How Shall We Love Our Muslim Neighbor?

On this blog I hope to begin a discussion on an issue that is of debate in many missions organizations. How do we present the gospel to Muslims? I have been studying and praying through this for several weeks and have come to the realization that I will not have an answer overnight. Getting to the truth will take much more time, thought and prayer. John Piper has been one of my favorite people to read on this subject. In the next few days, I hope to lay out what I have been learning and give a brief but descriptive overview of methods of contextualization in the Muslim world. Please join and grow with me in this discussion!

Mini Melts

One of my favorite treats in the world is ice cream. I think I could eat it every day! Mint Chocolate Chips is my favorite, but I also like coffee flavor with dark chocolate chunks. Mmmm…
However, one of the coolest ice creams in the world is dip-in-dots. When my parents lived in Mexico there was a little dip-in-dots ice cream shop. You could even buy it by the half gallon. I remember one night begging my dad to go out and get me a bowl mint chocolate chipJ Last night at Wal-Mart I found a box of Mini Melts (which I guess is another brand of the same thing). Oh, they were so good!!!! I think I should open a Mini Melt Shop in Jackson.

*If you go to the Mini Melt web page, there is a video of how the ice cream is made. I just want to warn you that even though it is a cartoon video, it might be a little inappropriate for the men to see. I can’t believe it takes a half-dressed woman to sell a cup of ice cream.

Tonight's Reflections

Unforgivable. That is how I feel sometimes. Looking back on the past few weeks, I feel as if I have been consistently giving my time to sin. I invited temptation into my mind and welcomed sin’s temporary pleasures. What should have been put to death immediately, grew into something that seemed too big to fight. I resided myself to think that the battle was lost. The enemy had me pinned down in a perfect position to fill my head with lies. “You are no good to the church, you can’t hear from God, you have gone farther than mercy can reach you." I had created my own giant, and it was defeating me. Andrew Peterson has expressed my thoughts better than I can in the last few verses of Come, Lord Jesus:

"It's taken me years in the race just to get this far
Still there is no end in sight,There's no end in sight
Cause I've carried my cross into dens of the wicked
And you know I blended in just fine

Well, I'm weak and I'm weary of breaking His heart
With they cycle of my sin, of my sin
Still He turns His face to me and I kiss it
Just to betray Him once again"

Today I have been meditating on the promise that God sees me perfect in His Son, whose blood and grace are sufficient for even me. As a new week approaches, I pray that I will “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:14) I know that this battle has already been won, and I have no right not to fight it. So I pray with the Puritans: “O ever watchful Shepherd, lead, guide, tend me this day; Without they restraining rod I err and stray; Hedge up my path lest I wander into unwholesome pleasure, and drink its poisonous streams; Direct my feet that I be not entangled in Satan’s secret snares, nor fall into his hidden traps, Defend me from assailing foes, from evil circumstances, from myself.”

My afternoon snack...

If your reading this, please don't tell Sarah!

What others are saying

Here are a few posts from fellow bloggers that I have read this week and want to recommend...

• Tim Ellsworth posted this video on abortion.
• In response to a readers poll, Lydia Brownback addressed the issue of time management.
• Join JRazz in a discussion about churches and alter calls.
• Thinking about protecting the environment? Read Glenna's thoughts on going green.

Caffeine and Miscarriages

"What the study found
-- Women in early pregnancy who drank 200 mg or more of caffeine every day - the equivalent of about 1 1/2 cups of coffee - had roughly twice the risk of miscarriage as women who drank less caffeine or none at all.
-- The greatest risk from caffeine was in the second eight weeks of pregnancy.
-- Where the caffeine came from - coffee, tea, soda or some other beverage - did not make a difference in the risk."

Conforming

The past few days at work have been hard. It seems that there have been a thousand little issues that have snowballed into one big avalanche of stress! Office equipment that doesn’t work, conflicts in scheduling, break downs in communication, it seems that nothing will go right for us this week and it's tiring. My greatest source of frustration, however, is my own attitude and the way I have sometimes chosen to respond in certain situations. I have come into work with little motivation, cursed at my constantly ringing phone (a lot of good that does) and been short with my co-workers. As I left work the other day, I pulled out of the parking lot fighting back tears. It’s discouraging to look at my behavior and realize that I sometimes conform to the "images of the world" and therefore present an inaccurate reflection of Christ. A few weeks ago my pastor, Chad Davis, preached from Romans 12:1-2. He pointed out that conforming is something we do and transformation is something that happens to us. Lately I have been feeling as if that transformation is not happening fast enough. It doesn’t seem as if I can do enough “renewing my mind” to keep up with the temptations that I face each day. Chad exhorted the church to “set our minds on the things of God and keep them there until we are radically transformed into people who look like they are a part of the true Kingdom of Christ.” One of the ways I have found to do this is to read the Puritans. In The Bruised Read, Richard Sibbes says,

“In temptation it is safest to behold nothing but Christ the true brazen serpent, the true ‘Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world’. This saving object has a special influence of comfort to the soul, especially if we look not only on Christ, but upon the Father’s authority and love in him. For in all that Christ did and suffered as Mediator, we must see God in him reconciling the world unto himself.
What a support to our faith is this, that God the Father, the party offended by our sins, is so well pleased with the work of redemption! And what a comfort is this, that, seeing God’s love rest on Christ, as well pleased with us, if we be in Christ! For his love rests in a whole Christ, he loves him and us with one love. Let us, therefore, embrace Christ, and in him God’s love, and build our faith safely on such a Saviour that is furnished with so high a commission.”

All my circumstances could change today, but the battle with my sin will be there as long as I am in this flesh. It is good to know that Christ is not only stronger and more constant than my sin, He is the Victor who has already won the battle.

Snow in Jackson

Not really...I just painted a wintery scene for our bulletin board at work and thought I would post it. This is one of the fun perks of my job! I just wish that I could jump into the picture like that scene from Mary Poppins.

Snow in Baghdad

What a surprise this must have been! I heard reports on GMA that many Iraqis where overjoyed at the sight of their first snow and felt it was a sign of peace. My prayers are that true peace will soon come to this broken land.

"Although the white flakes quickly dissolved into gray puddles, they brought an emotion rarely expressed in this desert capital snarled by army checkpoints, divided by concrete walls and ravaged by sectarian killings — delight."

What a great gift from the One who these precious people need most of all.

Caedman's Call Song on Grey's Anatomy Tonight

"Meanest Mom on the Planet'

Jane Hambleton is referring to herself as 'the meanest mom on the plant'. She found alcohol in her son's car and decided to sell it by placing this ad:

"OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

2008 Puritan Challenge

I am really excited about participating in this! You can read more about it here.

Have you ever...

seen anything like this.

'08 @ 48

This is by far the coolest thing ever done at my house. Sarah came up with the idea of ringing in the new year with a variety show. Preparation for this party took some special skill and a lot of help from Sarah's family. There was hammering, drilling, rearranging...and by the time the guests arrived we had the most awesome little stage...complete with amps, mics and lights! We set up folding chairs for the audience and you would have thought you were in the Ryman

(ok, maybe I should not go that far).

The variety show had everything from musical numbers, stand-up comedy, poetry reading and my personal favorite, the Happy Hands Club. At about 11:30 we spent some time in corporate worship. Worshiping God with other believers was a great way to spend the last few minutes of the year and the first few minutes of the new year.

Doc doing her famous comedy routine!

The excited audience.

Sarah reciting Kara's poem, "The Boy at the Window".

Josh and Katie singing Blessed Assurance.

Susan Hunt singing her original masterpiece, The Mullet Song.

Bob Cali playing, um, I can't remember what this is called.

The Fabulous Hostesses

Happy New Year!