Ryan & Jordan

with Pioneer Bible Translators

Month: November, 2013

November 8, 2013

Time for Faithfulness

by ryan

There are a lot of things we don’t have time for, and that is part of what it means to be a creature, a non-god.

We people are little; we are weak and quick to become frail.  Life is short they say.  And they are right.  In all this shortness, there is a whole lot of busyness we try to cram in.  Why?

People are little who yearn for big.

We were created this way, and I will mention two ways  we can respond.  The first extreme is to try to become a god, to transcend our littleness on our own.  Perhaps we try doing more than is humanly possible, cramming our schedules, skipping out on sleep, or neglecting the Sabbath.  Or maybe we go so far as trying to earn people’s worship.

An alternative to this is embracing our creatureliness, along with its limitations, while at the same time reaching out for God in faithful worship.  What does that look like?

I think of Jesus as he taught his students to feed the multitudes.  If they had tried to provide food for thousands on their own, they would have failed miserably.  But because they were with Jesus and they obeyed him, everyone was fed.

There is a big peace and rest that comes from realizing we are just people, while at the same time realizing that God is God.  And God is here, now.

Now, we have time for faithfulness.

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November 1, 2013

Going South

by Jordee

In my mind I’m goin’ to Carolina…

James Taylor rings in my head every so often, particularly around Christmas and the start of summer. We’ll be going to Carolina again soon, and the feelings haven’t changed much since the first time I left home.

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A lot of our lives will be spent traveling, meeting new people, learning new languages and cultures, and I wouldn’t trade any of it. But there is something consistently comforting about going back to where I grew up–like being invited inside out of the cold, and being wrapped in a warm blanket. The accent, the food, the hugs, the complete familiarity and the sense that not much as changed–it doesn’t get old when you are away so frequently.

Sure, I romanticize it a bit, but I also embrace my roots in a geographical place that is still so close to my heart. This time I’ll be returning with Ryan, which makes it that much sweeter. Home is where he is now, and where our Father is. And this time, home will be right near where it was for eighteen years.

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