Following in Faith

2012-01-06T16:13:00.001-05:00

More from my nifty Baptist Bible Hour app...

Youth and Old Age

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart - 2 Timothy 2:22

Youthful lusts are not limited to physical attraction. They include excessive desires for popularity, acceptance, worldly success, or academic achievement.

The lusts that Paul warns us against are any of the short-sighted cravings of youth for personal pleasure or gain, rather than for personal godliness. Youthful lusts include any hunger or ambition that distracts from our pursuit of true righteousness, faith, charity, and peace.

Interestingly, Paul is not content with our fleeing youthful lusts; he commands us, alternatively, to pursue hard after (the word follow is very strong in the original language) a pure-hearted devotion to God. We will not experience the vibrant, joyful, fulfilling Christian life until we are not only trying to avoid sin but are also seeking after Christ.

And one of the greatest encouragements for people as they pursue Christ is to follow after Him with those that call on the Lord themselves out of a pure heart. Good friends are a great help to the Christian life, and are especially crucial when you are young.

So, young people, remember to flee away from sinful temptations, follow after Christ as your Lord, and look for good friends who will pursue Christ with you.

Also posted on Bethany Birches Blog - http://bethanybirches.org/blog/2012/01/youthful_lust/

Comfort - relational God

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

This is from a daily devotional app I have on my phone - Baptist Bible Hour. I appreciated it this morning and thought I'd share it. It highlights the possibility that our God is one who is willing to pursue personal relationship with all of his children.
Comfort

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God - Isaiah 40:1

Have you ever noticed that parental tendency to repeat important words or phrases to our children, especially in a moment of crisis? "It's okay, it's okay"... "don't be scared, don't be scared"... "be careful, be careful."

It may be partially due to the assumption that the child is not at first listening to us, especially if some other loud or frightening object has temporarily captured his or her attention. But it may also result from our desire to plant our words firmly into their minds and hearts in the midst of the crisis.

Similarly, God speaks here in order to comfort His people in the midst of their otherwise frightening surroundings: comfort ye, comfort ye. He purposefully impresses upon us the fact that His message is not one of alarm, but of consolation.

And perhaps the most comforting words of all are found in the two phrases that follow: "my people" and "your God." God assures us that we are no less His when we are trembling under some terrible trial, and that He is still our God when our feelings may betray us and tell us otherwise.

No matter the loud or frightening trial that you may be facing, no matter the fear or discouragement that you may be feeling, listen carefully to these comforting words from your heavenly Father: "you are still mine, and I am still yours." It's okay. It's okay.

Adversity and beauty

2011-11-01T08:48:00.003-04:00

It started off slow - we (Yoyo and I) got up late and got to Killington even later (10am). Once we got there, I couldn’t get my season pass. They showed no record of it. I got upset. I tried not to yell (but I did use that indignant tone that my voice is so used to). And then, after exploring Cheek's record and mine, the clerk told me they just didn’t have record of any season pass purchase this year. I told her I planned to ski that day and she said I’d have to pay. It really bothered me that after 5 years of season passes, they couldn’t give me a comp day. But, I said fine and paid.

One other related thing - I couldn’t find my blue shell. The jacket that rarely has a use except for on semi-warm ski days. Couldn’t find it. Still don’t know where it is. Then, when we finally got to the slopes and started skiing, I got a text from Amber that they didn’t have the tire I ordered at Tire Warehouse. I got so upset... why had they lied to me and told me yesterday that the one I ordered was there, in their shop? Why would they take advantage of her? What the heck!?

Three strikes for today. I’m getting very angry. I want to flip out at anyone who’s nearby... I want to give everyone a hard time. Being frustrated is contagious. It’s easy to pass it along!

So in the car ride home from Killington, Yoyo and I were talking. The question that was made silly by the bracelet came to my mind. What would he do? Yoyo asked, would he even be skiing at all? We agreed Jesus probably wouldn’t have used a lot of money to go skiing... unless of course, it was a way to spend time with people or a place to teach or learn. We do know Jesus thought that what comes out of your mouth is what defiles you.

My mind went to Ned Flanders. There is something Jesus-like about this character. I say this because Ned sacrifices at every turn. He offers his things to his neighbors, exactly as Jesus suggested. If Ned is wronged, he seems to consider in his heart of hearts, that maybe the person who wronged him was misguided, or, that there was an explanation that was not yet known. I started thinking like this - maybe Killington’s ticket system screwed up when we bought the passes in the spring. We didn’t have a printer at that time so couldn’t print a confirmation so who really knows what happened after we finished the online buying process? Our credit cards weren't charged - why not? The fact that I didn't follow up the day after when I didn't get an email confirmation makes much of this irrelevant.

Turning my attention toward the many possibilities rather than the blame of another led me to ways that I contributed to the problem (I didn’t get a screen shot of the ticket confirmation, for example, and, I didn’t confirm with the tire guys whether it needed to be the AT or the HTS). I started remembering my identity as a fellow human, that gets it wrong too. My desire to blame Cheeks for making the wrong choice on the tires or to yell at Killington diminished. What’s even more interesting is that my lack of blaming allowed Cheeks to feel her own concerns. Her heart got heavy. She felt partly responsible for the season pass issue (she was the one buying them in the spring) or the tire (she was the one at the shop making the decisions). And while her own conscience was working on her, I was feeling genuinely bad for her (and my prior anger). What a beautiful change from me getting upset with her, giving her a hard time and her shutting down. This is how we were made to learn and grow! To recognize our own shortcomings and deal with those and to let others do the same and to care for them as they do that work. Thanks to Matt Groening for creating Flanders!

Thank you Lord, for the adversity I experienced yesterday, and the goodness that came from it. Help me to remember!

Service and Humility

2011-09-07T10:55:00.000-04:00

There's quite a bit of service happening in central Vermont. Everyone I meet is wondering how they can help and what they can do. By the way, there's no better way to meet people than through a catastrophe like a flood.

I'm noticing something today. I'm extremely attracted to the people who are willing to help however they can be used. I'm also attracted to the people who share willingly about their abilities and then start offering those talents in various ways. I'm not particularly attracted to those who are annoyed or bothered if the type of work available is not important or what they expected to do.

My heart was opened two days ago. We went to visit a man who's trailer was right next to the river. Can you believe his trailer had no water in it?! The water went under the trailer and messed with some out buildings but didn't damage the trailer. I started to sense disappointment, that there was little to do here, especially little that didn't require some kind of machine/equipment that we didn't have (apparently our high-tech world has made me forget about the wheelbarrow). On top of my disappointment, this dear brother was telling us story after story. Half way through story time, I realized that listening may be helpful too. My heart and mind kept opening up to that possibility. The more I considered listening, the more I became interested in listening. And then I didn't want him to stop telling me stories. As long as he could heal and share through his stories, I wanted to listen.

Dear God, open me and whomever read's this, to the possibility that the work you have for us today is different than the work we expected to do today. May it be so.

Brandon

A Praying Life

2011-08-18T10:12:00.000-04:00

Last night, Cheeks and I read on the deck. It was a beautiful night. Just amazing. Moon was bright, humidity was high so the 56 degrees felt more like 65. And we read a few pages from our book, A Praying Life. I continue to appreciate the way this book draws me near to the heart of God. In this section (page 199) Paul Miller talks about story. He talks of how God is telling, sharing, weaving stories, and when we enter those stories, life becomes rich and wonderful and challenging. When we try to tell a story and pretend it’s the one God is telling, we get lost.

My prayer for today is simple:

Lord, I know you’re telling stories in my life. I want to listen to your stories. Will you help me hear them? What’s the plot? Maybe it’s the plot that are in a lot of your stories - helping us see, saving us from destruction, drawing us near to you. Help me be willing to sacrifice, give up, change or otherwise do what it takes to enter your story.

Tuna

Haunting

2011-05-25T19:00:00.002-04:00

Recently, I started reading a book called Orthodox Heritic with a friend of mine. I really like it so far. The first parable is this one.

This story disturbs me.

Today, I came across this statement below from A.W. Towser. It speaks to the issue that Rollins brings out in this video.

A New Type of Preacher
Print Version /
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. --Acts 20:24
If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.
Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt- spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. The Size of the Soul, 128-129.
"Lord, in the first half of this current century this need is even greater. Send to Your church today many who have 'seen visions of God and...heard a voice from the Throne.' Amen."

Thoughts?

Just do it

2011-04-22T10:52:00.001-04:00

One of my friends recently wrote to say Happy Birthday. He added:

Hope you have a year full growing in Jesus and obeying and following him!

I replied by asking if he'd pray for me, specifically for obedience. This past winter I was sensing God inviting me to let go of a few habits I'd been developing. In talking with my friend, he said, why don't you just do it? Just give up whatever God invites you to give up.

My answer was: because I don't want to!

Lent is almost over. But, before Lent I remembered this conversation and decided to just do it.

I've remembered that sometimes "just doing it" is the only way to do it. For example - Jesus says "love your enemy." Generally, waiting until you feel like loving your enemy won't accomplish the task (I often prefer to procrastinate). Picking an action that is loving toward that person and performing it will cause the obedience Jesus asked for. I believe as I practice, it will get easier, and eventually, I will actually like to love my enemy. And, on top of all that, the joy that comes from being near God is great.

2011-04-06T14:46:00.000-04:00

All winter long I've been trying to get myself some wax-less back-country skis. What's interesting, is that I've been avoiding doing the activity those skis are used for, even though I already have equipment to do that activity (which is ski around wherever you want).

Today, when I was out skiing (Skiing in April? How cool!) I remembered how silly it is to be waiting for the right gear. I already have an able body, a pair of telemark skis, boots, bindings and skins AND I live in the land of snow. We have snow for 4-6 months/year! So, I have everything I need to ski right outside my door and the only reason I didn't do it more is because I was looking online for the exact right ski to do it with. Weird.

Here's to spending more time doing the things we love and less time coveting the things we don't have.

Brandon

A brief history on nonviolence

2011-03-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

A good 15 minute video on nonviolence and it's religious heritage:

Staff Recruiting Trip 2011

2011-02-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Every year in February we (used to be just me, Tuna) make a trek around the East-Coast and dip into the Mid-West for some staff recruiting fun. We go to EMU, Goshen, and then usually one other school. This year, it was Bluffton (thanks Bobbi for setting up the party!). We'll be at Gordon on Friday.

Well, this year, there were three of us: Me, Cheeks, YoYo. And, we had plenty of time in the car. So, we decided to post a few video clips of our journey. If you watch each one, you'll learn a few things and spend about 20 minutes.

What a job we have! Visiting friends and sharing the good stuff of Jesus.

Bethany Birches Bobcat Snow Camp 2011

2011-01-16T09:15:00.000-05:00

Congressional Reform?

2011-01-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine just emailed me this thought and proposal. It was one of those emails that you are instructed to send on to x number of people and then the world will change. I'm not a huge fan of those emails so I didn't forward it. However, I think it's a good idea, what was contained in that email.

In short, the concept involves moving our civil service positions away from profession and toward service. It often isn't the right answer to just go back to a prior way of doing things. So I'm not sure we should simply revert to the early ways we did governance. It's also not usually the right answer to leave things the way they are (unless they became that way naturally... sometimes that is a good answer). Some of the ideas below are good ones, I think. One other thing I think is that the Church would probably achieve it's mission more fully if we weren't only using a professional model for our pastors.

Brandon

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two Six-year Senate terms

B. Six Two-year House terms

C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.

The American people did not make the current contract with members of Congress. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

TOS: Happy Birthday to Jesus

2010-12-30T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Ongoing Story (From a monthly contact sent to Bethany Birches Camp supporters)

Earlier this year I wrote about format. Specifically, I noted that format was central to what we're allowed to do. For example, if you live in a house instead of a gym, you can't play volleyball very well at home. But, you probably can decorate more easily. Or, a more realistic illustration; If you're married with kids, you aren't going to go on as many ski trips with the buddies (or beach vacations with the girls). Your family (the format of community you live in) determines that you will most likely go skiing or to the beach with them.

While format dictates, for the most part, what we are able to do in a broad sense, it doesn't tell us what to do within it. I've been thinking a lot about that lately. What got me thinking about this was our recent Teen Connect which is part of ourwinter camp program. Amber was reviewing the schedule for me and it sounded a lot like all of our other teen programs. Fear struck me (don't you love when fear strikes?). What if this a boring weekend? What if no one comes? What if the kids come like they always do and get tired of it because it's always the same thing?

As we talked, I realized that the people she'd lined up were excellent. The beds were nearly full, our speaker, Scott Hackman, would surely connect with them and what could be better than friends who love to be together, getting together?! It was fine. Good even. The weekend went so well that I kept feeling a bit ashamed of my earlier fears and doubts.

So clearly, our format (that hasn't changed in a number of years) was fine. So what went right? Why did no one think the same format was boring? Content! We all enjoyed the weekend because of the content - what was done within the given format (which brings me to an important lesson I learned when I was dancing down an isle in a play in 5th grade and fell down then got back up - life is almost always what we make it. We can stay down or we can get back up). There were two key components to the content of our weekend:

Effort (that we put in)
Spirit (of God that moved)

This seems consistent with what I know of Jesus and his call for us to follow him. We must put forth effort - think Jesus staying up all night to pray. Think Jesus inviting us to give up everything to follow him. Think disciples making ongoing errors in thinking and behavior and flat-out disobedience yet their willingness to keep following a man who appeared to most to be crazy. All these things took effort.

Now, think miracles. Think belief inspiring events. Think teacher, who though he is part of a different realm, agrees to work within the format of this realm (human body, normal methods of teaching which included having a handful of students that followed him around and learned from him and whom he mentored). Think the unbelievable (for most people) story of the Christ. All this is Spirit of God stuff.

And that's how the weekend was. There was effort. There was spirit of God. What a great combo. And to think that Creator of Heaven and Earth would allow us the opportunity to put forth effort to shape our future (this would be a boring place if what we couldn't impact happenings). And how equally great that this creator would give us authority to invite Spirit and sometimes send Spirit even when we don't extend the invite, simply because we need it or because Creator wanted to (how boring a place this would be if the creator of it didn't make anything happen... just left us alone).

What's the point? I'm not completely sure. I know we have choices about our format (though we can't easily create a different place than earth to live on, we can choose to live in a house, shed, boat or street). And, within the formats we choose, we can choose a whole bunch more things. We can choose to put forth effort and invite God's spirit to join us. We can choose to love our family or hate them. We can choose to seek our hearts desires or someone else's desire for us. We can choose to be brave or cowardly. While there are prices to be paid for all of our choices, we have the choice! I suppose for me, the point, or question I keep asking is, how will I make the best choices?

The answer I've come to is around this person and living spirit of Jesus. I believe that he will show me a way forward, through the formats and content of my life. I believe that though I may pay a high cost to join him, it's a price worth paying. I believe he will lead me to the peace I want. To the love I seek. To the acceptance I long for.

Join me in taking the opportunity of Christmas to offer thanks and gratitude for Jesus' leadership in life and in the Kingdom. Join me in looking for a way to create content on the 25th or the 26th or any time really, that is the content of Good News. Like God, we are creators.

I pray you will glimpse this awkward man, Jesus and especially the continuation of his Spirit. Merry Christmas and happy creating!

Brandon

If you want to walk on water...

2010-10-09T00:39:00.001-04:00

Just because Peter failed, doesn't mean humans will fail always...

More on the topic:

Seriously?

Update on 10/11/10:
Too good to be true, apparently:

It's been a while!

2010-09-10T09:27:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been quite some time since either Cheeks or myself wrote here. And, I'm not going to write today. I'm simply going to post some pictures.

Bergey Family Vacay Bests

Mom, let me know if there is anything else I can do with this, for you.

Tuna

SNOW in MAY

2010-05-09T09:20:00.000-04:00

It's been snowing around here!

Take this picture for example... April 21, 2010, we woke up to a few inches of snow.

Then, this morning, May 9, we woke up to a tiny bit of snow. And I'm seeing occasional flurries.

Living in the mountains is fun. I just can't understand why people without modern methods of heat would have chose the mountains!

Tuna

Creation - Creator - Dishes

2010-03-27T01:07:00.001-04:00

I just posted a few thoughts from my time in New Hamburg at Hidden Acres while at a conference. What is below went out to a lot of friends today from camp and I thought I'd post here too:

I've spent this week in New Hamburg, Ontario at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp. I've been having a blast!

I have also experienced two wondrous creations of God and humanity. Two disciplined teachers. One is named Bryan Moyer Suderman of Small Tall Music and the other is named Tom Yoder Neufeld(yes, it seems the Canadian Mennonites really like taking on their spouses name and then going by all three (first, middle, last).
Both of these men have been speaking truth. While truth is very interesting, I want to tell you about what I found at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp this past week.

I found a community of humanity and adventure. Have you ever gained a deeper vision for how to live simply by being together with a group of friends? That's what I felt this past week. Hidden Acres is utilizing some good practice in environmental stewardship. For example, they recently built a new retreat center. It cost them more than $1 Million to put up. After having it, their electricity bill went from $16,000 to $18,000 - that's only $2,000 more/year! Part of it is because they don't have a dishwasher in the whole facility & a lot of it is because of the extreme insulation and geothermal heat.

The lack of dishwasher adds to another one of their distinctives. We were able to form a special community together over the week in part because we all took turns washing dishes after meals. Work tends to bring people together. Our community forming happened also through taking off our shoes! They encourage people to take off their shoes when they enter a building and put on their slippers. We all brought slippers because they told us to. This keeps things clean, requiring less time and energy on the vacuum (and floor buffing and new floors later down the road).

You see, not only do these quirky, unique ideas help us build relationships and shared experiences, they represent an alternative way to live. Let's think about the dish washing. They have two, three-bay sinks. So, there were six of us washing dishes (two drying and two wiping down tables and floors). Those six bays were filled once or twice depending on how dirty the plates were (2-3 gallons/sink = 12-18 gallons). I expect a dishwasher would use more water than this old-fashioned method and definitely more electricity for the 60 place settings we were washing each meal (especially when you consider that most of the heat for the hot water comes from the heat of the earth!).

So the alternative route in this case is saving us energy and water and giving us a reason to talk, an experience to share while cutting down on consumption of resources. We don't think that way right now. We tend to evaluate processes based on their efficiency of time (or resulting cash profit). Which is good. But, can we think about our use of resources in more ways than just how much time it saves? For example, we drive a car, alone from our house to work when there might be a bus or train. And we'll say, sure, it might consume less resources to take the train that is already running but I have to get their early or, I don't want to be restricted by the schedule of the bus. What if we could email on our laptop or read through that report etc. while we were on the train or bus? What if you could catch up on your voicemails or podcasts while in transit. It's very well used time then, no longer wasted.

Sometimes I have driven from my house to camp a few times in a day. I've done this to "save time." Then later in the day, I'll go home and work out like I try to do at least four times/week... go for a run, lift weights, something like that. Interestingly, I could have walked 3 miles already if I had just walked from my house to the office rather than driving. My exercise would already be done and I wouldn't have used an extra gallon of gas in the process of getting to and from work.

Going back to the dishwasher - when it was my turn to wash the dishes, I had mixed emotions... in part because I wanted to still be sitting at the table sipping coffee, in part because I wanted to be reading my email. Interestingly, when I was done washing the dishes (10 minutes later) I was energized from a conversation I had and the joy of working together with friends. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down and tore through a few emails and then went on to the evening session. I'm not sure I would have been as efficient in my emailing or even got up from sipping my coffee had I not been put into this unique system of washing dishes.

And here is what I suppose we will have to become comfortable with if we are to give ourselves over to something that seems as contrary as washing dishes at a retreat - the mystery of change. If we could bring ourselves to engage in new ways of living that were more friendly to creation, would we find more energy and savings in other places (my energy to zip through emails)? Would we find more connection to the creation and maybe even the Creator?

Brandon

Truth (while having a blast with Mennonite Camping)

2010-03-26T11:59:00.002-04:00

I've spent this week in New Hamburg, Ontario at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp. I've been having a blast!

I have also experienced two wonderous creations of God and humanity. Two disciplined teachers. One is named Bryan Moyer Suderman of Small Tall Music and the other is named Tom Yoder Neufeld (yes, it seems the Canadian Mennonites really like taking on their spouses name and then going by all three (first, middle, last).
Both of these men have been speaking truth. For more about truth...

I've been thinking about truth. It feels like something that causes clarity and belonging. Many times we are taught (or teach) doctrine & confuse it with truth. Doctrine is the child of truth and tradition and only retains it's heritage as it allows it's parents to continue to inform it. And, this morning, this wonderful parent, truth, got up to speak to us camping folks through Tom.

You will know when truth is present because, among other things, it empowers you to know something. And sometimes, that something will be called heretical by others. Maybe because it's threatening to our doctrine. Maybe because if we allow this truth to influence us, it means change. For example: this morning, I was reminded that God changes his methods and ways to allow us to become one with him. We know this is true because he first adopted a group called the Israelites. They thought they were the only group that God was interested in. Eventually, God adopted a new group of children that were referred to as Gentiles. And then on top of it, what was known as the "law" (set of rules and ways to please God) got added to and changed... instead of one set of behaviors, it became a new set of behaviors (sort of like moving from a suggested speed limit to cars governing their own speed).

So, you can imagine that it was hard for the Jews, an only child, to accept another sibling into the family. And it might have been even harder to accept this new law, this more internal law. It seems that it is equally as hard for Christians to accept God's love for his non-Christian children. I wonder if we would live differently if we understood God's love for all his children. I wonder if we would be able to join in this strange, scandelous acceptance if we allowed the truth that God loves everyone. Can we become the new creation Christ is inviting us to become?

Some of you might be thinking that if God loves everyone, everyone will go to heaven. First, that isn't our focus (whether this one or that one are in or out - we already know which ones are in or out - the ones who feed the hungry and cloth the naked or don't - Matt: 25:32-45). As long as we are bound to caring about the final destination, we miss out on the current destination (that's a whole other issue - why we want to care about the present and the present destination). Secondly, I don't believe that. God loving everyone doesn't mean everyone will respond to that love and seek God. So again, we see the importance of truth and the role it plays in our transformation and capacity to love.

OK, switching abruptly back to this other creation named Bryan (I have to switch abruptly because in re-reading the above, I realized that what I wrote doesn't connect well and, I don't have time to add more thoughts and re-write - I'm at work and I've got to get a move on!)... you've heard of Community Sustained Agriculture (CSM)? He has a CSM as well. And his music is absolutely delightful. If you get a chance, give it a listen.

P.S. - I understand now why people curl. It's fun!

Prosperity Gospel

2010-03-02T22:02:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine recently wrote and said "We should talk about this. this is seriously messed up stuff."

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/12/did-christianity-cause-the-crash/7764/

I responded with this:

Dude, it's funny you find this article. I read this a month ago or so. Isn't it really rediculous? I mean, I just don't understand what Bible people are reading. I think about Solomon - God told him he could have anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom so that he could govern well the people he was made King over. God said that he would also give him riches and good stuff because his heart was set on truth and the benefit of others. Jesus didn't have a house - "...The son of Man has no place to lay his head." The Israelites, God's chosen people, were originally slaves, then were forced to walk through the desert for 40 years with nothing but a pilar of fire and a cloud and a crazy man leading them. They got bread to eat almost the entire time... not much else. When a rich man asked Jesus what he had to do to follow him, Jesus told him that he should sell his stuff, give the money to the poor then follow him.

God has made many promised of prosperity and well-being to those who follow him - namely life to the full. But, rarely has God promised material wealth and most of the time, God has rejected it. So, I just don't really get this prosperity gospel... it certainly isn't in the Christian Bible... I have read it on every page of the American Bible though.

What do you think?

_________________

Tuna

Bethany Birches Camp's Winter Family Fun Day

2010-03-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

A friend of camp recently posted some info on his blog about his time at Winter Family Fun Day including some video he took.

Check it out - Bethany Birches Family Fun Day

Girls Weekend 2010 - Tubing!

2010-02-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

Sightings of the Kingdomof Heaven

2010-02-10T11:57:00.002-05:00

This past week, I traveled to EMU, Goshen and USI. Cheeks joined me at Goshen and USI. We made this trip to catch up with a bunch of our past staff and to find some new folks to join the BBC Family. It was a great trip. Though it involved a lot of traveling, it also included some Kingdom sightings.

Kingdom sightings are times, moments, experiences when one has felt or seen the Kingdom of God. If you don't know what the Kingdom of God is, read through Matthew 13. You could also listen to this podcast to get a better idea.

Tuna

p.s. if you don't do the podcasting thing (see the right hand side of screen for instructions) you can just download the audio by right clicking here

A good read on world wealth distribution

2010-02-06T23:27:00.003-05:00

Cheeks and I often talk about resources and how we use them. I've always been fascinated by the way that resources are split up among people across the globe. This study is enlightening regarding global wealth distribution:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/430626/2006-World-Household-Wealth-Distribution

And if you are discouraged after reading that, check this out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/opinion/24kristof.html?emc=eta1

Tuna

Bobcat Snow Camp at Bethany Birches Camp 2010

2010-01-27T17:59:00.001-05:00

What fun it is to get together with a bunch of kids in the name of Jesus and have a blast!

Mt. Washington no longer host of fastest wind speed

2010-01-27T11:49:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine recently clued me in to the fact that the famous Mt. Washington (famous because it's the highest peak in the North Eastern US, famous for it's Tuckerman Ravine, famous for it's great skiing and ice climbing, famous for it's views and hiking and especially famous for being home of the world's worst weather) no longer boasts the world's fastest recorded wind speed. Bummer.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35084480/ns/weather/

Well, the mountain of our first president still has lots of great features!

Tuna

Are those Amish people?

2010-01-12T09:25:00.000-05:00

This morning I came across this website - www.urbanmennonite.com - pretty cool site. I was reading this article when I came across this video of Mennonites singing in a NYC subway station. Classic 20th century Menno evangelism....

Tuna

Christmas with the Landis Family

2010-01-10T18:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks be to God for the gift of relationship and family.

This is Love

2009-12-08T22:37:00.001-05:00

I just got up from a nap with my beautiful wife, Cheeks, or, as some of you know her, Amber. I kept thinking. When my mind starts churning, there’s no sleeping. And, it usually means I’m not that tired.

Last week, my wife told me that I was on for worship leader at church today. I thanked the good Lord I married a woman who remembers details like this and made a mental note. So, on Saturday, she reminded me again and I added it to my list of things to do that day: get ready to lead worship.

I went off into the room where I do these sorts of things and spent about two hours reading and preparing for the church service at Bethany Mennonite. When I was about 80% done, I declared it good enough for one day. Besides, God had given me so many good things to work with, if I never prepared the final 20% (pack up the items I needed for children’s time, print out the outline, etc.), I’d probably be fine.

We had friends over that evening to play some games. We ended up playing Rook. After they left, I just didn’t want to finish my preparations so I didn’t. I knew I’d have enough time in the morning.

Sunday morning came quickly. I got up and looked over my order of service and started tying up the loose ends. I was making great progress. Amber asked when I wanted to leave – 9:15 I told her. 9:15 came and went as it always does and she informed me she’d go start the car and brush off the snow that fell on Saturday. I packed some things up, told her I was headed to the office to grab a set of speakers I left there and then I’d be down to pick her up. She said she’d be waiting with the stuff I had laying out when I got back.

I drove to camp, got the speakers and on my way home saw Cheeks walking up the road. She hopped in the car and we pulled back in at home so I could grab bungee cords for the Christmas tree we were picking up after church. We were down into Hale Hollow, about a mile and a half from our house when I asked her if she grabbed my computer, which had a song I wanted to play to open the service with. She said no. I slammed on the breaks and slid a ways in the snow. Slammed it into reverse and immediately started getting angry. I was angry with myself for not double checking that everything was in the car, angry with her for forgetting and disappointed that this great opening I had for church would be lost forever (the song was Prepare ye the Way of the Lord from Godspell and the theme of this particular advent morning was about preparation).

I was spinning the tires, swearing, beeping the horn, generally throwing a fit. Picture the tantrum of a 15 year-old girl with language and depth of a 27 year-old man. After realizing I just didn’t have time to go back and get my computer nor would any more outbursts change anything, I resolved to stew in silence.

This outburst in some odd way prepared me to receive the message that our scriptures so openly profess. The message that we as humans are never far from realizing our worst potential and that in spite of that fact, God loves us and continues to invite us in.

And now we have come full circle. That someone would sit through the kind of tantrum that I displayed and witness a high degree of ugliness, then hours later lay her head on his chest in trust and love is astounding.

I just got up from a nap with my beautiful wife, Cheeks, or, as some of you know her, Amber.

May you trust that Amber is proof of God and that our God is love.

Mennonite Statistics

2009-12-08T22:30:00.002-05:00

http://media.mennoweekly.org/images/anabaptist_map.pdf

MOOSE!

2009-12-01T15:34:00.000-05:00

We had a Moose in our pond summer of 2008. It walked around the edge of the pond, entered, ate all the lily pads, hung out for about 20 minutes then swam away. It got to the other side of the pond, got out, walked into the woods and we haven't seen her since. This was probably a medium sized, young moose, maybe 700 lbs.

I'm posting now because a friend and I were talking about it and I remembered I wanted to show you all this fun happening.

Bethany Mennonite Church Goes Roofing

2009-10-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

Greetings friends. A friend of ours at Bethany Mennonite Church wrote this on Saturday:

_______________________
Today's heavy rain/flooding will not be an issue for our place of worship, thanks to the hard work of those who donated their time and energy to replacing the roof above our heads in the sanctuary. I thought about them all day, and am grateful that we have such devoted people in our congregation. God bless the roofers!
Elaine
_______________________

Here are those roofers:

Poor Bernie - Lynn Miller

2009-10-25T23:32:00.003-04:00

Lynn Miller is a Mennonite who used to work for MMA. He has written and spoken on topics of wealth and faith. I absolutely loved his recent sermon at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church.

You have got to check it out.

It will be especially of interest if you've ever wondered how following Jesus and using this world's resources relate to each other.

click on the sermon titled:

"Poor Bernie" (10-18-09) - Lynn Miller

Luke 16:1-15 - “No one is poorer than anyone who does not know what ‘enough’ is, and no one is richer than those who are content because they do.”

Tuna

"Preach the Gospel at all times...

2009-10-16T00:07:00.000-04:00

...and when necessary, use words."

- St. Francis of Assisi

Tonight I was at a meeting with some fellow Vermont Camp Association (VCA) folks. We have been charged with building a new website for our association. I decided we ought to meet at Grace Congregational Church in Rutland, VT. We met there because there were few other quiet, semi-private places to gather that has wireless internet connectivity.

So I walk in and see my friends John (pastor) and Candi (VCA). Turns out that Candi's husband attends Grace regularly. And, she's been there some. Then, Kelly (VCA) starts talking about how great the singing at Grace is. Here are two women that I didn't even realize went to church, let alone appreciated it!

Turns out Candi is Quaker. She grew up in PA. She has a high regard for Mennonites. She first met them in a disaster relief context and found the Mennonites to be extremely useful in that context. She said, "they show up, they do the work then they go home. They don't need money or recognition." And so I shared with her this idea that St. Francis of Assisi articulated so well - that we can live out the stuff of Jesus without a bunch of hype. In fact, Mennonites have claimed that so personally that someone I was talking to once cited Menno Simons with this famous quote (pardon the link to Wikipedia - my wife claims it's not a primary source...).

I'm not real sure where I'm going with this post. Mainly, I was encouraged tonight to find a spirituality and church connection in two people that I hadn't expected it in. I didn't expect it because neither Candi nor Kelly run camps that are "Christian" or for that matter expressly spiritual.

And this brings us to the big question on my mind this week. How do we follow Jesus in a way that is compelling, both to us and those around us. First, let me clarify, I don't think Jesus is a Christian. Jesus was Jewish. He wasn't trying to start a new religion. He was only doing what he says throughout the gospels - whatever the Father wants. But, that's another topic. It's relevant here because I think it's proof that we don't have to use Christian language or expect people to be Christian in order to follow Jesus.

So again, the question, how do we follow Jesus in a way that is compelling both to us and to those around us?

I think the way starts by actually doing the things Jesus says to do, no matter how we talk about these things. As we do these things, we may find words to describe them.

Dallas Willard and Richard Foster (and of course the wiki references for Cheeks Willard, Foster) brought to our attention something Jesus said - "obey everything that I have commanded." Amber and I have been parsing the gospel of Mathew for a list of commands. Finding out what Jesus expects and finding ways to live that out seems like a great starting place.

Now, If you don't get Jesus or think he's not particularly important then obeying what he commands will probably be a silly endeavor. And, if you find yourself in this category as I found myself, I encourage you to think more about how many connections you've made between Jesus and Christianity.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christianity. I am a Christian. But, that doesn't mean it hasn't caused me pain. And that pain is one of the many things Jesus has "saved" me from.

Tuna

Snow in October!

2009-10-14T23:31:00.003-04:00

Well, it's official. It's winter. Killington is blowing snow and two days ago, we had two inches of el natural. It's 25 f outside right now and the snow hasn't completely melted...
where am I?!

Tuna

Sharing at Bethany Mennonite Church

2009-10-04T00:21:00.006-04:00

Here we are, talking about skiing, Jesus and our new marriage.

This is a podcast. If you have an mp3 player or want to listen to this on your computer at home, just follow the instructions listed on the bottom right of this blog.

A new fundraising method - weedwhacking

2009-09-18T23:50:00.000-04:00

I had a new experience today. I weed-whacked - for cash. I have done that many hours in my teen years but this time, the cash was for camp and not my own pocket. One of our donors called up recently and said he knew we needed money. He said he needed some weed-whacking done. His proposition was that I send someone from camp down to do the necessary trimming and he'd send a check.

Well, summer is over and it's just me and Cheeks and Margaret on the hill now. So, the one to get the job was I. At first, I found it a strange deal. Then, as I thought about this idea of serving it didn't seem like a strange deal at all. Why should we not exchange resources. I have a young, able body and he has extra money. We need money, he needs a body to run around on a hillside with an engine spinning plastic string.

It's a little like the time recently when we paid a friend and counselor to paint our house. He needed cash, we needed some painting done and didn't have a week to take off and do it.

Tomorrow a bunch of us from church are going down to Woodstock to meet a bunch of people not from church to paint a woman's house. This woman's husband recently left her. He didn't only leave her, he left a bunch of unfinished house projects. And so when our church decided to explore a new form of outreach, Matt started talking about this friend of theirs who needs help. And this way of Jesus once again rose to the surface. This way of giving to and caring for those in need. As we do that, we find ourselves, our innocence and our Creator.

Hiking up and Skiing Down Mt. Washington

2009-09-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

What a great day. Three of us hiked and skied for the entire day... in April! Gotta love the Northeast.

Tiger and Tuna go rope swinging

2009-09-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Dave Landis and I spent a little time on the Nitro Swing at camp today. We were roommates in college at EMU our freshman year.

Geico - Update

2009-08-23T00:37:00.000-04:00

So, I am moving forward with the bike registration process. Get this - I'm driving in to town with my bike on the trailer. Just before the DMV I get pulled over for not having my trailer lights hooked up. Then, through a mess of disorganization I hand the cop last year's car and trailer registration. He calls me out, then I dig some more and find this year's reg. info (summer always leaves my personal stuff a bit disorganized). After sitting in his car for a few minutes the cop produces for me two warnings - he wants to see proof of inspection for the trailer and a current proof of insurance (speaking of Geico... they don't send me stuff in the mail... I have to print. I should stop trying to save them money). After apologizing I head on my way to the DMV. I arrive and have 8 minutes to complete my transaction before they close which is a problem because I left my check book at home!

I run to the Dunkin Doughnuts to get enough cash to pay the fees. What, car expired?! I have a flash back to a few weeks ago when I got a new debit card in the mail and at that point I wondered why they were sending it to me - light bulb goes on in my head. 4 minutes to go until DMV closes. I rush down the road to my bank to get out cash in person. They give me the cash after asking for ID and I head back to the DMV. They're closed, of course. They're never open except for Wednesdays when they stay open until 6pm... very generous of them.

The guy at the DMV comes out when I knock and hands me my paperwork back (I told him to hold it for me and start working on it because I planned to be back in time).

Then, I drop my bike off at the shop to get it inspected (without proof of insurance OR registration... he said I can give it to him when I pick it up). He tells me that he'll inspect it but I should technically have turn signals.

That night, having dinner with my neighbors, I tell them the story. Steve says - maybe you shouldn't ride that bike on the road. He quickly says he's kidding. But, after all that, I'm wondering the same. Is this Murphy's Law at work? Is there more to the story?

We'll find out.

B

Geico

2009-08-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

So I've been thinking about registering and licensing my dirt bike for a few years now. I mean how cool - to ride on and off the road on the same bike?

So, this week I broke the clutch handle on the bike. I called the shop that does work for me on occasion and asked them to inspect the bike as well as do the usual annual stuff. Then, I called the VT DMV and found out what I had to do to get it registered. So, now I'm at the last step - insurance. I go to Geico.com (don't tell Chad Yoder) and I start entering my most private information from S.S. # to waist size to birth right. Then, they give me a number. I'm pleased that I can insure my bike for $100/year so I purchase the insurance. Something didn't go right so they tell me to call this number. I call the number (it's 11:55pm now) and I get an answer right away. She walks me through the process and after 10 minutes of being on the phone, I have insurance that I can print off and take with me tomorrow when I get my bike inspected. Strange. And, what's even better, the end of my transaction ends with an automated payment voice and when he's done with me, he says in his computer animated sort of way, thank you for using Geico. We really appreciate your business and are glad you continue to use us.

I mean, who thought of this system? How do they make it work? How can they seemingly have endless human and technological resources to be able to insure anything I own at any time of day and night within less than an hour? It's absolutely incredible. And so I can't decide - is this really great or does this represent almost all that's wrong with us?

Tuna

Summer is over!

2009-08-13T23:21:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been a long time coming. Summer is over. Starting in April I think a lot about summer. And before that, I think a lot about staff. And now, all that we've worked for has come and past. In fact, tonight is the first night that I have been alone in a very long time. Earlier this week our entire staff (15 ppl) were living with us for two nights (which was fun and cramped). And now, they are all gone and my wife is even gone. Crazy.

Tonight, I had this strange feeling of lostness. What do you do when the thing you've done non-stop for a few months isn't there to do anymore? I feel like I should be working yet most of what I have to do can actually be done tomorrow. And so going to bed at a reasonable hour seems like a prudent move.

I could write a lot but I'd rather get a shower and in the process not bore you with the endless musings on how strange it feels to be done with summer. I'm excited to post some videos again in the near future...

B

50 miles to the gallon?

2009-03-28T22:15:00.001-04:00

So today, my father-in-law and I were talking about hybrids. I started doing some google searches and came across this article. It's about a new sport - a way to get as much fuel economy as possible. This link points you to some tips on saving a bit on fuel. Second page is where the good stuff is.

Skiing Pico - extended version

2009-03-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

Some of my friends went out to ski on a lovely day in February. It turns out that we got more than 20 inches of snow in a day! Just crazy. Check it out.

Can you find Cheeks?

Asian Adventure Summary @ Bethany Mennonite - Part 5

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

This concludes the sharing of our Asian Adventure. We hope it gave you a view into those two months of our life.

Asian Adventure Summary @ Bethany Mennonite - Part 4

2009-03-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

So here's the 2nd to last installment. FYI - the beginning of one part picks up exactly where the prior part left off. There is no overlap from one part to the next.

Asian Adventure Summary @ Bethany Mennonite - Part 3

2009-03-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

OK, installment 3. It seems that this is actually going to be 5 installments. Sheesh, no wonder everyone clapped when we were done!

Asian Adventure Summary @ Bethany Mennonite - part 2

2009-03-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

And here is part 2 of our summary of our trip this fall given at Bethany Mennonite Church.

Asian Adventure Summary @ Bethany Mennonite - part 1

2009-02-28T18:41:00.000-05:00

In January we were blessed to share some of our experience this fall in Asia with our community at Bethany Mennonite Church. This summary was taped and broken into four parts. Here's part 1:

CAMP

2009-02-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

Why should you come to camp this summer? Watch.

How about camp in the winter?

update and reading from McLaren - economy

2009-02-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

Well, the video is coming along quite slowly. On the list of videos coming shortly:
- The rest of our Asian adventure
- Christmas with the Moyer extended family
- New Years Eve
- Our Wedding!

For now, I wanted to share a thought on the economy from one of my favorite authors, Brian McLaren. You can also find it here: http://blog.sojo.net/2009/02/10/two-kinds-of-recovery/

I just watched President Obama’s Indiana speech and town hall meeting from my hotel room in San Diego. I was watching on MSNBC, with Chris Matthews hosting and Pat Buchanan commenting. Pat (predictably) panned the speech, saying that people in Elkhart make RVs, and Obama’s speech failed to explain how we’d get Americans to buy RVs again. His comment, it seems to me, perfectly epitomizes an adventure in missing the point, and perfectly articulates two kinds of economic recovery.

For many people, economic recovery means “getting back to where we were a few months or years ago.” That means recovering our consumptive, greedy, unrestrained, undisciplined, irresponsible, and ecologically and socially unsustainable way of life.

I’d like to suggest another kind of recovery … drawing from the world of addiction. When an addict gets into recovery, he doesn’t want to go back and recover the “high” he had before, or even to recover the conditions he had before he began using drugs and alcohol. Instead, he wants to move forward to a new way of life — a wiser way of life that takes into account his experience of addiction. He realizes that his addiction to drugs was a symptom of other deeper issues and diseases in his life … unresolved pain or anger, the need to anesthetize painful emotions, lack of creativity in finding ways to feel happy and alive, unaddressed relational and spiritual deficits, lack of self-awareness, and so on.

Similarly, I’d like to suggest whenever we hear the word “recovery,” we as a nation see it not as a call to get back our old addictive high, but rather as a call to face our corporate and personal addictions, including the following:

1. Our addiction to carbon. Fossil fuels are an addictive substance. They give us speed … quick energy … serving as a kind of cultural amphetamine. Meanwhile, they toxify our environment and throw the ecosystem in which we live into dangerous imbalance.

2. Our addiction to weapons. Weapons are one of the most addictive substances possible. They give us a feeling of well-being and security, removing our feeling of fear and anxiety, much like a barbiturate. But like a drug, they make us lazy and slow — lazy and slow in the much more important work of relationship-building, justice, and peace-making, lazy in seeking the common good. And they plunge us into an addictive cycle, because if everyone in the world is getting more and more weapons, we aren’t safer … especially when increasing numbers of those weapons are nuclear, biological, and chemical.

3. Our addiction to fear. Religious leaders, media leaders, and political leaders have all discovered that you can raise quick votes, dollars, and members through the hallucinogenic stimulant of fear. By making straights afraid of gays, conservatives afraid of progressives, Christians and Jews afraid of Muslims, citizens afraid of immigrants, and vice versa, these leaders get a quick organizational high — crack for their unity and morale. But the more fear you pump into your system, the more fear you have, and pretty soon, you go from being stimulated to paranoid, seeing things that aren’t there and missing things that are. And soon after that, you move from paranoia to paralysis, leaving you in greater danger than ever.

4. Our addiction to stuff. Jesus said that a person’s life doesn’t consist in the abundance of her possessions. An economy that measures growth by the number of durable goods (resources) extracted from the environment and turned into non-durable goods that are bought, used, and then thrown away into a landfill … that economy “succeeds” by turning goods into trash, and calling it success. That’s not success. We need to imagine moving beyond an extractive, consumptive economy to a sustainable economy, and beyond a sustainable economy to a regenerative economy. I believe that in God’s world, if billions can be made destroying the planet and exploiting people addictively, trillions can be made caring for the planet wisely and caring for people justly.

5. Our addiction to a single bottom line. During the president’s town hall meeting, a man from Indiana told how he started a solar-powered attic fan company, and how he chose not to ship manufacturing overseas, but instead, to provide good employment for his neighbors. That meant, he said, that he had a little less cash in his pocket … but wouldn’t you agree that being a good neighbor has a value that can’t be measured in dollars? The single bottom line of financial profit is addictive, and like an addiction, it destroys families and communities. We need to rediscover a triple bottom line — financial sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. So we need a recovery of family values, and we also need a recovery of community values, and neighborly values, and ethical business values.

6. Our addiction to easy answers. “Government is the problem.” “Just throw money at the problem.” We can’t afford our addiction to these kinds of easy ideological slogans and facile reactive fantasies in a complex, real world. Ideology is, in many ways, a drug that substitutes the quick high of unthinking reaction for the hard work of acquiring wisdom.

So … maybe we can sabotage our addictive tendencies by letting the word “recovery” have a meaning that wakes us up rather than drugs us into the comfortable, dreamy, half-awareness in which we have lived for too long. That’s my hope and prayer. (For more on this, see my book Everything Must Change.)

Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is a speaker and author, most recently of Everything Must Change and Finding Our Way Again.

Central Vermont Human Resource Sharing

2009-02-01T07:24:00.000-05:00

Central Vermont Human Resource Sharing
A list of talents and skills to be traded

Category

Household and Physical Plant

Brenda Metzler
I do simple alterations, mending and basic sewing. my
fees are minimal and I’m happy to barter.

Gerry Hawkes
A tractor with Rotor tiller and bucket loader

A tractor with heavy duty brush chopper and debris rake
for rehabilitating overgrown fields or building trails
logging winches that attach to the tractors

power rake that attaches to a tractor for removing rocks
and smoothing trails and fields

portable and shop welders

chainsaws and numerous hand tools.

All the above would come with an operator.

Brandon Bergey
Video recording and editing – have an event you’d like recorded? Want to post a video online? Have some home video footage you’d like edited? I can help.
I’m happy to offer my experience (and my youthful arms and back) in landscaping, house repair and building and other chores around the house.
Bethany Birches Camp has many tools that can be rented for a fee.

Tyson Church
Tyson Ladies Aid
transportation, shopping, and light cleaning for Plymouth residents. To access Reach Out email rklynds at vermontel.net or call Janine Norman at 228-8764 or 228-7151. Our next community luncheon will be Feb 19 at 11 AM at the Tyson Church. We're keeping this to Plymouth and Tyson residents for now, expanding slowly and feeling our way. So we're going by invitation at present but if you know of any shut-ins or persons who need to get out in the Plymouth area, please let us know. We need to have people RSVP to the above number, also let us know if they need transportation. Thanks-Kathy

Wendy Hiers
Transportation of all kinds. I can pick up kids, adults, elderly and take them shoping, to the doctor etc. etc. I'll be happy to wait with them if they're going to an appointment that needs that.

If you know someone who would like to participate, have them send an email to brandonbergey at fastmail.fm

How Beautiful

2009-01-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

How beautiful are the colors of our nation? Red, yellow and orange. How beautiful are the colors white, black and gray? I cried as I was watching this clip from the inauguration. They were tears of joy. Imagine being martyred for your beliefs. And imagine this day coming, as Dr. King imagined it. Imagine being a slave from western Africa and seeing your family torn apart, headed to different nations in the west. Imagine this day coming, finally, when at least the formal barriers of racism are broken down. Interestingly, Obama became elected because of the large numbers of Mexicans and Afro. Americans who turned out to vote. What a nation, where young people and minorities can change the course of history. This surely is a place that has tasted the kind of life God intends. Pray with me as you watch this the same thing that Dr. Rick Warren and Obama both talked about at the inauguration: that we may remember our wealth and freedom is not for us alone. They is to be shared. May we all approach this coming year simply, fending off the stuff that traps us and breaking free from the stuff that binds us.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Tuna & Cheeks VI - Kolkata & Agra

2008-12-16T23:39:00.000-05:00

So, here we are, coming back from Nepal to India. 10 minutes of relatively random footage, most of it quite interesting. I think a few of these minutes give a sense of the depth and ancient nature of Hindu religion. The statue type figurine you'll see is Shiva, the god worshiped most during Diwali - their biggest annual festival (like our Christmas). He is the destroyer. Think an angry Hebrew God without Christ, grace or love.

Going to try this from Facebook.

If that's not working, the youtube version should work well.

Video - Trekking, Day VII

2008-12-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Here's our journey back to Kathmandu.

Video - Trekking, Day VI

2008-12-10T18:59:00.001-05:00

Greetings friends. We're home! We've been home for a little over a week now. My folks picked us up at the airport, bought us some Starbucks and listened to tales of our journey for 24 hours until they departed the following day. What a blessing! Thanks Mom and Dad. On top of that, Amber's parents are coming this weekend to hang out and we're really looking forward to that too. We are feeling the parental love. Thanks guys.

Two hardest things about coming back:
1) Climate - it was well below zero within the first 72 hours that we were back in VT. That's a change of 100 degrees.
2) Rural USA - after being in primarily urban centers of 10 million+ population, we came back to a town of 600, pop.

I suppose any extreme change is generally hard.

So now, without further adieu, I'll post days 6 and 7 of the trek. That will wrap up that stint of our trip. Over the next two weeks I'll be putting together (hopefully) the rest of our footage and posting portions.

Tuna

Going Home

2008-11-30T19:20:00.000-05:00

It's that time. All good things end and that's when other good things start. So, Cheeks and I are ready to start another good thing - regular life, together.

Our time in Indonesia with Troy was very inspiring. We learned much, grew much and saw a model of a man following Jesus. As we think about what God is doing in our lives and around us, we get excited. And, so it's time to reengage with that. This step back has been an incredible thing, for us to gain perspective, to be re-energized, and to grow together. We are so thankful for this opportunity and while we're ready to turn toward home, we're sad. How do you just stop traveling and having very little responsibility after doing it for two months? I guess it's not hard, just buy a plane ticket to the nearest airport to your house.

Well, we slept 2 hours last night - we thought it'd be fun to sleep in the airport. The Hong Kong airport is wonderful, lovely and huge. So, we decided to stay here for a night. We ended up staying in Kowloon until midnight and then made our way to the airport. By the time we got there at 1am, not much was open including the check-in counters. We had already checked in at the in-town check-in but we still had one back to check. Bummer. So, we stayed on the lame side of immigration and security, watched a movie, had some snacks and slept on the bench for 2 hours. Though not super comfortable, it was really fun. Comfort is over-rated.

OK friends, we're really looking forward to seeing you soon.

We pray for a safe journey.

Much Love,

Tuna (and Cheeks)

Abort Video - head to HK

2008-11-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

Hey all, bad news. Something is wrong with my video camera. It's having trouble playing back. So, I've finally finished all the trekking videos (all though I haven't posted two) and began working on some current stuff. But, in the middle of it my camera refused to play back. So, I can't get the footage off the camera to edit it to share it with you - crap!

Good news is two-fold (in the Kingdom, the good news always outweighs the bad):
1) I'm going to post a bunch of videos after arrival home in less than a week (that's right, we're headed back to VT 1 December).

2) We've got more pictures uploaded... check it out

Sitting with a Lion at Taman Safari

From Surabaya

"Mr. Crab" eating crabs at a famous crab house (my host mom called me Mr. Crab since that day)

From Surabaya

Looking at Bromo (a volcano outside of Surabaya, Indonesia)

From Surabaya

Riding on a traditional Indonesian Becak (pronounced Pechak)

From Central Java - Semarung, Yogyakarta

Tomorrow, we head to Hong Kong. Already we're looking at less than 6 hours of sleep and we haven't even begun packing yet. Yikes! Plan is to stay at Bethany Ministries Guest House. http://www.bethanyministries.com/

OK, talk to you soon.

Tuna

People of Faith

2008-11-25T10:10:00.001-05:00

Brandon and I had the opportunity to share about camp multiple times since our time in Indonesia. We showed pictures a couple of times at Pelangi, the Christian school Troy teaches at, we described our work to some of his classes at Petra and also to various people we’ve met along the way. Each time we shared that many of the campers practice minimal religion we were met with blank stares. One of the clear differences between Asia and America seems to be the consistent faith in a higher power. Christianity is by far the minority, yet the majority of people seem to believe in some major religion. Some higher being. Be it Hindu, Islam, Buddhist or Christian, the people here believe. Most of the people we’ve explained camp to don’t seem to understand the idea of no religion. What do they base their life on? What principles guides their daily decisions? I’m not sure if one avenue is better than another, Hinduism and the practice of belief in many gods and myths or belief in nothing, only one’s self. I’m struck even more that the answer to that question is not to consume my thoughts, instead, to learn how to love like Jesus, in the spirit of the differences, no matter what continent we find ourselves on, loving like Jesus, this is what I want to focus on.

Mennonites in Indonesia

2008-11-23T22:21:00.000-05:00

After randomly meeting Christians throughout India, being connected with Mennonites in Indonesia has been very refreshing and surprising at the similarities. The first Friday in Jakarta we visited two of the GKMI (a Mennonite conference in Indonesia similar to Franconia conference in PA) churches. Both places greeted us as though we had been long time members. The faith connection with other Christians we’ve met throughout this trip has been intense. I’m reminded that indeed the family of God spreads beyond cultural bounds and oceans. What a blessing. As I’ve recognized my intense desire for comfort during much of our travels and pondered why the need for comfort trumps so much of my other desires, I realized true comfort comes in being surrounded by people who feel like family! What a blessing.

From Indonesia - Jakarta

We met the pastor, Pak Abdi, and some of the staff of a large Mennonite church in Jakarta. After sadly refusing various offers to spend nights at people’s houses or have more “program” from the pastor, we left feeling very welcomed by the Mennonites of Indonesia. It’s hard to know if the warm welcome was due to their excitement of the work Troy is committed to in Indonesia, the connections Dad Bergey made about 6 years ago (they remember his visit as if it was yesterday!), but I can’t help to believe anyone would also be greeted with open arms!

On Sunday, we worshiped with the Mennonite church Troy attended while he lived in Jakarta. The language felt like the only difference in the style of worship. Hymns, scripture reading, message. A young man even came to translate for us mid way through the service. Beautiful to experience people of all cultures worshipping God. Interesting, also, to attend a larger Mennonite church in Indonesia than we attend in Vermont. Somewhere along the way I assumed Christianity would be sparse in Indonesia, and although they are in the Minority, they seem more prevalent than where we are in Vermont.

After visiting Sea World Indonesia and attending an Indonesian wedding on Sunday night, we made our way to Central Java via train.

From Indonesia - Jakarta

In Semarang we were again warmly greeted by Pak Paul. He works at the GKMI conference center in Semarang and was happy to show us around, help us buy our next train ticket, and take us to a beautiful restaurant with his wife, despite our train showing up an hour late! He also set us up with a woman from his church to show us around Jogijakarta… a long day, but a wonderful day. I am learning a lot about welcoming and hosting people. Bu Linda took the day off from teaching and brought her husband and Buddhist brother in law to show us the Buddha central site of Burabudor and onto Jogijakarta, a place of cultural and political significance in Java. And despite all of the significance, I think I will remember most my first taste of “cow skin” Yum…a Jogjakarta special!

Bottom Line: I feel like we have much to learn from the Mennonites of Indonesia. I think if we have a chance to visit Philadelphia Praise Center, the Indonesian Mennonite church in Philly, we will. And yet, once again I’m struck with many Christian Indonesian’s intense desire to be like America. Most of the Mennonites we met are sending their children to university in the states, despite being separated from their children for years! They are happy to talk English and ask about sites in the US. And the church we worshipped in felt very similar to our own. As I think of the challenges in the church in America I wonder if that also exists in the Church in Indonesia. Each continent has work to do, but I’ve been encouraged knowing others are striving for the kingdom.

Stay Tuned – pics (click on one of the photos above) and video to come…

Cheeks

Brief schedule update - Bali

2008-11-20T10:54:00.001-05:00

So tomorrow, we're headed to Bali. I'm excited. Everyone we've met in Indonesia has asked us whether we've been to Bali yet (it's the prime vacation spot, apparently). So, we're going for three days and taking a break from shadowing Troy. That said, we've had quite a lot of fun following Troy around, helping him teach etc. Really enjoying it. And what a great model of a man following Jesus.

Sorry we haven't written much. Cheeks is going to post soon and I have lots of thoughts, just not lots of time to write them here. Soon.

Much love.

Tuna & Cheeks V - Trekking, Day V

2008-11-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hello all. Here's the 5th day. I think this is a short video. However the sixth day is long.

Tuna & Cheeks V - Trekking, Day IV

2008-11-18T03:52:00.000-05:00

Day 4 of 6 of the Trek. Today we hike to the top of a large or small mountain depending on whether you measure against the American Rockies or Himalaya, respectively. It was a long day!

Tuna & Cheeks V - Trekking, Day III

2008-11-18T01:10:00.000-05:00

Day 3 of 6 in our trek. This is the day we head to Kajin Gompa, a high mountain town.

Click on the title in your email to go to the blog and watch.

Tuna

Tuna & Cheeks V -Trekking, Day II

2008-11-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

Video, part 2 of 6 - Trekking in the Langtang Valley.

Tuna and Cheeks V - Trekking, day I

2008-11-14T02:22:00.000-05:00

Hello again friends. It's been a while since we've posted a video. While in Jakarta, Indonesia, we didn't have connection where we were staying (not to mention I've been getting slower with the editing process).

Here begins a 6-part series of trekking in the Himalaya.

Tuna

p.s. By email, click on the title or go to the blog.

INDONESIA

2008-11-12T06:47:00.000-05:00

Less Trash, Returned Smiles, Cow Less Streets, Familiar Faces, Church Connections, American Food, Malls, Hotter Weather, New Language...some of the more noticeable differences between India and Indonesia...

We arrived in Indonesia Wednesday 5 November. We were greeted by a friend of a friend at the airport and it was such a blessing to not have to seek out a seemingly trustworthy taxi driver or wonder if the hotel we were heading to would feel "safe" As we drove through the capitol and the biggest city of the country, Jakarta, already Indonesia felt warmer - weather wise and people wise! It started at the airport, when we paid our $25 and got the visa with no questions and the immigration man smiled after he stamped my passport - the first time a smile had been returned for a while. Few tuk tuk's (auto rickshaws) many American restaurants, bigger cars, decent highway, many American Restaurants (everything from McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, KFC and A&W) and MALLS...

This growing city feels much like America. I find myself wondering if this is for the best. Fast food really isn't healthy and Indonesian food tastes amazing. Malls seem to focus on style, success, and every material object imaginable. We spend our first day in Indonesia perusing two really huge malls and catching the new James Bond 007 movie (English, with Indonesian stubtitles) After India this feels more luxurious than Vermont! Maybe God is here in similar fashion as the US? How will we find the differences here?

Enter Troy. Troy arrived in Indonesia on Thursday night. What a glorious time to reconnect with an amazing brother, mentor, and friend. He tried to show us 14 months of his life in Jakarta in about 10 hours - he was very successful - we met some church friends, drove to a village orphanage and were blessed to worship with 10 adolescent boys (keep your eye out for video coming soon) learned more Indoneisan Food, went to Prump Pung to see Troy love and be loved by poorer children in a less wealthy area of Jakarta and lead Baby Shark (BBC is going international!). We ended the day with Saate (tasty meat on a stick) Iced Shang Hi (really colorful sweet drink/dessert) and a time of fellowship, conversation, pondering, laughing and relaxing with my older single brother and husband, a first for me. For a brief moment, I forget about all the crazyness that makes up this world and enjoy the present. It's good to be with family. It's good to explore what God is doing here. And even better to pursue our unique purpose in this wild kingdom...

More to Come Including:

Mennonites in Indonesia
Indonesian Wedding
Indonesians in America

Absurd World

2008-11-04T06:31:00.000-05:00

What a rediculous place this is - Earth. I can see why so many religions focus on getting outa here. Let me paint what I'm seeing in my minds eye as I write:

India. A country of 1.2 +/- people. Dirty, tons of corruption, extreme disequity and corruption. Picture all the bad stuff you've ever read or heard about the states, multiply by 10 and then display it all, on every street, in most establishments, all day long.

Bosnia. A poor place wrought with civil war and so much conflict. Now, they've got pirates. Imagine that, pirates!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/world/africa/31pirates.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/world/africa/02pirates.html

Pakistan. Top Government official encourages Pakistani citizens to kill Taliban.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/world/asia/02pstan.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

I could go on and on with stories like this, it seems. Then, we have somewhat encouraging news:

Russia and the USA plan to diminish some nuclear arms
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D7123BF933A05751C1A964958260

One thing that continues to strike me across the face. Self. It's all about self. Why do the pirates do what they do in Somalia? For money. Why do police personnel in Pakistan switch to the Taliban... they get paid more and hey, if you can't beat em, join em. Why does Bush push for reduction in nuclear arms before leaving office? I'm guessing because he wants to achieve one last thing (a good thing I might add. Others might say to achieve one thing - omit the word "last.") And India... sheesh. I have no way to know all the details and haven't been here all that long but everyone has got a pimp. From the rickshaw driver to the hotel manager, most people are working for someone else who allows them just enough cash to eat and live. So, they take advantage of the foreigners who can pay lots more than the rediculous price they ask. Point is, so many places... everywhere actually. We're about self. We're about getting ahead. And, when resources are scarce, we put self above other more noticably.

I'm not exactly sure where to go from here. It remains clear to me that what I'm observing is true and it also seems clear that there are many more layers I don't understand. Regardless of how many layers there are, the apparent issue that we most often serve self instead of other seems to me to cause great distress on the human race. I'm reminded again of this belief I hold - the things God asks of us aren't only best for God, they are best for us.

And so the model of Mother Theresa stands out. We finished recently with a day + at Kalighat. Kalighat was Mother Theresa's first mission (of which now there are more than 130 world wide). It's a home for the destitute and dying. This woman loved God so much, and followed Christ into loving God. She devoted her life to God and was led to love the many, many extremely injured and struggling people of India.

Lord, lead us. Teach us to love you and heal the world.

Vote for Hope

2008-11-03T07:02:00.000-05:00

OK, I've been trying hard to post a video file and can't. It's not working and until I recreate the file and post, it's going to take forever.

(in case the video worked, try clicking here - http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=895845007&k=XZEZPZU3355MZDA1XCXTY)

So, here's what I was trying to say on the video. Vote for hope. We have spoken with about 9 (maybe it was 8, maybe it was 10) people from all different places (Europe, Asia and Australia) about the upcoming US election. A few things seem extremely clear to me now after those conversations:

1) US policy has a significant impact on the rest of the world (this I knew and was reminded of).
2) The point above is so true, that many follow our presidential election more than their own (in most cases, prime minister).
3) Out of the 9 (8 or 10) we talked to, all wanted Barak Obama as president.

One guy followed me on the sidewalk and tapped my arm. He asked me who I was voting for. I told him, Barak Obama. He said, good. He wanted to know what everyone else will do. I told him that America is a diverse place and that I couldn't know the answer.

I hope you choose hope. Whomever you vote for, consider the impact that our leadership has on the human race.

Tuna

The Roller Coaster Continues...

2008-11-03T06:30:00.000-05:00

India is similar to a roller coaster. One minute I feel confident that God is here, I feel comfortable and am able to appreciate a different culture and all that comes with that. The next minute I’m wondering how this society exists, why did we come here and wondering how fast we can leave! For the most part I find myself somewhere in between these two extremes.

In Kolkata, volunteering at the mother home was very encouraging, a beacon of light in a dark place. I was also inspired by the sheer number of other westerners coming to volunteer, esp Italian Catholics. Many were spending their holiday in Kolkata volunteering. Yet at the same time, I didn’t have a desire to stay. Maybe spending a day with the destitute and dying wasn’t enough of a honeymoon for me. Maybe I didn’t feel like I could really make an impact there. The day spend at Kalighat, mother Theresa’s first love, the home for the destitute and the dying, was a day for much thought and reflection. I didn't get to right away as we spent much of the evening dealing with the train schedule...
Varanasi also exemplified this roller coaster ride…we saw bodies burning on the ghats, had an interesting interaction with our rickshaw driver, observed many aspects of Hindu prayer and worship and I was told to go back to our country by a boat driver….the very next day we witnessed another beacon of hope at a Asha Bhavan, a widows home in Northern Varanasi with a wonderful couple from Ohio volunteering there. We bought brownies and cookies from their store, spent some time with Indian church planters and left wishing we could spend more time helping them.
We visit the Taj Tomorrow then take our final train to Delhi before flying to Indonesia. I have no doubt the rollercoaster will continue and I’m just thankful I really like roller coasters and 2 really great riding partners....

Video IV - To Nepal

2008-10-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

We'll get to the good stuff in the next video - the trek. This one is about 5 minutes of the extremely long journey from Delhi, India to Kathmandu, Nepal. We took some short cuts and it still took about 20 hours (otherwise would have been more than 30, perhaps).

As always, if you get the email, go to the blog to view the video (click on the title of the post... should be in large blue. Or, visit www.tunacheeks.blogspot.com).

Tuna

Pictures of the Trek

2008-10-27T11:31:00.000-04:00

Go to Trekking The Himalaya to see all the trek pics.

From Trekking in the Himilaya

World Religion

2008-10-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had some good thoughts about religion. I remembered that it isn’t religion that we should follow or serve, it’s Jesus. This is part of what allows Buddhist, Hindu and Christian alike to follow Jesus. I also came to a conclusion I’ve been waiting to make. It might have been a little premature but I’ve been waiting a long time to state something in my mind on this topic. I don’t believe Hinduism or Buddhism to be on-track. I can’t say about Islam or Judaism yet but I am clear right now about these two major eastern religions. They seem to be more focused on self than I expect Jesus desires. There are endless phallic symbols, sacrifices and lots of attempts to appease/please gods. Jesus was all about love of other and life. Buddhism and Hinduism are both in the end about escape (much like many western Christians are about getting to heaven which is also a focus on escape). Christ is about the here and now, particularly for the “least of these”, Buddha is about transcendence out of the here and now. So, there is my brief, relatively uneducated bias on eastern religion and it’s misalignment with Jesus. Again, let me say that I am very uneducated on what the faithful Buddhists and Hindus do and how that impacts their life. As for the doctrines, they aren't making sense to me.

A Beacon of Light

2008-10-26T04:52:00.000-04:00

I was very nervous to come back to India after enjoying Nepal so much. The beauty, the friendliness, the comfort all seemed in stark contrast to our first experience in New Delhi, India. And Kolkata has more people in less space. In my mind I could not see how the return to India could be more comfortable than our first stay. But after spending close to 24 hours here in Kolkata, India is redeeming herself. Maybe I was more prepared for the trash, the smell, the heckling, the beggars and the homeless, maybe springing for the midrange hotel vs the budget added to my comfort level, maybe sharing a cab and dinner with 2 guys from Belgium who also did not enjoy their experience in Delhi (especially the "Delhi Belly") was helpful in the adjstment back to India, but I think the most helpful in the adjustment back to India was visiting the Sisters of Charity, founded by Mother Theresa. We passed quite a few Christian Churches. Bible verses were displayed outside the churches, "I am the way the truth and the life" and the life of giving and caring displayed inside the mission. God is here, hard to find, but here. Looking forward to spending a day at the mother house in a few days...

Emperialism

2008-10-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

Nepal has never been colonized. And it’s obvious! As one of the poorest countries in the world, they’re doing great. Sure, everything is dirty and dusty and very few have enough to have adequate living space or extra food but, almost everyone has food and almost everyone has a living space. They don’t think of themselves as extremely poor, they are happy as a nation and relatively successful. Most people, including mountain villages, have running water (they channel it from running streams near their house and run it with black flexible piping to just near their doorstep). Some of the upper castes and nearly all hotels have hot water. They use solar power to heat the water and put the black tank on the top of the building so that they don’t need a pump to get the water to the shower. The food is outstanding, the people very friendly and kind and they don’t seem to hate tourists like some nations do. I have a sense that almost all of this ingenuity, sense of pride and openness has something to do with the fact that no other people group ever came in to tell them how to live and to give them a set of expectations that they couldn’t own. Wow, how wonderful when we let each other become us!

Pictures - Himilayan Trek

2008-10-24T13:05:00.001-04:00

OK, so, we began our time in Nepal almost two weeks ago. Tomorrow we head for Kolkatta, India where we hope to connect with The Mother House and volunteer for a day or two. An employee of Word Made Flesh we met here in Kathmandu claims that day or two of volunteering will change our lives.

For now, you can see some of our trek. Video to come soon. We drove 12 hours by bus on the most rediculous roads you can imagine (the bus had 85 people in and on top of it) to get a whopping 60 miles into the hills. After spending the night at Syabrubesi we started hiking toward a hill village called Langtang. From there, we went on to Kygingompa and from there, up a 5000 meter peak called Chaccorie. We got sick from the altitude, came back down and made our way back to Syabrubesi to catch the rediculous bus back to Kathmandu.

From Trekking in the Himilaya

More pictures to come as we find internet time.

Video 3 - Tuna and Cheeks in Delhi, India

2008-10-24T11:47:00.000-04:00

OK, here we are with our third video post. Cruising around Delhi.

Back from the Hills!

2008-10-24T08:27:00.000-04:00

We're BACK to civilization - sort of!

Trekking - my favorite part of the trip so far, challenging, relaxing, peaceful, awe inspiring and just really good to be away from everything in outstanding, unbelievable creations, the Himalayas are something else, a couple of times we just looked at each other and couldn't believe we were spending a week in the highest mountains of the world...there is much more to write, give me some more time to wrap my head around it - we will have so much to share when we get back. It's almost like there is too much to take in...

Oh and the day before we left, we met a christian missions group from Arizona who are serving in Nepal for two weeks, got invited into a Nepali Hindu's house for tea and dinner and met a Christian worker for "Word Made Flesh" working here in Kathmandu - God is working in all corners of the world and we are getting a taste of it...

Then, while trekking we teamed up with another newlywed couple from Germany...looking back it is a little sad that we didn't use more of our trekking time for just the two of us, but we did make two new friends in Germany and it was comforting for me to face the unknown with two other foreigners!! We also had some interesting conversations about faith, life in US vs Europe and lots and lots of laughs...We also made quite a few connections with local people along the way - it really was a wonderful time - thanks for all your prayers, we're flying to Calcutta tomorrow afternoon, I'm nervous. Kathmandu, Nepal is so fun and I'm nervous to go back to India...but I think I'm a bit more prepared this time....Keep the prayers coming, Asia is much, much more than I bargained for...but I like it:)

Video - Into India

2008-10-15T01:24:00.000-04:00

Footage of our journey from NYC to Delhi.

If you're getting this by email and the video doesn't show... go to the blog - www.tunacheeks.blogspot.com to watch.

2008-10-15T00:46:00.000-04:00

One week since we left the states and I find myself overwhelmed! So much to take in, so many emotions, so many fears, so many sights and smells. From driving by cows, trash and people on the streets our first night in Delhi, to connecting with the Stolzfus's, a wonderful Mennonite family from Lancaster, and getting their perspective of life in India, to worshiping in a Christian church in the language of Hindi, to an overnight train ride with 2 Indian men snoring above us, to cramming 15 people in a jeep for a 2 hour ride to the border to cross into Nepal...and I'm not left with a feeling of, after this we can handle anything, I'm left with the feeling, Oh dear, what adventure will come next!

I'm left assured that there will be continued adventures. I'm sure I will feel many more emotions in the days to come including stomach issues and fear but also a complete sense of wonder at this great big world God has created, a sense of wonder at how people live so much differently than me, with much less, yet they survive from day to day...And a continued desire for the comfort I am accustomed to. We leave for a 7 day trek tomorrow where comfort will be limited and people will be different. And I'm excited for this next adventure, scared and nervous, but confident God will continue to move....

I could write more and I will at some point, but for now I ask for continued prayers as we explore this side of the world.

New Delhi - shocking

2008-10-11T14:33:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are in Delhi, India. Coming in from the plane was quite an adventure. Here's something I wrote in an email to my parents:

_____________

Hey guys, you're welcome. It's been fun and a bit shocking. Our first night was something that we won't forget. We'll tell you about it in person. Not particularly dangerous, just discomforting. Got in late, drove past a bunch of cows, walked past a bunch of homeless people, had a misunderstanding with our cab driver and then tried to sleep in a jail cell-type room at 5am. Again, I don't sense we were in any real danger, it's just that it was a great contrast from the nice 747 that we came from.
________________

It has been an adventure thus far. Tomorrow evening we'll head to Kathmandu, Nepal by land which I think will be a 30 hour trip if all goes well. After we get there, we'll start trekking and so will be out of contact for as much as a week.

Thoughts of late:
Ghandi - amazing. Born and raised high caste but rejected that and spent lots of time among the low caste poor. Exceptional. I continue to be reminded that it's through rejection of self-service that and love of others that we bring good.

From Ghandi

I've also been thinking about Hinduism. There are many gods. And there is great divinity among the people to their gods (far more discipline that western religious folks). Somehow I'm reminded of a human system though. I'm reminded of the stories of the old testament. And the way of Jesus brings freedom! That continues to strike me.

Another thought: travel (difference) is bringing out the things in me and Cheeks that we need to deal with. You know, those things in each of us that are underdeveloped or are unhelpful. Well, nothing like a lot of difference (which seems to act like a mirror) to surface those things.

Time for bed here, but another thought from Ghandi first:

From Ghandi

Sleeping but restless

2008-10-09T09:53:00.000-04:00

Wow, here we are. Hong Kong International Airport. We’re hanging out and I’m waking up for the 9th time in 30 hours. I still haven’t slept much but I’ve been sleeping frequently. Hopefully this whack sleep schedule will turn out to be a good thing by the time we wake up in Delhi tomorrow late morning.

From Hong Kong Airport

I’ve had some interesting feelings and thoughts thus far. One thing I’ve been noticing is that I’m not all that excited to be uncomfortable. I remember my uncle Will questioning why we would want to go to India. Suddenly that is becoming more real… his concern of discomfort. I’m reminded of this issue of wealth and how Jesus talks about it. Brian McLaren follows up on that topic in his recent book Everything Must Change. His idea is that as folks accumulate wealth there becomes a need to protect that wealth. And it’s not just wealth but the lifestyle that we live. The hot shower every morning, the ability to purchase anything we want at any time from anywhere in the world and even the comfortable, warm bed we sleep in every night. Starting this journey off on our friend Renee’s floor seemed fitting. And the anxiety started to build – I’m going to be uncomfortable! I’m becoming OK with that but am surprised how strongly I don’t want to be uncomfortable.

And then I was talking to the guy beside me on the plane. We talked about the recent debate and his analysis of what is happening in America rung true to me. He talked about the various ways people are manipulated, particularly religious groups and politicians. He talked about really wanting Obama as president and being scared that it would not be so because of hidden racism. I admit I am fearful that something like what happened four years ago will come again. I remember hearing that the George W. Bush administration was going to serve another 4 years and feeling crushed. Crushed because of what our global neighbors would think. At that time, I didn’t see that administrations failing economic policy that has no doubt not helped our current crisis. Generally upset with legislation like No Child Left Behind and a war that seemed primarily about economic stimulus and oil, I just can’t bear to have more of the same. What impact will it have on our brothers and sisters around the world?

What struck me about my conversation with this guy on the plane was his analysis and wisdom. I found myself wondering what he was doing with his knowledge and wisdom. He reminded me of Solomon – in fact, my plane buddy said, in different words, there is nothing new under the sun. Clearly God’s spirit was alive in this man, but it wasn’t clear to me that he was moving along with the spirit.

Lord, help us move with your spirit. Forgive our doubts.

And if you're getting this by email and didn't see the video in the most recent past post, go to the blog itself to view it.

Travel to JFK

2008-10-08T02:00:00.001-04:00

Well, the time has come. From packing up the office and house to a long car ride to NYC including a presidential debate (seriously, we have got to talk about how our candidates debate... it seems to be a game show of sorts in which the winner is the one who avoids the most questions), we're off. We're in transit.

Some of our time packing and getting to NYC:

Why Asia?

2008-10-04T22:06:00.000-04:00

I recently wrote to a friend in an email...

As for Asia – we’re going to spend a week trekking in the Himilayas, about two and a half weeks connecting with various Christians in India (northeast primarily) and three weeks with Mennonites in Indonesia. The time in Indonesia is primarily to catch up with Amber’s brother. If I were to sum up the trip I would state three purposes:
1) To kick this recent marriage to Amber off with a big celebration
2) To get a break from camp, hoping to come at a capital campaign renewed and with focus
3) To see how God is moving in the East

Asian Itinerary

2008-09-23T23:43:00.000-04:00

08 Oct. NYC to Hong Kong
09 Oct. Hong Kong to New Delhi
Arrive in New Delhi 10 Oct., 2am

While in India we plan to:
- Travel to Nepal and trek in the Himalayas
- Spend time in Calcutta, home of Mother Theresa
- Visit Varanasi, home of all sorts of ancient religion including the burning Ghats
- Visit Agra, home of the Taj Mahal
- Begin to understand the immense diversity that exists in this subcontinent that hosts a sixth
of the worlds population
- Begin to experience what God is doing here and how we are connected to that.

05 Nov. New Delhi to Hong Kong
05 Nov. Hong Kong to Jakarta
Arrive in Indonesia 05 Nov. at 8pm

While in Indonesia we plan to:
- Travel across the island of Java to Surabaya, where Troy lives
- Spend a lot of time with Amber's brother, Troy (we miss him)
- Connect with Mennonites there
- Again, seek to experience and understand how God is moving and how we are involved
- Get some relaxation

27 Nov. Surabaya to Hong Kong
Arrive in China, 27 Nov. at 1:55pm

While in Hong Kong we plan to SHOP :)

01 Dec. Hong Kong to NYC
Arrive home in the USA 01 Dec. 12:10pm

Perhaps we'll spend the night in NYC before making the trek back to the Green Mountains

Wedding Photos - Round 1

2008-08-17T21:24:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the artistic talents of Renee Glick and the professional photography resources of Conrad Erb we have a couple of pics available to view at the following links - the first link connects you to black and white photos and the 2nd link takes you to colorful shots of the day:

1. black and white
2. color
3. From uncle Harold

We also have a plethora of photos to sort through from our photographer Gerry Moore, the best of those will be posted soon. Stay Tuned.

Life after Summer...

2008-08-17T21:15:00.001-04:00

Camp is over! It's bittersweet. A sweet staff, fun campers, people on and off the hill all summer long! It was a great summer - lots of kids being loved on by a talented, excited group of staff. Let us know if you're intersted in more specific stories. So we're sad to see it go, but glad to be able to breathe again...sort of. There is still plenty to do around camp to clean up from summer, host rentals and tie up loose ends before we leave in October. We also have a long to do list in our own lives as we haven't spent much time on that since summer started - including many wedding tasks - including sharing some of that day with any of you who are interested. Stay tuned for more pictures being posted. Video footage and ongoing updates as we prepare to head to the other side of the world in October...

Video: Bear

2008-07-14T15:01:00.001-04:00

Check this out - a bear in our dumpster!

Wedding Shower Pictures

2008-03-26T22:38:00.000-04:00

Check it out - pix from our recent wedding shower thrown by church.

No posts?!

2008-03-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

Pretty Lame, huh? No posts. Here's the thing. Amber and I just love to live. We were both born with a ton of energy. So, here we are in the middle of a lot of stuff and finding blog posts relatively low on the list.

Here's the other thing. I'm running a non-profit that has doubled in revenue in the last two years. We're taking on a whole host of new stuff at camp and I just keep putting in big days to make it all work. Amber is working 50 - 60 hours/week and lives an hour from me. With all the commuting that she does and the time I spend in the car just going to see her, trying to make a significant impact within our work places and spending time together, there isn't much other time.

So, there you have it. That's why when you visit our wedding website there doesn't seem to be much change or when you click over to here, there isn't much info.

If you want to see an interesting site, go to the non-profit I mentioned - Bethany Birches Camp.

Hey, once we're living together and beyond this stage of in between, we'll keep you posted. Until then, know that we're doing well, loving life and following Jesus' lead. Keep us in your prayers.