Saturday, June 17, 2006
When God Comes Down
The narrative of the
However, the inhabitants of the
Considering that the energy with which we can set ourselves to try to erect the towers of our group identity at the peril of all others, we can ask ourselves: Could it be that being scattered, more than being a curse would be God’s blessed way of liberating us from becoming self enclosed to the extent of turning into a rigid “insider’s club”. God “went down” and intervened in favor of diversity. It was only after the inhabitants were prevented from building a colossal “city” that they were able to begin building different and distinct “cities” in places where they were once again scattered.
The same type of openness and sending occurred in the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5-12). God “comes down” upon those that were gathered in the upper room and they go out to speak in a way that others could understand them. With that initial impulse the apostles were set in a trajectory toward “the ends of the earth”. It would be only as they ventured into the foreign lands of the
The openness that Spirit carves into the heart of the community of faith prevents it from being stuck in a set conception of God, itself and those around it. The Spirit is the only impulse that can turn our often self serving institutions into communities that live in the risky reality of being sent to transform and being transformed as they go. As soon as a society, organization or church begins using all its energies to hang on to a crystallized identity, vocabulary or system of thought, it begins to die. Before God comes down our rootedness becomes confinement, our apotheosis degenerates into sclerosis. When God comes down the apparent weakness of being scattered becomes our true strength. My confidence is that the living presence of the Spirit promised by Jesus to his Church will continue to give us the courage to be the people of God scattered beyond our walls and among the often unfamiliar realities and territories of today’s society.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Friday, January 20, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
At the Bellagio- Maricela's favorite in Vegas
En el Hotel Bellagio. El favorito de Maricela en Las Vegas
Monday, December 26, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
A trip to Remember...
There are events in everyone’s life that leave a special taste in our mouth. The couple of weeks Maricela and I spent in Cancun was one of those...
Last minute changes in our flight itinerary gave us the opportunity to visit Atlanta for the first time together. MARTA (local train system) took us to some of the city’s landmarks in an only three hours!
Pilar (Juan’s mother) and Andres (brother-in-law) were waiting for us upon our arrival at Cancun International Airport. It had been five years since we had seen them last. After felt hugs and kisses we transited through the picturesque streets of Cancun on board the family car, listening to the tunes of U2’s “How to Disarm an Atomic Bomb”. Arriving at the Zambrano’s home was indeed disarming: Last time we had spent time with them (including Thania -Juan’s sister- and Mayela - niece-) was in Margarita Island in the Venezuelan Caribbean. And now, here they were, settled and prospering in a whole different country !
Cancun is a unique place. Its beaches with turquoise waters and white sand. The majestic natural beauties of the Riviera Maya with its cenotes, (sink-holes) thick tropical jungles side by side, the incredible coral reefs where schools of multi-color fish allowed us to dance with them. The quiet spirit of the local Mayan people. The awe-inspiring ruins that testify to one of the most sophisticated and long lived civilizations in human history. The glamour of the Zona Hotelera with its fancy malls, restaurants and hotels in Las Vegas style. (Juan had a great chance to reflect on his background in the hotel industry during those days). We had never seen any other place with the tourist infrastructure of the area.
In many ways, Cancun has more of what is commonly perceived as an “American feeling” and less of a “Mexican feeling” than, let’s say, East Los Angeles. We did, however, have the privilege of visiting villages in the Yucatan area that did not look like anything you would find in this country. We also got to savor the rich typical food . By the way, you may know that “burritos” are actually an American creation and not commonly found in typical food restaurants.
What we enjoyed the most was being able to spend time with our family. Although Mayela is now a very beautiful and bright young lady she preserves the sweet personality of the nine-year-old we once met for the fist time. Along with Thania and Andres, she is part of one of the most loving families we have ever seen . We were also impressed by how much all of them (including Pilar that is currently residing in Venezuela) are into health and wholeness. Not only are they in great shape but they talk as fitness and nutrition gurus.
Either watching a gorgeous sunset, enjoying an “Asadito” (Argentinean Barbeque), at a bohemian winery or simply in the Zambrano’s living room (with the loyal company of Sheri, an unforgettably smart Venezuelan poodle?), our conversation was always captivating. We recounted our memories with deeply felt gratitude to the One that made the beauty of those moments possible. Stories of people being transformed by the testimony of Christ through Thania and Pilar gave us a fresh appreciation of the powerful ways the Spirit moves:
• A single mother of two lives in desperate emotional and financial conditions. She puts her trust in Christ and regains emotional and financial stability for the first time in many years.
• A young lady is dying hopelessly in a hospital. Through intercessory prayer she instantaneously recovered in a misterious way.
• A mother that that desperately saw her son drawn into apparently hopeless drug abuse. They both find abundant life.
The gentle of breeze of Cancun… and then, the gentle breeze of the Spirit: We overheard people talking about the Way in stores, restaurants and on the beach. Beautiful praise and worship music could be heard at the “Mercado 28” (A souvenirs’ open market). As we drove in Yucatan we saw how, very often, the largest buildings in the area’s small villages where Presbyterian Churches. Worshipping at First Presbyterian Church of Cancun we learned that they have a big problem: In each of their three Sunday services their 400 seats sanctuary is filled to capacity. Theirs is only one of the seven Presbyterian churches in that town of around 800,000 people!
It’s hard not to get carried away with what God is doing among the nations. As members of a family that is scattered around the globe we are truly excited to have opportunities for witnessing of the all embracing love of the One that has called a people through which “all the families of the earth” will be blessed (Genesis 12:3, NLT)
Last minute changes in our flight itinerary gave us the opportunity to visit Atlanta for the first time together. MARTA (local train system) took us to some of the city’s landmarks in an only three hours!
Pilar (Juan’s mother) and Andres (brother-in-law) were waiting for us upon our arrival at Cancun International Airport. It had been five years since we had seen them last. After felt hugs and kisses we transited through the picturesque streets of Cancun on board the family car, listening to the tunes of U2’s “How to Disarm an Atomic Bomb”. Arriving at the Zambrano’s home was indeed disarming: Last time we had spent time with them (including Thania -Juan’s sister- and Mayela - niece-) was in Margarita Island in the Venezuelan Caribbean. And now, here they were, settled and prospering in a whole different country !
Cancun is a unique place. Its beaches with turquoise waters and white sand. The majestic natural beauties of the Riviera Maya with its cenotes, (sink-holes) thick tropical jungles side by side, the incredible coral reefs where schools of multi-color fish allowed us to dance with them. The quiet spirit of the local Mayan people. The awe-inspiring ruins that testify to one of the most sophisticated and long lived civilizations in human history. The glamour of the Zona Hotelera with its fancy malls, restaurants and hotels in Las Vegas style. (Juan had a great chance to reflect on his background in the hotel industry during those days). We had never seen any other place with the tourist infrastructure of the area.
In many ways, Cancun has more of what is commonly perceived as an “American feeling” and less of a “Mexican feeling” than, let’s say, East Los Angeles. We did, however, have the privilege of visiting villages in the Yucatan area that did not look like anything you would find in this country. We also got to savor the rich typical food . By the way, you may know that “burritos” are actually an American creation and not commonly found in typical food restaurants.
What we enjoyed the most was being able to spend time with our family. Although Mayela is now a very beautiful and bright young lady she preserves the sweet personality of the nine-year-old we once met for the fist time. Along with Thania and Andres, she is part of one of the most loving families we have ever seen . We were also impressed by how much all of them (including Pilar that is currently residing in Venezuela) are into health and wholeness. Not only are they in great shape but they talk as fitness and nutrition gurus.
Either watching a gorgeous sunset, enjoying an “Asadito” (Argentinean Barbeque), at a bohemian winery or simply in the Zambrano’s living room (with the loyal company of Sheri, an unforgettably smart Venezuelan poodle?), our conversation was always captivating. We recounted our memories with deeply felt gratitude to the One that made the beauty of those moments possible. Stories of people being transformed by the testimony of Christ through Thania and Pilar gave us a fresh appreciation of the powerful ways the Spirit moves:
• A single mother of two lives in desperate emotional and financial conditions. She puts her trust in Christ and regains emotional and financial stability for the first time in many years.
• A young lady is dying hopelessly in a hospital. Through intercessory prayer she instantaneously recovered in a misterious way.
• A mother that that desperately saw her son drawn into apparently hopeless drug abuse. They both find abundant life.
The gentle of breeze of Cancun… and then, the gentle breeze of the Spirit: We overheard people talking about the Way in stores, restaurants and on the beach. Beautiful praise and worship music could be heard at the “Mercado 28” (A souvenirs’ open market). As we drove in Yucatan we saw how, very often, the largest buildings in the area’s small villages where Presbyterian Churches. Worshipping at First Presbyterian Church of Cancun we learned that they have a big problem: In each of their three Sunday services their 400 seats sanctuary is filled to capacity. Theirs is only one of the seven Presbyterian churches in that town of around 800,000 people!
It’s hard not to get carried away with what God is doing among the nations. As members of a family that is scattered around the globe we are truly excited to have opportunities for witnessing of the all embracing love of the One that has called a people through which “all the families of the earth” will be blessed (Genesis 12:3, NLT)
Monday, August 15, 2005
Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta
En nuestras recientes vacaciones a Cancun nuestro vuelo hizo escala nada mas y nada menos que en Atlanta. Que buena oportunidad de mostrarle a Maricela un poco de los encantos de la ciudad a la que viajo con frecuencia
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Andrew Walls on the Conversion and Christianity....
The nature of conversion is not a matter of content, but of direction, not of substituting something new for something old, but about reordering the elements that are already there so that they may face toward Christ. Christian history takes its significance from the totality of cross-cultural expressions, not from any one of them, and from the totality of historical expressions, not from any one of them. Christianity is of its essence incremental and cross- generational; a multireel cinema film, not a studio portrait.
Andrew Walls is Professor Emeritus at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, Edinburgh University
Quartz Hill Presbyterian Church recently celebrated the "Jerusalem Marketplace", a five-day event with for families pointing to the Messiah. Maricela had stellar participations in the skits and Juan thought at the "Synagogue School" and / La Iglesia Presbiteriana de Quartz Hill recientemente celebro un evento de cinco dias titulado "El Mercado de Jerusalem" con la intencion de invitar a familias a experimentar el amor del Mesias. Maricela se lucio con sus habilidades teatrales y Juan enseno en la "Sinagoga"
Friday, July 15, 2005
WISDOM FROM THE CONGO
I found the reflection below at the web log of Rick Ufford-Chase , the moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly. Are we willing to learn from what the Spirit is doing in other parts of the world?
Evangelism and Church Growth in the Congo
Friends,
After dinner, our conversation broadened to include the rest of the group, and Jean Marie (Vice-Moderator of the General Assembly) asked her favorite question. Though their church obviously faces many challenges in a country that is both unimaginably poor and caught in seemingly never-ending cycles of war and conflict, their numbers continue to grow. What advice can they offer their sisters and brothers in the Presbyterian Church (USA) about evangelization and church growth?
In response, Pastor Chibemba offered these suggestions:
He said that we must start and end with prayer and that everything we do must be reinforced with prayer. “When we confront great challenges in my church,” he said, “we begin by forming groups to be in prayer about that matter, and we pray continuously for God’s intervention.”
Second, Chibemba suggested that we must share with people in their hardships. We must be with people who are in need and let them know that the God loves them, Jesus Christ died for them, and the Church cares about them. This is the work of accompaniment with God’s people who are most desperate and most in need.
“Next,” Chibemba said, “we must commit to real evangelization – the kind that trusts our lay people in the church to invite others to know Christ. We must give them more responsibility, not less responsibility.” Later, in another conversation, he elaborated on this theme by suggesting that if a pastor doesn’t train the lay people to share their faith with confidence, the church can only grow by the number of people the pastor can get to know personally. However, if the pastor commits to trusting the lay people, the work grows exponentially and the possibilities for church growth are limitless.
Chibemba stressed another important point that I think our pastors could learn a great deal from. He said that when someone leaves his church, he goes to meet with that person. He asks why they are leaving, and if they are angry, he tries to reconcile with them. He insisted that no one leaves his church without his following up to find out what has happened to cause them to do so.
“Another thing to remember is that one of our greatest strengths can also be one of our great weaknesses,” Chibemba added. “We are a church of tradition, and that can help us to survive over long periods of time. However, it is also a great danger. The danger is that many will block innovation, especially in worship, and our liturgy will become routine and boring.” Chibemba said he is constantly challenged, especially by the young people in his church, to keep worship alive and vibrant and interesting. He said that in his experience, renewing our worship will threaten many people, and they will oppose our efforts. “We must have the strength to overcome their opposition,” he said. “We will have to be strong in prayer, extremely wise, and strong-hearted if we are to keep our worship full of God’s spirit.”
Finally, Chibemba suggested that we should travel and experience other churches in order to find our own renewal. He said that their children were being brought up to be good church members, but they were leaving for more exciting churches and those other churches were reaping the harvest that their church had sown. “We had to try to understand what the kids needed, and then we had to be willing to change,” he said.
Wisdom from under the Mango Tree! Please continue to hold our delegation and the people of the Presbyterian Churches of the Congo in your prayers.
Rick
Friends,
After dinner, our conversation broadened to include the rest of the group, and Jean Marie (Vice-Moderator of the General Assembly) asked her favorite question. Though their church obviously faces many challenges in a country that is both unimaginably poor and caught in seemingly never-ending cycles of war and conflict, their numbers continue to grow. What advice can they offer their sisters and brothers in the Presbyterian Church (USA) about evangelization and church growth?
In response, Pastor Chibemba offered these suggestions:
He said that we must start and end with prayer and that everything we do must be reinforced with prayer. “When we confront great challenges in my church,” he said, “we begin by forming groups to be in prayer about that matter, and we pray continuously for God’s intervention.”
Second, Chibemba suggested that we must share with people in their hardships. We must be with people who are in need and let them know that the God loves them, Jesus Christ died for them, and the Church cares about them. This is the work of accompaniment with God’s people who are most desperate and most in need.
“Next,” Chibemba said, “we must commit to real evangelization – the kind that trusts our lay people in the church to invite others to know Christ. We must give them more responsibility, not less responsibility.” Later, in another conversation, he elaborated on this theme by suggesting that if a pastor doesn’t train the lay people to share their faith with confidence, the church can only grow by the number of people the pastor can get to know personally. However, if the pastor commits to trusting the lay people, the work grows exponentially and the possibilities for church growth are limitless.
Chibemba stressed another important point that I think our pastors could learn a great deal from. He said that when someone leaves his church, he goes to meet with that person. He asks why they are leaving, and if they are angry, he tries to reconcile with them. He insisted that no one leaves his church without his following up to find out what has happened to cause them to do so.
“Another thing to remember is that one of our greatest strengths can also be one of our great weaknesses,” Chibemba added. “We are a church of tradition, and that can help us to survive over long periods of time. However, it is also a great danger. The danger is that many will block innovation, especially in worship, and our liturgy will become routine and boring.” Chibemba said he is constantly challenged, especially by the young people in his church, to keep worship alive and vibrant and interesting. He said that in his experience, renewing our worship will threaten many people, and they will oppose our efforts. “We must have the strength to overcome their opposition,” he said. “We will have to be strong in prayer, extremely wise, and strong-hearted if we are to keep our worship full of God’s spirit.”
Finally, Chibemba suggested that we should travel and experience other churches in order to find our own renewal. He said that their children were being brought up to be good church members, but they were leaving for more exciting churches and those other churches were reaping the harvest that their church had sown. “We had to try to understand what the kids needed, and then we had to be willing to change,” he said.
Wisdom from under the Mango Tree! Please continue to hold our delegation and the people of the Presbyterian Churches of the Congo in your prayers.
Rick
Monday, May 30, 2005
Stuff that has influenced me recently
Reading:
- Entreprenurial Faith. Kirbyjon Caldawell & Walt Kallestad
- A Scandalous Prophet. The Way of Mission after Newbigin. Foust, Hunsberger, Kirk, Ustorf. (Editors)
- Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth. Walter Brueggemann
Listening:
Several lectures by N.T. Wright
- Entreprenurial Faith. Kirbyjon Caldawell & Walt Kallestad
- A Scandalous Prophet. The Way of Mission after Newbigin. Foust, Hunsberger, Kirk, Ustorf. (Editors)
- Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth. Walter Brueggemann
Listening:
Several lectures by N.T. Wright
Thursday, May 12, 2005
On being church...
The most important contribution that the Church can make to a new social order is to be itself a new social order.
-Bishop Lesslie Newbigin
The church is the church only when it exists for others.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
A homogeneous church in a heterogeneous society is an ecclesiastical heresy.
-Jorge Lara-Braud, Church & Society Magazine, March/April 1986, p 20
-Bishop Lesslie Newbigin
The church is the church only when it exists for others.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
A homogeneous church in a heterogeneous society is an ecclesiastical heresy.
-Jorge Lara-Braud, Church & Society Magazine, March/April 1986, p 20
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Thoughts I came across
- "Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living" (Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan. Professor of History at Yale Univerity. Recently converted from Lutheranism to the Easter Orthodox Faith)
- "Skill is what a man possesses. Genius is what possesses a man" (In a documentary on Ludwig van Beethoven)
- "Christ is not just a man doing human things divinely, like any saint or seer, but a man doing divine things humanly" (Dr. Vinoth Ramachandra from Sri Lanka , in a recent lecture)
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