Commitment. It’s Hard

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Rosalie

Last night I had a revelation. I hope it turns into a behavior change. I must commit to preparing for the oral and studying for my homework. My new commitment is every other day. Every other day, I must do something to further my progress in the Methods of Bible Study class. Even if it’s just reviewing what I read the last time, or marking one observation of a text for homework.

In other news…

The oral doctrinal exam is in less than two weeks. Chris and I developed a list of “the hard questions,” questions we think we might be asked, and then ignored it for a few days. This weekend I was browsing my favorite resource, Desiring God, and I came across “A Baptist Catechism” while I was looking for the answer to the question, “what is a Baptist?” This resource essentially listed the answer and the scripture references to nearly all our hard questions, so I copied and pasted for a few hours. Then, this week, Chris and I took turns looking up scripture and answering the questions.

We both hope, at the very least, we can remember either a) what the verse says or b) where it says it when we need to.

But we were also relieved to find that we do know the answers to most of the hard questions. It takes us some time to find our answers…

Rose: What would you do if someone said they went to a church where everyone was speaking in tongues and being slain in the spirit?
Chris: The Bible talks about the guidelines for speaking in tongues somewhere. Always a translator, how many people can do it, and the difference between tongues and prophecy.
Rose: Right. The main point is that there is always a specific reason for the speaking in tongues. Also, it will only ever happen to God’s glory, like bringing someone to salvation.
Chris and Rose: *blank stares* Where does it say it?

Following concordance use and lots of tangents related to verses that speak on the spiritual gifts (also useful)… guidelines for orderly worship, which is used for building people up, are found in 1 Corinthians 14.

I am feeling very busy these days, but also very protected. I often wonder how we will manage classes, candidating, a family (well, someday!) and jobs, but I don’t stress about it. Because I know I am being equipped for every good work, not just good works on the mission field but good works with our high school kids, our coworkers, our families – our OIKOS – I have peace.

Please Allow a Moment to Reminisce

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Rosalie

Today I am remembering a special moment last summer when Chris and I realized we had planned for way too much time between checking out of our hotel in Granada and leaving by train to head back to Madrid.

We had to be out of our hotel by 11 am, but the train didn’t leave until 10 pm. By this time on our vacation, we were getting tired. We’d only brought one pair of shoes each for our little four-day jaunt to Sevilla and Granada, and we were beginning to feel it, with a whole day left. We felt like we were running out of money (a perpetual problem for us spendthrifts on vacations – even when we’re not, we feel like we’re spending all our money) and we didn’t want to wander the city (it’s very hilly) buying overpriced food (although delicious) and tickets to tiny cathedrals.

So, when we woke up on our first full day in Granada, we took a bus into town to try to replace our train tickets with earlier ones. Either by error or lack of confidence, we got off in the wrong place, and ended up walking all over Granada’s business district before reaching the train station. But, once we were there, I was able to successfully switch our tickets. Let me remind you they speak Spanish in Spain. Thanks.

On our much less hurried walk to the bus back to town, Chris and I reveled at how our life might look like this most days when we first arrive in Spain to live. It might be a series of adventures where we try to find something, or accomplish a goal.

We were pretty sure we could do it then, and we’re pretty sure we can do it now.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Rosalie

We got an informative email from the folks at ABWE this week, sharing some details about our upcoming candidate seminar. The seminar, which takes place in Harrisburg near the ABWE offices, is July 8-18. As usual, Chris and I will be occupied and away from home on our anniversary (we spent our 5 year anniversary on a plane home from Spain), but we consider this a worthwhile sacrifice!

I am writing again to ask for your prayers. We were reminded in this email that the enemy will undoubtedly wage a spiritual battle as we prepare to go to the seminar and share our testimonies, learn the ins and outs of missionary service, meet and pray with other candidates, and be tested on our knowledge and understanding of our doctrine and the scriptures.

Already, just yesterday, Chris and I began to feel some of that battle. The following scriptures will help us as we pray in faith that God has already answered our prayers for equipping:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:10-20

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Please pray specifically as we prepare our testimonies, which have to presented in 4 minutes (per person) and 5 minutes, before other candidates and the board.

To prepare for the oral exam, we have compiled a list of potential questions we think might be asked, and Chris and I plan to study and practice answering the questions orally. Please pray that we might memorize some of the most relevant scriptural references.

Keeping the Romance Alive: Surprise Date

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Rosalie

I sent an evite to Chris a few weeks ago inviting him on a surprise date in Seattle. Thankfully, he accepted my invitation, because it wouldn’t have been much fun without him! Or surprising, for that matter…

Yesterday we took Seattle Food Tours’ Belltown Restaurant Tour. It was, in a word, excellent. And delicious. And interesting. I can’t describe it in one word. First, it was the perfect thing for us to do now that we’re considering leaving the country. We are, after a lifetime of living in Seattle (well, suburban Seattle), finally getting to know it a little better.

So, we met at the Hotel Andra, a fun, luxurious new hotel that boasts Tom Douglas‘ restaurant Lola. There, we tasted his handmade pita bread with three spreads – tzatziki, a North African chili spread, and hummus made from cauliflower. Yummm. The pita? It’s soaked in olive oil.

Next up was Txori. Chris and I were ecstatic to find this Spanish tapas bar with a menu full of our favorite finds from Spain. Many of you know we had some complaints about Spanish food – it was a little more, shall we say, bland, than we anticipated. But that doesn’t apply to the tapas – the taste and the experience are delightful. Txori (scroll over the adorable birdy for a pronunciation lesson) features tortilla Hispañola, boquerones, and calemares, to name a few of our favorites from Spain. We can’t wait to go back there!

Via Tribunali was the pizza stop on the tour, and delicious as always. Chris and I cannot say enough good things about Pizza Napolitana. The pizza we tried had no meat, but instead a type of smoked mozzarella made from buffalo meat that made it smell and taste like there was pepperoni. Oh yum.

Since true foodies always want sushi after their pizza, the next stop was Shiro’s. Now, Chris and I eat our fair share of sushi. We like it all, pretty much. Well, I am at least willing to try it all. I am NOT a fan of raw salmon. Tuna, on the other hand, I’ll eat pounds of. Raw, cooked, soaked in citrus, seared… please give it to me now. We tried a light and simple tuna piece with wasabi between the tuna and the rice. It was, to be frank, the BEST I HAVE EVER HAD. It needed no soy sauce, no get-over-the-squirmy-feeling-of-raw-fishiness, no… nothing. It was perfect. We also tried unagi, which is eel, and always a favorite. Chris, resident strong-flavor-lover, gushed over that. And drooled over the menu, which in true Pacific Northwest style, feature geoduck. For those of you reading who are not local, that’s pronounced gooey-duck. And it’s not gross, like it sounds. It’s a giant clam, basically. We can’t wait to try it!

Some frame of reference: When Bill Gates wants to have sushi at his house, he calls his friend chef Shiro. True story.

We enjoyed salmon crudo and heirloom beet salad with tarragon oil at Branzino, which boasted Bravo Top Chef contestant Ashley Merriman as its head chef. And by we, I mean I tasted it and Chris had twice as much. I did, however, learn why some people might occasionally partake of beets. Beets, in my opinion, taste like dirt. Not “dirt” the insult, but dirt the stuff you have in your garden. This beet salad was quite good though.

We finished up our tour with a brownie from Macrina, the best bakery in the world and the thing I miss most about working in Belltown, and a stop at a local wine bar. Now, Chris and I aren’t drinkers, so we were pleased to try a pinot noir grape juice cocktail. If you know me, you know that the only time I enjoy grape juice is in communion. I hate grape juice, but I love Jesus. But this cocktail was delicious, of course!

Have you noticed a trend? Good restaurants serve food I don’t like in ways I do like. This, my friends, is why I always try everything at least once. You really and truly never know.

Also at the wine bar, I stuffed my face with popcorn cooked in truffle oil and sprinkled with volcanic salt. The coolest part about that was experience the truffle flavor by breathing it in. Be warned: breathing popcorn may be hazardous to your health.

I totally recommend a Seattle Food Tour. An awesome way to experience your city, try new foods and have fun!

On Change.

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Rosalie

Yesterday I finally got a new study Bible for Chris and I. Chris’s old NIV study Bible was falling apart, not to mention it had a love note from his ex-girlfriend inside the cover. I never used my NIV study Bible because I always use my NIV Thinline. I LOVE that thing. It’s falling apart, and it has ink stains, tears, underlines, highlights, etc. It’s used. Bible Study Fellowship lessons, Beth Moore studies, and Max Lucado books all use NIV. I am, simply, used to it.

I often compare translations in study, and I’ve been using a tiny pocket ESV on occasion, but I was having trouble making the complete switch.

Then, this weekend, I was watching John Piper preach via live stream from Mars Hill Church, and he referred to the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, in John 11. The NIV says in verses 4-6, When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

But the ESV says, But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Do you see the difference? While the story does not change because of the translation differences; the meaning, and Jesus’ intentions, change significantly. Did Jesus love Mary and Martha BUT stay two more days, or did He love Mary and Martha and SO stay two more days?

The ESV, which is an “essentially literal” translation, indicates that Jesus basically let Lazarus die because He loved Mary and Martha. The meaning of the NIV is the same. After all, in verse 4, Jesus said Lazarus’ sickness will not end it death, but for God’s glory is that God’s Son may be glorified. But it’s not very clear. The reader misses this incredible detail that Jesus’ love meant Mary and Martha might suffer.

John Piper said, “if your Bible doesn’t say, ‘so’ or ‘therefore’, get a different translation.” Now, this is a preacher, a Bible scholar, and a man I trust immensely. So, I did. I drove to Mars Hill’s Bellevue campus before grocery shopping yesterday and picked up a beautiful leather ESV study Bible for HALF PRICE (thank you, Mars Hill!). It’s gorgeous, and it’s full of color maps, illustrations, tables, graphs, notes and references. It’s the most comprehensive study Bible I have ever seen! I am so excited to dive into it, especially as we begin our first class, Methods of Bible Study, this week.

But, it represents something deep inside of me that I can’t eliminate, despite all my prayers and petitions: I don’t really LIKE change. Now, a caveat: I do seek change, for my benefit. A strength in my character is that I desire to be better, constantly (not saying I always AM better, but I do desire it), and I am usually willing to “suffer” for improvement. But, because I don’t really enjoy change, I don’t seek it out very often. Even when God is ushering me into a changed state, I delay, for comfort’s sake. I want to be able to say I am the kind of person who “thrives on change,” but in reality, I hate it more than the average person and I benefit from it as much as the average person.

I’m interested: how do you handle change?

It seems small, but changing Bible translations is a big deal to me. I have memorized scripture in NIV that is really different sounding in ESV. Christ’s words are not in red in my new Bible. And, perhaps most importantly, nothing is underlined. I feel, in a small way, like I’m starting over spiritually!

How did my reaction manifest itself yesterday? I was emotional. So many blessings were given (tax return numbers), needs were presented (dear friends’ prayer requests, earthquakes in Chile and Japan), and so much information was shared (an amazing sermon). In trying to battle these needs, I felt like I couldn’t turn to anything familiar for comfort, and it sort of overwhelmed me.

But God is SO faithful.

This morning I did my Bible study with my new Bible. I almost went back to my trusty (comfy) NIV, but I am really feeling God’s tug on this change, so I obeyed. And He blessed me. I read a portion of scripture I have read a million times in a totally new way: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him (1 John 5:13-15).

I already have the requests I ask of Him according to His will.

And you know what? The NIV says exactly the same thing. But I think I would have missed it.

A helpful resource over at Desiring God.