Month: May 2004

Over the next 24 hours be prepared for delays, detours, and chaos around here. I’m taking advantage of this new Blogger so, a complete redesign is on its way.

Hmmm… I’m testing the blogger comments… but so far I don’t like them… they don’t fit my style nor do they look all that great… 🙁

Update: Okay, I’ve been able to play around a little bit and make it work a bit better… now they just need to add trackback. Is it just me, because I can’t seem to access haloscan at all! :@

I have friends here, but sometimes good old friends are just needed. I just want to sit around in a living room and play games again with people who I know all share the same passion for Jesus. I want to have spontaneous worship on the waterfront again, just because my friends and I felt like it. I want the feeling of learning from each other because we want to know Jesus more and we want each other to know Jesus more too! I want to be face to face with other guys talking about guy things because we want to be more like Jesus. I just need my old friends. I need them for my sanity and I need their love.

Oh Lord, let your will be done, if it is your will for me to be in Poland I know you know what is best. However, I am desperately asking that I am not alone, that a whole group of friends could come here for your work. I am asking, no, simply begging, that a team be possible. In Jesus name, make it so.

I just read a thought provoking post over at Skywalking about a pastor who attended the national pastor’s conference in San Diego. The pastor quotes an underground pastor of a church near Afghanistan. The underground pastor begs the conference attendees to reelect Bush because since Bush has been in presidency the persecution of Christians in his nation has dropped dramatically because his government is afraid to upset the American administration. Under Clinton, the church was persecuted heavily without any fear. Read the pastor’s words for yourself. There may be many political reasons as to why someone does not want to reelect President Bush, but as Christians, I believe we have a higher calling. As a Christian, I am reminded that God is fully just, that President Bush is held to a very high degree of accountability by God almighty. If the President does not seek God’s will, yet he is a professing Christian, then he is headed for a lot of trouble, and that is enough for me to be at peace.

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness. We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way.
[James 3:1 & 2]

Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. [2 Timothy 4:2-4]

I am incredibly embarrassed by the horrible acts some of our soldiers have done to Iraqi prisoners. These “soldiers”, if you can call them that, do not deserve anything less than being shipped back and imprisoned themselves. I know there must be good soldiers out there, there must be real soldiers of integrity, where are the news stories about these people? Oh yeah, people don’t care about the man (who is the highest ranking official of the army) who went to an army hospital and not only saluted a soldier who had lost his right hand, but shook the stump, knelt down, asked for forgiveness, prayed, and then kissed the young soldier on the forehead. It makes me so mad that our society is only fired up when injustice occurs and does not even blink when it comes to great acts of love.

I am just now grasping a lie I have unknowingly agreed to. The saying “Pride comes before the fall” is an absolute truth. I have actually been proud of my “humbleness”. This pride has kept me from connecting with people. I have actually been thinking, “I am so much more humble than that person” why can’t that person just humble his or her self? Humility is much more than just admitting you’re weak, it’s admitting you need help and you are not better than anyone else. Being humble is much more than simply saying “oh now I don’t deserve that”. In fact I would say it isn’t saying something like that, it is having the ability to accept your weakness and allow God and others (through whom God works) to help you.

In my prideful humility I thought I was being weak to be strong… In God’s humility, admitting your weakness allows his strength to work in your life. Do not try and be strong, do not try to fight the fights of this world in your strength, you can try and try, but you will fail. I will never (at least never intend on) doing things in my own strength anymore, it is too much. I ultimately fail, and I usually fail by sinning, which either hurts myself, another, or dishonors God.

I had a great day today with Paulina, Anna, and Chris after church this morning we went for a walk in the national forest behind my apartment. Then we had lunch, and later on we all went to Sabina, Carol and Denise’s house and played Cranium and watched “Courage under fire”.

I’m sleepy, I haven’t talked to Alexis since last Thursday, and I have to get up in less than eight hours. However, I’ll be seeing Leah tomorrow and the salt mines near Krakow with Leah and her mom.

Now I am going to try and call Alexis, have a nice day. Goodnight.

Ten new nations joined the European Union today, including Poland. Five of us (3 Poles and 2 Americans) enjoyed a wonderful spring day driving around, we went to the high Tatra Mountains of Slovakia (see pictures below). It was interesting to see that the fence which use to be at the border is now gone, although they are still checking passports at the border (over time this will be gone too). The EU flag was flying everywhere all over Poland and Slovakia. Later in the evening we spent some time in downtown Zakopane, where people were celebrating with family (today is also Poland’s Labor Day). It was neat just to observe it all.

Gondola ride up the High Tatra’s.

The amazing view looking up.

Kate, Sabina, Paulina – the view looking down and across.

Starting from the girl kneeling and going clock-wise – Sabina, Paulina, Me, Kate and the mountains behind us.

A popular Slovakian town, the rain was about to come, but I got this great shot just before.

I’m just praying, I once thought it was okay, but there is no way now. The unfortunate thing is that gay-marriage supporters think Christians hate homosexuals… WRONG… only some say that.