Where in the World are You?

I was reading Matthew 28:18-20 today as I am suppose to keep up the Hisportic Christian Mission facebook page. The first part commands us to go and make disciples of all the nations. It got me to thinking about the world we live in now. Much of the world has come to us here in the United States and Canada. I know that Toronto is the hub for every nation in the world. Every ethnicity group lives in that city. Many of our own US cities have numerous ethnic groups living in them. Even here in Vancouver, you will find myriad groups from all over the world. Many of them are American born and raised but their ancestry is rooted in far away places.

You’re probably thinking, ‘well, Anna, all of our families came from another country at some point,’ and you’d be right. My point is that we don’t have to go further than our grocery store to meet the world. We all can’t go to other lands to share the Word of God, but we can talk to those in our own neighborhoods.

I must admit that I have struggled with getting to know people who do not share the same heritage as I do. Not because of their skin color but because I’m afraid of offending them. But each time I step through those barriers and get to know someone, I find we have so much in common. And I wonder why I was so hesitant.

When I visited in Toronto a couple of years ago, I had the awesome opportunity to worship with a body of believers who came from over 20 different countries. And I thought about how this was an example of how it will be in heaven. ‘Every tongue will confess, every knee will bow, at the name of Jesus.’  Why? Because we followed Jesus’ command and went to all the nations, far and wide and right here in our neighborhood.

Will you be there with the rest of the nations? Would you like to know more about having a relationship with Jesus? Contact me and we can discuss it.

Blessings,

Anna

This week’s ministry news… for the week of Feb. 20th

Sat., Feb. 23                Free Dinner and Movie                        6 PM

This is open to anyone who would like to attend. The movie will be appropriate for all ages. You do not have to attend our church to come. Just show up and enjoy a meal and movie.

Tues., Feb. 26              Outreach Meeting                    6 PM

This meeting will be primarily concerned with planning VBS. Anyone from the church body who would like to attend is welcome.

Lazy Writer

Okay, so I'm lazy about this blogging thing. The thing is that I write all week. I create a bulletin for the church I attend. I put together and write almost every article for our monthly newsletter. I write a weekly update that goes out to those who have an email address. I create posters to promote most of the events that go on at church. In othe words, I write every day. Just not here. I'm going to try to write more often. That would be a novel thing. Oh yeah, did i mention that I write novels? I'd like to be published someday. I'm just too lazy to send stuff in. Who wants someone who is too lazy to push herself into doing what it takes to become published.

One goal down. Write on my blog. Next, write a query letter and synopsis to send out to publishers. Is it laziness or fear?

Past times vs now

Stories have always been a part of my life. I listened to my grandmother tell stories about her life growing up in Utah in the late 1800's and early 1900's. I've always been amazed at what these early Americans went through. We complain about such meaningless stuff. They lived without electricity, in door plumbing, no cars, phones, tv's, computers etc. Family meant every thing to them. They worked as a unit to survive.

Today's family unit, seems to go in multi directions away from each other. Each is wrapped in his or her own electronic gadget. Even the smallest child seems to be engrossed in it's own little world.

I love having a computer. It keeps me in touch with my family. I can see pictures of my grandbaby 300 miles away. I can chat in real time with any of my kids. I can share my stories here. Is our time better or worse than the previous one? I really can't answer that. There are many things I would not want to return to, but sometimes I think the world just gets smaller and smaller, all the while getting noisier and noisier.

Our hope is found in Jesus Christ

I watched a youtube video yesterday about the differences of a Christ follower and a Christian. Unfortunately the label Christian creates a picture of a stuffy, overly pious person who says one thing but actually does the opposite. I think most of the time these people are oblivious to the perception they portray. I have begun to intentionally think about how I act and think around those who are not believers. It's a tough balancing act.
The Bible is clear on some lifestyle choices which just can't be tolerated, but yet we are told to love the person. We must meet them where they are, not where we are. Jesus met the hurting masses where they were, not in the Temple (with the exception of the time when he was 12).

Therefore, the phrase Christ follower works better for me now. I'm trying to follow Jesus' example. He came to show us who God is. He came to model how we should communicate with God first and then with those around us. He came to be the sacrificial lamb so there would never need to be another sacrifice. He paid our debt of sin, once and for all. But He didn't just die, He rose again. There is life after this life. There is life with God if we accept what Jesus did for us and live our life relationally with Him.

Farewell Jake

He came into our lives 7 years ago. Eager to please, loving, a constant companion was our Jake, a wonderful Cocker Spaniel. He loved people of all ages. He was basically a well behaved dog who knew when he needed to back off and when to give us love. He loved going with us in the car on trips.

His bright eyes, and constant wagging tail were a constant sign of his happy state. He followed us around in the house, keeping vigil when we were invovlved in a project in whatever room we were in. When one of us was gone, he'd wandered from one room to another and back to the back door until the person missing came home. He was the biggest moocher, begging with his adorable sad, puppy-brown eyes.

No dog will ever replace you, Jake. You were one in a million. We miss you and will always have good memories of our years together. We were so blessed to have you as a part of our lives.

Regular flu bug bit and took me down!

I never thought I'd be gone from here for so long. However, the flu bug got me. Not the Swine flu, just the normal stuff. It just knocked me over the head in the middle of the night just before Easter. I slept for the better part of 2 days. My husband woke me up to drink water, Sprite. He was an awesome guy. He took such good care of me. He's always been good to me when I'm physically, spiritually and emotionally weak and down. Not that he isn't good to me the rest of the time but when one is ill, it's especially appreciated.

Anyway, I was so sick that I took a sick day from work. I've never done that, but I was so weak! Even after I went back to work, I didn't do much after work. Now I'm back to having energy when I get home. Life feels good again. I don't get really sick very often but this really laid me low.

Blogging has become a fun past time for me. Learning how to put new elements into the blog has been a little exasperating but also exhilerating as well. The thing I like about technology, at least the creative part of it, is how it makes your brain have to problem solve. I grew up in a time and place where regurgitating information was the norm. We weren't suppose to have original ideas or try to think outside the box. However, many of my compatriots did break out of the sand box, refusing to be pidgeon-holed into what the preceding generation thought we should be. I did not rebel. I merely watched from the sidelines, sometimes applauding the changes and sometimes, turning my back on the behaviour.

The computer has opened my eyes to so many possibilities. There is a world at my fingertips now. I can readily access other people's ideas and creative minds in the punch of a button. I can share my thoughts with whomever chooses to read my words. There is power in this technology that was not there in past technologies. Writing utensils were useful but it took time and much effort to share your thoughts with others. Not so, anymore.

Web technology is only going to become increasingly powerful with all the social networks that are out there. Commerce has already begun to change because of it. The publishing world is feeling the effects of people gaining their news from the internet instead of the newspaper. Even the TV news people are beginning to use twitter to share what others are thinking about current events.

Some deplore the use of the internet, web blogging, social networking and sharing our hearts with complete strangers, but whether we like it or not, it's here to stay and our way of doing life has, and will, continue to change because of it.