...using spiritual logic to traverse the space of time...

Bitter-Sweet Sunset

2011-06-06T06:09:00.001-07:00

It’s Monday now…and I’m facing my last week in El Naranjo/Sta. Rosita. Has a year and a half really come down to a final four days? Amazing.

And while it is sad to say goodbye to ‘today’, I’m really looking forwards to ‘tomorrow’.

White Road–Dark Sky

2011-06-01T07:37:00.001-07:00

Sometimes our paths stretch on before us –and run straight for as far as we can see. But beyond that distant point, it may turn towards new places and new experiences. While dark clouds threaten us, we are followers of the Light and Word –the Word that is a lamp unto our feet…

Take heart my friend, the Lord is with us
As He has been all the days of our lives
Our assurance every morning
Our defender in the night

~Fernando Ortega / Take Heart My Friend

The road towards Santa Rosita with stormy weather approaching….

Let Us Not Be Hasty

2011-05-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

“When have I been hasty or unwary who have waited and prepared for so many long years?”
–Aragorn, Son of Arathorn; Heir of Elendil and rightful king of Gondor // Lord of the Rings

It was Treebeard, the oldest living thing in middle earth that said “Let’s not be hasty!” It was his motto. And Ellesar (i.e. Aragorn) who strode around with great strides who patiently awaited the day when he could come into his own.

Today, we have lost the blood of the men of Númenor, and we go about in a great hurry. Are we patient in waiting upon the Lord? The Bible is full of the examples and teachings of waiting upon the Lord.

---

The LORD takes delight in his faithful followers, and in those who wait for his loyal love. (Psa 147:11)

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (Psa 37:7)

---

This is one of my ‘photo creations’. I took the photo of the clock, and borrowed the background offline.

Knife Edge

2011-04-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

“….your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and you will fail…” (Galadriel to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring)

- - -

But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7.14 NET)

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:25 NET)

- - -

“[Jesus replied] ‘This is impossible for mere humans,but not for God; all things are possible for God.’”
(Mark 10:27 NET)

- - -

How little I fully understand the ‘knife edge’ I walk on. Why should I, as Paul the self acclaimed ‘chief of sinners’ , have a sure hope? How little I fully understand the keeping power of God, making that path way as safe and sure as a highway…Thank God for His power over the impossible.

There is no safer place on earth than this knife edge. No narrow way so sure.

Straight Street

2011-04-12T09:54:00.001-07:00

One way home. One road to glory.

Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
(Psa 25:4-5)

Fimbrethel

2011-04-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

She lifts her knurled hands to the skies, takes a knobby step towards the horizon. Ever upwards –yet ever still. Still and silent upon the hill.

“In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the
Spring.
Ah! the sight and the smell of the Spring in Nantasarion!
And I said that was good.
I wandered in the Summer in the elm-woods of Ossiriand.
Ah! the light and the music in the Summer by the Seven
Rivers of Ossir!
And I thought that was best.
To the beeches of Neldoreth I came in the Autumn.
Ah! The gold and the red and the sighing of leaves in the
Autumn in Taur-na-neldor!
It was more than my desire.
To the pine-trees upon the highland of Dorthonion I
climbed in the Winter:
Ah! the wind and the whiteness and the black branches
My voice went up and sang in the sky.
And now all those lands lie under the wave,
And I walk in Amboróna, in Tauremorna, in Aldalómë.
In my own land, in the country of Fangorn,
Where the roots are long,
And the years lie thicker than the leaves
In Tauremornalómë“
~Treebeard the Ent in the Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

* a lone tree on a lone hill near one of my favorite ‘get aways’

Working Together

2011-04-09T20:02:00.001-07:00

Cher-i-os! Com’on boys, let’s do this together. These ants know how to work together to move an object many many times their size. Sometimes they didn’t quite move in a perfectly straight line –but they all worked together towards the common goal.

We too should work together. Our differences and disagreements may make us curve a bit at times –but with God’s urging, we should finally arrive at the same goal.

*these tiny ants move a cheerio fifteen feet to their home…..

Razor - - - - -

2011-04-08T19:01:00.001-07:00

Not every string of razor wire is meant to keep things imprisoned. In this case, it is meant to keep people out. But it is always used for protection. Here, razor wire is used at a phone tower to protect expensive equipment from being ransacked –and to protect mischievous people from hurting themselves on the towers (I admit to having great desire to climb the towers to get a birds eye view). Prisons use razor wire to protect the people without from people within who have a habit of hurting other people.

In life we mistake God’s razor wires for things they aren’t. We say “God is holding something good from me” when really he is trying to protect us from what lies inside that boundary. Or, we feel that God’s laws imprison us from enjoying the real world –when really God is protecting us from this world so that we can pass safely into the next world.

When razor wires are crossed –blood and suffering are the result. When razor wires are respected –the peace of God is present.

*razor wire at our local phone towers here in El Naranjo

This Side of Glory

2011-04-04T19:08:00.001-07:00

We wait on this side. IT is on the other side. In the light of Glory –something so much greater than just eternity- everything on this side becomes dark…and colorless. On this side we enjoy beauty. But we can only enjoy beauty on this side as we look past it into the light and hope of Glory.

*a simple shot through a window. This admittedly is not a good picture. It was highly dramatized to bring out my point.

The Same Heaven–The Same Sun :: June 15

2011-04-03T19:24:00.001-07:00

My tickets to fly home are bought. And the words of a beautiful Spanish song are ringing in my head…

Aunque es el mismo cielo,                                          Even though it is the same heaven,
Y el mismo sol -                                                               And the same sun….
Son las mismas calles, pero yo no soy -                 They’re the same streets, but I am not
No soy el mismo.                                                            I am not the same.
Y como turista puedo caminar,                              And like a tourist I can walk,
Descubriendo cosas nuevas al andar…                  Discovering new things while walking…
                      ~Marcela Gandara

As I think back over the last couple of years I see a lot of things that have remained the same. The sun is still shining down. The same stars, the same constellations. God is still the same. As I think of going back to the States, I look forwards to driving those same streets and visiting the same libraries. But I am not the same person as when I came here. I have a new outlook – a better vision. We can’t stay the same for two years. God wants us to continually become…

I could have grown more, I feel. That is my regret. My weaknesses are a hindrance that I seek to push aside so that I can be better at becoming…

*The sun rising over the river one Sunday morning…

II Towers

2011-03-26T18:13:00.001-07:00

Where two are together there is symmetry. Parallelism. Beauty. But without the rest of the picture, two are nothing to look at.

God is the rest of the picture.

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.” Ecclesiastes 4:9

*two beautiful coconut palms on the way to El Naranjo from Santa Rosita

To The Hills

2011-03-25T09:18:00.001-07:00

"Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."
— J.R.R. Tolkien

*Southern Guatemala near the El Salvordoranian border…

La Luna Super

2011-03-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

Last week. The moon came closer to the world than it has since 1992 (or 1993 according to one reference). It was big. It was 8% closer (or 14% according to another reference). It was also brighter. It was 30% brighter according one reference (it was noticeably brighter according to another reference).

So I went camping on the hill above Santa Rosita and took a picture. Not a perfect picture. But my setup consisted of holding a binoculars in front of my lens, so it was all very intense.

I love the night sky.

- - -

credits to Wendell Diem for helping hold the binoculars and focus the camera!

Fire

2011-03-17T14:03:00.001-07:00

If you play with fire long enough, you just might get burned

Track

2011-03-12T17:33:00.001-08:00

Straight.Narrow. Solid. Right on track.

House

2011-03-08T08:42:00.001-08:00

Placid, pale moonlight on the cool concrete wall of a house filled with cheer. Shadows from the dark things outside flee from the light within. All is peaceful.

the front of our house in El Naranjo

The Orange

2011-02-22T19:03:00.001-08:00

The Moon to Rule By Night

2011-02-21T06:48:00.001-08:00

We are the frontier of Guatemala – the edge of national park where there are no cities, no electricity, no running water. It is here in the dead of night that you step outside to catch a breath of fresh air and find you cannot breath because of the splendor of the heavens. When there is no moon, the stars give light enough. But when the moon appears in all its fullness, nothing but the sun can outshine it. The stars fade, and the world flickers in the blue light of tranquility and peace.

We as Christians are like the moon –reflecting the light of the Son. Reflect it.

El Naranjo, Frontera

A Tiny Hero

2011-02-11T18:14:00.001-08:00

She sits there and watches as the white giants come crashing into her world. Terrified she cries forth the anguish of her heart, unwilling to part the two eggs she sits on. For these two tiny lives she has bent her every thought. Through wind and rain she has sacrificed her comfort for the lives of her offspring. As I approached she finally flew –but as I silently stood just inches from her nest she approached once more –and finally landed there oh so close. I admire her bravery –what an example!

A Simple Life

2011-02-07T05:07:00.001-08:00

A simple work – a simple rest –a Bible to read. Simplicity.

The Road

2011-02-05T20:06:00.001-08:00

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

~J.R.R. Tolkien

The road to El Mango

The Walk

2011-02-03T07:35:00.001-08:00

Some days you just have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Happy Birthday dear Mother!

2011-01-31T18:19:00.001-08:00

I guess words cannot describe what my mother means to me. Beautiful. Loving. Very kind. A gentle mother whose done her job willingly! Have a wonderful year Mom!

Thoughtful

2011-01-27T18:42:00.001-08:00

When God resides we stop and meditate upon the truths of his precepts.

Blue and Green

2011-01-26T06:18:00.001-08:00

A sheet of blue and a puff of white, with a tall, green pine tree to set it all off.

A Morning There

2011-01-23T18:26:00.001-08:00

Sunlight flickers across the upper courtyard of Headquarters, and warms a few spots in its earliest beams. Here I often check my email and await the coming of the day when I am in Guatemala City.

To Fly

2011-01-22T15:57:00.001-08:00

Sharp and at the ready.

Yesterday’s flight to the Petén was delayed a couple hours due to heavy fog. When the tower finally cleared everyone to taxi we made it to zero-one before everyone else, but had to wait for all the airlines to take off first. We allowed probably fifteen aircraft to take off before we were finally cleared.

Grounded

2011-01-21T18:44:00.001-08:00

Years ago a MAM pilot tried to take off, realized it wasn’t going to work, and tried to abort –only to go past the end of the runway and over the side of a cliff. Miraculously everyone survived (a tree caught them). This is a picture of the fuselage of that airplane… and in the second picture our current mission pilot tries heroically to get it off the ground.

Focus

2011-01-20T19:32:00.001-08:00

Moonlight on the windmill pulls your eyes towards one place –and there you focus.

Marching Brown

2011-01-19T19:58:00.001-08:00

A golden sun upon a boring brown fence becomes an array of marching solders. They all reflect the light -but one outshines them all.

*second floor of mission headquarters

Black and White

2011-01-18T20:09:00.001-08:00

A mind bent in thought, a grin or two on the side, and a prayerful gaze on the future -these men come from different places, countries, and cultures –but they hold one thing in common.

They walk the walk and talk the talk.

Neither Here Nor There

2011-01-17T21:23:00.001-08:00

Soft and glorious with a gilded sun dropping into the western reaches of the horizon. It’s here high above the clouds that we touch the very edges of space, yet our eyes take in with awe not what lies above, but rather the splendor of this middle earth.

*As I write we’re closing in on a final descent into Guatemala City. It’s been a good furlough!

Pink

2011-01-14T19:58:00.001-08:00

Scattered pink flowers in a sea of grass. Even now they wither, and tomorrow they are gone.

Green

2011-01-13T20:54:00.001-08:00

Old and well used, it got left there after our Thursday games with the children. While the activities of life flew all around, it sat poised and ready in a sea of calm.

Alex José Yoder

2010-06-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Finally some pictures of the newest addition to our Santa Rosita team. I'd have posted a couple before, but he's generally in the house where the lighting is incredibly bad. The other evening, however, we were up the river under the natural light of the sky and I was able to get a few photos.

The Bulliest Bull Ever

2010-06-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

So I was up on the hill meditating the other day, when suddenly behind me I heard a great bellow. I turned and saw there the biggest baddest bulliest brahma bull I've ever seen. Unfortunantly with these photos one is not alltogether able to capture the extreme size of this guy. My head just might top the crest of his hump.

But amazingly, these guys are quite docil. He just batted his sweet eyelashes at me and wandered on his merry way!

The Great Maraposa

2010-05-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

I never saw anything As beautiful
As a fly
With Butter.

The Generator of the Lights

2010-05-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

This, my friends, the machine that generates all the electricity for our house in Santa Rosita. It runs from dusk until about 9:00 when we go to bed or pretend to.

It's an old diesel one stroke beast, that's quite fuel efficient. Lovely lovely lovely. Except we change oil in it every 150 hours which rolls around a bit too often.

The Coolest Click Beetle Ever

2010-05-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Normal click beetles are fun. Abnormal ones are even cooler. But click beetles with eyes that turn on like a lightning bug when it is active and turn off when the bug is inactive?

Now that's cool!

Of course, these aren't actually the eyes.

Leaf Cutter Ants

2010-05-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Walk any distance through a Central American jungle and you're sure to stumble upon a nest of leaf cutter ants. It's probably a good thing that only 2.5% of ant queens successful set up a colony, or else there would be no leaves for them to cut.

These amazing ants are actually farmers. Despite what is commonly believed, these ants don't eat the leaves they cut, but bring them back to their colony where they make compost with the leaves. In this compost the ants grow a special fungus that they eat for their food.

Each colony is set up with a sort of cast system. The queen, of course, lays the eggs. Then there are some really, really big guys that sit around drinking a fermented fungus brew until some big lugger like me comes digging around their nest, in which case they crawl out and pinch their huge squeezers at you (I didn't get a picture of this because I was running).

Then there are some medium sized ants with scissor mouths that actually do the leaf cutting and leaf cutting. Often riding along with them on the leaves are even smaller ants who help protect the busy cutter from flies that try to lay eggs on them.

The first thing you'll probably see when you get close to an ant cutter colony is this:

If you follow the trail (where the leaves are heading) you'll eventually come to the colony which looks like some sort of sprawling nuclear factory:

These guys carry amazing loads:

Notice the small ant clinging to the leaf that the larger ant is carrying. Want a free ride? Hop on!:

Jurassic Park

2010-05-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably don't know, Santa Rosita is part of National Park of Guatemala. Well, technically it isn't, but everything on our side of the river is being treated the same now and if you'd go up the road just a couple of kilos you'd officially enter the park.

Turns out, there's a lot more Jurassic here than one would ever guess !

Chomp!!

Grrr!

The set-up

The big guy is probably around twenty inches long from head to tip of tail.

that's all!

Primera Ama de Guatemala

2010-05-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

A few days ago the first lady of Guatemala came by and gave a speech in El Naranjo. Since I was in El Naranjo at the time I ran over there and took some pictures. Interesting thing was that security didn't want to let me in at first because they thought I was press and wanted to see my ID. When I told them I didn't have ID and was really just a tourist, they pulled me all the way up front to take photos right in front of the platform where she was giving her speech. What fun!

The Sky, The Beautiful Sky

2010-05-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here in Santa Rosita you sure get to see a broad range of sky. Included are some pictures from my first Lightening shoot. I never got the photo I was trying to get, but it was a great learning experience!

The Mission Airplane (Take 2)

2010-05-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

I had another chance to take pictures of the MAM plane this past week. These turned out a bit more interesting!

I had another chance to take pictures of the MAM plane this past week. These turned out a bit more interesting!

KittyKatz

2010-04-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

I had the plasure of doing a photoshoot with our fine specimen of cats here today! It's a fun job ;-)

Antigua, Guatemala

2010-04-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite pictures from my time in Antigua!

Cosas to See Here 2

2010-04-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Beauty Part 1

2010-04-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Flights in Beautiful Skies

2010-02-26T17:28:00.000-08:00

The skies over Santa Rosita prove to be terrific ones for sunrise and sunsets. I love how the mist from the river and the swamps hangs low over the ground even after the sun rises! So beautiful!

And of course -the mystery of flight. Whether dove or aircraft, it's still an incredible thing!

Finally Finally Finally Finally

2010-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Yeah though fire and hail and brimstone and though all laptops disappear I return to haunt your waking dreams with a few more pictures from la vida suprema.

This is our new little book store. Se llama La Palabra - the rest of the pictures are fairly self explanatory!

Animales and Homosapians

2009-12-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

Nuestra Casa. Nuestras Flores.

2009-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

This is my lil' house. Cute, not?

The Devil and the Lamb

2009-12-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

A big scorpion and two little lambs.

Could've the same God created both?

Yuppers. Just turns out that we don't like the little sharp thingy on the tip of Mr.Scorpions tail. He needs the protection, after all.

Stiches and Staff

2009-12-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

I got to watch Ashley stitch a guys leg up today. He'd chapiared himself with a machete.

We had to take staff pictures the other day...

And like I've always said, whatever photo skills I have, they aren't applied much when it comes to formal people pictures. :-( But o well.

A Few Pictures of the San Pedro River

2009-11-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving folks! No, we don't celebrate it down here :-( at least as a holiday, but we are very thankful for all that God has done for us! So while all of you all were eating turkey and stuffing, we were eating Tomalis and enjoy a cooler day!

The other morning around 7:00 I went with Jeff up the river to pick up a guy. Mornings and evenings are so incredibly beautiful here!

Check out our cool dugout! It's as tipsy as anything I've paddled, but it handles incredibly well.

You all take Care!!

~Nathan

Antigua, Guatemala

2009-11-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from around Antigua! Such a beautiful place! I really enjoyed my time there studying!

Flying

2009-11-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

I had the chance yesterday to go with the mission pilot on a flight in the mission's plane. It was great fun. Especially when the dirt (or mud, since it's been raining) runway we were trying to land on had cows on it and we had to do a fly by and try again. Due to the weather conditions we did an instrument approach on the return home, which was very interesting to see how it worked.

The Mission Airplane: I should have taken a picture after we got back to the mission. It looked like we had done some major mudding with the machine.

The Guatemala countryside outside of the city:

James, our pilot doing what pilots do:

Guatemala City:

Welcome to Guatemala Airport!

Day 1 Goes Well

2009-11-05T15:59:00.001-08:00

There's a remodel job going on of the MAM office... So I attempted to make myself useful -even though I've never laid block before...

un bien viaje

2009-11-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from the flight down:

The Colour of Fall

2009-10-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Fall is beautiful -another bright taste of who we serve!

Prayer Card

2009-10-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

The Corvette

2009-10-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not ashamed to say that the Corvette is a favorite of mine. It's very, very fast. It's wonderfully sleek. It's rides beautifully, and the ZR1 can keep close tabs on a Lamborghini (see article).

I took the following pictures in Roanoke:

The Wonders of Contrast

2009-10-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

I've been discovering that sometimes what at first look like plain ordinary and even downright bad picture, will sometimes -with a little tweaking- become something extraordinaire. And since I've always been a fan of the extraordinaire...

The following pictures were once just plain, ugly, boring, etc, pictures:

Credit to Mr. Eldon Yoder for the shot of George and I.

Sunsets

2009-10-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to take pictures of is Sunsets. So much contrast and excellent color. And sunsets are a lot easier to take pictures of than sunrises because you actually are up and around when they happen!

They're especially special because I didn't seem them a whole lot in Nicaragua. I'm looking forwards to seeing them in Sta. Rosita -and i suppose I'll be seeing a good many more sunrises there as well!

A Bug May Appease You?

2009-10-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures of my favorite bugs. Actually just two. They're both favorite -just the first one here is more favorite than the other.

Now honestly, this bug here has got to be one of the meanest, nastiest critters of them all. He has the temperament of a drunk and has got some serious issues on nasty hiney: The Bear Hornet

This critter here. The DRAGON of our state:

This would be a rather close up shot of the head of a....

stink bug.

These little guys are just covered with beautiful little -and no doubt- stinky green spots.

The Undefined Fraction

2009-10-02T03:43:00.000-07:00

Recently I was going through my old documents and ran upon many an interesting story, article, or poem. Here's one of my favorite poems, pasted as a picture for copyright safety and also to ensure that the reader remembers that the numerator is the top number of the fraction.

Fun Shots

2009-09-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's safe to say that Eldon's the one who first inspired me to shoot better shots. And it's also safe to say I'm no where near his equal. But I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable running an SLR and with the help of Picasa, I'm beginning to feel more creative as well.

My newest, cutest, and favorite niece :-)

‘R’ is for Writing

2009-09-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

‘R’ is for Writing

I gently place my laptop, Ashton II, in its designated place on my desk –then plug in my Audio-Technica monitor headphones while pulling up the office chair that Mom and Dad gave as a birthday gift one year. Taking a seat I quickly scan through my music library, quickly passing many albums that have called me on one occasion or the other. Tonight electric is in the air, and something -a shimmering enthusiasm- is leaping and rebounding up the stairs from somewhere deep indside. Fernando Ortega –his music always carries me forwards to places I’ve never seen and back to dreams that I once believed in. And finally, I’m ready to begin this paragraph which you have just read.

---

I spent the greater part of this week on my knees. No, unfortunantly , not in prayer, but in combat with a floor. Our living room carpet was getting a bit ‘worn’ (worn being a gross understatment), and so the job fell to me to replace it with something far better. Sadly, before I could begin ‘replacing’ I had to first destroy the underlying theme –a rather stubborn chip board underlayment. This took the better part of Monday to accomplish in a fashion that satisfied me. The ensuing days only got worse, even with a strong hint of something actually being accomplished.
Tonight, though, I celebrate the fact that I’m finished with the main flooring job –without serious injuries such as broken backs, necks, or a double hernia from doing jobs that technically aren’t good things to do without two people, unless you’re a heavy-weight champ –which I most definitely am not
Tomorrow will be a day of true relaxing. A day spent learning at the feet of my master –wether his truth and will for me, or studying the language that will make me much more effective in Central America.

Another sleepless night, of turning in my bed,
Long before the red sun rises,
In these early hours, I’m falling again,
Into the river of my worries…
When the river runs away,
I find a shelter in Your name,
Jesus, only light on the shore,
Only hope in the storm.
Jesus, let me fly to your side,
There I would hide.
Speak your words to me.
Help me believe in what I cannot see.
Before the river runs away,
I will call upon your name.
Jesus, only light on the shore, only hope in the storm.
~ Fernando Ortega

A Few Pictures from Youth Camp 2009

2009-09-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

It was a good year with plenty of challenge, plenty of fun, and really a good time of getting to know each other better.

The lady folk were inspired to new levels of dedication...

Mr. Eldon Yoder

Charles Galore

Guys usually keep their hands far apart....

The pursuit of God

The Great God Entertainment

2009-09-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

Some great quotes from A.W. Tozer:

---

"...the more a man has in his own heart the less he will require from the ouside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man."

"Is it not a strange thing and a wonder that with the coming of Christ drawing near, the professed followers of the LORD should be giving themselves up to religious amusements....that in the hour when mature saints are so desperately needed vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood and clamour for religious toys?"

~A.W. Tozer

Is That My Face You're Looking At? Or Is It Just My FACE?

2009-05-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

For some time now I've been slightly bothered by Facebook -but it took me awhile before I actually thought about thinking about it, if you know what I mean. I made a short comment about that several days ago, but really didn't have space to address the subject the way I would have liked.

Before I go into a lengthy and 'scholarly' review, I want to make a short disclaimer. I'm not an addicted Facebook user -in fact I rarely visit the place unless someone invites me to be their friend or makes a snide comment on my wall. I've been on more lately because I feel I should make a bit more effort at staying connected. But, probably I really have no clue what I'm talking about. At the same time, I'm inclined to suggest that those who really do have a clue, probably spend too much time online trying to keep in touch with their friends...or perhaps just trying to be accepted and well liked...or just plain trying to be cool.

---

One of things that bothers me most about facebook is that -true to its name- it's pretty much facial. And I'm not talking about facial hair -I'm talking about 'surface'. Beyond the fact that so-and-so is enjoying blazing internet at the café and what's-his-face just bought a 2009 model BMW, we don't get a whole lot more. On the other side of this, I am truly happy to learn that someone is about to graduate, or just started dating, or, for that matter, bless him if he's enjoying blazing internet (I could use a couple days of just that here). BUT, when on a daily base I'm seeing that what 'matters' to you is the blazing internet or the BMW, or any number of things......

I think I'm correct in saying that our 'surface' hints and portrays more than we mean it to. Sometimes what we say doesn't correctly portray who we are. Sometimes it does. But either way, it comes back to us. We're responsible for what we say -and and at least partly responsible for the impressions we give. Even on facebook where we can control our friends, we aren't completely safe from that. I, at least, am friends with people I don't know very well -with people who don't hold the same convictions I do. If my muslim friend had a facebook I'd probably be friends with him -and what would he think?

Recently I peaked over the shoulder of a friend who was checking out the activities on facebook, and I couldn't help but notice a post by someone. I don't know who this person is. But he had a picture of some sort of sports car with a comment underneath to the effect of 'My sweet new car! My love!'. Is that young man's focus on an eternal kingdom? If his car is his 'love' than what is Christ to him? I, the reader, concluded many things the writer did not say directly...

---

It is true, that facebook is about keeping involved in a simple way with your friends -even making new friends. And I haven't written this to say that Facebook is an evil that we should avoid. Neither am I giving everyone a hard time for telling me that you ate fruity-loops this morning, made a tree house, or just broke the high score in chicken invadors. I only am attempting to encourage all my friends to use Facebook as a stepping stone in their friendships -and not a corner stone. And to look at what you're writing from the point of view of the reader.

I am to blame for carelessness as much as anyone. More so, because the idea of being careful isn't new at all to me... Often I even attempt to 'write' the 'blanks between the lines' and because of that my writing has been critcised and corrected more than once. One of my failures was a recent Nicaragua update that I wrote more for my sake than for yours. Someone I respect very much wrote me and kindly suggested I keep such episodes to family and friends who know me very well. And of course, he was correct.

---

In the end - I want all people to see that my highest calling lies beyond cars, computers, sports, simple pleasures of life, or education.... I want them to see God working in and through me. I want them to be challenged by my life.

Blesings to you all,

'It's All about you Jesus, it's all about you!”

What I see HEre

2009-03-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

A poised painter painting...

A proud policeman posing...

A big bad beatle, biting

A fabulous frog flirting...

friends

2009-03-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Lowell and Juanita

Eldon

Gary

Iyiyiyiyi!!

2009-03-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Davy and I

Davy - the prettiest of them all!

With the closing day behind me and my name before me, I have a lot to live for -a lot to prove. My shadow represents my tragectory into the future, decided by the things I do today...

Pacific Sunset -my first

Hey

2009-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

I know most of you don´t even know I have this, and besides I rarely update because the internet in Waslala is too slow to log in here. However, they say the speed is supposed to double about the time I get back, so we´ll see.

2008-12-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, Eldon and I had a great afternoon spent shooting pictures. I turned two of those results into prayer cards.

I think this is about my favorite.

Why, Why, Hello!

2008-12-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

I really am a sucker for this. My first blog was a blogspot blog, but when our proxy started acting up with it, that's when I officially made the change to xanga (www.xanga.com/lasrlogic). Now I'm back, without that proxy to bother me.

But mostly it's just about pictures. I'm leaving for Nicaragua here soon, and ideally I'll have fast enough internet to upload pictures and make snide comments. Otherwise I won't be on here much.

So for a trial run I chose a few great pictures, most of which I took and some of which I obviously didn't. The good ones. ha ha

Jonah and the Ark I am? And a sunrise! (I love sunrises)

Sunrise.....sunset!!

And don't forget my favorite flower is the tulip. Oh wait!, wait. My favorite flower isn't the tulip. I thinks its something else, I'm not sure what.

hey ho nelly bly, sing that fiddle, don't be shy. Ringer Dinger, I'm out of here, to spread the wealth and to spread the chear. Hasta manana or some other terrible day.

Nathan
and merry christmas