Job

Julie and I have been reading through the Bible in 90 days. We're about a week off the half way point. This started as a challenge my dad passed out to all of us kids. He had heard it from one of our supporting churches in the States. I think they are using a specific program, but we just picked up the challenge and figured out how much we needed to read each day and started. I invited Julie to join me because I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it if I was doing it by myself. We sit down every morning and read our section together, out loud, switching off every couple of chapters. It keeps us both focused (usually) and if we have a comment or question we can just interrupt and ask. It's been very interesting. It takes about 1 1/2 hours every day. For me, it has opened up new thoughts as I see Julie's perspective on things and just how different things fit together. When you are reading in large chunks it is easier to grasp the whole story and to see how God was working or how things fit in history.
We're at Job today. We started today and will finish tomorrow. Job has always been one of my favorite books. I haven't always understood it well, but the emotions resonate with me. I can appreciate Job's depression and his railing against God creating him. It is interesting that his friends were condemned by God and Job was upheld. Job's friends start out saying that if Job is truly righteous these things will pass and God will not let it go on forever; God will bring Job about. Job is not comforted. Then the friends say that since God has brought these things on him, Job must be at fault. Job responds that if he was sitting in their place and they in his it would be easy for him to say silly things like that, but that he wouldn't, he would comfort them instead. But he is not comforted by them. Instead he acknowledges God's greatness, questions why God created him if His only plan was torture him and then goes into a "the wicked prosper despite their wickedness" rant.
I know many people who think that emotion is wrong. Well, not emotion, but "too much" emotion. One must control oneself. If you feel things "too" much or express what you are feeling...horrors! You are just not quite as spiritual as they. You just need to get some self-control. It is hard to argue with these people because well, one of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. But God commends Job as a righteous man, and says that he didn't sin in all these things; then has him offer an offering for his friend's guilt. And David was a man after God's own heart, but if you look at the Psalms and even read through his life, he was pretty much an emotional wreck! I mean, he got so depressed about Absalom that he made his whole army ashamed. And he also was the one who got so excited that he danced before God with all his might. These are strong emotional outpourings. Perhaps not all of them are right, but the Psalms are full of emotional outpourings, they are not "self-controlled" artistic poetry for the praise and worship of God in a restrained sort of way. They cry out to God and rail and weep and mourn and laugh and rejoice (sometimes at rather unpleasant things it seems--like the babies of their enemies being dashed against the rocks). Not all of it is centered around God. God is always there. But Job and the Psalms present so much the human view. And God upholds this and finds this so important that the Psalms are the biggest book in the Bible. And God actually interacts with Job and condemns his more "level-headed" friends.
No, I'm not advocating a complete loss of self-control or that we should toss everything to the wind and burst into tears at the least provocation. Job had suffered greatly, but instead of sympathizing his friends tried to "fix" the problem by pointing out areas where Job might be wrong or guilty of sin and thus be the cause of all this persecution. I do know a number of people who would have been a lot better off for some kindness and loving sympathy instead of the judgment they received. I also know people who just need a "kick in the pants". But overall, I think the church, especially in the West needs to learn that it can be not only appropriate, but GOOD to express honestly our emotions before God; rather than trying to hide behind a curtain of self-righteous self-control.
Thoughts?

Insanity

So, my dad is planning this bike trip for August. Across the last third of Russia. He has already done the first two thirds and the rest of the way across Europe in the other direction. He'll be starting in Chita and ending on the ocean by Vladivostok. I don't remember exactly how many kilometers it is. But it will take 4-6 weeks. There are some thirty rivers to cross and some of them may not have bridges. As a matter of fact, we aren't even sure there is a road all the way. That is why he has waited for so long to finish this last stretch, in hopes that there will be something by now. It's a slim hope.
In between now and August we are trying to find someone to go with him. On his other trips he has mostly been with someone, but the middle segment across Russia he did by himself and he did find that very lonely. Plus it is somewhat dangerous. But this is the last leg and must be completed. He is passionate about that. And we believe he can do it. I'm just hoping that God will provide someone to go with him. Just one young man. It would change his life and it would put our minds so much more at ease, while also providing companionship for dad.
The main problem with finding someone to go with dad is the financial aspect. It is certainly not a venture to be undertaken lightly on the physical end. But financially it is not so easy either. There is the flight to Chita and then back from Vladivostok, as well as the daily food and occasional hotel stays (dad doesn't bike on Sundays, and he usually tries to stay in a hotel Saturday and Sunday night from what I understand). And then there is the issue of supporting one's family that one leaves behind and all those kind of things. Besides any unexpected expenses that might come up.
It is really on my heart to find someone to go with dad. Please pray with me that God would supply someone and supply them with the finances to go as well. It would really be best if they came up with most or all of it on their own (mum and dad certainly can't afford to pay for a second person to go, but also if a person makes a financial investment they are much less likely to flake out). I'm not worried that dad can't make it, I would just like this to be a great, triumphal experience for him. A really good memory and experience.

Follow Up

I've been struggling to know what to post this week. I've tried writing several times and have a few small things to write about, but just can't seem to pull my thoughts together into anything coherent.
I did, however, want to update you on the prayer requests I put out last time. Brenda had her surgery and it went well. They won't know for a while if it took or not, so please continue in prayer for that.
We also had our presidential elections here last Sunday and Yanokovich was voted in. He is a bad man. But God knows and who knows but that Timoshenko would not have been anything but worse. I'm sure God can use this for His glory and the expansion of His kingdom. For now, we expect that things will be tightened up here and it will again become a little harder to get visa's and registration and train tickets and all of the wonderful signs of control will again appear. Do pray for us and for this country as we step forward with some uncertainty about the future of this nation.

Prayer Items for February

As always, February sneaks up and jumps on me. I think it partly has to do with the fact that my mum's and brother's birthdays are the fifth and sixth and so I mentally file them as being "in February", and then forget until the beginning of Feb. when I turn the calendar. I was more prepared this year, but somehow February has still snuck up on me.
That said, there is lots to pray about this month.
First, my friend, Brenda, is having spinal fusion surgery this morning. She fell and broke her back several years ago. Please pray that God would bring great healing and encouragement to her. Back pain can really suck the life out of you. She and her husband, Greg, are missionaries here in Rivne. They have returned to the States for this surgery, but Greg will have to come back here in about a month leaving Brenda behind. Please keep them in your prayers, not just this month as she recuperates from the surgery, but also in the following months as they deal with this longer separation and trying to be focused on ministry here and all the other things wrapped up in that.
Next, on February 7 are the Ukrainian presidential elections. As the pastor said in church yesterday, pray for God's will to be done! And also pray that Christians will go out and vote. It is not a clear choice, but there does seem to be a better and a worse. Pray for God's protection over this country.
And last, I desperately need to finish this doctrine course. PTL mum has done really well on her Christian Marriage course and is finishing that up, so they can start work on it here in the office this week already. That takes some of the pressure off of me because it means people aren't waiting on me for work, however, I still need to finish this course. It is just incredibly slow and stressful. In addition to the rewriting I had to do, I am having to reorganize lessons and deeply edit the rest of the course. But it is so taxing that I wear out often after only an hour of work, which makes me feel like I could be working on this till kingdom come. Please pray for inspiration and courage, discipline and dedication. I also have other work to keep up on, like getting out a newsletter, accounting, and other paperwork. Please pray for God's blessing on it all.

On the praise side, while I am still struggling with fatigue, this has been the best January in several years. Many years. I have virtually no back pain, I've had only a couple of migraines. I am active, able to walk to and from work (about 25 minutes each way) and often doing other exercises or just going for a walk on days when I don't go into the office. There is just a very marked improvment in my health and I am thankful to God for that. And to all of you who have prayed for me.