Thought I would pass this on. Right before breakfast this morning, I looked out the window and saw one of these little guys sitting on the edge just outside the window. At first it stood with its feet forward and its head facing completely backwards and towards the ground below. After a few minutes it turned its whole body around, perhaps so that it could face the direction it was planning to fly. Then a few minutes later it flew away.
After taking some photos and video clips I performed a quick google search, and was able to identify the bird as the Shikra raptor.
The one I saw this morning had intensely red eyes. But for some reason my camera wasn't able to catch the brightness of the color through the window. You may want to see the full resolution images on my picasa page if you wish to have a clearer view.
A Skilled Indian Carpenter Installs Our Door Latch
skilled |skild| adjective having or showing the knowledge, ability, or training to perform a certain activity or task well : a lab technician skilled in electronics | skilled draftsmen. • based on such training or experience; showing expertise : skilled legal advice. • (of work) requiring special abilities or training : a highly skilled job.
(See 1 Corinthians 3:10)
Last week we were blessed to have a door latch installed on our door. During the previous five or six years there were only two possible positions the door could be in;
1. It would hang wide open. 2. It could be dead bolted shut.
To solve this, we sought out a skilled carpenter to install a door latch. (spring door catches are still new here in India) It was quite interesting to watch the carpenter working with the door to get it the way he wanted it. He did a great job, and it was noticeably different from the typical Western approach.
For your enjoyment and viewing pleasure, I made a quick video of the process. It's Indian carpentry in action!
In his farewell address to congress, US General Douglass MacArthur said, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." MacArthur then described himself as "an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty."
Concerning War itself, MacArthur restated what he had said after accepting the formal surrender of Japan; "The problem basically is theological."
French General Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch (Fo-sh) is one of those "old soldiers" who have faded away in the mists of time. At the beginning of World War 1 he was in command of part of the 2nd French Army, by the end of the war he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies.
General Foch is a man worth researching. Here are some of his more notable quotes.
Only a week after taking command of 9th Army during the great allied retreat to the sea with allied armies retreating all around him, he held his ground tenaciously and said this: "Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack."
After liberating Châlons and being congratulated by the Bishop of Châlons he replied: "Not unto us, o Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, (Psalm 115:1)"
On the treaty of Versailles: "This is not a peace. It is an armistice for 20 years."
Foch, a triumphant hero in his day, like countless others is now long forgotten by most. However I don't think we should be overly surprised or dismayed by this. God speaks very clearly in His Word on what we should learn from this phenomenon.
(1 Peter 1:24, 25) 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. From before Cain through this very moment the problem of war has been a theological one. Mankind is helplessly caught up with itself rather than God the creator.
The problem with great men fading from memory is also theological. Because the glory of the great ones is a far cry short of the glory of God. Even much more than the glory of a grass hut is from the glory of granite palace.
In every age great ones have come and gone. Great speeches have been spoken, and forgotten.
Even if they are not forgotten yet, ultimately those words (and the ideas they represent) cannot stand the test of time - yet by faith we know the Word of God will. Untold millennia from now who will remember anything from our world? Who will want to? The only things that will last from our time will be those things done for Christ in accordance to His Word. To be truly great in an eternal, everlasting sense is for God to be shown great in our lives.
Forever is still a hard concept for me to grasp. I can't force my mind to feel the weight of it, but I can rest assured that the Word of God will endure f o r e v e r.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Josh
Reform your life and doctrine, meet with God in the text
Yesterday morning I attended a wedding in a nearby mountain village. This was the first village wedding ceremony I have attended. It was noticeably different than the other weddings I have seen here. (See my friend Jeevan's excellent wedding at,An Indian Wedding Brief Photo Journey)
Some things were similar to the others. For example, the message was delivered by one of our seasoned pastors. Several of the marriage passages in the Bible were touched; Genesis 2:19-24, John 2:1-10, Ephesians 5:22-33. . .
Beyond being an outdoor wedding in a village, it's difficult to pinpoint precisely what the other differences were, although I distinctly sensed a different ethos in the ceremony than the others.
One thing is certain, it was quite hot outside.
The closer the service came to high noon, the more sweltering it became. It definitely ranked as one of the hottest weddings I have experienced.
Watch the fast paced video and check out the pictures of the ceremony to get a better glimpse. (Smells and heatwaves not included.)
Here at the ministry all the doors are locked with padlocks. From time to time keys are lost. Today was one of those days when all the keys to one room were lost.
To share the unique experience of what re-opening a room in India looks like, I am posting a video.
Even though the door was locked, it was not that difficult to open, unlike the doors the Lord shuts. Providently our door was opened in short order and Lord willing it won't become 'shut' again. When God shuts a door, it's shut. When He opens one, nothing anyone can do will close it again. God is the sovereign gatekeeper of every event.
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens...
I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Revelation 3:7,8
So what to do about closed doors? Seeing if a door is truly closed/opened by God is often difficult to see through the fog of human events. If we have a sincere desire to put God's will first (both decreed and commanded will) and sanctified reasoning coupled with prayer says 'it can and should be opened', I say go for it, and God permitting it can and will be opened since heaven has directed it. Otherwise, if God in His infinite wisdom decreed it not to be opened, all the pounding away will not budge it. And regardless if the door is open or closed our attitude ought to be,
'not my will, but yours, be done.'
Soli Deo Gloria,
Josh
Reform your life and doctrine, meet with God in the text
Skilled Technicians Work Quickly To Bring Our ARTIFICIAL COOLING UNIT Online
Phase 2 of our Electronic Revolution was completed late this afternoon. This phase of the revolution dealt primarily with the cooling, freezing and preserving of our foodstuffs. In other words, we needed the refrigerator (which was previously little more than a glorified cabinet) to be refurbished.
I used Quicktime's basic cut and paste features to create a semi-detailed video of the procedure.
Electricians Work Feverishly To Get The Power Online
It's been a long time in coming, and now it is nearly here - we are installing a battery backup for the entire floor that I live on. This may not sound like anything special, but after a few years of so called "roughing it" during the hundreds of power blackouts that occur every year it's a real treat. It's electronically revolutionary, for me, here in India
Today is phase one of the installation. Basically re-wiring the floor so that we can receive electrical current from both the backup and the main line. It switches itself on automatically when there is a power outage.
Battery Backup
Tomorrow is phase two, installing the battery backup system itself and hooking it into the newly re-wired floor. Lord willing a day will come when a guy can make it a whole week here without the single loss of fan, fridge, lights or computers.
Shortly after the Sunday morning service today, the church held their first baptismal service since Palm Sunday. All together around twenty believers were baptized in our pool.
I am posting a short video that does a good job showing the enthusiastic, joyful spirit this afternoon.
I know this is a little bit dated already, but I think this video really demonstrates how we can take advantage of the passing of our American Idols for the purpose of the kingdom. In so doing, even the "untimely" death of superstars like Michael Jackson have purpose, design, and aren't wasted.
Thank you for praying. By God's grace the trip went well yesterday. It was a trip with a single purpose, to fellowship with and encourage our dear brothers and sisters who are serving faithfully in the remote mountain areas of the state.
We started first thing in the morning with several brothers and drove for about an hour on level ground before reaching the mountains. From then on our trajectory was vertical. We wound our way up though the mountains for two hours before arriving at the village which was tucked away in a small valley.
The mountain driving portion of the trip was slightly harrowing since following the road meant the vehicle's direction would change constantly as we zigzagged our way up the side of the mountain as fast as we could - all the while dodging oncoming traffic because the road was one lane wide.
That was pretty exciting stuff, and consequently one of the brothers lost his lunch a few times on the way back. After the last time he was moved to the front, and I ended up taking his seat and discovered that the seat was still yellowish and moist since all the mess hadn't been cleaned up.
I faced it like a man, and after an hour or so, it reminded me (in an incomparable way) of my sin, which reeked infinitely more, yet Christ valiantly took it upon Himself and bore it on the Cross, along with the sin-stench of countless multitudes of others whom He died for. In life sometimes taking up my cross has meant taking the seat no one else wants to sit in. It's messy business.
Christ Came To Take Our Filth To Himself
The time at the village was wonderful. The director was blessed to fellowship with a few pastors and their wives from the area. I really enjoyed seeing them all as well as breathing the relatively fresh mountain air and soaking in the majesty of God's creation.
I was basically along to pray, take pictures, and smile at the people. And I definitely consider it time well spent.
For your viewing pleasure, I created this four and a half minute youtube video which will rapidly take you all the way though yesterday's exciting journey in less than five minutes. I am still experimenting with Google soundtracks, so please bear with the audio selection.
Come, rejoice with me in the glorious truth that death died in the death of Jesus Christ! Everyone is now welcome to come and freely take the water of life. (Rev 22:17)
