Green Day

I cannot do this article justice with a synopsis, so I will simply provide a link. A recent article in the NY Times outlines the often hidden costs of diving head first into renewable resources. As with all things in life, you must look before you leap. Recent, well-meaning, laws and government initiatives have met with great public approval, but may be leading us in environmentally costly and damaging directions.

The following op-ed piece does a superb job of examining the potential pitfalls of recent decision-making and legislation: The Gas is Greener by Robert Bryce.

Back from Pilgrimage

And we're BACK! After three weeks of trecking through the Holy Land and following in the footsteps of Jesus, I'm back. From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea to Jericho, Bethlehem and Jerusalem (plus stops in Haifa and Akko), and all the way down to the Red Sea and over to Cairo, this trip covered most of the land JC walked. I took lots of pictures and kept a very detailed journal. I will share from that journal in the coming days, but for now, you can find the pictures in these Facebook albums. You do NOT need to create a FB account to see them, if you don't yet have one. I was able to see many of the holy sites where Jesus and his disciples and family went and to read the stories there. I was also able to meet people of many faith traditions and other believers from all over the world and hear their stories. Enjoy...


Pictures of the Young Adults who went to Israel on Pilgrimage

Pictures of my first week on my own (Haifa, Akko and Jerusalem)

Pictures of my second week on my own (Eilat, Cairo and Jerusalem)

ETA

Our current best guess in optimum traffic conditions is to be in Denver between 3:45 and 4:15pm MST. See you then!

Rise and shine and find the golden arches

Now in:
413 S Lakeside Dr
Amarillo‎ Texas‎ 79118

Guessing that barring traffic, we'll be home around 5pm MST.

Where are we now?

Childress, TX

GPS says we'll arrive in Denver at 4pm. However, the GPS isn't counting on 50 teenagers stopping for breakfast and lunch.

On the road

Just stopped at:
2311 Jacksboro Hwy
Wichita Falls‎ Texas‎ 76301

ETA

We are on our way home! We left at about 9pm (CST) [8pm MST]. We are hoping to be in about 4 or 5pm tomorrow (Saturday- MST). I will update this post every 6 hours. See y'all soon!

More Mission Pictures

Just a few more pictures here.

Mission Update

Our group has been working hard here in Galveston. They've all been working on 5 different worksites to do work for homeowners and organizations here.

Steve has taken more pictures, which you can see here.

Some Pictures from Galveston

Steve Cearley has been taking pictures of our youth down here in Galveston. You can see his pictures here: pics.

Arrived!

All 46 youth and 9 adults are safe and sound in Galveston, TX! Thanks for your prayers! More soon.

MISSION TRIP

We Leave this Saturday, June 11th for the Youth Mission Trip to Galveston, TX for hurricane relief work. We'll be partnering with One Mission Galveston to help families whose homes and lives were torn apart by Hurricane Ike.

I'll post on this blog when we arrive on Sunday and again on Friday to let all you parents know our return ETA. Cell phone numbers for me and a few other leaders are in your inboxes. If there is an emergency, contact one of us. No youth should have a cell phone with them. Thank you!

It’s not in the Bible

Demitri Martin has said that “sort of” is a harmless phrase. Although sometimes it can mean everything. Like after certain phrases… “I love you…” “You’re going to live…” “It’s a boy!”

This is true of the phrase, “It’s not in the Bible.” There are variations of course. “Jesus never mentioned it.” "Paul never wrote about it." 'Moses never told a joke about it." Now sometimes this is a really helpful point. Other times, it’s quite misleading.

Does the Bible ever use the words “nuclear bombs” or “chemical weapons" or even "asassination?” No. Does the Bible have things to say about how we treat our neighbors and our enemies? You betcha!

Does Jesus ever discuss cocaine or huffing? Not in my version of the NT. Does Jesus talk about all of us being God’s children, about our bodies as temples and a gift from God? Does he tell us to love ourselves that we might love others? You better believe it.

When thinking about these topics, it would seem like saying “It’s not in the Bible” or “Jesus never talked about it,” could always be dangerous. However, when followed up with… “But the Bible does say….” Or “Jesus did teach…” it can be a useful tool for studying scripture.

“The Bible doesn’t use the phrase ‘premarital sex.’” True, but it does talk an awful lot about the power and consequences of sex, including a heck of a lot of illustrative cautionary tales. It does talk a lot about the special gift from God. It does have a lot to say about loving others as you love yourselves and not ever taking advantage of other people and has a lot to say about relying on God to resist temptations. And just as importantly, it has a lot to say about making mistakes and the overabundance of God’s forgiveness and expectation that we do the same.

“Jesus never utters a word about homosexuality.” True. And he does have tons to say about loving one another, seeking God’s will as found in the holy texts and words of the prophets. And Jesus has a whole lot to say about loving others, feeding the poor, visiting the sick and imprisoned, sheltering the homeless and standing up for the downtrodden. How we doing on that?

Now, admittedly, as a Presbyterian, born and raised, my first instinct to a moral or social quandary is maybe not to say to their friends, “I wonder what the Bible says.” (I'm working on this, thanks to some non-Presbyterian friends) But the next time someone says, “that’s not even addressed in the Bible,” I challenge you to say, “are you sure that’s entirely true?”

Guest Post: Why [mere] Tolerance is not a Christian response

Guest Post from Shawn Smucker, with permission. You can find him here.

Why Tolerance is not a Christian Response

“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, TOLERATE your enemies!” Matthew 5:43 – 44

“Honor your father and mother. TOLERATE your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:19

“I command you to TOLERATE each other in the same way that I TOLERATE you.” John 15:12

* * * * *

I have four children, ages seven, six, three and one. Having them around the house is a hoot. Even this morning as I write, the two youngest have managed to climb over the sofa and wedge themselves between the wall, the sofa and the coffee table. And now they’re stuck.

My kids love each other. Don’t get me wrong – they fight and scratch and claw like any other kids. They have their selfish moments, their irrational outbursts. But at heart they are great friends and enjoy each other’s company.

They love each other. I do everything in my power to keep it that way, because they’re my kids and I want them to love each other as much as I love them. Experiencing moments where they genuinely care for one another can be some of the most moving times of my life.

Would I ever want them to get to a place where they were only tolerant of each other? No way.

* * * * *

In case you didn’t realize it, I altered the verses above, substituting the word “love” with the world “tolerate.”

We are not called to tolerate people, although in the current world system tolerance has become a virtue of sorts. See, tolerance is a superficial action that has little power to bring about actual change. When we tolerate people, our goal is strictly modifying our external behavior. I can tolerate someone in public and still talk about them when they’re not around. I can tolerate someone and still end up perpetuating stereotypes.

Love is so different from this.

I think turning to tolerance is a natural response in the face of conflict or injustice. I can understand why we call for tolerance, when so many people treat each other with such incredible hate. While tolerance might be part of a process, it can never be our end goal.

Perhaps at some point tolerance can be helpful in bringing two people into the same room, but it is not a long term solution for conflict, inequality or misunderstanding. Tolerance alone cannot change societies or transform hearts. Tolerance cannot keep the peace for an extended period of time.

Only love can do that.

Green Day

The US Postal Service is Going Green!

The Go Green (Forever®) stamps have cartoon depictions of simple things everyone can do to make a difference.

Recycling just one aluminum can reduces waste and saves enough energy to run a computer for three hours. Imagine the effect, if everyone in your neighborhood did that. Simple insulation like caulking or weatherstripping pays for itself in reduced utility bills in under a year. Properly inflating your car tires improves gas mileage by up to 3%.