Welcome Brandon and Savannah

As you know we have been recruiting for the Verona team while we are in the states. In fact, it is us along with many of you praying that God forms the team He wants in Verona. About a week ago, we welcomed aboard the latest team members, Brandon and Savannah Eaton. Brandon and Savannah will be leading in the areas of youth and children, which includes outreach, disicipleship ministry, etc... I look forward to sharing more about them as we go along. Praise God for bringing this team together.

The Agon

As you know, this year is an Olympic year. I’m looking forward to watching them on TV because I love the Olympics, but also, because they’re being held in Beijing. I’m anxious to see how China cleans up its capital city for the event.

Recently, I watched a documentary about the early Olympics. The first recorded Olympic race was held in 776 BC and the games continued until AD 394. They were renewed in 1896 and have continued (excepting three years during World Wars I and II) to the present time.

The early games included foot races, jumping, discus throwing, javelin throwing, wrestling, boxing, and chariot races. These contests were called agon in Greek.

This word is also used in the New Testament. Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” The word “race” here is that same word, agon.

Similarly, in I Timothy 6:12, Paul encourages Timothy to “Fight the good fight of the faith” and in II Timothy 4:7 and 8, Paul, in his later years, declares, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” In the phrase, “fight the good fight,” the Greek verb is agonizo and the noun is agon from which we get our English words agonize and agony. Paul states that he has “agonized” and won the “agon.”

Sometimes, I think I can really relate to Paul. Life seems like agony at times. I hate support-raising. It seems like agony to me. But that’s the phase I’m in right now in my life and ministry and that’s what’s needed for us to be able to go and share the good news of God’s grace with the Italian people.

Struggling with sin. Struggling “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). These are all a part of the agon we are called to fight, too.

I’m know that what I’m going through is nothing compared with what Paul went through with his beatings and imprisonments. But, I still find a kindred spirit there.

And, what of Christ? Luke records (in 22:44) his struggle on the Mount of Olives: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Anguish here, is – you guessed it – that Greek word agon again. Jesus was in agony, but not just agony, he was in agon. That is, he was in a fight, a struggle, a competition for a prize. And do you know what that prize was? It was us. It was our salvation.

For the Christian, the goal of the agon is always salvation, whether ours or others'. Let us agonize the good agon together, for the salvation of many around the world!

The Upside to Suffering

I have always hated the thought of suffering. The big stuff kind of scares me. You know....someone I love dying, having some terrible disease, or facing major persecution. But I am beginning to see, just the corner mind you, of the good side to suffering. I am contemplating how it brings us closer to God. I wasn't sure it made sense to me till yesterday a couple of things helped to make that clearer.

My kids have been sick. They are big kids these days and having them sick doesn't entail all it has in the past. But my energetic 9 year old boy, Bryan, who is the most likely to forget to kiss Mama goodbye, crashed. He just needed a nap so badly. He wanted to snuggle and have me read him a book. Not that he doesn't like that sort of thing on other occasions, but it's not his first choice for an afternoon activity on an average day.

It reminds me of when Jessica was little. She was my shadow. She was happy as long as she could see me. But when she was sick, she wanted to be held. We read stories and watched movies, over and over, but she wouldn't do that alone. She wanted to be on my lap. Then she was content and it didn't matter how yucky she felt, life was okay and everything was going to be fine.

Being sick and feeling bad pushed my kids to want to spend extra time with me. It reassured them that life was still going along well and comforted them. Wow! That's how I am with God. When things are good I spend some time with him and I think of him from time to time throughout the day. But when things get tough I need him right there. I'm talking to him for long periods and just taking comfort from his promises and his word.

So, I'm finally getting it, to a small degree. Suffering has an upside. It's getting to spend extra time with my heavenly father!

Tit for Tat

I'm trying to imagine how my life in Italy will be different that it is here in Haiti. I most often think about this in the kitchen. Here, I make things in bulk and freeze them in the big deep freezer downstairs. Because we get things shipped in from Sam's Club, when I open a bag of chicken, it's a BAG of chicken. So, I just go ahead and use a lot of it. Then, I have nice little individual servings of lasagna, enchiladas, or whatever. I even make huge batches of bread dough and freeze them in little balls - perfect for individual buns or pizzas.

This morning, as I was putting my frozen breakfast taco in the toaster oven, and thought... oh, I'll really miss being able to freeze so much. With European sized freezers, a month's worth of breakfast tacos will not be an option.

But then I took the salsa out of the fridge and thought, "Oh! But I will get to make my own salsa with fresh peppers and huge tomatoes!"

It seems that for every thing I imagine I'll loose, there will be something else knew to discover.

I think this is how God works. There are always blessings... always surprises... always little prizes waiting for us when we obey Him. For me, I can't wait for those fresh vegetables!

You're invited for dinner. We'll have a salad with artichokes and beautiful bell peppers and the freshest of olives. And soft mozzarella cheese. Don't even get me started talking about the cheese.