Doing It Right

One of my first blog posts was about Jennifer Harris and her missionary work in Pucallpa, Peru. The Church may be floundering in North America, but not in South America! Besides her main church in Pucallpa, there are now 31 satellite churches in the jungle. She preaches the Gospel, builds up her flock, and makes micro-loans to them to allow them to make a living. Amazing! This is an update in her own words of how things are going:

Last night we had a welcome dinner for 32 new church members.  Each person expressed their joy and gratitude about what the Lord is doing in their lives:

"I came to this church when the doctors told me there was no cure for my disease [AIDS].  God healed me, and now I want to serve Him!" [this woman, Nely, was incredibly thin and had sores all over her body; the doctors had told her that she only had a short time to live; Nely has fully recovered her weight and has no sores on her body now...the doctors marvel at what has happened!)

"God has changed me very, very much.  I am so thankful for all that God is doing in my life." [José, his wife, and 3 teenagers attend our church]

"A church member invited me to your services.  I felt desperate and was not getting along with my husband.  God returned peace to my heart [the woman began to cry], and now I am praying that my husband comes to know God.  Recently my husband came to church with me for the first time, and he said he will come again."

"I used to encourage my wife to go to church with me.  Now she is the one who encourages me.  For a long time we have talked about the need to become members of a church.  We have finally made a firm decision to serve the Lord, and we want to serve Him in this church."

"I [a very elderly woman who is nearly blind] live alone with my granddaughter [approx. 6-year old girl with Down Syndrome].  I am very happy to be part of this church."

We use the 4x4 truck constantly to visit parishioners, visit patients in the hospital, attend pastoral meetings, do errands, etc.  On Monday eight of us went on a mission trip to two of our satellite churches in the jungle (about 2.5 hours by truck).  The Lord healed many people, including one man who was deaf in his right ear.  We took our generator and sound system so the worship music could be heard throughout the villages.  Eight churches in the surrounding villages joined us for service the second night.  What a celebration...I didn't get to bed until 2:30 a.m.!

Wednesday and Thursday I had one-on-one interviews with the scholarship students.  What amazing young people.  I had a list of items that I wanted to instill in these youth: daily prayer; tutoring children in their neighborhoods; respect and diligence in their homes [doing chores before their parents have to ask]; being kind to all people without exception; overflowing with thankfulness and saying "Thank you" repeatedly to people during the day; etc.  I reviewed their Expenses Sheets to see how they are spending their monthly stipend...all of them are being very responsible with the money they receive.  They are also tithing.  Every interview filled my heart with hope and joy.

A pastor and his wife told us about a piece of land (about 20 minutes outside of town) that was being subdivided.  We visited the land and were very impressed...5 acres of good soil and fruit trees.  Our church decided that we would buy 6 of the 30 lots (19,375 square feet, or 0.44 acres) for a retreat center.  The total price is $2,174 which we will pay for in monthly installments.  The youth from our church LOVE the site, as do the children and adults.  Dozens of us have gone to the site to cut back weeds and fence in the area.  What a wonderful opportunity to work together for a common purpose!

Dr. Shaw [Ed. note - Dr. David Shaw of Salem] operated on two more kids from Pucallpa.  Margarita flew to Cuzco with the patients and their mothers last week.  The 3-month old baby had a constriction band on his arm that didn't allow blood to flow back to his heart (so his arm looked like Popeye when he eats spinach).  The 14-year old girl had an agressive tumor near her ankle.  Both operations went well (praise the Lord); Dr. Shaw took a sample of the girl's tumor back to OR in order to test whether it is benign or malignant.  We are very appreciative for Dr. Shaw donating his time and airfare to make these operations possible. 

Thank you for your prayers.  I am working hard to delegate more responsabilities, which is helping.  But I still need to delegate more. :)
Monday is a holiday in Peru, and one of our scholarship students has invited 70 students to our church reception area to eat tamales, play games, and listen to the Good News.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers for these students.

My love and thanks to all of you!
Jen

No Jen, thank you for all you do to build the Kingdom and for helping us see what is possible!

If you would like to help her ministry, please send your check to:

All donations are tax-deductible. Please make checks out to World Outreach Ministries and write “Jennifer Harris” in the memo line of the check. Send to:

World Outreach Ministries, Inc. / P.O. Box B / Marietta, GA 30061

Soylent Green

Earth Day came and went on April 22 this year, tra la, tra la. Did you feel a tingle on the back of your leg like I did? Did you also know that one of the founders of this august day and the MC at the first Earth Day, Ira Einhorn, killed and composted his girlfriend? Now that's commitment to recycling! It didn't work out so well, however, for Einhorn's young girlfriend, Holly Maddux. Perhaps that's what the greenies mean when they talk about the Circle of Life.

 www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42711922/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Relentless Grace

I do Christian mediations with a terrific team of people who give unsparingly of themselves to help people in conflict sort things out in a way that is honoring to God. One of my fellow team members, Roger Duerksen, rolled out a phrase last week that has been rumbling around inside me ever since - "relentless grace." The idea is that God relentlessly extends His grace to us to draw us into relationship with Him as long as we have breath. This column by Susan Nielsen, an associate editor of The Oregonian, has the fingerprints of His relentless grace all over it.

Basically, Ms. Nielsen grew up in a Lutheran church in Washington, attended regularly and believed to the limits of her understanding. She grew up, though, went to college, got a job, got married - the usual - and found herself in Portland, one of the most unchurched cities in the country. She quickly found that it was easier not to go to church and gently, softly, floated away from her childhood faith, which is the American Way. God, however, does not appear to be done with Ms. Nielsen, as evidenced by her column below. Although not exactly a cri de coeur (a murmur de coeur perhaps?), God in His mercy appears to be extending her a relentless grace that makes her heart restless and her thoughts wonder. That's a good thing. He is a good God. Say a prayer for Ms. Nielsen that she responds this time. And look for God's relentless grace in your own life. He's not done with any of us yet.

www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/susan_nielsen/index.ssf/2011/04/faith_and_portland_on_easter_s.html


(Tip o' the hat to Matt Stein for this article!)

Those Nasty Oil Companies!

If you listen to the politicians, particularly Democratic ones, the current high gas prices are the fault of the Big Bad Oil Companies. While I don't think these companies are altruistic, they compete on a global basis and this tends to hold prices in check. No, there are two other factors hitting Americans in the booty.

The first is the more limited the supply, the more producers can jack up the pricing their product. The U.S. has shut down its drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and isn't even letting it start in Alaska, so we have to buy a lot of OPEC oil. They know it and are socking it to us.

The second reason flows from the first and that is the price of oil is stable or strengthening while our dollar is weak, reflecting the condition of our economy. Thus, the OPEC lords want to be paid the market price for their oil and that means more dollars per barrel et voila - the price goes up as paid in dollars.

How to solve the conundrum? Strengthen the economy and use less foreign oil. If you want to exacerbate the problem, keep adding to the deficit. Oh, and has anybody ever mentioned that food is susceptible to the same type of pricing as oil and that we produce more food by far than anyone else in the world? Hmm - perhaps if we tied the price of our food exports to oil countries to the price of their oil? Just a thought.

www.rvbusiness.com/2011/04/weak-dollar-sending-gasoline-prices-upward/

The Truth About Everything

Chuck Colson lays it out. Good Friday for us. Very tough on God.

www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/16930

Going on a Spring Sphere Hunt

The Commissars of a public school in Seattle have decreed that from henceforth there will be no reference to Easter eggs lest that offend someone. Instead, we shall only refer to "Spring Spheres." Wow! This is a home run pitch down the center of the plate.

Spring Spheres, eh? I'll have bacon and Spring Spheres please, over easy. Spring Spheres Benedict looks good! Which came first, the chicken or the Spring Spheres? Birds makes nests to lay their Spring Spheres. Could I please have a Spring Sphere salad sandwich? Add two Spring Spheres to the ingredients and mix well. This is way too easy - we should have a contest to see the best line. Feel free to hit the "Comments" and try your luck. Do they pay these people?

oregonfaithreport.com/2011/04/easter-eggs-renamed-spring-spheres/

NATO Lies

NATO said today that it cannot stop the shelling of a Libyan city where scores of rebels and ordinary citizen are being killed and maimed by Gaddafi's artillery. Bull. Because of range limitations, artillery must be within 20 or so miles of the city. It should not be an impossible task to find it with today's technology. A few well-placed cluster bombs later and voila - no artillery and no shelling! No, this is a political decision not to help. Which is more cruel - letting Gaddafi stay in power or saying that we will help and then standing by while Gaddafi butchers everyone he remotely suspects of being disloyal and then some?  Gaddafi must go. Right. Let's have another meeting of NATO ministers in some nice spot to further discuss this, shall we?

 news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110419/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_libya

Bugs

I must confess a soft spot in my heart for the VW Beetle. The first car I ever owned was a tan 1968 Bug. We lived in Hawaii and it took me to school and surfing and Clover to the hospital to have Cristy. We drove up the slopes of Haleakala to see the sunrise, down the 2 million curves to Hana, and everywhere in between. It just ran. You put in a little gas, changed the oil periodically, and it just ran. I washed and waxed it every week and drove it proudly around Maui with the windows down, wing vent kicked in for some extra air flow, and CCR on the AM radio.

Volkswagen is rolling out a new version of the Bug. The family resemblance is still there although the creature comforts have been amped up a little. It is also still aimed at the lower end of the market. I wish VW well. It was a great first car for us and for a lot of Americans.

www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/04/volkswagen_introduces_redesign.html

NATO's War in Libya

This great scene from The Wizard of Oz pretty much covers it. There is lots of smoke and mirrors but DO NOT LOOK AT THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN! Behind the curtain are a host of nations, including the U.S., who do not want to put boots on the ground to take Gaddafi out. Instead they make grandiose pronouncements about Gaddafi having to go, make annoying pinprick airstrikes to show they mean BUSINESS, and whine that the U.S. needs to come back and carry out the airstrikes. Sheesh. I'm glad it never hit the fan with the Russians in the Fulda Gap. Heckuva way to run a war - or a kinetic military action - or whatever the heck this is. Prediction: Gaddafi stays if nothing changes.

Smelling Smoke

On April 15 President Obama announced in a signing statement for the spending cuts bill that he just negotiated that he wasn't going to abide by the restrictions on funding for his "Czars." You will recall that these are people he appoints to run whole areas of government without Senate vetting as required for Cabinet secretaries.  Chairman - excuse me - President Obama cited "Presidential prerogatives" as his authority. Funny, the Constitution says that Congress is the one that decides what is funded. He made the deal and immediately and unconstitutionally abrogated it. The mask is beginning to come off and it's not pretty what lies underneath.

news.yahoo.com/s/dailycaller/20110415/pl_dailycaller/obamasigningstatementdespitelawicandowhatiwantonczars

Europe Likes Warm Houses Rather Than Green Ones

Former Gov. Kulongoski based his recovery plan for Oregon on "green jobs." Bad choosing. Here is what our Scottish friends have figured out:

 "A new report from Scotland found that renewable energy kills 3.7 traditional jobs for every “green” job it creates. Wind power mandates also cost British energy consumers an extra $1.8 billion in higher electricity costs in 2009-2010. Rebellion is in the air, and belief in dangerous manmade global warming has plummeted." townhall.com/columnists/pauldriessen/2011/04/16/the_us_should_follow_europes_lead

The rest of Europe too is finally figuring out that the siren song of green this and that is leading them rapidly down the path of economic obsolescence and popsicles instead of people and they are changing course. Take the Brits for example.

The UK just shivered through its coldest December-January since 1683. People literally froze to death because, among other things, when temperatures really crater the wind goes calm and all those impressive banks of massive windmills that the Brits rely on for a chunk of their electric energy quit turning. As a consequence, the British government is turning away from all the trendy little greenie energy projects and ramping up investment in big projects that will keep people alive and the wheels of industry turning.

All across Europe other countries are following suit - France, Germany, Poland, etc. France is even talking the "c" word - coal! But not here in the US. President Obama is characteristically leading the way with European ideas that are now out-of-date: let's "lead the way" with an "Apollo 13 program" for green energy projects! For truth-in-advertising purposes, a subtitle should be added "Let's freeze our buns off like the Europeans did when we get a really nasty winter!"  How about we instead go where they are now and develop our native energy resources in a big way and both stay cozy in the winter, create lots of new jobs, and lessen our dependence on foreign oil? Now that's a novel thought. 

Spin Control

I was interested to see that not one Democrat voted to approve Paul Ryan's budget in the House. Not one. And one of the "hot button" non-negotiable items was funding for Planned Parenthood. The Dems were willing to not pay the troops who are fighting for this country but heaven forbid that Planned Parenthood should have to stop providing abortions to any and all comers! Which brings us to an oxymoron - pro-life Democrats. Ain't no such thing!

If there ever were such a thing, they have been drummed  out of the party in primaries over the last decade. Abortion is now one of the sacraments, perhaps the sacrament,  of the Democratic Party and from what I can see, the vote on Ryan's budget plan being the latest example, so-called pro-life Democrats mumble and grumble and then vote the straight party line - every time.

When we all get our intake interview in heaven, I seriously doubt that farm subsidies, NPR, new roads, union rights, etc. will be on the interview list for politicians. I suspect that abortion will be and standing behind the Interviewer looking on will be the 52 millions babies killed by abortion in the US since 1973. Try spinning your answer on that one. Good luck.

www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42870

Party On Dudes!

Obama announced his deficit-fighting ideas today to counter Paul Ryan's previously announced plan that would save $6.4 trillion over the next decade. It consists of  - drum roll please - nada, zip, nothing. He lumbered out platitudes, straw men, and little else. Clearly he doesn't want anybody to mess with his spending humungous amounts of money on Lord knows what. Mark Steyn skewered M. Obama squarely:

"There’s something sad about a man so carelessly revealing himself as entirely inadequate to the moment. Government spending is an existential threat to the United States. Whether or not anyone at the White House knows this, the viziers decided to shove the sultan out on stage with a pitifully unserious speech retreating to all his lamest tropes – the usual whiny, petty and unpresidential partisan snippiness, and the ponderous demolition of straw men even he barely bothered to pretend he believed in:

Politicians are often eager to feed the impression that solving the problem is just a matter of eliminating waste and abuse –that tackling the deficit issue won’t require tough choices.

Yeah, right. Why don’t we start by eliminating whatever dope got paid to write that sentence?"

"Yeah right" is right. For example, if you tax 100% of the income of everyone making more than $100,000/year, the total would only be $1.582 trillion, which less than the deficit for just this year. Tough choices my patoot.

We have the great misfortune to have a totally empty suit as President at a time of great peril for this country. Unfortunately, we have only ourselves to blame. I for one would like to leave something worthwhile for my children and grandchildren. It's time to roll up our sleeves and get ready to throw the bums out once again in 2012, Democrat or Republican to again make this the great republic it has been and can be again.

C.S. Lewis Redux

If you haven't read Timothy Keller, you probably should. Several friends have been after me to read his books and I finally did - The Reason for God. Good choosing. This book is the best apologetic I have read since C.S. Lewis. Keller takes complex ideas and clearly explores them and how they relate (or don't) to Christianity. He is not an elegant writer but the clarity of his thought and the simplicity of his style make you gradually realize his formidable talent. Others have recognized it too.

Keller is the senior pastor at Manhattan's Redeemer Presbyterian Church, which grew during his tenure from nearly comatose status to 5,000 attendees today at three different locations. What is most interesting is that most of this growth has been modern, urban and young New Yorkers who at least on paper are the cutting edge of today's secular society and the toughest sell for Christianity. He doesn't use gimmicks to attract them but an honest, clear, and very orthodox presentation of the Gospel.

Don't take my word for it - read for yourself and see what you think. Besides The Reason for God, friends have also highly praised The Prodigal God. If Lewis were alive today, he would read Keller, and that's good enough for me.

theresurgence.com/authors/tim-keller

A Gold Halo for Your License Plate?

What is it with electric car owners? The owner of the only Nissan Leaf in Oregon is shocked - shocked - that the state is proposing to tax his electric flivver:

"What's the message they're sending?" he said. "With one hand, they're offering a tax rebate to get you to buy an electric car. With the other, they're proposing a new tax. It looks like money-grubbing."

What he is referring to is a bill in the Legislature to tax electric cars at $.0143/mile as a road usage tax. The rest of us schlubs get to pay at the pump by the gallon for roads, but since electric cars don't buy gas another method of collecting for their share of road upkeep is necessary.  So c'mon Greenies, pay up and quit whining! You already got a $7,500 tax credit to buy your car but everybody has to pay their fair share for roads. We'll put a gold halo on your license plates, though, to acknowledge your sainthood.

www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/04/oregons_electric_car_owners_sh.html

Oregon Agriculture Adjusts and Adapts

Adjust and adapt. We all do it in response to circumstances and now Oregon agriculture is doing likewise to survive. The Willamette Valley grass seed industry is pretty much dead for the foreseeable future with a 2-year supply of seed on hand and not many customers due to the recession. Obviously the answer for farmers is not to produce more seed but to shift to other crops and this article tells the story of some farmers that are making the shift.

The evolving market in Oregon is for locally-grown organic food. Products like bread using local red wheat, flax seed, and fresh row crops are all the rage and these farmers are shifting into producing these products in a big way. Is it a gamble? You betcha - but people always have to eat so this should be a gamble that pays off. Buy Oregon products and help our local economy, as well as yourself by eating healthy food. Bon apetit!

www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/04/flax_returns_to_the_willamette.html

Nazi Speed Freaks Take France!

I have read a lot of WW II history but here is one that I have never seen. The author claims that Nazi storm troopers were hopped up on crystal meth - better blitzkrieg through chemistry apparently. I know that some jihadists use the stuff to artificially pump up their fighting spirit, but never had I seen anything even hinting that the Nazis resorted to similar chemical enhancements.  Even a bunch of speed freaks, though, wasn't a match for the American GI and the 8th Air Force!

www.news.com.au/world/nazis-secret-weapon-they-were-all-high/story-e6frfkyi-1226032409117

Airline Service to Salem?

Well, sort of. SeaPort Airlines is not exactly Delta but it wants to fly to/from Salem and Portland and Newport. The airline already flies Portland/Newport and isn't attracting stellar loads, so Salem is viewed as an intermediate "filler" in both directions.  Is it a good fit? We'll see.

SeaPort has been earning its lunch money by flying subsidized routes here in the Northwest and several places back East. When they money runs out, they do too, Astoria being the latest example.

Salem is not going to be a subsidized service other than landing fees waived for 6 months ((~$2000) and some PR paid for by the city. It will offer connecting service to other SeaPort flights to Boeing Field in Seattle and also Pendleton, which provides a new alternative for Salem area business and personal travelers. The upside is that hopefully demand to Seattle will quickly justify nonstops to Seattle. The downside is that Seaport does not offer interline baggage to other airlines, Seattle flights use Boeing Field and not SEA-TAC, and Portland flights use the private FBO terminal instead of the commercial terminal, so Salem won't be connected into the national or international airline grid as it was with Delta. Beggars can't be choosers however, and right now Salem has its tin cup out. If the service is successful, then perhaps a bigger carrier will show some interest and we can once again avoid the trek up I-5 to PDX.