Da Vinci gets "Canned"

The Ron Howard film "the Da Vinci Code" based on the Dan Brown book open up the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in France and did not impress the critics. Here are some of the first words on the film.

"Cannes critics left cold at Da Vinci Code screening."

"Secret is out: Critics hate it."

"Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes."

"I didn't like it very much. I thought it was almost as bad as the book. Tom Hanks was a zombie, thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music and it was much too grandiose," said Peter Brunette, critic for the US daily The Boston Globe.

"At the high point, there was laughter among the journalists. Not loud laughs, but a snicker and I think that says it all," said Gerson Da Cunha from The Times of India.

"It was really disappointing. The dialogue was cheesy. The acting wasn't too bad, but the film is not as good as the book," added Lina Hamchaoui, from British radio IRN.

On Friday, with the worldwide release, you will have the chance to "Seek the Truth" or at least see what is causing all this stir for yourself. Remember it is fiction.

Empty Shoes

This past Saturday we did one of those Progressive Dinner's. We emptied our shoes at three different houses and shared some food and some laughs with three different "IT" couples. It was interesting to see our shoes and coats clog the doorway at each house as if to say, we are are slowing down enough to spend some quality time together...we aren't going anywhere...we are here to stay for a while. And when you do that, you never know what you are going to get. We ate, but it wasn't really about the Dinner part. And we progressed but it wasn't really about the Progressive part either. It was about spending time laughing with and listening to one another.
Hors' D'oeuvres at the Hlads. Pastor Tom and Chris Hlad got us started with some munchies. They shared with us about their days in the ministry, Chris's brussel sprout SNAFU and their love for hosting lots of people. I think that was invite to come back for seconds.
Stroganoff at the George's. Pastor Denny and Carol George kept the tummies happy with Beef Stroganoff and mixed veggies. We gathered around as they shared their funny stories about Denny walking "her" dog and how he inadvertently made fun of a gift that she had intended to get for him. They talked about how laughter and just being normal have allowed them to handle the pressures of ministry while raising 4 boys.
Dessert with the Lanes. Bruce and Karen Lane opened up the party room for us to come and enjoy some make-your-own-sundaes. They kept the room very light with their fun stories of how they met, what attracted them to each other and how Bruce proposed. Their three kids were present to make sure that their answers were extra honest.

We all need some places where we can empty our shoes for a rest. Places where we can share warm food and a good laugh. Places where it is safe to be yourself and not fear judgment. We got a taste of such places last Saturday night.

Farrel-ly Good Relationship Advise

We recently enjoyed lunch with Bill & Pam Farrel who are authors and speakers on family life issues, especially relationships. They shared some insights with us from their book "Single Men are Like Waffles, Single Women are Like Spaghetti." We laughed a lot and learned a lot from their stories, their suggestions and our own discussions together.

They suggested some real down to earth things that help us to understand ourselves better as well as the opposite sex. Here are a few of their thoughts that struck me:
*Guys and Gals relate differently (seems like a no-brainer, but misunderstanding one another is the biggest problem with relationships).
*Guys often feel inadequate at communication (I often feel like I'm talking my way out of a corner with my own wife, this is an area in which I have some work to do).
*Meet lots of people (great advice for singles, that attitude can overcome loneliness and depression)
*Here's a quote from Bill, "Emotions follow decisions, make good decisions and emotions will follow.

*Be a good listener... (I didn't exactly hear the rest of the comment because I wasn't listening). Actually they gave us 3 R's for active listening and good communication (try it):
1. REPEAT...key phrases
2. REGROUP...hand back the conversation
3. RECONNECT...to something you've gone through.


They talked about the 4 levels of communication:
1. Small Talk
2. Thoughts & Ideas
3. Convictions and Opinions
4. Emotional Intimacy
What level are you able to go to with the different relationships in your life?

And they shared some good verses for relationship wisdom:
Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Hebrews 3:13; James 1:19; Romans 15:17; Eph 5:22-33; Phil 2:3-4; 1 Thess 5:13ff; 2 Peter 1:3-7)

It was encouraging to see a group of 25 people who were interested in growing in their ability to communicate with others. They came to figure out how to have relationships that would be personally satisfying and at the same time glorify God. The Farrel's encouraged the group to plow ahead faithfully with eyes wide open to how God was going to use them for his purpose.

Pray & Eat

Thursday May 4
Pray: 6am-7am @ the Church
Eat: @ 7am at the Burkles
3411 Patcon Way, 43026

To my 727 faithful,
This Thursday our church will take part in the National Day of Prayer. It is a bit sad that it takes an edict from our President before we will set aside a serious amount of time for intercession and thanksgiving, but nevertheless lets do it. Since early morning prayer time can often turn into dream-like prayer sleep, lets get together for just 1 hour to pray together. Then you are invited to mi casa for a scrumptious breakfast (a little enticement for those not to excited about an hour on their knees).

Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil;
hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not be slothful in zeal
be fervent in spirit
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
be patient in tribulation,
be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints
and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty,
but associate with the lowly.
Never be conceited.
Repay no one evil for evil,
but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
If possible,
so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:9-18

Words Expose the Heart

Sticks and stones are launched by hands
but words expose the heart.


That is my own attempt at crafting a Proverb about the power of words. Not that there is a lack of Proverbs about the power and revealing affect of words. Indeed the Proverbs is full of timely instruction for the wise about how to harness their words and warning against the fool who spews out words like acid, burning everyone who is within splashing distance. Read these great ditties from Proverbs and let them sink deep into your heart.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. (15:2)

Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. (4:24)

He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. (22:11)

Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. (17:7)

What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. (NLT) (6:12-13)

The thrust is if you are wise you will exert every possible degree of discipline in the use of your words and when those bad ones slip out you will own them and clean up the mess that they have caused. But the bigger issue involved is that the words we use are like the fruit of tree, they reveal the relative health (righteously speaking) of our hearts.

A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. (NLT) Matthew 12:33-35

Our words are on display, both those proclaimed from the roof-tops and those whispered to our nearest neighbor. They are displaying the treasury of our heart. A good heart is one that has been filled up with the riches of Christ and then daily lives “in Him”. For Christ alone can mend our brokenness and restore us the image-bearing statues we were designed for. Lean on Christ. Let your heart be transformed. And let your words be like sweet fruit, displaying the richness He has deposited in your hearts.

Suffering Succotash

What role does suffering play in the life of the Christian? That is a reality that some face daily and others run from like the plague. Our Tuesday bible study has brought us to Colossians 1:24, which shares how Paul (writing from prison) viewed his own suffering. Maybe it will help us.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,Colossians 1:24 (ESV)

So how did Paul view is suffering? No doubt Paul suffered, he mentions it 3 times (1:24, 29; 2:1) Paul sees a direct correlation between his suffering and the sufferings of Christ. The most literal translation of Colossians 1:24 says, “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s suffering for the sake of his body, that is the church.” This raises some questions: What is lacking in the sufferings in Christ? How can Paul suggest that he is suffering on behalf of others like Christ did?

Consider 1 Peter 4:13. In this section Peter is encouraging Christians who are suffering specifically for being Christians. In this section Peter suggests that Christians “should not be surprised with suffering (12)” …that those who suffer “are blessed (14)”…to “not be ashamed, but to praise God (16)” for such suffering…and that such suffering is “according to God’s will (19)”. But in the midst of this section which encourages Christians to endure suffering Peter also clearly says “rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ”. This passage shares two similarities with Colossians, first it is clearly speaking about the physical suffering or affliction of Jesus and secondly there is a sense in which Christians are participating in that suffering. In 1 Peter the correlation is broadened a bit to include all Christians who suffer. But the questions raised above have not yet been answered: What is lacking in the sufferings of Christ? And how can Paul or Peter suggest that they can suffer as Christ did?

1 Corinthians 16:17 is helpful to our understanding of these verses because they include similar phraseology to what is in Col 1:24. Paul is writing to the Corinthians of his joy for the arrival of three close friends and explains that “they have made up for your absence (ESV).” As you look at the word use behind this translation you will see a more literal translation reads, “They have supplied/filled-up what was lacking on your part.” You will now see the similarity to Col 1:24, where Paul stated “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings.”

A closer look at the context of 1 Corinthians suggests that Paul is not bemoaning the Corinthians or putting down their generosity or love for him. But there were things that the three friends, who were actually there, could do that the distant Corinthians could not do, because of their presence. Verse 18 suggests that these men because of their presence were able to refresh Paul’s spirit. The thing that was lacking was the physical, real presence of the Corinthians. The force of this idea is communicated well in the NLT which reads, “They have providing the help you weren’t here to give me.”

Now let’s reconsider Col 1:24. Some might say that Paul is suggesting that there is something qualitatively lacking in Christ’s suffering. So that the suffering he is doing actually completes the salvific sufferings of Christ. But even looking a few verses earlier (1:20, 22), Paul makes it pretty clear that Christ alone had settled the issue of justification by his sacrifice on the cross

Rather, consider that Paul’s suffering is not an addition to the sufferings of Christ but an extension of the sufferings of Christ (Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone, 159). What is lacking is only that Christ is not present to suffer personally as the gospel is fully proclaimed and the church faces persecution. In this way Paul “participates in the sufferings of Christ” because he is suffering on his behalf.

In addition, Paul is developing the idea that what is true of Christ is true of them and what is true of them is true of Christ. Later in 2:12-13 the Colossians have been buried with him, raised with him and made alive with him. They are so identified with their Christ, as the body is to the head, that what is true of him is true of them. So here in 1:24 as Paul is suffering he identifies his suffering with the sufferings of Christ, because what is true of him is true of HIM.

Tom Wright suggests some helpful illustrations which in part give a picture of this type of identification. It is like an ambassador when they go overseas they are speaking on behalf of the leader and the people of the country, although he is the only one present he is representing others in his service. Or in certain cultures when someone from a family is embarrassed or attacked it is as if the whole family is attacked. There is a sense of identification between the individual and the corporate body.

At the Passion '06 Conference this year, John Piper spoke on this very verse and he made the statement that the glory of the grace of God was maximally displayed in the suffering of Christ. He then asked the stadium of hip dressing, iPOD carrying, David Crowder loving college students if they would join in maximally displaying the glory of the grace of God by being willing to joyfully suffer for Him. Talk about putting our lives into perspective. So how about it?

Sin is so Fun!

Don't tell me that you haven't thought that, felt that or even (gulp) said that. That's because the road from "hating sin" to "loving it" is really not that far. It happens when our thinking becomes muddy. There are certainly times when every cell in our body is pulsing with longing for the buzz of a few extra Margaritas or the high of passing along the latest news about someone's personal life. How about getting away with going 65 in a 35 zone or getting too much change back at the quickie mart. We fool our boss about the number of hours we actually put in at work or how we actually spent those dollars on our expense report. The real joy is that no one will ever be able to find out about our thoughts, how ever self-agrandizing or perverse they may be. And in quite a short time we are having fun at sin.

That is where I find myself from time to time... So I was stopped short by a comment offered by Tom Wright in his commentary on a Colossians 1:21-23 where he says,

"Don't be fobbed off with the idea that 'sin' or 'wickedness' means 'having a good time when God wants you to have a rotten time.' That's a typical example of the muddled thinking that people get into when they ignore or forget the true God."

How forgetful we are sometimes! The truth about sin is that it alienates us and expresses hostility towards God. Sin leaves us dead in our transgressions . God's desire to deliver us from the penalty of sin, through Christ, and the power of sin, through the holy spirit is to free us up for a more wonderfully enriching life. Sin might be pleasing for a period of time, but it does not bring satisfaction to the soul. The fun-ness of sin wears off and leaves us with guilt, emptiness and purposelessness. Real life is an existence rooted in Christ.

Judas on Trial

I’ve read it. I finally sat down and read through the ”Gospel of Judas” (GoJ). And I can say that I am a lot less worried about it after reading it than before. I did wonder what I would encounter in its pages. Would I find something that would so cross the other gospel accounts so as to shed some question upon their version of the story?

What I found was so new and foreign that it barely resembled anything within the other four gospels. Now I know why Simon Gathercole, a New Testament professor at Aberdeen University, defended the text as authentic, but relatively unimportant. He went on to say "It is certainly an ancient text, but not ancient enough to tell us anything new... It contains themes which are alien to the first-century world of Jesus and Judas, but which became popular later."

The GoJ has a completely different emphasis that the Biblical Gospels:
1.It emphasizes angels, aeons, luminaries and stars as a hierarchy of spiritual beings.
2.It introduces other angelic names like El, Nebro, Yaldabaoth and Saklas.
3.It offers an alternative creation story, where God is not directly involved in Creation, but one of his angels (Saklas) is. (Compare Genesis 1-2).
4.It suggests that the material world is evil & inferior and the spiritual world is good and superior.
5. It suggests that Judas, the traitor, is actually the hero of the story. In the GoJ, Jesus says to Judas, “…you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”

For a good response, read “From Traitor to Hero?” by Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. For those new to the discussion, these ideas are not new nor are they from the first century. They are 2nd-3rd century ideas common in other writings know as “Gnostic” writings. The term Gnostic is taken from the greek work for knowledge “gnosis”. And the Gnostic literature often speaks in mysterious language about achieving godhood through acquiring secret knowledge and speaks of salvation as release from this evil world.

But I don’t want to leave all the response to the professionals so I thought I would outline a four of my own observations from my reading of GoJ and how it differs drastically from the story recorded in the Biblical gospels.

1. There is a lack of story. While the gospels tell the story of the life and ministry of Jesus the GoJ speaks of private conversations between Jesus and Judas. The GoJ only has one geographical name, Judea, very early in the document. No other disciples or contemporaries of Jesus are named other than Judas. It is quite odd and very un-gospel-like in its writing style.

A cursory glance at the Biblical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) reveals they are stories full of characters, locations, movement and plot. They are the stories of the words and works of Jesus. Luke goes so far as to start his gospel account with an introductory comment of validation…

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

2. Jesus is a spiritual snob. While the gospels never mention Jesus laughing (one silent issue of the Bible which has saddened me) the GoJ has Jesus laughing four times. It is not the laughter that makes this presentation of Jesus different, but at who and why he is laughing. In each situation he is laughing at the misunderstanding of his followers. He laughs at their prayers and at their spiritual spiritual questions.

In the Bible Jesus does gets angry at the self-righteous, those who think they are better than they truly are. But at those who are seeking to know him he treats with love, compassions, kindness and patience.

3. Jesus is in conflict with his disciples. While in the canonical gospels the disciples were often faithless and misunderstood what Jesus was saying it was the spiritual world and the established religious authorities with whom he is in conflict. But in the GoJ Jesus has no conflict with religious authorities or the spiritual, in fact they are not mentioned, but instead he is in conflict with all the disciples except Judas.

For example in the GoJ, the disciples are praying before having communion, and Jesus laughs at them. After exchanging a few words the GoJ records this conversation.

“They said, ‘Master, you are […] the son of our God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘How do you know me? Truly [I] say to you, no generation of the people that are among you will know me.” When the disciples heard this, they started getting angry and infuriated and began blaspheming against him in their hearts.”

In the Bible, it is the religious leaders who have such anger and conflict with Jesus. (Matt 9:34, 12:14, 24; Mark 3:6; Luke 11:53-54; John 7:32) The disciples’ biggest problem with Jesus is not anger but misunderstanding. They have left everything to follow Jesus and spend 3 years trying to understand the true meaning of who he is and what he is teaching. (Mark 4:13, 8:17; Luke 9:45, 18:34; John 8:27, 12:16)

4. Jesus is not truly known by the disciples except Judas. In the above account from the GoJ Jesus states to the disciples, “How do you know me? Truly [I] say to you, no generation of the people that are among you will know me.” But in the Biblical gospels is the faith and affirmation from the disciples that provides the foundation upon which Jesus will build the church.

Consider Matthew 16: 13-18, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

DaVinci upstaged by Judas

I had to chuckle when I heard the news of "recent" discovery of an ancient biblical document which could prove more dangerous to the Church than the Da Vinci Codes...the Gospel of Judas. Just some basic facts about the history of this document seems to make the timing of this world-wide release more akin to release of Titanic than the Dead Sea Scrolls. With the renewed interest in church history, created by the nearing release of the movie "The Da Vinci Code" and in the spirit of "Seeking the Truth" it appears that Judas might be upstaging DaVinci in the public box office.

But what should you make of the Gospel of Judas? Here are a few resources that will fill you in on some details.

Read the Gospel of Judas yourself
"Will the Real Judas Please Stand Up?"by Darrell Bock
Scott McKnight's Blog: Judas 1, Judas 2
Mark Goodacre's Blog

The document begins, "The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot…” We all like a good secret don't we? But Bill Brown, President of Cedarville University, has done a nice job addressing some of the popular hype about this "Lost Gospel" in his recent blog posting. Here is what Dr. Brown said....

"A lot of people have asked about the "new discovery" of the Gospel of Judas. I am disappointed at how naive the press, the average person and even the average Christian are about these so-called "gospels." The manuscript was actually found almost thirty years ago and is written in Coptic, the language of first century Egypt. It dates from sometime in the fourth century, about 300 years after Christ (and Judas). It may be a translation of an earlier third century manuscript. Of course, it has nothing historical to say about Judas or Jesus but reinterprets the story to fit a theological belief at odds with Christianity. It parallels the teachings of another popular book, The Da Vinci Code. How surprising that the Gospel of Judas is being released now!

The Gospel of Judas is not really a gospel at all but part of the Gnostic literature that arose in the second - third century after Christ. They were all composed so long after the apostles and the early church and were never considered inspired and a part of God's revelation of the New Testament, which was completed before the end of the first century. The Gnostics held unusual beliefs about Jesus Christ and the world, beliefs that are today held by many of the Transcendental/New Age groups. They taught that salvation was obtained by "secret knowledge" rather than Christ's death for sins on the cross. The highly spiritual approach by gnosticism made many of them teach that a person could live any way they wanted. The material world, especially the human body, was evil and prone to immoral acts that had no effect on a person's spiritual state. You can see the very early stages of this belief in Colossians 2:8; Jude 3-4; and 2 John 7-9. Notice how many high profile celebrities flock to modern versions of gnosticism, like Scientology and the Kabbalah. Some of the benefits of spirituality with none of the responsibility. The "natural bent of the human mind," says C. S. Lewis."

What strikes me is that this is nothing new. There have been many non-canonical writings (i.e Gospel of Thomas) which have been circulating for years which have never been accepted by the Church, because they have never been affirmed to be inspired. This "lost gospel" of Judas has been around for years and NOW is garnishing paparazzi status solely because of the public hype of the DaVinci Code.

Feedback

The camp has long since ended and life in the real world has already begun. But for many pictures like these will conjure up fond memories of fun. The real world doesn't always offer us feedback on our performance, but if you haven't figured it out by now "English Camp" is not the real world. One proof is that English Camp ends with feedback. As our team took a 2 hour train-ride to Tallin I eagerly poured through the 80-100 feedback forms.

I wanted to know what the students thought about the camp, about Christianity and of course the speaker. There is nothing like some good honest feedback to keep you humble. So I thought I would share just a few comments that I came across from the students who were at the same English Camp.

On the speaker one student wrote..."Clay's voice was calming and ade me sleepy sometimes, but otherwise he was great." I yawned just reading that.

Another offered, "Clay's talks seemed compulsory and no fun at all." Ouch!

A few pages later a student wrote, "Clay's talks...lots of fun there." Were they at the same camp?

"In the second day my abs were hurting because of smiling".

One student answered that their favorite thing in camp was "Twister."

Some comments were brutally honest like:
"It was interesting for e because I am anot a Christian but I had a chance to ask many questions, so I think I have a lot to think about."

and "I learnend that I'll never believe in God and that talking about Christianity doesn't bother me anymore."

I appreciate the honest feedback from the students. Sometimes a bit of honesty is quite refreshing.

Postmodern Pastor

Meet Meego, the pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Tartu, Estonia. I just met him today at a group lunch. He is the pastor of the home church staff of the Going UP ministry. He teaches also teaches ethics at the local university and has completed doctoral work at Wheaton College. He is quite an influential pastor in Estonia and has a firm grasp of the context in which he ministers. I shared just 20 minutes with him today and was able to learn a lot from him about his work and his philosophy of ministry. I was smart enough to ask him a few questions and listen to his answers. Here are a few I asked (his answers are based on my foggy memory):

How do you share the gospel here in Estonia?
Clay the people here live in a postmodern world where previous categories of absolute truth no longer exist within their minds. You cannot simply speak of ideas like sin, God, heaven and hell and expect to communicate a clear message to all people. Instead people are swayed by the power of narrative. So I share the story of God through Scripture and how the story of Christ fits into the larger story of God. I share my story of Christ coming into my life and how our stories have overlapped because of our interaction. I try to awaken their minds to the idea that they are choosing to align themselves with a story that greater than their own individual story. Biblical concepts of sin and Jesus are communicated most powerfully through story.

What is the biggest hurdle that Estonians must overcome in becoming a Christian?
They have no concept of Jesus, the Bible, Christianity or Christians. 95% of Estonians are not Christian and most do not have any friends who are. They think that Christians are weird and have no concept that people actually believe in God, the Bible or Jesus Christ. That is why English Camp is so powerful. It gives them exposure to real live Christians so that they can form a category in their thinking of what a Christian looks like.

What is the biggest mistake that Americans make when they come to Estonia to minister?
They assume that Estonians have categories of understanding of the Bible, God and Jesus. They must not forget that most people here believe that no normal person believes in God or is a Christians. It is not outright pride, but an honest assessment based upon experience and formation by life mentors. Meego shared that they recently had a showing of the play "Jesus Christ Superstar". Some university students he was teaching thought that the play was a about a modern man who was a Superstar because his name was Jesus Christ. They are largely ignorant to idea that Christians really exist and therefore dismiss Christianity as a small, minority, and folk religion.

Meego lives, eats & breathes the gospel in a culture, which has rejected absolute truth, has embraced Darwinian Evolution and is largely void of an authentic evangelical presence. His commitment to the gospel, love for his people and belief in Christ empower him to partner with groups like us to bringing a living witness of Jesus to Estonia. I have learned much from just a few minutes with this postmodern pastor.

Day in Tartu provides ministry opportunities

Our time is Estonia was split into 3 parts: (1) the pre-camp time in Tartu (Friday-Sunday), (2) camp (Sunday-Thursday), (3) the post-camp time in Tartu (Thursday-Friday) & Tallinn (Saturday). God really opened up opportunities for me to spend time with 3 out of the 5 students in my small group today. I realized that a large part of our work here was developing relationships with students so that they could have a better idea of what a Christian looked like and sounded like. That is why I prayed for an opportunity to spend time with some of the students after they had arrived back home in Tartu and God answered.

I spent about 3 hours this afternoon with Eric Taum, pictured in a previous entry. Eric and I were quickly able to pick-up where we had left off at camp and delve back into the struggles of life and his struggle to understand God and Christianity. He walked me through a good understanding of the gospel and how a true Christian should live his life. Then he ended with a statement like, "Clay I really want to believe in God but I am just not sure about it." So I encouraged him more, listened more, shared scripture more and prayed with him. Continue to lift up Eric in your prayers. Pray that he would be able to have good conversations with other Christians in his life like Max, Daniel and Craig.

Erin and I were also able to meet up with 2 other girls from our small group, Kristel (on the left) and Triin (on the right). Neither are Christians, but both jumped at the chance to meet up with us as a local restaurant before we headed back to the states. Pray for Triin as she continues to attend Craig's home group and that she would invite friends to Going UP events. Also pray for Kristel as she begins to read her Bible. We were able to meet Kristel's boyfriend Erwin. Although our conversation grounded to a halt a number of times through the night the girls both gave us big hugs when we parted ways. Public affection like hugging friends appears to not be an Estonian way of expression, but at English Camp and at Home Groups kids feel free to step out of this Estonian box. It was great to give them hugs and let them know that we will be praying for them as they consider God and the Bible.

Don't judge a book by it's cover...

Below are pictures of three guys that I spent a good deal of time with during English camp. I spoke the first night of English Camp about the labels that people put on one another, emphasizing the fact that we often judge people based upon their appearance without ever knowing anything about them as people. But thankfully God does not judge by external appearance but is able to see through to our hearts. I had to put that in practice during English camp. I had to check myself to not categorize the Estonian students before spending time with them and getting to know them. God brought 3 guys into my life this week that I was able to spend considerable time with during the week, let me share with you:

Eric: Eric is the stereotypical Scandinavian looking lad. 6 foot 3 inches tall, lanky arms and legs and long blond hair. He is a terror on the basketball court and is an able soccer player. He has traveled widely throughout Europe and his English is very good. He is quite outgoing and is a great conversationalist. For some reason he seemed drawn to me and we spent considerable time together throughout the week. My read on him throughout the week was one of confidence and independence. And while those things are true...it was Eric who shocked me by sharing on Wednesday night of some of the hurt in his life that held inside and that he actually kept people at arms length so that they would not hurt him. I was shocked and humbled that he would share so honestly with me. He is not a Christian but is very interested in reading the Bible and really wants to continue attending Craig Hamer's home group. He is surrounded by Christians and enjoys their friendship. Pray that Eric would continue to open his heart to God and would see God at work in his life.

Jimmy: In the bottom picture on the right in the hat is "Jimmy" Hendrik. When I first met him I thought we was a tough kid who would never be interested in spiritual matters. Boy was I wrong. As I spent time with him I got to know the real Jimmy. He was very attentive to my speeches and early in the week shared that he was a Christian and that he was involved in a large church in Tallinn. He is a great guitar player. But the night of the gospel presentation he shared with me that he had religion but not a personal relationship with God through Jesus. I had shared about Nicodemus and he identified with the story and wanted to be born again. We talked about how to start a relationship with Christ and I sent him away to think about it and pray if wanted to. The next morning he told me that he had shared a very deep conversation with another Christian student and that he had heard about how his friend was filled up with Christ and then they prayed together. Pray that Jimmy will read his Bible and get more involved in his home church in Tallinn.

Tavi: Tavi was a quiet kid yet was very deep. During my opening talk I shared a thought from Dallas Willard, which I pulled from "Renovation of the Heart". I asked, "What is the purpose of life?" and then suggested that one author wrote, "The purpose of life is the authentic transformation of the whole person into goodness." He came up to me and said I have recently been thinking about the meaning of life. Throughout the week he was very attentive during my speeches and we shared many conversation about theology, philosophy and the Bible. Pray that Tavi would grow as a Christian and would come to greater clarity on a Biblical Worldview.

Meet Small Group #7

Part of the camp schedule included small group meetings. There were 6 Large Group meetings where we all gathered for skits, games, fun and my talks. Directly after that the large group broke downg into small groups of about 5-6 students with two leaders. All groups had one American leader and one Estonian Christian leader...except for mine. In my group it was just Erin Megerle and I...no Estonian Christians. Erin did and amazing job connecting with the girls, but there were times when the conversation fell into Estonain and we were both in the dark, feeling a bit left out.

In our group of 5 Estonian students none were Christians. I would like to introduce you to our group, Lucky 7.

Martin is not pictured. He is 21 years old and is a high functioning mentally handicapped student. He came to all of our groups but did not participate. He was not a distraction, but did provide a laughs to break the tension of the group.

Eric: The only other guy in the group. He is a tall, blond, athletic and intelligent kid. He and I became pretty close. In fact Eric and I ate most meals together and shared free time doing things like soccer, basketball and sauna. He has traveled to many European countries and had the best English of the group. He was definitely the most talkative. He is a part of the Going UP drama group and currently is attending Craig Hamer's Home Group. And while he does know Christians and about Christianity, he is a self-proclaimed non-Christian. He is not antagonistic to Christianity, but to say one is a Christian is a big thing and he has not decided that Christianity is for him. Eric shared openly that English Camp was one of the best weeks of his life.

Triin: She is the dark haired girl sitting next to Eric. A sweet but shy girl who struggled the most to communicate in English. She is involved in Craig's Home Group, but is not a Christian. She wants to believe in God, but is struggling with what she says are scientific proofs that God does not exist.

Kristel: She is sitting between Erin and I. She was talkative at points and quiet at others. All-in-all she was seriously thinking about the topics we discussed. She is not a Christian and also shared that while she wants to believe in God she thinks that science is against God. She shared that sometimes she has these spiritual yearnings deep within her that make her think that God is real. She bought a bible a week ago and wants to read it.

Riin: She is sitting in front of me. She had a great head on her shoulders and shared regularly about discussion topics. She was a real joy to have in our group and shared well thought out answers to all questions posed. She was a very sweet girl and shared that she does not believe in God but believes in Darwinian Evolution.

I told these students that I would pray for them. Would you join me in praying for these students...that God would reveal himself to them. Would you pray that their hearts would be open to the evidence of God's presence in their lives and that they would honestly consider the possibility of God being at work.

Cory is GOING UP

Guest blogger and my roommate at Chris Brock's house, Cory Di Carro, shares some of his experience:

WOW!! What an amazing trip it has been. This is my third English Camp and I must say it has been the best. God has provided exceedingly and abundantly more in every fashion imaginable...
- Energy each day when we should have none
- Knowledge and wisdom when talking to students
- Comfort in missing loved ones (I miss my wife who's 4 months pregnant terrible but we become closer each day through notes, prayer, email and phone calls)
- Community and love with/for people who have only known us for 4 days

It’s almost impossible to put the events of this trip into words. God presence has been with us every step of the way. Students were receptive to talking about Christianity, Christ and taking steps towards God. As I sit here and struggle with what to say and how to say it I'm reminded of a verse that my wife included in one of her notes to me.

"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it"

I can tell all you this, the message was boldly and accurately proclaimed during this trip. Each member of this team was specifically brought here by God and after watching how the team interacted with the students it is evident that our group and no other was a perfect fit for serving the needs of the students, our Estonian team and each other!

In Christ
-Cory

The seeds have been planted

As an English Camp rookie, I thought that blogging daily during camp would be an easy task, but it was not. What I failed to realize was that the camp only had dial-in acess, yep that's about 30kbps which is slow as molassess and I did not realize that English camp is a 7am-2am non-stop race. There was literally no down-time. Not that we were running ragged, but the days were just a blur of meetings, fun, laughing, hanging, building relationships with students, having serious talks. Add all that together and I did not blog at all during camp. The camp has ended and we are back in Tartu for a couple of days of debriefing, so I thought I'd fill you in on a bit of what happened and to thank you for praying and help to direct your future prayers.

If I could some the week up in one word it would be RELATIONSHIPS. Part of the reason camp was busy is that we were always starting, building and growing relationships with the Estonian students. We did this through our small group discussions which last about 1 hour and were held after every large group meeting. We also did this by doing FREE TIME events together during the day like soccer, American Football, snow tubing, guitar lessons, self defense classes, whiffle ball, bead making sessions and more. Then during the evenings other events allowed us to further relationships like movies, Cafe, Sauna and game playing. I'll fill you in on the Sauna experience in another blog. I found myself during the week, rarely spending time with Americans but often found myself immersed in a crowd of Estonian students. Often conversation would fall back into the native tongue and every so often someone would say, "we need to translate for Clay" or "let's speak English."

The team has definitely felt your prayers and God has certainly been moving in students hearts as well as leaders hearts. The presence of God was felt so much today that after the students had left the entire leadership team was crying tears of joy as we committed the camp and each student to the Lord. It was quite an emotional good-bye for all, because we all were able to see students either commit their lives to Christ or move closer to considering Christ. You are a part of these stories. It is by means of your prayers that God has chosen to soften students hearts and sustain our tired bodies as we all joined together to incarnate the goodnews of Jesus Christ. You will hear more of these stories that you were a part of...and in fact the stories continue. We will be meeting with students on Friday in Tartu and on Saturday we will meet students in Tallin.

Here are a few snapshots of the camp:
(1) Here are some of the students registering for camp. This year there were 70 students, many were first-timers and at least 70% were not Christians. We had 30 leaders this year that is 16 Americans and 14 Estonians. (2) On Wednesday morning I caught a rare sight, 2 leaders and 3 Christian students in prayer. On Wednesday we had talks #4 and #5 during which I shared the gospel. Knowing the importance of this time, these girls gathered to pray that the Spirit would be moving in lives, drawing hearts towards Him. (3) Here is Chris Kelley standing on a table during lunch crowing like a rooster. This is something that Chris did a lot during meals this week at camp. Craig Hamer (camp director) awarded students for accomplishing the "Top 10 Things to do at English Camp." On the list was, stand on a table and crow like a rooster with Chris Kelley...poor Chris. (4) One of the Estonian leaders is an art student and took the images I used during my first 4 talks (leading up to the gospel in #5) and put them on a poster which was displayed in our meeting room. Images in order which I delivered the messages are labels, mirror, mask and road sign. Nice work Tarmo!! (5) Here is a fun snapshot of the American and Estonian leaders at camp. We teamed up as a real one-two punch during the camp to make events run smooth, make the meeting times fun and build deep relationships quickly with ALL students at the camp. It was a real experience in body life!

Pray for:
(1) Students who left the camp desiring to know more about Christianity, that they would be followed up on and would consider attending a Home Group Bible Study.
(2) Students who left the camp with a new relationship with Christ, that they would quickly connect with a Home Group and begin to grow in Christ through mentorship and reading the Bible.
(3) For all 30 leaders, Christian and American, that we would not crash and burn after such an amazing experience of seeing God work in and through us. We actually covenanted with one another to pray for each other every day for the next month, knowing that storms often follow on the heals of great spiritual victories.

Two very different Church Services

Today our group did church twice, both were very unifying and worshipful, but they were two very different experiences.

We started the morning off largely leading the service at Salem Baptist Church, which is the home church for the Going Up staff. Chris K. and Todd G. shared their testimonyies. A makeshift choir sang a couple of songs, with Andy playing the guitar. Lisa Hamer sang a solo with Andy playing the piano (didń't know he could play piano). Then Matt preached through Peep Saar. It was an enjoyable service.

Afterward we headed to a local Italian restaurant for calzones and coke. Then we packed up and headed to Kääriku, the site of the camp. The trip was short and the camp is located in the beautiful, hilly and forrested part of the country. The camp is located next to a lake and the snow began to fall as we arrived. There must be nearly a foot of snow on the ground out here. We set up for the camp and then had a planning, prayer and worship meeting. The leadership, both Estonian and American, shared a hunger for God to reveal himself and for the Holy Spirit to come in such a way that dead hearts would be awakened to the life giving power of the gospel. It was indeed a church service.

So tomorrow the campers will arrive. Most all of the kids coming will not be Christian at all. Pray that kids would not back out or find an excuse to come to camp tomorrow. Pray that we leaders would quickly bond with students and that our Small Group discussion times would be full of discussion and that the kids would open up to us quickly.

Picture Summary:
(1) The Northwest choir is singing at Salem Baptist. (2) Matt preaching on "Remembering" from 2 Peter 1. (3)Tiffany, Rachel, Todd and Amalee Vinalaas eating lunch after church. (4) The team gathers for a pre-camp meeting in Kääriku.

Dinner at Craig & Reena's

On Saturday evening we gathered at the Estonian Hamers for a traditional Estonian meal. There was meat and potatoes and some other dishes that were great. It was a cozy time of sharing and laughing and Craig & Reena have restored her Nana's house quite nicely. The evening ended with some worship songs. It was encouraging and and intimate.

Earlier in the day Craig had "read us our rights". Actually he was encouraging us to give up our rights this week at English camp so that the students might see the love of Christ in our lives. He read Matthew 5:38-42 and then challenged us to give up...
...our rights to our dignity,
...our rights to our privacy,
and our rights to our possessions.

Picture summary: (1 & 2)These capture us at the Hamer's, eating then singing. (3) Andy is jamming away on the floor.

Touring Tartu

Today was our first morning to wake up in Tartu. It was great to have a solid nights sleep. Cory DiCarro and I are staying at Chris Brock's place right in downtown Tartu. He treated us to a great breakfast: french-press coffee, juice, fresh bread, yogurt, and a donut-type pastry. We met in Salem Baptist Church at 10am for a training session for English Camp. The team had their first chance to meet our Estonian small group leaders. It was a great time of meeting and laughing, then we prayed with our small group leaders for the camp and for each student by name. Afterwards we ate at Tsink Plink Pang, which means something like "Tin Bucket", and is a Chinese style restaurant. We stuffed ourselves, then walked around Tartu catching the sites and getting to know some of the Christian students better. The team is doing quite well with very few setbacks. Dave J. Did fall down some stairs at the Vinalaas' but went to a massage therapist this morning and seems to be doing quite fine. Also Ryan Cross seems to have lost his passport. You can pray for Dave's back and Ryan's passport, that he either finds it or is able to get the necessary papers to get back out of the country. No one seems to be too worried about the passport situation, but keep it in your prayers. The team is rested, well fed and enjoying Tartu, it is a great start to our week.

Pictures Summary: (1) The team gathers at Salem Baptist Church for English Camp Meeting. (2) Erin and I will be teaming up with Max to lead a small group during English camp. (3) Todd prays with Eva and Peter for their small group. (4) Peter, Clay, Cory, Bob and Max enjoying Chinese cuisine for lunch. (5) Peter, Andy and Cory are "enjoying" the local scenery. (6) Timo, Peter, Clay, Ryan and Amalee Vinalaas posing on top of the Angel Bridge with downtown Tartu in the background.

The Eagle has Landed

Since we sat in Chicago for 3 hours, we missed our connecting flight to Tallin. So we hopped a flight to Copenhagen, Sweden where we hurried to the gate, then back to the ticketing counter, then back to the gate to get to the plane just before they closed the gate. Then besided not getting about half of our bags, everyone arrived in very good spirits...just happy to have landed in Estonia. We then drove 2 hours south to Tartu where we piled into the Vinalaas house for a yummy meal of lasagna, bread, salad, pie & ice cream. After a few quick calls home we are ready for some sleep to get adjusted to the 7 hour time difference.

Pic 1: Here is our merry 16 happily enduring our 16 plus hours in travel to Estonia.

Pic 2: Matt Hamer is haggling with the ticketing counter to get us all boarding passes from Copenhagen to Tartu.

Pic 3: The team stops to pray for Matt as he haggles with the ticketing counter to get us onto the flight from Copenhagen to Tartu.

Pic 4: Christy and Tiffany share a light moment while enduring the long hours in the airport.

Pic 5: Rachel Witt and Jill Cross are happy to be on the ground in slightly snow covered Estonia.

Pic 6: Sharing a meal with Craig, Chris, Peep, Anna and the Vinalaas'es.