Rainey Days

Inspired by my father and the spiritual musings he’s spun throughout the past year, I have been trying to read through the Bible in one year. Right now I am in 2 Chronicles, which mirrors a lot of I Kings, recording the construction of the Temple. Since it’s so fresh in my mind, I found it interesting that my pastor preached on the construction of the Temple yesterday in church. What my pastor said really struck me: David had a heart to build the temple, but God said NO. David had shed too much blood, but God honored his desire by saying that David’s son Solomon would build the temple for Him. My pastor made the point that there are times when we have a passion for God’s work, some noble, worthy task, but God still says NO. In His plan, in His timing, He has chosen a different person, different path, a different plan. David was righteous, even zealous for the Lord and His temple. David wrote one of my favorite psalms, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I m...

Have you ever felt like the lone Christian among the lions? A wounded swimmer being circled by sharks? The weakened antelope, separated from the herd , stalked by the jackals in the tall grass? That’s pretty much how I felt this morning at my first ministers meeting of the Bordeaux region. When I first started my missionary career, raising funds in the States, I had to go to lots of minister’s meetings, and it is always a bit intimidating the first time. Today was no different. The weather was odd: chilly in the wind, hot in the sun, and really hot in a lined polyester dress, pantyhose, and three inch heels. But I had chosen wisely: most of the men were in suits. I was greeted by everyone around the coffee table, but asked four times in the first fifteen minutes: “Which pastor is your husband?” Women in ministry do not exist in France; in fact, women cannot even lead the song service. Good thing Darlene Zschech wasn’t born here! Needless to say, there aren’t women aplenty a...

My coworker from Marseille called me this afternoon to tell me that her husband Charles' mother was killed in a car accident in Gabon (his native country) yesterday morning. He is desperate to get to Africa to be with his family, who are overwhelmed with shock and grief, as he is also. However, he has just received French citizenship, so his Gabonese passport is worthless, and he has not yet received a French one. He is praying for a miracle: that he can get a special emergency passport/permission to leave the country. On Monday morning, as soon as the government offices open again, he is going to see what he can do. Please pray that he is able to leave somehow so that he can be with his family during this time.

I spent this past week in Marseille, again working with my colleagues there. The Novicks will be leaving for their furlough in six weeks, and their major focus is on wrapping up both their personal business, as well as any ongoing projects at the office. We were able to go through a lot of the furniture and office supplies, determining what is worth moving and what will be given away or sold by a local women’s ministry group. Over the past four months, I have gotten increasingly close to our Arabic speaking colleague Weléli. From the moment we met, I felt a bond with her, a real connection. Her husband Charles is a joker, and whenever we talk, we take turns saying smart-aleck things to each other. They are leaders in their church and have a small-group Bible studies on Tuesday nights. Last month, they invited me to speak at the Bible study the next time I was in town, which happened to be this week. They live 45 minutes away from Marseille, so its quite a trip. Since I took the ...

When I was living in Israel, we used to say that our boss was “more Arab than American” because he had lived in Palestine more than 20 years. Unfortunately, we didn’t usually mean it as a compliment to his long years of missionary service; we meant that he had over time picked up certain habits or ways of thinking that were foreign to us, his own countrymen. I was thinking of this particularly on Saturday as I traveled to Marseille (yet again). I set off from home on the city bus to the train station, where I had a six hour ride to Marseille, and then a 30 minute subway trip to the Novick’s apartment. This foray into public transportation gave me a lot of interaction, not surprisingly, with the “public.” Generally, I like those types of occasions, because I like to observe people. I notice everything. I like to watch how different cultures stand in line (or don’t!), how they treat their children, etc. But on Saturday, I found myself getting really annoyed with certain people. I...

May 1, 2006 Today is Labor Day in France, and, celebrating it as we do in the States, that means that we don't have to labor at all. Most of my neighbors are having picnics and barbecuing. I can smell grilled meat from my balcony and windows. Yummmmm. I am trying to catch up on some financial reports that are almost late. Not nearly as much fun as picnics. Well, this week has been another busy one for me, mostly because I am finally having ‘real’ work to do for IC France. Awhile back Laurent and I talked about starting seminars for Muslim evangelism, to train interested laypeople on what they can do in their own church and neighborhood. It was his decision to start in the Bordeaux area, as sort of a ‘pilot program’ and see how it goes from there. We can make our mistakes and improvements after starting here in our home area. So, the plan is to have four Saturday sessions over the next year. (I think that’s a bit stretched out, but I am following Laurent’s lead in this, as a cultura...