Light Shining in Least Religious Places

I've recently been processing what it means to be sent as light into a dark world (Matthew 5:14-16), along with my love and passion for Boston.  I'm convinced that the light of Jesus shines brightest in the darkest of places.  This map communicates the recent results of a Gallup Poll finding on the Least Religious States in America (Boston Globe 1/28/09).  I'm grateful for God's call to be caught up in shining His light in one of the darkest places in America.  What a thrill!

The Gift of Gifts

As we celebrate this Advent season, we have been meditating on what Christ's coming really meant, and what it means for us today.

O Source of all Good,

What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, thine own dear Son, begotten, not created, my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute, his self-emptying incomprehensible, his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp. Herein is wonder of wonders: he came below to raise me above, was born like me that I might become like him. Herein is love; when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace, to raise me to himself. Herein is power; when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart he united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and the created. Herein is wisdom; when I was undone, with no will to return to him, and no intellect to devise recovery, he came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost, as man to die my death, to shed satisfying blood on my behalf, to work out a perfect righteousness for me. O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds, and enlarge my mind; let me hear good tidings of great joy, and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore, my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose, my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father; place me with ox, ass, camel, goat, to look with them upon my Redeemer's face, and in him account myself delivered from sin; let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart, embrace him with undying faith, exulting that he is mine and I am his. In him thou hast given me so much that heaven can give no more.

The valley of vision

Football Anyone?

Our boys are fans. They read the sports section of the paper everyday and have become Patriots' fans, which they are thrilled that they have done so well in the past. To their dismay, Tom Brady was injured and Matt Cassel took his place. (Lots of good things come out of USC. Go Trojans!) They have been rather pleased with his performance and many a conversation has centered on him. Our little princess is privy to these conversations, but is rather ignorant of what they actually mean.

The children were visiting with a friend named Matt, who lives in a high rise apartment recently. Trying to be "in" the conversation, her comment was, "I am going to Matt's castle."

Squanto

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with 25 people bustin' at the seams-the house and our clothes! It was especially fun to celebrate in Massachusetts where the original Thanksgiving happened. We have been studying early American History and have actually WALKED at Plimoth and various other places which has made the boys incredibly excited about history.

As our guests arrived for Thanksgiving, our youngest son greeted them at the door wearing an Indian costume that I bought 2 years ago for him. He was quite a sight, bustin' at the seams (before the turkey dinner) with his quad-zilla thighs. One of our friend commented on his appropriate attire and he answered, "Well, SOMEONE needed to be Squanto!"

If you haven't read the story of Squanto and seen God's hand of sovereignty, it is well worth the read! Our son was quite moved. http://www.eschatologytoday.net/newsviewer.php?id=13

Meany

We are good at studying culture and learning the who's and why's and what-cha-ma-call-its. We are good at becoming part of the culture. "When in Rome"...Part of it is in the job description so we can live the culture and understand why the people respond to life like they do. It is a big part of loving our neighbors.

However, we have found that we were being mean. We have become mean drivers, saying things under our breath about the pedestrians that jumped out from between 2 parked cars (when the cross walk is 2 steps away) that we are obligated to stop for unless we want to be charged with vehicular homicide. Or the pedestrian that crosses in the crosswalk against the light, when our light is green. We have also been short tempered with eachother. We realized that we are not being full of the light of Christ and wonder how we will reach the culture with the Gospel if we are being chamelians in this particular characteristic. We are working on "believing the best" in folks. Maybe they are really cold like the rest of us and are trying to hurry to cross the street and get warm!?

Please Pray

We have added some newspaper articles about things that pertain to our beloved neighborhood. Please be mindful as you read that these are real people that our Lord cares about. As we dwell on these things and try to sort out the violence that seems overwhelming, we are reminded that we hold the answer to these issues and we are asked to participate in the solutions, caring about individuals one by one. Loving God first, then our neighbor. We'd like to remind you too, that our neighborhood isn't all about violence, gangs and crime. That is really a small percent of the 280,000 souls that reside here. The "rest of us" are living, working and playing in this place.

Shawmut

Remember this song? "I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men. I will make you fishers of men if you follow me."

In the beginning, Boston wasn't called Boston. Native Americans called it Shawmut because it had springs and waters full of fish. In the Indians' language, Shawmut meant "living waters" or "living fountains".

We find this to be very curious. And we find Boston full of opportunities to fish for men: to tell them of the TRUE living water found only in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 49
"8 This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you: I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9 to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' "They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.

John 4:10
"Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.'"