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and a bunch of other people. Pretty soon the castaways discover that they’re not alone on the island, which is also inhabited by another mysterious group of people called “The Others” as well as a monster. So the plot turns into something along the lines of “Lord of the Flies,” only with grown up people instead of psychotic children and, of course, the monster. There is also some conspiracy of how all the castaways ended up on the island, which is mostly revealed via flashbacks filled with really obscure and annoying clues and number references which “Lost” fans can discuss with other “Lost” fans on internet message boards. I don’t know, it all sounds like something of a headache if you ask me, although I’m sure I’ll probably watch the whole thing on DVD some day. Anyway, if you asked me to predict what’s going to happen on the series finale of “Lost,” my guess is that it all turns out to be an intricately wound sequence of events which takes place in some autistic kid’s snow globe. The end.<span class="quo">”</span></div><div class="quote"><span class="quo"> </span></div><div class="caption"> - Despite never having seen a single episode of “Lost,” Stacey Nosek fancies herself a pop culture writer. She spends her days in West Philadelphia and writes for Pajiba and Litelysalted.<br />
</div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-84652889463718995262010-05-18T02:59:00.000-07:002010-05-18T02:59:05.679-07:00Quote of the Week<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are violently propelled into the world with blood and pain and few of us will die with the dignity for which we hope and for which some pray. Whether we choose to think of life as an impending happiness broken only by inevitable grief and disappointments, or as the proverbial vale of tears with brief interludes of joy, the pain will come, except to those few whose deadened sensibilities made them apparently impervious to either joy or sorrow.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: large;">PD James, <i>The Private Patient</i> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: small;">What do you think?</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-42717195014038025372010-05-02T14:51:00.000-07:002010-05-02T14:51:58.909-07:00Hard questions...[Faith ‘n’ Begorrah, Part 2]<br />
<br />
When I wrote previously about the faith healer who came to our town in March, I promised to follow-up with a post on the theology of faith healing. What was I thinking??? Certainly I have not figured out “how it works,” at least from my perspective.<br />
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I need to say up front that I tend to be a cessationist. This is the name given to those who believe that the Sign gifts of the New Testament (tongues, miracles, healing, prophecy) ceased after the completion of the canon, the Scriptures. Therefore, theologically I am outside the Pentecostal or charismatic camp.<br />
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However, as in so many things, there are degrees of cessationist. For example, Harold Camping of Family Radio believes that all charismatics and Pentecostals are deceived by Satan and not saved at all! Happily, he represents the farthest extreme of cessationism and few share his viewpoint (however, his influence through his radio stations is frightening).<br />
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Some would accuse cessationists of not believing that God answers prayer, but that is a misrepresentation of the viewpoint. I, for one, believe that God still heals and performs miracles today, but that he does so in answer to prayer and not through the power of a gift transmitted through a specific person. <br />
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Unlike many cessationists, I have come to believe that God may still speak to unbelievers through dreams and visions to draw them to Jesus Christ. Admittedly this is based more on experience than on systematic theology (although Joel 2.28-29 certainly talks about dreams and visions in the End Times). It seems as though God will speak to a person through a dream who does not have access to the Word of God. The testimonies of those who have experienced this is usually of seeing Jesus and being told to seek out and believe the Bible. This is how many Muslims come to Christ. <br />
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When I wrote previously [see <a href="http://jenniferabowers.blogspot.com/2010/03/faith-n-begorrah.html">http://jenniferabowers.blogspot.com/2010/03/faith-n-begorrah.html</a>], I talked about the West African acceptance of the supernatural as a normal part of everyday life. Therefore in the churches it is quite natural to accept that God still works miracles today. Believers, even pastors, are not theologically sophisticated for the most part, to question whether this should happen through the agency of a person. If God has anointed someone to do such a work, why not? When some of my Christian lady friends were telling me about what they saw in the meetings, my face must have expressed some skepticism because one of them said, “Jeneba (my Malian name), what do you think of all this?”<br />
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Oh, my. Did I want to really get into this with them? I finally answered them honestly. The women I was talking to were pastors’ wives. Two of them have chronic illnesses for which they have prayed for relief for many years. One has a handicapped child they have prayed for God to heal for over a decade. So I said, “I’m not saying God doesn’t heal through Pastor Michel. I really don’t know. But I look at you, devout Christians married to servants of God. For many years you have prayed for healing while serving him faithfully. Now, if Michel came along and God healed you through his intercession, I would have to ask myself, Why? What was wrong with your prayers?” They nodded and acknowledged the sense of what I said.<br />
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Then one of them told us a story: “I went to my mother’s village recently to help with the harvest. The first evening when I was settling in, someone said, ‘There’s a mat over there and water, so you can do your salat (ritual Muslim prayers). I told them, ‘Oh, I don’t do salat. I’m a Christian.’ The response was immediate and surprising. ‘Really?’ they said, ‘Tell us what that means! We don’t know what a Christian is and we want to know.’ It seems that a sick woman from a nearby village had traveled to see Pastor Michel, and returned healed. All they knew was that Michel was a Christian and healed with the power of Jesus, but they didn’t know who Jesus was. Word got around that there was a Christian woman in the village and several evenings after work in the fields was done, they gathered round to ask me all about Christianity. Once or twice they kept me up until 3am!<br />
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‘Then they told me about a crazy woman in the village. She hardly ever slept. She would get up in the middle of the night and wander off in the bush. So her people were exhausted, either from searching for her out in the bush, or from sitting up late to make sure she didn’t wander off. They asked me, ‘What can be done?’ so I told them, ‘I don’t claim to be a healer like Pastor Michel, but I can pray in the same name as he does, in the strong name of Jesus.’ So I did. She had been put to bed, so I stood in her doorway and prayed for her. When I got up in the morning I went to the latrine to wash, and I could hear people outside saying, ‘Where’s that Christian woman?’ I came out and said, ‘Here I am.’ They said, ‘Look, the crazy one, she’s still asleep! She hasn’t slept through the night in ages!’ It got to be 9am and they said, ‘She’s still sleeping!’ I told them she was probably exhausted from not sleeping for so long, so they should let her be, and she slept until noon. Now they want someone to come to their village to preach the Gospel.”<br />
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Praise the Lord! If Pastor Michel’s ministry made people curious about Jesus Christ, then it is properly bringing glory to God. However, not everyone perceives that what he does is in the power of Jesus. He proclaims it clearly, but in the excitement of what is taking place, some people miss that and just focus on him and the events. <br />
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I was in a store the week after the crusade and the clerk said to me, “I believe in Michel. You do, too, don’t you? My back was hurting when I went there and now it feels better.” I was quite uncomfortable with the terminology “believe in Michel” and was caught off guard, so my response was not very clear. Knowing that we leave soon for four months, I wanted to go back and leave him with a tract or something. So on Saturday I gave him a Gospel of John. I said, “You told me you believe in Michel. Well, all that he did was in the name of Jesus, and this will tell you about Jesus.” His response surprised me; he had not gotten the Christian connection at all! He said, “Michel did all that in the power of Jesus? He was a Christian?” I assured him that was the case, and he said, “Well, then Jesus must be pretty powerful! I’m definitely going to read this.”<br />
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Then he asked a hard question, “Well, if Michel believes in Jesus, and you believe in Jesus, why can’t you pray for people and they get healed?” Gulp. Good question. I replied, “I do pray for people to be healed. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t. But sometimes God gives someone a special gift like that to bring glory to himself. He wants Jesus to be glorified, so he gives someone like Michel the power to heal in his name. It’s all about Jesus.” <br />
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So, maybe that’s my theology of faith healing! Like many people, I still confess a certain skepticism about the healing of potentially psychosomatic illnesses (like this guy’s back, in fact). But if Jesus is lifted up and it draws some to him, I can live with my doubts.Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-816683039401793162010-04-19T04:15:00.000-07:002010-04-19T04:15:36.377-07:00You know it's Hot Season in Mali when...Recently my friend, Sharon, in Bamako started a discussion thread on <i>Facebook </i>by posting as her status: “You know it’s hot season in Mali when…” I think you’ll find the responses enlightening:<br />
…you don't need a towel, you air-dry in less than a minute.<br />
…you take showers with your clothes on so you can have the illusion of cooling as your clothes dry.<br />
…your ankles sweat.<br />
…even the Malians say, “Boy, it’s hot.”<br />
…you are showering your kids and they scream, "No, it's too hot. Turn on the cold water." You reply, "This IS the cold water!"<br />
…you can bend candles into any fancy shape you want.<br />
…you wear a wet towel as a shawl.<br />
…you refer to a day where it doesn’t hit 115F as “cool.”<br />
…your clothes feel like they've been freshly ironed when you put them on.<br />
<b>h/t Sharon Goertz</b><br />
<br />
We often hear the question, “How do you stand that heat?” especially when people hear that we live in one of the three hottest cities in the world, only 50 miles from the edge of the Sahara, where the temperature-in-the-shade can top 125F/51C. We want to cry, “We DON’T stand it. We complain a lot. We leave for the whole month of May. We do crazy stuff (see above) and it still doesn’t help!”<br />
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Nevertheless, I thought you might be interested in hearing about some of our coping strategies.<br />
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WATERBEDS: When waterbeds became popular in the 70s and 80s, someone decided they were the solution to a missionary’s problems in hot climates. I remember people telling us we HAD to get one. After all, if you can get a good night’s sleep, it goes a long way toward helping one cope with the strains of the day (which is true). So we got one. How do you say <i><b>***raspberry***!?!</b></i><br />
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I have since become convinced that this waterbed promotion was a conspiracy by waterbed manufacturers to advance sales. All their soon-to-be-dissatisfied customers were moving overseas, so they had nothing to lose. <br />
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The problem is that water tries to equalize itself with the air temperature. For a large body of water, like an ocean, the difference remains significant, so you can still have a cool dip in hot weather. But a relatively small body of water, like a mattress, quickly approaches the ambient temperature. Even if the room cools off at night, the warm water is contained in a huge rubber “bottle” which releases heat slowly – a month or more after the end of hot season, but certainly not in a few hours!<br />
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We’ve heard funny stories about people trying to cool down their waterbeds. One family bought blocks of ice at the local ice house, siphoned out some of the hot water, and refilled it with the ice water. A time consuming, temporary, and ultimately futile effort at best. They had to choose either to H.ave a Life, or play with the waterbed. <br />
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We used to soak towels, and lay on top of them, with other wet towels on top of us, wearing as few clothes as possible, with fans pointing at us. This worked for about 20 minutes at a time before the towels dried out (our humidity is less than 20% most of the time, so the air just sucks up that water!), and it made the bedroom smell mildewy much of the time.<br />
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Ironically, in cool season (Dec.-Jan.), the water would become so chilly that we shivered and were in danger of hypothermia (which is why waterbeds are sold with heaters in the States – who knew we would need one here?).<br />
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Finally we bought an inch-thick foam mattress for the waterbed. On top of that, we place a sheet, then a bedspread, then another sheet. This makes the bed sleepable in all seasons but defeats the original purpose!<br />
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SHOWERS: Did you notice how many people in the responses at the beginning referred to showers? Don’t be surprised if you come to my house and I answer the door dripping wet – if it’s not sweat, then I’ve just taken a shower fully clothed. It’s even more effective if I can sit in front of a fan afterwards.<br />
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SLEEPING OUTSIDE: We might have avoided the waterbed fiasco altogether if we had investigated how the local people tolerate the heat. Quite simply, they move outside to sleep at night. It’s even better for those whose houses have a flat, concrete roof to sleep on. <br />
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We have a locally made bamboo bed frame on our back veranda, with a thick foam mattress, and a mosquito net suspended on wires above -- although in the very hottest time we don’t even need the net because it’s so dry there are no insects. When it’s really hot we also bring a fan outside and go to bed in wet clothes. <br />
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FANS, SWAMP COOLERS, AND AIR CONDITIONERS: We have lots of fans, but when it gets really hot they just blow hot air. However, they aren’t too bad if your clothes are wet.<br />
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A swamp cooler is an evaporative cooler or humidifier, common in the American southwest, that blows air through water. We have a portable one which is helpful at siesta time. Some of our friends have mega-units which cool big rooms or even the whole house, but we haven’t made such an investment yet.<br />
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We don’t have a/c either, but Jim dreams of eventually getting a split for the bedroom. We do have it in our car though, which is nice when it works.<br />
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SWIMMING: There’s a great swimming spot on the river about 10 miles out of town and we enjoy going out there, especially when our kids are home. Not far from there is a rocky area with swimming holes and waterfalls which stay quite cool even in hot season, and we love to explore there as well. During Spring Break we sat on a flat rock under a waterfall which was a fabulous experience.<br />
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For years we dreamed of having a pool in Kayes, and finally a big hotel installed one. That has been a great relief as well, although it potentially has the same problem as the waterbed. It’s a relatively small body of water which absorbs heat. Last year the pool got to 98F/36C in hot season! This year, however, they drained it to make repairs before it got hot, so it was refilled relatively recently and has not achieved ambient air temperature yet.<br />
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VACATION: This is the ultimate solution to Beating the Heat: leave town. We save up all our vacation time and head west to the coast of Senegal for the month of May. Interior Senegal is just as hot as Mali, but the coast is quite pleasant (besides the obvious benefit of being close to our children). And in just 15 days from now, that’s what we’ll be doing. <br />
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But until then, I’m here today, gone to Mali…<br />
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PS As I was finishing this, yet another friend here, Tim, posted his Top Ten Reasons to Love Hot Season in Mali:<br />
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10. Working late at the office takes on a whole new significance - Free AC. <br />
9. The Malians finally agree with you when you say it is hot. <br />
8. If you have problems deciding what shirt to wear, no problem. You'll be wearing at least 3 today. <br />
7. A chance to practice your Fahrenheit-Celsius conversion with big numbers like 41 or 46C (106F or 114F).<br />
6. For those of us who have no hot water heaters, we can finally take a hot shower!<br />
5. It's a great time of the year to do swamp cooler maintenance. <br />
4. Everyday household tasks become an extreme sport. <br />
3. Clothes have that wonderful "fresh out of the dryer" feel when you take them out of the closet. <br />
2. The oven is automatically "pre-heated", and hey - most food is already pre-cooked. <br />
1. A daily occasion to regale your facebook friends with complaints about how hot it is (just as they are expressing joy that it is finally getting up to 70F!)<br />
<b>h/t Tim Tillinghast</b>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-91702224560640830582010-04-15T12:49:00.000-07:002010-04-15T12:49:39.578-07:00There's no place like home... but where is it???<o:smarttagtype name="PlaceType" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" style="font-family: inherit;"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" style="font-family: inherit;"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="country-region" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" style="font-family: inherit;"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" style="font-family: inherit;"></o:smarttagtype><div style="font-family: inherit;"> My son asked me recently if after 25 years in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mali</st1:country-region>, I’m more comfortable here than in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> He was surprised to hear that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> is still my comfort zone, for he feels the opposite.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I’ve been thinking about what factors contribute to both our feelings.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">For me, the amount of time spent in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mali</st1:place></st1:country-region> comprises half my life, but the formative half was spent elsewhere. By the time I moved to <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>, my personality, habits, and worldview were firmly established. Furthermore, it’s not as if I moved to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mali</st1:place></st1:country-region> and stayed here. My missionary career has been punctuated by frequent visits back home which has maintained my attachment there and probably compromised my bond with my adopted homeland.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Also, I have lived as an American in <st1:place w:st="on">West Africa</st1:place>. Although I have contact with Malians every day, I don’t live like they do. If you came into my house, it would be very familiar to you, with running water, flush toilet and the usual kitchen appliances. We have TV and our kids have a Game Cube. We only got regular electricity 11 years ago, but before that we had solar panels and batteries. Should I feel guilty for that? I don’t because in my case it has been the key to my longevity here. I don’t know long I could have stood “roughing it” in a Malian lifestyle. One friend compared this to running a marathon vs. a sprint. The sprinter puts in his all for a short distance and then quits, because he is finished. The long-distance runner must conserve his resources in order to arrive at the Finish Line. Short term workers may “go native” and immerse themselves totally in the culture. It’s harder for career missionaries to do so if they want to last. (I want to note here that I know career missionaries who are much more immersed in the local culture than I am, and I have the utmost admiration for them. I am simply stating my personal limitations.)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">For these reasons, I am still much more American than Malian and look forward to retiring in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Benjamin, on the other hand, says he is much more comfortable in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mali</st1:place></st1:country-region>. There are good reasons for this as well: his formative years have been spent here. The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a place to visit. Even though he has lived there a year or more at a time, we have rarely returned to the same home and he never attended the same school a second time until he went to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Dakar</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place>. No wonder three of my four children have declared their intention to live and work overseas as adults. This is typical of Third Culture Kids.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">However, I have to add, with all due respect to Benjamin, that the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mali</st1:country-region> he relates to is no more the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mali</st1:place></st1:country-region> of the Malian people than mine is. He is a true Third Culture Kid, with elements of both American and Malian cultures in his make-up. He is probably more comfortable than I am in a village and he tolerates the heat better, but he grew up in an American home and enjoys all the trappings of our culture as well. <o:p></o:p></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvUCTvnwtbCDdGYhKxnE6BP_i0olrLtKKDRLA_ZiBOWY88XCDUKHhsSm54zozFF30UCahEGBHkAkLxczBumHPoBWupEt1EbXKWdGsQQ9eFhQnYpLXF3hoxpcL6W0KpRqsPZd0DX1JKvQn/s1600/IMG_6799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvUCTvnwtbCDdGYhKxnE6BP_i0olrLtKKDRLA_ZiBOWY88XCDUKHhsSm54zozFF30UCahEGBHkAkLxczBumHPoBWupEt1EbXKWdGsQQ9eFhQnYpLXF3hoxpcL6W0KpRqsPZd0DX1JKvQn/s320/IMG_6799.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"> Having said all that, I haven’t even gone into the whole thing of how MKs can never answer the question, “Where do you come from?” Should they give their passport country or the place they grew up; Mom’s hometown, or Dad’s? Because they have spent so many years at boarding school, my kids aren’t always sure whether to say <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mali</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Senegal</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="MsoNormal"></div><o:p></o:p></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-87309271540876794472010-04-01T03:14:00.000-07:002010-04-01T03:14:27.380-07:00Wednesday without Words... a day late<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP8QnDLWOIDmDkWkpJzZY4KNNPzmhb2fgTehOlporn0y1HX6e-Qfj5RGoj3s3jwXIuWdp7lCFRDCBjNMXyvGPwH6tHR2dZaAAGw1b4HMGu-mDyLxV5G4EKbWyTccr6nXFUubNVZJj12gr/s1600/DSCN2125+hut+%26+dish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP8QnDLWOIDmDkWkpJzZY4KNNPzmhb2fgTehOlporn0y1HX6e-Qfj5RGoj3s3jwXIuWdp7lCFRDCBjNMXyvGPwH6tHR2dZaAAGw1b4HMGu-mDyLxV5G4EKbWyTccr6nXFUubNVZJj12gr/s320/DSCN2125+hut+%26+dish.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Living in the Third World does not necessarily mean doing without.</b></span></div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-43955451407374195862010-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:002010-03-24T11:04:16.373-07:00Wednesday without WordsThe rare coat hanger tree.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSE4e8cxovxJF-jW4EkYrElQQpU3UrcEMbSguxDjsm6QS6V4p7BQ0PtfZ5FJJRI98eaOS-ykLdCBgUz9xmDpwHgpZzRat0QOa7TtzT_k8Jkld9aaGayM6AZN5oHD7ujNhXIObRBqohHzig/s1600/DSCN2129+hanger+tree+DKR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSE4e8cxovxJF-jW4EkYrElQQpU3UrcEMbSguxDjsm6QS6V4p7BQ0PtfZ5FJJRI98eaOS-ykLdCBgUz9xmDpwHgpZzRat0QOa7TtzT_k8Jkld9aaGayM6AZN5oHD7ujNhXIObRBqohHzig/s320/DSCN2129+hanger+tree+DKR.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-59853033866666951182010-03-22T02:31:00.000-07:002010-03-22T02:31:06.690-07:00Quote of the Week<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"Until I went to the dorm, I didn't know that pancakes and waffles were breakfast food."</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Benjamin Bowers, MK from Mali who grew up eating them for supper.</span>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-77061960584680072072010-03-15T04:52:00.000-07:002010-03-15T05:03:11.094-07:00FAITH 'n' BEGORRAH...!<span class="textArticleDetail"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">We had a faith healer in town last week. A very interesting phenomenon which has raised a lot of questions for me, both culturally and theologically.<br />
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He was here for three nights and on the second evening the stadium was Standing Room Only. It was such a mob that they basically had to cancel the meeting due to crowd control issues. Now, there are no more than 250 Protestant Christians in Kayes (pop. >100,000); perhaps a few more Catholics, but this was definitely a Protestant event. Everyone else is either animistic Muslim or Islamic animist (however you prefer to express it). So how did a meeting of a minority religion draw so many, especially since getting people to attend a Bible study or visit a church is like pulling teeth?<br />
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It's all about POWER. This preacher, Pastor Michel, has a successful healing ministry. That means he has power from Somewhere, and frankly, people don't care if it's from God or the Devil or something else, if they can get close to it or get a piece of it. This may seem strange to the western mindset, especially if you are not familiar with the Flaw of the Excluded Middle (a term coined from but not to be confused with the Law of the Excluded Middle in logic). The Flaw of the Excluded Middle posits that the Western world view has a blind spot that makes it difficult for many Western missionaries to understand, let alone answer, problems related to spirits, ancestors and astrology. T<span class="textArticleDetail">he Western two-tiered view of the universe typically leaves out an entire dimension seen quite readily by people of non-Western cultures. We acknowledge the material universe, and those who are some kind of believer usually accept the existence of a high supernatural plane including God, angels, the Devil, and perhaps demons. For many non-Western cultures, however, there is a middle, unseen plane which exists in <i>this </i>world </span><span class="textArticleDetail">which may include spirits and ancestors, as mentioned above, as well as genies and powers which can (perhaps) be appeased by charms, spells and fetishes. <br />
(For more information on The Flaw of the Excluded Middle see </span><span class="textArticleDetail"></span><a href="http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=3263&fto=970&">http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=3263&fto=970&</a> .)<br />
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Here in Mali the Excluded Middle is a vital part of life. We see it in the charms people wear and attach to their babies, or hang in their gardens. One of my friends has cowrie shells braided into her hair. You would probably think they were pretty ornaments, but I know they are <i>jiginiu</i>, "little hopes," designed to ward off evil spirits. She also uses cowrie shells to tell fortunes, which people take very seriously. <br />
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A few years ago the police in Senegal busted up a gang of burglars who had perpetrated a chain of house invasions against expatriates (including us) and rich Africans. The leader of the gang had over 50 fetishes attached to his body (some said to be effective at warding off bullets!) and the police were careful to cut off and burn every last one lest they help him to escape.<br />
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Some years ago a plane crashed in Timbuktu. Of 50 passengers and crew there was one survivor. She was taken to the capital to be hospitalized, where they had to put her in a private room (instead of a ward, which is all most people can afford) with a guard at the door. Why? Because if she was the only survivor, there must be something different about her, she must have access to some power or medicine, and if one could only touch her... So to avoid her being mobbed, she was sequestered. Another time people here in Kayes were hurrying to see a man who never went to the bathroom. Yes, I know that sounds funny, but supposedly he never needed to urinate or defecate, and since that meant he was privy to some supernatural power, people wanted to touch him or sit in the circle of his influence. (I told my informant that I was sure he was sneaking off to the latrine late at night, but she just laughed at me).<br />
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<span class="textArticleDetail">Certain people have powers as well, depending on their caste in society. The wives of blacksmiths are said to be able to do certain kinds of spells. Griots, the "town criers" for want of a better word, are also powerful. Even though pure Islam discourages such meddling with the occult, there are <i>marabouts</i>, who are basically Muslim shamans. (By the way, I recently learned the former president of Mali, Moussa Traoré, overthrown in the <i>coup d'état</i> of 1990, is not only out of prison and pardoned, but is pursuing a second career as a Big Time Marabout in Bamako!)<br />
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Pastor Michel is also in danger of being mobbed wherever he goes. Therefore, the Malian chief of state, President Amadou Toumani Touré (popularly known as ATT, just as we have called certain American presidents colloquially by their initials, such as FDR & LBJ) called the local authorities to arrange a place for him to stay and a security contingent of national guardsmen to surround and protect him. (Can you imagine Pres. Obama personally calling out the Guard for a Benny Hinn crusade?!?)<br />
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So even though Pastor Michel may indeed have power from God to heal, people do not come to him because they believe in his God or have any intention of converting to his Christian faith. They want to get close to POWER. And so they came in droves, most bringing their sick loved ones, but many attending just to <i>be </i>there and to <i>see </i>a miracle. I was told that mentally ill people were brought in from all the surrounding villages. Whenever he prayed for them, white birds rose up from the crowd, into the sky. Were their demons being released this way? Don't ask me (I told you I haven't figured out the theology yet)!<br />
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I don't yet know the statistics on how many people were healed and of what illnesses. I am told that a few people prayed to receive Christ. I hope it's true and I will be asking in a few months if any of them come to church. <br />
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Lest I sound too hard-hearted or cynical, I want to say that I have a great sympathy for the Malian people in this area. Most Malians are sick <i>all the time</i>. They have a poor diet and live in a dirty environment and can't afford medical care, so they often wait until their health becomes a crisis before dealing with illness. We had a conference in Kayes once, with pastors and their families coming from outlying villages. <i>Every one of them </i>sought medical care while they were here in the city; they were <i>all </i>dealing with chronic complaints to some degree. This was quite an eye-opener to me. So I can empathize with people's desperation to find a solution of some kind, even if it's one I do not understand or agree with.<br />
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As to the theological questions raised by this ministry, this has become very long and that will be the subject of a future post. <br />
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Interestingly, on the weekend after Michel's crusade, I visited a friend in the very neighborhood where the meetings were held. Yet I was greeted at the door of her compound by some middle school-aged boys who said to me, "Christians aren't welcome here. Christians are bad." So after the excitement passes, life returns to normal, and I'm here today, gone to Mali...<br />
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</span></span></span></span>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-41963585878932293552010-03-07T09:10:00.000-08:002010-03-07T09:10:14.429-08:00Quote of the Week<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">CICERO: No man can be brave who thinks pain is the highest evil,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> nor temperate who considers pleasure the highest good.</span><br />
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What do you think?Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-86187774641759659382010-03-03T03:59:00.000-08:002010-03-03T14:23:20.200-08:00The Trials and Tribulations of Travel in West Africa, Part I<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:21px;"><b></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:6;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Segoe Script";color:black">I have a love/hate relationship with traveling anywhere in the world, but especially here in Africa. On this side of “the pond” it weighs out a bit heavier on the “hate” side of things because it involves a lot of waiting, not one of my strong points; e.g.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family: "Segoe Script"">Waiting to leave. (Bush taxis don’t leave until they are full; this is only 7 passengers, but it may involve a wait of many hours or overnight to get that last passenger. Sometimes I’ll buy the last ticket to move things along, but if there are two or more empty places, I usually can’t afford to buy more than one.)<o:p></o:p></span></li> <u1:p></u1:p> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family: "Segoe Script"">Waiting for officials at roadside police posts to inspect ID cards or merchandise so they can extort bribes. (They don’t bother Americans, but in spite of international agreements allowing free travel between African countries, local officials will find a pretext to charge a fine to each traveler from a different country.)<o:p></o:p></span></li> <u1:p></u1:p> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family: "Segoe Script"">Waiting for repairs. (From a flat tire to a broken chassis, we’ve seen it all!)<o:p></o:p></span></li> <u1:p></u1:p> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family: "Segoe Script"">Waiting to arrive at my destination. (The 500 mile trip to visit my children, for example, is an all day voyage; we have spent as few as 11 hours and as many as 45 [!] depending on road conditions. Currently, I am happy to say, most of the road is in good repair or at least being worked on.)<o:p></o:p></span></li> </ul> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Segoe Script";color:black"><u1:p></u1:p>The “love” part of such trips is finally getting where I am going, especially if it’s a visit to see my kids. And you’ve never enjoyed a shower as much as the one that comes at the end of a long day on a dusty road. Or if Jim & I are traveling together, it means having a whole day to ourselves with nothing to do but talk or fall asleep on each other’s shoulders. Plus, the vehicles are pretty tightly packed, so we end up snuggling as we haven’t done since the early days of our romance (but on the “hate” side again, if I’m traveling alone, that means the same close quarters with a stranger, possibly a man).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Segoe Script";color:black"><u1:p></u1:p>Another thing that’s really fun about these trips is shopping enroute, but that’s another post for another day. Until then I’m here today, gone to Mali…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Segoe Script""><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="Segoe Script"font-family:";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></b></span><p></p>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-28867816134993209232010-02-28T10:07:00.000-08:002010-02-28T10:10:39.240-08:00Quote of the Week... on Childhood<span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;"></span><td valign="top"><br /></td><td><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;color:#333333;">When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of hell. That is why we dread children; even if we love them, they show us the state of our decay.</span> <br /><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;"><br />-<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://www.quoteland.com/author.asp?AUTHOR_ID=1969">Brian W. Aldiss</a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">What do you think?</span></span></i></span></td>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-64352692577334411842010-02-26T04:35:00.000-08:002010-02-26T04:52:46.063-08:00Short Term Pros and Cons: An EpistleMy cousin, Drew, who is also in what he calls a “do-gooder” profession ;-) sent me this link to an article called The End of Service Trips? by Tim Ogden:<br /><a href="http://www.philanthropyaction.com/articles/the_end_of_service_trips/">http://www.philanthropyaction.com/articles/the_end_of_service_trips/</a><br /><br />The author challenges the value of overseas service trips (such as missions trips) in terms of value for dollar. He says, “My epiphany on the pointlessness of such trips came while spending a month volunteering at an international NGO’s famine-relief operation in Ethiopia. Despite my good intentions it was abundantly clear that I had no useful skills for the situation.”<br /><br />He also sites an op-ed from the Wall Street Journal, The 'Great Commission' or Glorified Sightseeing? by Evan Sparks. Sparks, who has himself taken numerous short-term missions trips, is even more critical: “The billion-dollar question, however, is whether they're worth the cost. Are short-term missions the best way to achieve the goals of Christians? Critics argue that sightseeing often takes up too much of the itinerary, leading some to call short-termers ‘vacationaries.’”<br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122359398873721053.html?mod=djemITP">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122359398873721053.html?mod=djemITP</a><br /><br />My husband maintains that the value of such trips is the exposure of Americans to how “the other half” lives. He feels that every American church member should make such a trip to the Third World. Andy Crouch, executive producer of Round Trip, a documentary film-based curriculum designed to improve church service trips, echoes this sentiment: “To experience the absolute poverty in parts of the developing world, to see people who couldn’t possibly be doing anything more to escape poverty, can be a transformative experience. It begins raising systemic questions that don’t necessarily get raised when you see the relative poverty in the United States. It’s very important for people in the rich world to be exposed to absolute poverty and I don’t know how you do it without an encounter with a real person.“<br /><br />But Ogden responds, “Evidence suggests that these trips have no lasting impact on the participants, however.” Sparks cites Calvin College sociologist Kurt Ver Beek, who surveyed U.S. [short-term] missionaries who built homes in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. “After coming down from a post-trip ‘high,’ the short-termers did not evince much change in their lives. Only 16% reported ‘significant positive impact,’ including in prayer, friendships and financial giving.”<br /><br />Sparks says further, “Indeed, if you were to ask an economist about short-term missions, many of which involve such manual-labor projects, he would have a simple answer: Ditch the traveling team members and send a check. A career missionary knows better what manual labor needs to be done on-site, and he can hire local laborers for much less money than what flying in unskilled Americans requires. Using local labor contributes to the local economy and avoids perpetuating a culture of dependency and powerlessness. A career missionary is also fluent in the local language and culturally aware, so he can be more effective at evangelism, discipleship and social-justice ministries.”<br /><br />So where do I stand on this issue? Firmly straddling the fence! The above statement is correct about providing employment to and empowering locals. Yet we want short-term teams to come here, to see what our lives are like, and to meet the people in whom we have invested ourselves. We believe that long-term missionaries are often called through such an experience (though I have no empirical statistics to back my claim).<br /><br />As for the advice above for people to stay at home and send a check, things just don’t work that way. I remember a time when we were building a church, and a builder’s team came from the States. The local pastor commented, “With all the money these people are spending on travel, we would have more than enough to finish the building.”<br /><br />What we told him was that if those people had not come, they would not have sent us their money instead. If they paid for the trip themselves, they would have simply spent it on another trip. If the members of their church contributed to help them, it was because of the participation of people they knew. Contributors get more excited about the involvement of a person they know than about a building project. If they can’t go themselves, they feel good about enabling someone else to do so. There’s not as much vicarious satisfaction in buying a brick.<br /><br />Crouch suggests, “The trips only make sense if they are part of a comprehensive program of changing peoples attitudes and behaviors. Evidence is shockingly clear that a single trip has no impact. No matter how well you do a trip, especially when you’re talking about teenagers, they are at such a high-velocity developmental stage that I don’t think any single experience is going to have an ‘impact.‘...If you want to see any lasting change you can’t have the trip end when people get back, or even after that one meeting where everyone shares their pictures. The organizations that have thought about this the most and are doing the best job are making these trips part of a much longer engagement with the issues. For instance, there’s one organization that requires a year-long commitment and the trip occurs in the middle—they meet just as often after the trip as they do preparing for it. What we need to do is go out and have our world rocked and then come back and in a sustained way make some real commitments to change and be held accountable for enough time for those changes to sink in. The grooves in our culture are too deep for us to escape from without that level of commitment.“<br /><br />We have been impressed by a program of the Cooperative Missions Network of the African Dispersion (COMINAD), called Adopt-A-Village. <a href="http://cominad.com/">http://cominad.com/ </a><br /><br />Adopt-A-People has been a popular concept in missions circles for the past decade or longer. This means “that a church, congregation or fellowship group makes a serious commitment to do all they can to reach their adopted people group by working in partnership with the mission agency of their choice.” <a href="http://www.adopt-a-people.org/">http://www.adopt-a-people.org/ </a>One criticism of this approach, however, is that it is too big. It’s hard for people to feel intimately involved with a whole tribe of people.<br /><br />So COMINAD (and others) came up with the idea of allying a single church with a single village. In the COMINAD model, members of the American church visit the village annually, or more often, so they are returning to the same place over and over again. Pictures are taken of each villager, and each member of the US church commits to pray for one of the villagers. The villagers also receive pictures of their prayer partners. The American church also agrees to support a church-planter to live in the village. He will build relationships with the local people, and work or farm alongside them. There may be development projects eventually, but the focus is not on financial benefits, but rather on relationship.<br /><br />As an African-American organization, the focus of COMINAD is on reconciliation: reconciliation with the descendants of their African brethren who sold them into slavery centuries ago, and reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. They say to the Africans, “We all know that our ancestors could not have been captured as slaves without the participation of the local people. [Here the villagers nod their heads and/or avert their eyes.] But what they intended for evil, God intended for good (Gen. 50.20). When our ancestors went to the United States, they learned about the Gospel of Jesus Christ so we can bring that back to you.”<br /><br />This more focused approach on a smaller group of people, with repeated contact, has proven fruitful for COMINAD and other organizations.<br /><br />Finally, our daughter, Ruthanne, and son, Benjamin, both went on overseas summer trips with Teen Missions International. We are very impressed with this organization as well. For the same amount of money that a young woman in our church was paying to go help missionaries in Costa Rica for two weeks, our kids had two weeks of “Boot Camp” training in Florida, then a month or more of work in their country, followed by a week of follow-up debriefing. We would recommend TMI highly and would love to get one of their groups to come here as well! <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.teenmissions.org">www.teenmissions.org </a><br /><br />If after all this, I have not discouraged you about short-term missions, here are a few helpful links!<br /><br />Reconciliation Ministries International:<br /><a href="http://www.rmni.org/">http://www.RMNI.org</a><br />Christ for Humanity:<br /><a href="http://www.christforhumanity.org/">http://www.christforhumanity.org/ </a><br />Teen Missions International:<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.teenmissions.org">www.teenmissions.org</a><br />The Alliance for Excellence in Short Term Mission:<br /><a href="http://www.aestm.org/">http://www.aestm.org/</a><br />Christianity Today’s ST mission site:<br /><a href="http://www.roundtripmissions.com/">http://www.roundtripmissions.com/</a><br />Short Term missions database/search engine:<br /><a href="http://www.shorttermmissions.com/?STM=0a041825abfa34c137309bced555bb09">http://www.shorttermmissions.com/?STM=0a041825abfa34c137309bced555bb09</a><br />United World Mission’s short term opportunities (note: these are for one-to-two year terms, as recommended in the Ogden article):<br /><a href="http://uwm.org/ex237/">http://uwm.org/ex237/</a><br />And oh, yeah, don't forget about us:<br />malibowers@gmail.com<br /><br />Further reading on this issue:<br />Churches Retool Mission Trips: Work Abroad Criticized for High Cost and Lack of Value By Jacqueline L. Salmon<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR2008070402233_pf.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR2008070402233_pf.html</a>Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614246526946496619.post-86095833785406119732010-02-25T06:15:00.000-08:002010-02-25T06:16:25.261-08:00Quote of the Week"People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading." Logan Pearsall Smith<br /><br />What do you think?Jennershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12176890499917531663noreply@blogger.com0