And So It Begins...

I pray this Servants' prayer as I head out:

Christ before me to guide me on the way,
Christ beside me so I am not alone,
Christ within me to give me words to say,
Christ behind me to bring the harvest home.

May each word from my lips be a song of good news.
Every touch of my hand be a gift of grace.
Every beat of my heart be a prayer to you.
And the sum of my days be a life of praise.

Talk to you from Panama!

Of Masks, Mountains, Mid-day Meals and Monstrous Mops

So less than 24 hours until my departure, and I am saying goodbye to all the little things that I wont have the chance to be around for the next year. There are so many things that I never really thought I would be "leaving behind" but I note everyday with "that will be the last time in a year I do (see, hear, etc. ) that!" I wanted to show you a few things that I have realized, whether with pain or slight excitment that I would be leaving here in the states. It might be hard to understand the sentiments I am feeling, as even I didnt expect or anticipate them, and I am the one leaving!

First, my littlest sister had a project to do. At dinner, we all brainstormed ways that she could effectivly finish the project (yes, she did procrastinate until the last moment, I have taught her well!) We all had our ideas of her mask making and I realized that it will be the last time for a while I help out with family projects, school work and all that.

My mom and dad and little sister, Courtney, working on an Incan Mask

I also was driving today, and the silloutte of Pikes Peak came into view. As my last few blogs show, I am very fortunate to live in Colorado and love the mountains and the natural witness they are of God being the greatest artist. I will miss having the mountians out my window, and will miss the cool mountain breezes that have been glazing the plains with morning frost and a fresh crisp, cool smell.

Aspen leaves floating in Alberta River, Rocky Mountain National Park

I also will miss meeting family and friends for lunch. I have been very fortunate the last month to be able to meet friends for a variety of foods, on their lunch breaks, giving me time to catch up and hang out with the people God has blessed me with. There has also been plenty of chances to eat at home with my sister during the day and that has been great.

And for any of those who know me, I am going to miss being a complete goofball. My sister undid her braids one night, and we got a kick messing around with her "monstrous mop" for a few minutes. I am a goofball at heart and will miss all the goofing around I usually get to take part of with my family.

My sister, Kara, and I being complete goofballs with the monstrous hair.

And despite leaving all these things behind, I know that the life infront of me in Panama will be exciting! I look forward to having a year to serve, a year to really learn about who I am as God's child! I know that God will give me strength to do the work to which he has called me, and he will give me people in Panama who will show me the love that I recieve from my family and friends here on a daily basis. I know that, even when I am homesick, God promises to be with me and with those I know farplaced from me, and that connection in the Spirit is a great comfort!

So as I head out, I look forward to keeping these things close to my heart, look forward to being able to share these special things with others that I meet, and look forward to sharing the most important thing, a thing that cannot be taken from me-my hope in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord! I ask for your prayers as I travel and start this new part of my life!

until later, keeping on plugging...

p.s. the mask turned out great for those of you that are wondering...

The finished product

Its Not About Me

Before we start, I just want it to be clear that this is MY blog, about ME, the things that happen to ME, that I write and organize, so that YOU might know all you ever wanted to know about ME!

No, really. I was thinking about last Sunday's lessons and how they might be related. After thinking for a while, it hit ME that the answer was in ME! Not exactly in me, but in the lack of ME.

Last Sunday we read these two passages:

Philippians 1:20-23, 30:
My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don't know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ--which is far better-- but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear about me.

Matthew 20:1-16:
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the workers on one denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. To those men he said, 'You also go to my vineyard, and I'll give you whatever is right.' So off they went. About noon and at three, he went out again and did the same thing. Then about five he went and found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?' "'Because no one hired us,' they said to him. " 'You also go to my vineyard,' he told them. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, 'Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.' "When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: 'These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!' "He replied to one of them, 'Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Didn't you agree with me on a denarius? Take what's yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my business? Are you jealous because I'm generous?' "So the last will be first, and the first last."

I guess pretty standerd lessons, nothing shocking, or really eye grabbing, just two regualar lessons to fill our liturgical calanders. Being the anylitical person that I am, I wanted to find a connection between the two (thanks Prof. Blanco, the bible is truly one long string beginning and ending with Christ,). So, while this is no Holman's Commentary, or anything worthy of the divine mark of CPH (I hope my sarcasm came across in that), its a good way to show how God can use our experiences to shed human understanding on the boundlessness of his divine grace.

So, Paul is ready to die in this passage. Yeah, his life, not exactly a box of roses at this point. In jail, he realizes that his sufferings here on earth are far under the superiroty of God's glory he knows he's going to see when he is called home. Can you imagine? We often uphorically think and talk about how we cant wait to get into heaven to see God's glory and how heaven will be better than here, and that is when we are all doing fine. alive and wagging tail (as they would say in Spanish). I would venture to say that none of us have ever gone to prison, which is the least of the things that happened to Paul. So heaven is looking really really extra bonifed great at this point to Paul. Yet he chooses to stay, becuase it is more beneficial. Its not about Paul. Its about getting out the message that Christ died for all out sins, becuase his father, who loves us so much, sent him to do just that, reconciling all sinful humans beings with their loving creator. Dying is gaining, and Paul probably really wouldnt mind blowing off the nasty conditions and I would guess less than calibur food served in prison to be in heaven, yet knows that his very suffering is bringing about the witness that the spirit would make "fruitful". Its not about Paul. And he says that this is the same struggle other Christians have lived through. That means its us. Its not about us. We may not stuggle between choosing death and life, but we struggle with other opposing ideas. One for me is the idea the idea of getting a job and having a life long career. There is this pressure to have my life figured out. Will I be better being a pastor or a professor? Which one will be more fruitful? In which profession can be more of a servant? And most importantly, which one would make me happy? Well, guess what Chris? IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU! It is about the saving message of Christ. While Paul could have succomb to death in his cell, (I would venture to say that he was very near death at some points) he chose to keep on suffering, so that the Gospel could be advanced.

And what about this parable? What does it have to do with the lack of me-ness? Well, those of you that knew me about a year and a half ago would know how angry this parable would make me. I have been "working" (aka been a Christian) my entire life, and then these junkies and prostitutes are getting the same wage as me? This is not fair at all. And while I would never preach on it, I knew that I would have a stoll at the great feast that was just a little bit higher than theres. Sure, they would be in heaven. That was great. But I would be someone more important in heaven. During this "pious" (wow thats an understatment) period of my life, this whole thing of the first being the last was not a picture of God's grace, but a motto consistently throbbing as some sort of moral conscience, as if I made myself last, I would be first some day in a greater place. This "humbleness" didnt really humble me, nor did it make other first, becuase, in the end, I was still doing it to look out for number one.

But when you look at these two together, that NOTHING is about me, then the workers in this parable dont matter. After all, that is what I am. Nothing more than a worker. My service, as great as I think it makes me, does not make me any better than those who started working at the end of the day. What matters is that Christ's grace extends to all. That no matter if you have been a Christian all your life, one day, have screwed up everything that ever happened, broke every law, that if you beleive in Christ, his grace covers you.

So Pual tells us its not about us, becuase the only thing that matters is that Christ's grace is sufficient for all. And when we are all clothed in the robes of glory only He can bestow, there will be no difference between life-long Christians, new born Christians, male, female, slave or free man. So it is not about me, or what I want to be in my life. Its not about me getting the treatment I "deserve" on heaven, but rather recieving the gift of heaven from a father whose geneorosity exceeds all human understanding.

Commissioning Sunday!

Today was my commissioning at Church. We got to sing my favorite hymn (number 318 oh yeah) and had time to pray as a congregation. Then I lead the last part of my bible study on evangelism, and it was really fun to see some the relationship I had developed in the last month by leading that. It gives me confidence to know that there will be plenty of people who will be supporting me as I head out.

As the time ticks by, I am getting everything ready to go. We had a special dinner tonight at home with family and friends. Each family member gave me a picture or a momento to go with me to Panama, and they will help me when I start to feel homesick. It was also a time to look at old family pictures, tell some embarrassing childhood stories, and pose for some last goofball pictures.

Also, last night was my Panamanian Dessert night at church. We made Bananas con canela (cinnamon bananas, sounds gross but is really tasty) and had Spanish games and phrases, so people of my congregation could get a small taste of what Panamanian culture is like. We had spanish pop music (got to love Jaunes and Buate and Shakira), a prayer table and a learning table, so that people could get resources about my mission work in Panama, mission work in general, Ablaze! and all that. So it was an interactive night!

Speaking of interactive, we played an idiom guessing game last night. Can you guess the Spanish equivalents to these idioms? (Literal Translations are in the parenthesis)

1. Antes que te cases, mira lo que haces (Before you marry, look what you do)
2. No preguntes si la manteca es unta (Dont ask if the butter is grease)
3. Por un pelito de un rana (By the little hair of a frog)
4. Vivito y coleando. (Alive and wagging tail)

Go ahead, make you guesses!

I ask that you pray for me during this last week before I go down to Panama. My packing is actually done (yeah!!!!) and I just now wait for my date to leave. I talked to Marc Cohen, the current missionary in Panama, and it sounds like they have some great things to show me when I get to Panama. All I have to say is that I heard there is a beach involved! With this excitment, I ask for your prayers for patience as I get anxious to leave, safety as I travel and energy as I meet changes next week!

until later, still plugging away...

And heres the idiom answers :
1. Look before you leap
2. Don't beat around the bush
3. It was a close shave
4. Alive and kicking!

A Different Kind of Rockies

You might be thinking, not another entry bragging about the Rocky Mountains. No, I have more than that up my sleeve, lest you think monotony is a reigning force in my life. While there are no mountains invovled in this entry, there is Rockies involved in this continuation of my theme (getting enough of everything "American" before I leave), however these Rockies are not as worthy of bragging.

"Rockies Vision" The Scoreboard in beautiful Coors Field.

Thats right. Tonight was a baseball game with family. We headed to Coors Field, (the only thing related to the Rockies worthy of bragging rights, it is beautiful!) where the Rockies took on the San Fran Giants. After a an amazing 3rd inning, two back to back out of the park home runs and a 3 point gain yet a highly dissapointing loss, 7 to 6 (all you baseball fans can tell me if the Giants are any good team to beat), the Rockies headed off the field in defeat, while anxious viewers headed down to the field to watch the fireworks show. The fireworks, timed to music, was enough to rectify the Rockies' rank preformance. And when the game was getting boring, there was plenty to make fun off and more than enough to take in!

A view of Coors Field and a perfect Colorado sunset (I had to brag about Colorado some time!)

I have noted that for a country who takes such precautions with explosives and firearms, we sure like to blow things up. What is the quintessentail ball game without a round of exploding shells that all make us ouhh and awwww.? It was definately an "American" night!

Explosions galore!

A Mountain Top Experience

The theme of the last few days has been taking in everything that I wont be able to take in while I am in Panama. And, as a good, red-blooded Coloradan, that means mountains. If you havent seen the Rockies, my last couple of posts have probably been lost in the question "whats the big deal? They are just mountains"

For me, going to the mountains is just about as close to heaven as you get while still being on earth. Climbing the rocks, looking down at the sweeping views of valleys, lakes, waterfalls always makes me awe at how creative our God is. And as trite as it sounds, being in the mountains, through the solitude and the beauty, shows me a tangable reminder of what it is like to have the peace that surpasses all understanding.

As I head out to Panama (only 9 days now!) and make my last preparations, I am really starting to realize the daily things I take for granted being here at home, in a familiar surrounding, with family and sights that I know and love. I know that part of my experience ahead of me will have its ups and downs, and missing the things I know will be something that I will deal with as a low! But being in the mountains these last couple of days, a truly mountain-top experience will stick with me in Panama. For when I am down, missing home, when I feel dry in the desert, remembering God's awesome work in the mountains, the heights he created will remind me of Habakuk 3:17-19, and how he will lift me spirit through whatever hardships I face.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the Lord;I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Yahweh my Lord is my strength;He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

-Habaukuk 3:17-19

A Mountainous Day

Hiking in Douglas County

Yesterday was a great day! I went with my family to a childhood hangout of mine, Morrison, Colorado and did our family's favorite activity, hiking! I decided I would use my blog to show some of you the area of the country I live in, and, if not for selfish pride reasons, make you a little jealous. We really lucked out, as this week is the beginning of peak aspen week, when the aspens are the most "golden" in their annual desidous decadence. Morrison, elevation 8,000 ft above sea level, did not even have as gold aspens as other areas of Colorado at higher elevations, but it was still awe-inspiring. If you have ever seen the aspens changing in Colorado, you will testify that it is about as close to heaven on earth as we can get. And seeing the golden aspens in Colorado is like a pilgramidge to Mecca. On some occasions, it seems that the whole Denver Metro area is going to the mountains, to catch a glimpse of the trees dropping their treaure.

We started the day by heading to Tiny Town, a tourist trap really, but a neat place. It is located in Morrison and is a whole little town made out of minature houses, building, even a minstrue train that, if you want to pull your legs up to your chest for the fifteen minute ride, takes you on a loop around the minature town, through tunnels and even past a gold mine. Its not nearly as exciting as it was when I was five and felt the awe of power rage through me as I tore through the town knowing that my massive size would fill any of the small buildings and if the peasants awoke my wrath, I could simply pulverize their house. Now it is just fun to see other ego-maniac kids run around with the same sense of power, and to watch them look for the mianture mine on the mountain and ask if they can go get some gold.

A Tiny Town Train, going through the town crossing

Next, it was to The Douglas County Open Space, which was technically closed, but we climed the fence anyways. Hey I figure, if they really want to keep us out, post a guard there or something. We hiked for about two hours, up to the top of a ridge where you could see Double Header Peak, a large mountain where family used to live. The aspens here were just starting to change, so not anything incredible, but still some gold every once and a while. We hiked through gullies and crossed little streams, all covered by shade of pines that whistled in the wind and leaves the gently flapped on one another in the breeze.

Some aspens in the Douglas County Open Space. You can barely see the trail we hiked in the bottom left hand corner.

In the background is Double Heade Peak, in Douglas county.

Me in an old creek bed

Me gettin' back to previously unknown hill-billy roots. "Jesse! Where yu' at' boy?"

After about two hours of hiking, we headed up to Grunella Pass, to see if we could catch sunset. Grunella Pass is above the timberline, so the "tundra" looks a lot different. No vegetation beyond tall bushes, and lots of rocks...big rocks! There was more golden aspens here as we were traveling into higher altitude. As we headed up the pass we encountered some Colorado wildlife. A fox was walking along side the road and when we stopped to take a picture, my first one did not turn out. I said I wanted to take one more, and as if on cue, the fox sat down and looked at me, as if posing, until I was done and had my camera away. We also saw some deer on the way up.

Some Coloradan wildlife on the way up Grunella Pass

We hiked down Beirstadt Trail to a little swampy pond and got this picture of the surrounding mountains. My sister fell as we were racing down the not-exactly-rubber-track-quality-path and was absoultly covered in dust. We got to the pond and took in how quiet it was. The sounds of the wind in valley was the only thing audible, and you had to just sit there and take in how different this natural world was from our own lives.

The boardwalk section over a "mountain marsh" on Bierstadt Trail

Then we ended our day with a Colorado classic. We went to Idaho Springs for this wonderful Colorado original. Those of you who are from Colorado know what I am talking about. Thats right. The hoeny, the drawnon napkins, the old mainstreet store front, and a view of the waterwhell. The only place where you eat honey on your pizza, the only place where cant eat moe than two pieces of pizza, the only place to get the orignal IBC. Oh yes, Beau Jo's. And remember people, its not a pizza you are devouring, it is a Colorado Mountain Pizza Pie. Eating a Beau Jo's was just about as spritual as seeing the aspens. Well maybe not, but after 5 hours of hiking, it was sure an answer to my pleading stomach!

The one. The only. The original. Beau Jo's.

This it folks. The five pound Mountain Pizza Pie. What more can I say?

That was my day. When we got home at about 10 p.m. all of us collapsed into bed. I was eagar to blog about this, but just had to wait until I got some rest. Now, I have pictures, leftovers from Beau Jo's and searing pains all up and down my legs! I hoep you enjoyed your lesson in Colorado geography and gastronomy!

New look, same quality blogging

Hey yo...there are some new things on my blog. As you can tell, I got sick of the little polkadot craze background, and felt like my blog had fallend out of some modern day Swiss yodeling party, so strike that. There are some other new things to check out, first my newsletters are posted (well, it would newsletter at this point) and I also worked out a photo album with my Spain Pics, and this will be where I put my Panama pics as well! With the Spain album, due to ir being a free program, there are popups..sorry...one for each picture, yuck! If you let the first three come up, then they will just come up and replace the three already there, so thats the way to go. But if you have a popup blocker, put it to the test!

keeping on keeping on...

Toto, we're not in Spain anymore!

A sad realization today. After being back in the States for almost a month, it hit me that I am, in fact, not in Spain anymore. The trigger of this stark realization: I ate my last piece of mazapan today. No more creamy egg-filled almond paste, baked to golden brown perfection! And I can't just go down to the corner store on the plaza a pick out another whole box fresh from the factory. I will continue to cope with the fact that the glory days of my Spain experience are over......so in the 14 days until my next Hispanic adventure begins, I will just remember the good days of bullrunning in the streets of Toledo!

The fearsome bull gets ready to face his biggest challenge....the matador Cristobal "El Bulldog" Carter...

I make my move....

And we call a truce!

Some Good News!

This just in from www.delta.com. I just found out that I can take 70 lbs. for each bag on my flight. I thought that I would have to cram my whole existence into 100 pounds. I am so happy! The packing process is going, and thats about all I can say about that! I think that I am struggling between the anxiousness of wanting to have my bags ready to go, and the fleeting chances to hang out with family and friend.

As for now, I will see what things I can fit into my two suitcases, one carry on and on "appropriatly sized" personal item!

keeping on...
Chris