Tag Archives: Italy

Cleansing Fire (Day 2) – God of Purpose & Plan

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Day Two – The God of Purpose and Plan
You’ll see all this and burst with joy —you’ll feel ten feet tall— As it becomes apparent that God is on your side and against his enemies. For God arrives like wildfire and his chariots like a tornado, A furious outburst of anger, a rebuke fierce and fiery. For it’s by fire that God brings judgment, a death sentence on the human race. Many, oh so many, are under God’s sentence of death. Isaiah 66:14-16

Of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah understood the big picture of God’s plan more than any. In our passage today it is clear that God has a people called and chosen for Himself, and He will protect them from the enemy. Verse 16 states that fire represents God’s judgment on those who are aligned against Him. He also reminds us that there are many who stand under this fire of judgment today, and we can almost hear in His voice His grief for those far and separated from Him. Now compare these verses with the following from later in this passage: “I know everything they’ve ever done or thought. I’m going to come and then gather everyone—all nations, all languages. They’ll come and see my glory. I’ll set up a station at the center. I’ll send the survivors of judgment all over the world: Spain and Africa, Turkey and Greece, and the far-off islands that have never heard of me, who know nothing of what I’ve done nor who I am. I’ll send them out as missionaries to preach my glory among the nations. They’ll return with all your long-lost brothers and sisters from all over the world. They’ll bring them back and offer them in living worship to God. Isaiah 66:18-20
Ask God for many “long-lost brothers and sisters” to come to Him through our work, and through your testimony of his “glory” and of what he has done and who he is. Decide now what adjustment in your time management can help your life give more room for these verses that express the plan of God for the world? Make a note to yourself to adjust your calendar to fit your new plan.

All For Him – Rick

Cleansing Fire (Day 1) – Facing the Truth

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Facing Truth
1-4 When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, “Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what’s happened to him?” So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me.” They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool.
21 Moses said to Aaron, “What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?” 22-23 Aaron said, “Master, don’t be angry. You know this people and how set on evil they are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. This Moses, the man who brought us out of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him.’ 24 “So I said, ‘Who has gold?’ And they took off their jewelry and gave it to me. I threw it in the fire and out came this calf.” Exodus 32

Think about the timeline this story follows. Moses goes with Joshua up the mountain to meet God. It takes longer than the people thought, and they grumble. Aaron is in charge, and to appease the people he calls for the ingredients for a self-made god. The gold piles up, the fires blaze, and out pops a calf-idol. Read verse 4 and verse 24 and see how Aaron “adjusts” his words so he could pass the blame to the people. Can you reconcile what happened in verse four and what Aaron says happened in verse 24? (It echoes back to the Garden – “It was the woman that you gave me, she made me eat the fruit…”)
How does this relate to us? God calls us to both follow the Truth, and live in truth. Being truthful means not “adjusting the story” to make ourselves look good. We all can do this at times, if we are careless with our words. One writer has said, “the truth is always our ally.” How are you letting truth be your ally? What one most important area comes to mind that facing the truth is the best thing you can start doing? Ask God for wisdom, strength, and the right counsel to let truth be your ally in the area He shows you. If you have a journal, make notes from your devotions these next fifteen days. If not, your application is to find or buy a journal or diary.

All For Him,
Rick

Plowing New Ground

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I am in month eight of language classes, and I feel like I have just begun to understand a little of what I hear and read. On occasion I can even follow one sentence with another in conversation.  The “language acquisition experts” (read: my wife) say that learning a new language in later years (not sure what she means with that) requires that the mind reopen channels of learning that have hardened and closed. I wondered what that loud noise was in my head each night when I go to bed!

There is an incredible beauty to the Italian language, and the Italian people who speak it. It shouts, it caresses, it sings, it embraces, and it kisses you on both cheeks. I can hardly wait till I get past the present tense! I have heard a lot of people say – I love Italy! For someone to say he is in love with Italy would be a  claim that’s hard to pin down. Are you in love her people, her statues, her climate – which runs the length of the thermometer, her night life, her food, her pace of life,  her diversity?

My first impression is that, to fall in love with Italy is to first fall in love with her land, mountains, valleys — her soil and rock and water. Italians come and go, but Italy’s soil has always been. Deep, rich, smelly close up; and everywhere you go, the Alps, the coasts, the plains, the Apennines, have and are shaping the region. Her land is her life. The continuity of what Italy means. That’s why Italians are so picky about their food. You eat what is in season, from you garden or local if possible, but from Italy by all means. Very little preservatives, and if you have any dirt at all, you create a garden.

My first drive south from Torre Pellice to Perugia through the Apennines, I fell in love with Italy’s land. Everywhere I look, even from the coast, I see hills, mountains, fields of whatever is in season. Spring is just greening here, and the vines and kiwis and orchards are coming alive with promise of a good season of fruitfulness. But it’s not just the food it produces as much as the lifestyle that is tied to her soil.

One of my favorite stories is of Jesus describing how seed fits into soil, and how soil is sometimes resistant to the seed. Because it is busy trying to grow other stuff not nearly as fulfilling. Because it cannot get past the worries of today and see the joyful potential of the harvest. Or because it has been pounded on by life, or has rejected seeds for year, and is crusted over. The one thing in common in each of these is a dire need to be worked by the Farmer. If I could ask you to pray for one thing over the next year for me, it would be… God, keep Rick’s soil turned and ready for seed, and let Rick and Susan and Rachael plant good seed wherever and whenever they can. And let the soil be fertile and ready for the seed to sprout and bear fruit all over Italy… and beyond! And where it is not ready, let it be open to the touch of the Master Farmer.

All For Him – from the Fields,
Rick

In Answer to the Number One Question

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13:55 Friday, 13 March 2009

I can’t describe the feelings Susan and I get when we receive some sort of connection from a friend. Being on the field, away from friends, and still learning the language is sometimes like being a huge isolation chamber. One is aware of the surroundings but hits a wall in the amount and depth of interaction. So, a card, a SKYPE call, an email, a facebook post or note — each time I see in our box downstairs something other than a “publicita'” from the local grocer, or one my computer a little red number indicating someone may have written on my wall, I get a certain lift inside or a fresh burst of energy. So, thank you, wonderful friends, who have written, mailed, called, or some other way let us know you are there, praying for us and remembering us.

The most popular question lately has been a variation of “So, how’s the language coming?” From a Georgia friend, its more, “So, hair yall doin with Etalyon?” There are ways to answer this that sound great, and not so great. Compared to August a year ago, I have come a long, long way from only reciting 1 to 12 and the primary colors. I can count upwards of a thousand now, and know “blu” can be “azurre” or “celeste.”

I can sit in church and understand, when I concentrate, about 60-70% of what goes on, and I don’t break out in a cold sweat when I am at a cash register or restaurant. I am able to negotiate my way around the piazza market on Fridays and when I lead a Bible study, I occasionally break out in Italian, and understand more than 80% up close one-on-one. The not-so-great part is, I am still far from conversational (after a few sentences, I get stuck) and it takes a huge act of will to concentrate on understanding and responding for more than an hour or two. Classes help; conversations help more; being in an Italian Small Group study (I am leading the new men’s study – or “Man Study” as one calls it – at church) is the real gift God has provided.

Our “lingua Italiana” instructor asks us occasionally to write about things in our life. This week, she asked us to write about a famous landmark or statue in America. I, in one of my weirder moments, bypassed stone mountains, and presidential monuments, and chose one that is perhaps more famous in Atlanta than any of those. Below, by popular request, is the Italian version (corrected by the teacher, as I really have trouble matching prepositions and articles with nouns for some reason.) If you have trouble figuring it out, there is always www.freetranslation.com.

“Vicino ad Atlanta, c’e’ un monumento famoso in tutto il mondo. Che e’ alto quasi quindici metri e si trova alla destra della strada inportante nel’ villagio di Marietta di fronte all’ ristorante famose per i panini di cotoletta. Il colore del monumento e’ bianco e rosso. Si chiama Il Pollo Grande.”

Ciao from your monumentally serious friend in Italy!

Surprise Visits

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One of my “jobs” is to visit different churches and connect with pastors and church leaders to see if we are on target with our ministry … our ministry here is to encourage and train the Church in evangelism, disciple-making, leader development, and missions. Yes, I love my job! I still can hardly believe I get to do this.

Over the weekend, a team of six from our staff traveled to Torino to connect with a large youth event. A dozen or so churches, more than that many leaders and pastors, about 300 youth, and a kickin’ worship band. They were of the pentecostal flavor in most every way that label offers. And for about three hours, so was I. Yes, my “worship tank” had been running low until this weekend…

The songs were good, harmonies were on target, pace was wonderful (it was good to have some “free worship” time to connect with the God who loves worship), and the musicians really worshiped with their drums, keyboard, and guitars.

Worship is so much more than that, however. Worship is a pouring out (heart, fears, hopes, sins, words of intimacy) and a pouring in (mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, understanding, renewed passion.) Worship is a connection… a re-establishing of the heart to heart communion we all long for. Worship is an abandoning of all thoughts of independence or adequacy to the One Who loves unconditionally.

The surprise visit of God’s touch came not in a song, or word, or message. It came as a little boy.

While we were worshiping and lifting refreshingly new holy hands to God, this kid ran by, and ran by again… and again. He was about eight or nine. And he just had to run. (I know I sound like I’m going “gump” on you here.)

I am guessing he didn’t ask his parents, and he probably didn’t evaluate the timing, or check in with his mentor, and I’m sure it wasn’t on his objectives list. He just ran, back and forth. Some times his head was held high. Other times, his eyes were low and focused on… I have no idea what.

And it was done with such abandon. Oh, to worship, intercede, and serve with such focused abandon. It doesn’t matter what others think or say. It doesn’t matter what label I am given. Pentecostal, Charismatic, Third Wave, Evangelical, Protestant, whatever. Just do it with abandon.

Jesus admired this quality kids have. Yes, at least one day in his life, they were likely running back and forth while the disciples were trying to accomplish God’s will. But instead of hushing them, or stopping them, he invited them to his lap to take a breather… and to be blessed and encouraged in their abandoned passion.

Luke records that Jesus said one time, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

My western mind has trouble absorbing this verse. But if you follow Christ in a culture that considers naming Jesus as Lord to be a heresy or act of defiance, then yes it does look like hatred toward parents, culture, or whatever else keeps you “in line.” And if you follow Christ in the West in a way more passionate than “the crowd” you will be looked on with wary eyes.

Abandon reputation, all you who enter here… into the abandoned, passionate walk of the disciple of Jesus. And keep running, straight to His lap.

In The Running – Rick