I sent out our family’s email version of the May work report a couple of days ago.  And it was really long.  So I’ve decided to break it up into sections here on the blog.  Today’s installment is the “Family and Life” segment. 

Also — and because I’ve shortened your reading for the day, my friends — I’m going to add in a few extra of life’s anecdotes.

Family and Life

• Baylor and Harper are happily growing girls.  Baylor’s current favorite things are playing with her friends, practicing her letter sounds, and the Veggie Tales Jonah movie.  Harper loves to ride around on her little blue car, say “cheers!” and eat pudding pops.
• A few days ago Baylor was going on and on about how great a mama Christie is.  I agreed with her and echoed how lucky we both are to have the mama that we do in our family.  That’s when she added, “Yeah, I’ve decided I don’t want a different mama.”
• Later that evening, when it was nearly time to go to sleep, Baylor asked — as she does every night — if mama could take her to bed.  I told her it was my turn to tuck her in and that I was really looking forward to it.  That’s when she told me she wanted a different baba.  I sat with her a while to try and get to the bottom of this (I mean what’s not to like?), and it became clear that she didn’t actually want to replace me.  ”No, baba, I DO want you to be my baba; I just want a different baba, too.  I want TWO babas.”  Trying to turn this into a teachable moment, I reminded her that she does have two babas — one here on earth (that’s me) and one Father in heaven.  She said she already knew that, but “I want you to switch.  I want God to be my regular baba.”

This looks like a tiny pool. It’s not. Our oldest daughter is now 8’-4” and close to 400 pounds.

• Christie was not only accepted to Lincoln Christian University’s graduate program in TESOL, but she also received a full tuition scholarship!  She’s in her second semester and will graduate August 2014.  
• The McNeal family moved back to the US in March.  We miss them a great deal, but are happy for the four years we were able to share with them here in Tanzania.  We remain in Geita with the Groen family.

Leave a comment if you want to order a T-shirt, and I’ll send you details.

• Red Knot Racing Company, LLC, Brett’s running tourism agency is operating and has already made a couple of bucks.  If you know a runner who might want to race the Kilimanjaro Marathon with us in March 2014, please direct them my way.  I can promise them not only a marathon in the shadows of Africa’s highest mountain, but a pretty incredible wildlife viewing experience as well.  Our goal is to be able to pay our own salary for mission work by the year 2020.
• The Harrison family is hosting two summer interns who will arrive on June 9.  Will Ready is from Auburn University, and Daniel Arnette is from Troy University.  We’re looking forward to having them with us for eight weeks to share in both life and work.
• We likely (nearly?) have great news concerning schooling for our girls!  There is an international school in the nearby gold mine whose student population is about half Tanzanian and half expat (what we see as a great opportunity for our children).  We’ve been interested in the school for some time, but it’s quite expensive and we weren’t sure if it would be possible for our family.  The school, though, is interested in offering our mission team discounted (or even free) tuition if we can recruit and supply a teacher (or two) in the future.  Many mission teams recruit teachers for the children on their team, but we see this as an incredible opportunity for our children to benefit from being part of a larger school (30 students) in which they can participate in sports and social activities while learning in classes with several kids their own ages. 
• Please be praying that:
  • Our team will indeed indeed come to an agreement with the school and mine administration.
  • We will then be able to recruit a few teachers to start work in fall 2014.
  • Our family will be able to figure out a situation for Baylor’s (and later Harper’s) transportation to the school each day.

Harper and her favorite hobby… deciding what to devour next. She just finished off the neighbor kids. [How did you think Baylor got so big? By eating rice and beans?]

• On August 6, we’ll board a plane for our second trip back to the US!  We’re looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible during our furlough.  [Only a small handful of you have gotten the chance to meet Harper.]  Here’s a rough calendar of our time in the US:
  • Aug 13 – 27 Middle Tennessee (Nashville, Murfreesboro)
  • Aug 30 – Sep 10 Texas (Dallas, Abilene, San Antonio, Daingerfield)
  • Sep 17 – Oct 2 South Alabama (Dothan, Andalusia)
  • Oct 10 – 24 Richmond, Virginia
  • Oct 31 – Nov 10 South Alabama (Montgomery, Dothan)
  • Nov 11 – 14 Middle Tennessee
• And here are the specific dates on which I’ll be either teaching, preaching, or presenting (or some combination of the above) at our sponsoring churches:
  • Sun, Aug 25 Stones River Church, Murfreesboro, TN
  • Sun, Sep 8 Daingerfield Church, Daingerfield, TX
  • Sun, Sep 22 Westgate Church, Dothan, AL
  • Sun, Sep 29 Cedar Grove Church, Andalusia, AL
  • Sun, Oct 20 Three Chopt Church, Richmond, VA

Last week I published a letter from Nathan Jernigan, a licensed psychotherapist who attends our sending congregation in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  In it Nathan offered advice as to how we ought to help our children through trauma and tragedy; this was written in response to the Sandy Hook shootings.

I mentioned in that post I’d like to share some of my thoughts on children dealing with death.  So today I am.

Here is the letter I wrote Nathan in response to his advice (I’ve bolded a few thoughts):

Nathan, this is Brett Harrison writing from Geita, Tanzania.  I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you having written this for everyone at Stones River (and even their missionaries abroad).  While the shootings in Newtown aren’t something about which we’ve heard a great deal — and while the oldest of our children is only three — your words are very much appreciated.  

Our daughters regularly are witness to sickness, sadness, and tragedy here in Geita; and navigating these situations is difficult for me at times.  The event which stands out the most is when we passed a bad motorcycle wreck and served as an ambulance for the wounded.  Christie crowded in next to our girls in order to make room for those involved in the accident.  One young man died in our truck that day, and the whole situation was gory to say the least.  To be honest, I remember very little how we dealt with our daughter’s questions during that ride and in the following days.  The only thing I remember with any clarity is telling Baylor that we needed to take these people to the hospital because they were hurt, and that it’s nice of us to help them.

There are days when I shudder at what my daughters will see and experience as little girls, and I surely don’t want to expose them to events which might scar them.  But most of the time I feel that some of this early processing is good for them.  I believe in the U.S. we have unhealthily distanced ourselves from death.  Children, then, never get a chance to learn to deal with death as a very natural part of (or end to) life.  That is, they never deal with it until it’s a grandparent or someone very close to them.  I can’t help but think that sorting some of this out ahead of time might be beneficial — not only to prepare my girls for future deaths closer to home, but also to help them understand both the value, and the transient nature, of life.

I’m uncomfortable with how much we hide sickness and death in the United States.  And I don’t believe it’s good for our children.  Death has been banished away to hospitals, funeral parlors, nursing homes, and out-of-the-way cemeteries — so we don’t have to witness it in everyday life.  I should clarify: real life death has been hidden away.  Death portrayed in movies, television, and video games is still okay with us — though its impact and repercussions are often obscured in those art forms.  This very selective (and backwards) sheltering of our children from death doesn’t seem to help them learn to process mortality well.

I want my girls to understand that life on this earth ends.  I don’t want Baylor and Harper to think of blood as dirty or scary or evil or (even as) entertainment, but I want them to see it as precious and life-giving.  I want my daughters to greatly value life while understanding full well that it is ephemeral.  I want them to process death before it’s my death they’re processing.  And I want my girls to prepare for death, rather than fear it.

My daughters have ridden in our truck beside the dead and dying.  Our Tanzanian friends regularly experience loss of family members. Funerals touch our lives here more than do weddings.  Coffins are sold on the street outside of hospitals.  The girls watch me slaughter and break down pigs — and Baylor understands that’s where her bacon and sausage come from.  We don’t hide death here.

And I’m fairly confident we shouldn’t.

* The opportunity to process blood and death  is also one of the reasons I think we should keep Halloween around.  I believe processing mortality is healthy, and Halloween’s about all we’ve got left (in the states).

[Don't worry, though.  This is not going to be one of those posts in which an expat living abroad points fingers at all the Americans who are upset about a handful of people dying in the land of plenty -- while thousands die every day at the hands of malaria and corrupt regimes where we are.]

What I am getting at is that while I’ve not read a great deal about the shootings themselves, I have read massive numbers of bloggers on the subject.  Many were quite political, making the tragedy which occurred seem as a stepping off point for the anti- and pro- gun agendas, a springboard for discussions on the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill, and a grounds on which to base arguments for or against Calvinism (or Christianity in general).  [I am not against these discussions -- I rather enjoy them, actually.  But I'm not sure it seems the time (the place, yes, but perhaps not the time).]

I do want to offer you, though, two written pieces that came out of the Sandy Hook tragedy.  Neither is an attempt at politicizing what happened and both are hugely practical.

**********

Nathan Jernigan is a Christian licensed psychotherapist who is a member of my sending congregation, Stones River Church, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Nathan thoughtfully wrote an email to the entire congregation helping us understand how we might better walk our children through this tragedy and others.  With his permission, I am reposting his thoughts here on aliens and strangers.

The recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut has all of us reeling. Mind boggling, horrifying and surreal, such a thing seems unthinkable. One concern for many parents is how to communicate about this to kids. Here are some tips.

Go ahead and talk to them about it.

Often, a first choice is to simply attempt to shield our children completely from the terrible things that happen in the world. Though this idea may feel very good, it usually is not practical and often not possible. It is almost a certainty that your child will overhear a conversation, hear a news blurb on the TV or radio or have a classmate talk to them about it. It would be better coming from you. Contrary to what many people believe, talk does not perpetuate anxiety – it helps to reduce it.

When you talk to them tell them the truth.

This part is even more difficult for parents. Do not sugarcoat it. In an age appropriate way, avoiding the gory details when possible, tell them the whole story. School age children will likely hear any part you leave out somewhere else and then be less likely to trust you as their source. Younger kids know when we leave out parts of a story. They think sequentially. Stories need a beginning, middle and end. When part of a story is missing, kids tend to imagine the missing part as worse than what actually happened (as impossible as this may seem). Leaving scary parts out tends to frighten them more by how they fill in the blanks. 

Do not make this a onetime conversation.

Like telling our pre-teens about sex, lots of parents prefer a talk that happens once and is never to be brought up again. This will not work well. They will digest this information gradually. They will have questions randomly and at odd times. Be prepared to have multiple conversations and remember it is okay for parents not to know everything or have all the answers. 

Let them know they are loved and valuable.

Remember, meaningful touch helps to dispel fear. So, hold a hand, stroke their hair, let them sit in your lap, kiss them, wrap your arms around them. Be present emotionally. Listen. Listen. Listen. Tell them you love them and that their Creator loves them even more. 

Be available.

Certainly, this has already been implied. This is a time where your presence is huge. Your availability allows them to ask their questions. Always be ready to listen. As a general rule, the more they talk about it, the better they are dealing with it.

Talk about God’s love.

Remind them of God’s promises for them. Pray for and with them. Let them hear you praying about this. Remind them that not everyone in the world is bad. Tell them they are safe. Tell them God loves us and is close to us. Model your own belief in God’s love. Perhaps you need to be reminded of this yourself because your moods, thoughts and actions directly influence theirs. Kids tend to absorb us. The truth of God’s love flows through you to them. Remind your children that God still runs the universe and that these beautiful children who were slain are in Heaven with Him.

Limit the amount of news programming your child is exposed to.

Base this on their level of maturity and sensitivity. Young children do not need to see this on the news at all. Again, they will most assuredly hear about it and the factual information would be better coming from you. Do not get sloppy and leave a TV on. By the way, persons of all ages need to limit the amount of time they spend watching news of this. And remember, kids are different, they mature at different levels. What is best for one may not be best for another of the same age.  

Bottom line.

Be present and involved with your kids especially in moments like these. 

– Nathan Jernigan

[On another day, I'd like to share some of my own thoughts on kids dealing with tough situations (which we might qualify as only being appropriate for adults).  This is because I know my daughters -- living in Tanzania -- witness some situations (eg. death) from which many children in the states are sheltered.  But these thoughts will come on another day.]

**********

The other piece I’m glad I read last week came from Fat Cyclist, and it’s simply titled “Loss.” Fatty is not a licensed psycotherapist.  And he’s largely unqualified to write on the subjects of school shootings, gun control, and government intervention in mental healthcare.  But he has experienced loss and so shared what was useful to him as he dealt with, and processed through, it.

* Exception: Auburn football.

She then leaned in and gave me a kiss… without a hug.

Where does my daughter learn these things?!  Does Dora teach that the attractive among us don’t embrace?  “Yo soy hermosa. No hay un abrazo para ti, Boots!”

And since when is giving kisses to EVERYBODY an action that can be qualified with the word only?

Your links:

Jesus Did What He Taught His Disciples To Do

Steve Addison compares Jesus’ instructions to the 72 in Luke 10 to his own actions with Zacchaeus in Luke 19.  Steve teaches CPM/DBS strategies for evangelism, which is what I’ve been teaching here in Geita.  This comparison deals with finding a person of peace.

Spontaneous Baptism Resource Kit

Despite the fact that my own religious tribe practices it, I’d never heard the term spontaneous baptism until this year.  While the Churches of Christ baptize disciples as soon as they accept Christ and confess as much, we don’t call it spontaneous; we just call it baptism.

This link is to a resource page for Elevation Church and Pastor Steven Furtick.  You can download the “Spontaneous Baptism How-To Guide,” which is extremely organized and planned out and… well, not so spontaneous it would seem.  Before the two-weekend event, they estimated how many people would be baptized (final number, 2158), determined the pace of baptisms, recruited personnel (media teams, wet changing teams, escort teams, etc), bought towels to use and clothes to give out, and trained volunteers.  You know, all the same stuff the apostles did at Pentecost.  [I heard the New Testament church checklist has recently been found on a scroll in a cave in the Middle East.  I never knew they ordered pizza to feed the 3000 baptized in Acts 2?]

My favorite quote:

“Start in the hallway smiling, clapping and creating an atmosphere of excitement and help direct people to the changing rooms.”

Checklist for Reaching Church Visitors

Since we’re on the subject of checklists, here’s another one straight out of early church history.  If it sounds like I’m not a fan, that’s because mostly I’m not — though I struggle a little with that.  It’s not that I’m completely against research and studies and determining what is effective and/or efficient in our churches.  In my mind, I’m okay with those things.  But something about it just doesn’t feel right to me; I can’t explain it.  Anyway, the author of this blog does preface the download with a few things to think about.  One of them:

“Checklists like these are designed primarily for affluent, consumeristic cultures.”

He then goes on to explain that these types of churches are more likely to trust in their own  abilities than in God.  AND that we should become like Paul (Acts 19) and be a servant to the niche we’re working in — including this consumeristic one?  It leaves me confused.

20 Great Infographics of 2012

I think you’ll find at least a couple of these that interest you.

20 Gentle Quotations from Mister Rogers

“What matters isn’t how a person’s inner life finally puts together the alphabet and numbers of his outer life. What really matters is whether he uses the alphabet for the declaration of a war or the description of a sunrise–his numbers for the final count at Buchenwald or the specifics of a brand-new bridge.”

Canadian Camouflage Company Invents Invisibility Cloak

Seriously, they have.

Jogging Jeans

We’ve all seen people exercising in clothes not exactly designed for exercise: runners in jorts, weightlifters in khakis and collared shirts, basketballers in old-school Eastlands (with the knot).  Well now you can do more than chuckle when you see these folks.  You can sneakily take photos and send them to Jogging Jeans so others can chuckle as well.

The Geita team desires to train others for mission.  We recognize we have a responsibility to disciple others who would be involved in foreign mission work and/or cross cultural ministry.  For this reason, each summer we invite college students to Geita for a missions internship.

During summer 2013 Christie and I will be the only Geita team family here, and so we are hosting the interns on our own.  We have two spots remaining for male interns.  Are you interested in spending your summer in small-town Tanzania?  Or do you know someone who is?

Internship Overview

The Geita internship is an 8-week program in which the college student’s primary roles are observing and learning.  The goal is for the intern to experience and understand cross-cultural ministry and everything it entails.  While we do encourage our interns to form relationships with local Tanzanians, the language barrier (at least initially) does make this difficult.

The dates of the 2013 Geita internship are June 12 to August 7, 2013.

More Specific Details (job description of sorts)

The 2013 Geita interns will be:

• studying Swahili language.
• studying Tanzanian culture.
• studying sustainable and reproducible strategies for evangelism and development work.
• spending time in rural villages.
• worshiping with local Tanzanian churches.
• observing church maturation and evangelism Bible studies / seminars / mentoring sessions.
• helping with agriculture and appropriate technologies (conservation agriculture, beekeeping, chicken vaccination projects, rocket stoves, etc).
• building a goat pen, a chicken house, and/or a classroom and seed storage building on the demonstration farm.
• participating in a week-long survey of a non-/lesser- reached people group in Tanzania.

• in charge of a “summer soccer league” for kids from our neighborhood.
• simply experiencing everyday life here in Geita, (ie. slaughtering and processing pigs, cooking, repairing generators, hanging out with our kids, etc.
• [In addition to all the internship duties above, there will be quite a bit of free time for reading, running, and the like.  There will also be a few road trips and an opportunity to go on a 2+ day safari in the Serengeti.]

The Cost

We don’t have an extremely firm budget yet (as this requires we know the total number of interns invited for the summer), but interns can expect to have to raise about $4000 total for travel, visa, vaccinations, room and board, etc (over half of this money being in travel to and in Tanzania).  [Interns planning to go on safari in the Serengeti will need an additional $500(ish).]

We will do what we can to help students raise these funds.  One of the first things we do is send a letter endorsing our interns, which can be sent to churches and individuals of whom requests are being made.  We’re also more than happy to speak with potential donors, lending credibility to the internship experience.

To Be Extremely Clear (avoiding all confusion)

Possibly the most important thing for potential interns to be aware of is that you are primarily coming to learn, observe, and experience.  You are not going to be leading Bible studies or baptizing people.  There is indeed some hands-on work you’ll be able to do / help with, but key to getting the most out of your summer in Geita is understanding this isn’t a mission trip; it is an internship.  There is a big difference.

So come to Tanzania as a learner.  Plan on expanding your worldview, studying a new culture and learning a new language.  Ask why… and ask often.  Ask about Sukuma culture (the people group with whom we primarily work), Swahili language, strategies for evangelism, sustainability issues in development, everyday life in Tanzania, raising kids on the mission field, budgets, sponsoring churches, etc.  The Harrison family is not perfect and neither is our strategy for mission.  But we’re really very happy to talk through all these things with our interns.  This is why we’re inviting you to spend the summer with us.

Also, you should be prepared to be uncomfortable.  You’ll be tired and dirty at times, bored of sitting in on Swahili seminars at others, and required to eat and drink things you may not like in between.  Your patience and your stamina will be tested.  [But you'll also have a lot of fun.]

For an Application or More Information

Reply below or contact the Harrison family directly at harrisonsingeita[at]gmail[dot]com.  Let’s call the deadline for application January 9.

• Eat a dozen donuts for breakfast.  
• Use the word twelve in every conversation you have today.  
• Run twelve miles… or twelve minutes.  
• Spend twelve dollars on a gift and give it to the twelfth person you see today.  
• Memorize the names of the twelve apostles — or if you’re Jewish perhaps the twelve tribes of Israel (are Jews any more likely to have memorized the twelve tribes than Christians are the twelve apostles?).
• Have a moment of silence at 12:12 (the one that hasn’t happened yet) in order to reflect on this rare occasion.

I don’t care much what you do.  But do something!  Celebrate this twelfth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year in this century.  And if you do indeed decide to celebrate, leave a comment telling us all what you’re doing.

Oh, what’s that?  What am I doing on 12-12-12?  Well, for starters I’m offering you guys…

The Top Twelve List of Top Ten* Lists
at Aliens and Strangers

12.  You Might Be a Missonary In Africa If… (top ten)

11.  Let’s Be Practical: Nine Ideas for Better Prayer

10.  Tanzanian Kids Say the Darndest Things (top three phrases I hear when running)

9.  Top Ten Fine Food Establishments (my favorite foods worldwide and where you can find them)

8.  Ten Ideas for More Effective Teaching (a guest post by Matt Dabbs)

7.  How To Be Creative (top ten)

6.  Hakuna Matata (top ten list of what not to worry about living in Geita, Tanzania)

5.  Ten Things This Missionary MUST Do On Furlough

4.  Could Somebody Pass Me That Remote Control… and a Sandwich? (top ten ways I know I’m lazy)

3.  I Left My Wallet in El Segundo or Seven Songs That Shaped My Life

2.  Five Reasons KJV Readers Aren’t Celebrating (its 400 year anniversary in 2011)

1.  Martian Love and Alien Pick-Up Lines (top ten alien pick-up lines AND the most visited page on my entire blog — LOTS of people looking to hit it off either with visitors from outer space or with fellow Star Trek reunion-goers)

Don’t forget to let us all know how you’re celebrating 12-12-12!

* Or nine or five or three.  Let’s not be so letter-of-the-law when it comes to naming something a top ten list, shall we?

Nakusudi kuitambulisha njia ya kujifunza Biblia pamoja.  Kwanza, lakini, bora nifafanue kwa kifupi maana ya kusisitiza utaratibu wa vikundi badala ya kumtegemea mwalimu mmoja tu.

• Kwenye Biblia, mara nyingi twaona mifano ya Mungu kutumia vikundi.  Analenga vikundi wa watu wanaofanya kazi pamoja.  Aliteua taifa moja liwe la kwake — Wayahudi — lina koo 12.  Yesu aliwateua na kuwatuma watu 12. Pia, aliwachagua na kutuma 70 (Luka 10), wawili na wawili.  Baada ya Yesu kufa na kufufuka, alianzisha kanisa lake, lililo kikundi cha watu washirikianao kwa makusudi yake.  Mungu anatumia vikundi.
• Haiwezekani mtu mmoja kuwa mfuasi mkweli wa Yesu peke yake.  Ni lazima ashirikiane, kusaidiana, na kutegemeana na wafuasi wengine.
• Ni bora hatumtegemei kiongozi mmoja wa kutuhamasisha, kutulisha, na kutukomaza kwenye neno la Mungu.  Agano Jipya haitaji watu wa Mungu kumtumainia mtu mmoja wa kutuongoza sote — isipokuwa Yesu Kristo, kichwa chetu.  Wote wengine ni viungo vya mwili wake.  Na kazi yetu ni, kwa pamoja, kumwakilisha Mungu duniani.  Kila mkristo ni kiungo tu, na sisi wote tunacho kichwa moja — Yesu Kristo.
• Watu wengi pale wanaposhirikiana wana akili zaidi ya mtu mmoja peke yake.
• Watu wengi wajifunza haraka kuliko mtu mmoja peke yake.
• Si mara nyingi kwamba kikundi cha watu wajifunzao Biblia kwa pamoja na kurekebishana kukosa kwenye maelewano yao (kwa muda mrefu).  Wakristo ambao wamefuata uzushi ni wakristo ambao wategemeao watu wengine kufikiri kwa niaba yao.  Na wapokea kila neno wanalosema bila ya kujifunza wao wenyewe.  [Lazima tuyachunguze Biblia kila siku ili tujue kama wanachosema wengine (viongozi, wamisionari, n.k.) ni kweli.  Tuufuate mfano wa Waberea kwenye Matendo 17:10-11.]

Hivyo, ni lazima utaratibu wetu wa kujifunza Biblia uwawezeshe wote washirikiane na kusaidiana.  Tusimtegemee mtu mmoja kutulisha sote chakula cha kiroho.  Kama sisi ni mwili wa Yesu, inatubidi tufanye kazi kwa pamoja ili tukomae kwa pamoja.

Wajibu wa viongozi wa kanisa sio kuwakomaza watu wa Mungu; huu ni wajibu wa Mungu mwenyewe kupitia Roho Mtakatifu aishiye ndani yetu.  Wajibu wa viongozi vya kanisa ni kuwaandaa watu wa Mungu wamsikilize na kumtii Mungu kwa njia ya kushirikiana na kusaidiana na Wakristo wa kanisa lao.

Tutafute njia ya kujifunza Biblia inayotuwezesha kusaidiana na kushirikiana zaidi, badala kuwategemea viongozi tu.  Wiki ijayo, nitatoa ratiba ya “Maongezi ya Biblia.”

* Hii ni mara yangu ya kwanza kutumia Kiswahili katika blog yangu.  Kusema wazi, mpaka sasa nimeogopa  wengine hawataelewa vizuri ninachoandika.  Naomba mnisaidie, lakini, kuendeleza Kiswahili changu; nisahihishe kama nimekosea.

Your links.  Would you like a frothy beverage with that, sir?

What Does a New Testament Church Look Like?

Professor David Alan Black describes what he understands the New Testament church to have looked like.  Just a few thoughts from his list:  He is convinced of the “normalcy of tentmaking leadership.”  He is convinced “that top-down structures of leadership are unquestionably more efficient — efficient in doing almost everything than equipping, which is the primary task of leadership.”  And he is convinced “the process of appointing new elders is best done on the basis of recognizing who is already serving as an elder in the church.”  Great list.  [I've been reading more by Dave Black, and I very much recommend taking a look at his website.]

The Culture in Kitchens

An essay on the cultural importance of food, shared tables, and nutrition.

Culture begins and ends on a plate…. We eat to live and then we live to eat. From the earliest times, food played a key role in the spiritual and literal growth of families and a larger society. An infant bonds with its mother while nursing; families bond when they share food. We define hospitality with friends by inviting them to break bread – or share a refreshing adult beverage. Alas, eating plays a central role in both civility and civilization….  The day that food sharing moved beyond the immediate family was surely the beginning of a village.

Witchcraft in Tanzania:  The Good, Bad and the Persecution

Perhaps you’re familiar with the albino murders in East Africa (and specifically near Geita).  This article offers some explanation (I stress some) about that atrocity and witchcraft in general.  But it’s an interesting read if you want to know a little about the subject.  I do not, however, agree with the final assessment, offered by a Professor Mwami of Dar Es Salaam University:  ”The popularization of science is the only answer to these predicaments as far as Tanzania and belief systems are concerned.”  Rather, I strongly disagree.

Blood Bricks

I’m always trying to read more about new development ideas.  Here’s an interesting idea (and recipe) for areas with little water — use the (otherwise unused) blood of slaughtered animals to make bricks for building.  Also, if you’re interested in architecture and design, especially as they relate to development and/or nature observed, this is a really interesting site.

The Case for Drinking as Much Coffee as You Like

Yeah, it’s not bad for you.  It’s actually really good for you.  Want to be healthy?  Drink as much as you possibly can.

Seven Studies with Politically Correct Findings

I really enjoyed this list.  People who regularly attend church are happier than those who do not.  Abstaining from pre-marital sex leads to fewer divorces.  And my personal favorite, couples who share housework have higher divorce rates.  ”Sorry, dear, I can’t help with those decisions because… science.”

Why It’s Hard Being a Grammar Nazi

A bunch of photos of grammar mistakes.  You guys know how I do so enjoy laughing at other people.

It was Paul Wilkinson, on his blog (a good one, by the way, to which I’m subscribed), who informed me the sale of VBS materials is indeed big business.  I also learned from Paul that a lot of companies are creating these materials really heavy on entertainment and really light on Bible.  While I suppose this is a concern to me, it’s not why I’m writing this blog post.  Something MUCH more important is taking place.

Paul speaks highly of one particular company putting out VBS materials.  Concordia Publishing House has come to a firm and settled decision with regard to their VBS materials.  They will tell real Bible stories with real Bible characters, and focus on the gospel instead of on entertainment.  Here’s a quote:

Stores and churches will see the publisher’s VBS programs will no longer be set in locations that cannot be found in the Bible, stories will no longer feature characters outside of the Bible, all artwork will be realistic, and “wise-cracking animals” will not be the spokesmen for Concordia VBS themes.

Nope, the spokesman will be Justin Bieber in a mountain climbing outift:

Yeah, crazy huh?  I mean Concordia CAN TELL YOU they didn’t design this poster for the 2013 VBS series “Tell it on the Mountain” to look exactly like Justin Bieber belting out a song while being worshiped by one of his devoted teenage fans… but who are you going to believe?  

A company that sells VBS materials for $130 or me?

**********

But we shouldn’t be surprised.  After all, Justin Bieber is a type of King David.  At least that’s what I learned on these here internets.  Actually, “a type of King David” is not the way in which it was stated.  Rather, this very interesting article from On Pop Theology words it like this:  “Justin Bieber is King David reincarnated.”

I’ve apparently been away from the United States for too long.

* When I was a kid, my church didn’t buy VBS materials; we designed our own VBS curriculum.  Adults and older students would go to great lengths, many of them working for weeks, to create costumes, build sets, make videos, and prepare classes for the kids who would be at VBS.

** I should know; I’m a missionary in East Africa.  Actually this is a quote from one of my favorite movies.  10 points to the first reader to name the movie and character.  And 1 point for every (good) quote from this movie in the comments section (limit of 2 quotes per commenter).  I will be the judge of “good,” by the way.  My blog, my rules.