Living It Up In The Village

So today I got a taste of real old-fashioned Romanian hospitality!  And when I say taste....I mean taste!

Scott took me to the village where the Solid Rock Ranch is going to be built.  We went with Gabi, Scott's Romanian ministry partner, and Nick, a friend from England.  The village is about a 90 minute drive from Arad.  Gabi was raised in this village by his grandparents.  When they died, their property became his.  And he wants to use it for the ranch to help the young people. 

His grandparents owned two houses next to each other.....the house they lived in, and a guest house.  They also had shelters for animals.  All of this is in a very small compound.  The buildings are extremely old, and one of them is still virtually untouched since Gabi's grandparents lived there.  The plan is to fix up both houses so that mission teams have a place to stay when they come to help with the ranch. 

So this morning, the guys did some work on the house and the grounds.  I got to be the weed killer with a canister of poison water....(insert evil laughter).  Scott was planning to take me up to the hill where they want to build the ranch house later on in the afternoon. 

Around lunch time, Scott asked me if I'd like to take a quick trip next door, because I might be interested to see the neighbor's animals.  So we go in and meet this 50ish Romanian man, and he is really happy to show us around his property.  The guys visited him the day before, and he was showing them his guns; he does a lot of hunting.  Right away he invites us into his house, where he is making goat cheese....he makes it from the fresh milk every day and sells it.  I wish I had taken my camera...he has the cheese in these bags and he squeezes out all the whey and feeds it to his pigs.  It takes about 36 hours until the cheese is ready.  Then we go outside to look at the animals.  He owns several pigs and a small herd of goats.  He starts calling this boar, by his name I suppose, and the boar is inside a little shed.  This is a really smart boar; he can open the shed door inward and come out!  Then he gets all the goats to come out so we can get a good look and proceeds to explain to us that each year, at Christmastime, he kills one pig and three goats, mixes the meat together, and makes carnate, which is a Romanian sausage.  He then takes us over to see his barn where he has stalls for the sows when they give birth, and he's showing us the hill up behind the barn where he leaves food for the wild boars, so they keep on coming back, and one day he will have a stakeout behind the barred door on the end of the barn and shoot them. 

We were fascinated by all of this and he is more than happy to explain what he does....apparently he doesn't get many visitors.  This is a pretty remote village.  The guy speaks Romanian, which of course I don't, so Scott asks him lots of questions and tells me what he's saying.  After all this, the man cajoles us to come back into his house and sit down....it's obvious he wants to show hospitality by offering us food.  This is a very important part of Romanian culture.  Okay, the first thing he brings out...tuica (pronounced sweeka).  Homemade Romanian moonshine.  Made from plums.  He starts pouring it out into three little shot glasses.  Scott gives me this dubious look.  "It's really strong," he says.  Have I ever had anything alcoholic?  Nope.  Unless a little cooking wine counts.  He told me I didn't have to drink it.  But I realize that in many cultures, it is a great offense to your host if you refuse what is offered.  So I thought, why not just try it?  I've never had a desire for alcohol and I choose not to partake because of all the negative connotations, but this is an interesting situation.  I've heard the stories....people have been offered much nastier things in foreign countries.  At least it is not fish eyeballs or insects or some kind of animal guts.....

So I took a teensy swallow.  Gotta have a sense of adventure.  Not everyone can say they've had Romanian moonshine!  It didn't taste as bad as I expected....but strong....yes, definitely.  Burns all the way down.  The guy kept telling us it was "medicinal".  Not having any ambitions to find out what it's like to be slightly intoxicated, I was not going to drink the whole glass.  Scott finished his, trying not to outright choke, and then when I waved off the rest of mine, our gracious host told Scott to finish mine too!  Poor guy....I kept trying not to laugh too much at the faces he was making while he put it down.  Meanwhile, our host brings out a hunk of goat cheese for us, which was pretty good, and some walnuts, and he wanted to offer me something else to drink, like wine....um, no.  Pepsi?  Ok, I can do Pepsi.  And then, get this, he fills up Scott's shot glass again....despite protests!  Scott very nearly lost it on that one.  Oh, but we're not done!  He brings out a container of some dubious looking orange stuff and starts spooning it into a pan....and Scott is making really horrible faces at this point.  Faces like, "Oh no, what did we get ourselves into....this is really bad."  Out comes a carton of little sausages in their congealed grease...presumably the guy's homemade carnate.  How are we to know what is in this meat and if it's really safe to eat?  Does he even refrigerate it?  I am not too grossed out....I'm just watching Scott and wondering if there is a way to graciously refuse the offering, but I still think it's all rather funny, and Scott is just fervently hoping that we're not both going to end up sick!  So when our host leaves the room, he breathes a prayer, "Lord, sanctify this food!"  After the sausage gets a cursory "heating" on the stove, it is served to us with bread.  Two pieces each.  He insists!  So we eat.  And it is good!  First time eating goat meat for me.  Why stop with one first in the day, after all?  I have to force myself to finish both pieces of carnate, but I do.  This whole time, the guy keeps talking, going on about his family and how he makes the moonshine, showing us the machine that grinds up the meat for the sausage, giving me hunting magazines in Romanian because I think he just really wants to give me something to take home.

At last we graciously extracted ourselves to get back to working on Gabi's house.  We thanked our host and left with the goat cheese that Scott decided to buy....and the man gave him two for the price of one!  We get back next door, giggling over what has just occurred, and poor Scott is feeling the effects of three shots of tuica.  He had to sit down for awhile, so the rest of ended up talking while Gabi worked, until Scott was ready to take me for a hike up to the ranch hill.  But I'll save that for the next post. 

All in all, it was quite a unique experience and a wonderful day, plus it makes for a great story, and every writer loves to have a story to tell!  So I just have to say....Thanks, Scott, for showing me a great time in a Romanian village.  And thanks for drinking all the tuica.

A Sunday In Romania

I promised to share about my experience in a Romanian church.  To give you a little background, the Catholic and Orthodox religions are very prevalent here.  We know they are extremely works-oriented.  Then you have many Romanian Baptists and Pentecostals, who are also largely focused on the traditions of men and believe that following all the rules will keep them in good standing with God.  Any church departing from these traditions is looked upon as radical.

I attended Harvest Metanoia Church, which is one of these "radical" congregations.  In America, it would not be so different from many of our churches.  The teaching is straight from the Bible and focused on applying God's will to life.  They have a band leading lively worship music with guitars and drums.  The people dress nicely, but more casual than a typical Romanian church.  No head coverings, no specific dress code.  It reminds me of a non-denominational community church in the States. 

But so many of these Romanian churches are about strict dress codes, no makeup or jewelry, head coverings for the women, segregating the men and women in the service, preaching for hours about traditions and man's opinion of Scripture.  They do not view the Bible as the supreme authority for the believer.  Harvest Metanoia, on the other hand, is a church dedicated to following the God of the Bible and seeking Him in their daily lives.  The pastor said that many people think he is crazy and radical for the things he preaches, but he is not ashamed or afraid to proclaim the Word.  In fact, that is what his message last Sunday was about.  Proclaiming the Word as our only authority.  He took us through the book of Acts, pointing out every instance where the followers of Christ were proclaiming the message of God.  They did not put any confidence in the tradition and opinions of man.  They did not try to persuade people with fancy speeches.  They recognized that God had called them, in fact commanded them, to proclaim His very words.  The Spirit of God makes the words of God come alive and change people's hearts.  The apostles' main job was to proclaim the Scripture, but every believer is called to proclaim God's truth without fear to the people in our path, as opportunities arise. 

The service was in Romanian, but they have a translator for the English speakers.  The translator's voice was transmitted to a handheld electronic device that each of us was given, and we used earphones.  It was a little challenging to focus on the words because the pastor's voice was somewhat louder than the one in my ears, and she translated as he was speaking.  I'm sure she simplified a lot of what he said in order to put it in English, and sometimes she had to stop for a moment because he was talking so fast and she would get lost trying to keep up!  But she did a fabulous job.  All the songs were in Romanian, and we didn't have a translation for them, but a few of them were tunes I recognized, so I sang along in English under my breath.  For the songs I didn't know, I just listened.  It's really cool to listen to singing in another language, even though you can't understand, when you know it is praise to God.  It made me think about Heaven....one day a multitude will stand before God, people from every tribe and language and people and nation....and we will all worship the Lamb with one voice!  I imagine we will all speak the same language, or our different languages will be understood by all.  But even now, when people of different nations are worshipping God around the world on the same day, sometimes at the same time, all in our own tongue, He understands every one!  And He loves it!  And I just imagine this symphony of multiple languages rising up before His throne, and to think that He knows every name; what's more amazing....He knows how many hairs are on every head! 

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"  Revelation 7:9-10

I can't wait for that day!

Mochria

Today I went with a group to Mochria, which is an adult mental institution, about an hour's drive from this city.  One of the missionaries has been in Romania for many years, and this is one of the many ministries she has started.  The first time they visited Mochria, conditions there were terrible.  There were two very old shower heads and only cold water for all the residents.  Their food storehouse was nearly empty.  The group kept going back, taking food and other things to help ease the misery somewhat.  After some time they were able to build a good relationship with the staff and work together with them to make improvements.  Now each time they go, things look better.  A group goes in once a week to spend time and do an activity with the residents.  Today we had Scott and Carolyn (the couple I'm staying with), E, one of their Romanian girls (name omitted for privacy), Bogdan, who has worked with them for many years as a translator, Irene from Wales who runs a charitable foundation, and myself.

As soon as we arrived, people were waving and calling to us out of the windows!  We set out a simple craft for them to do and then went into the building to gather everyone who wanted to participate.  Some of the women were so excited as they came out of their rooms, and they wanted to grab my hand and hug me and know my name.  Once we got everyone settled in for the craft, we passed out cups and began serving them juice and water.  Scott told me they don't get water or much to drink on a daily basis, so we always bring plenty of liquids and keep on refilling the cups. 

Some of the residents there are not very "with it", but others are bright and responsive.  They participated very well.  A few of them know a little English.  All the others in my group speak at least some Romanian, so they helped people with their craft.  I just kept handing out drinks and cookies and smiles.  These precious souls are so starved for attention.  Most of them are older, but one girl was there who the missionaries have not seen before.  She is only twenty. 

Later on, we sang a few songs with them, and then many of them wanted to take turns sharing their own song in front of the group.  It was beautiful to watch them sing, and then to take turns praying after that.  Simple and sweet, like little children.  As we were getting ready to leave, I helped walk some of the women back to their building, and we gave them little packets of coffee, which is a real treat for them.  A few who spoke some English were saying, "God bless you", and thanking us for coming.  It was touching.  I don't know much about what their lives are like there, but I'm sure it is hard.  Yet they were so grateful that we came and wanted to bless us.

I'm looking forward to going back next week.  It makes me think....I'm so glad that other Christians cared enough to seek out such a place and do what they could to make life better for these forgotten people.  I greatly enjoyed my time with them.  But I wonder, if I had been the one to come in the beginning and see the state Mochria was in then, would I have done something?  Would I have seen these people through the eyes of love, as having incredible worth, and would I have labored and advocated on their behalf?  Or would I have thought it was too much to deal with, that I wouldn't know how to begin?  Would I have just felt sad for them and then went away and put it out of my mind?  These are tough questions.  I wonder what opportunities there are now, even right around me where I live, to walk out the love of Jesus to people in need....to advocate for those who are oppressed, to help those who seem to be in hopeless bondage, to care for the least and give them a better life and hope.  Do I see them?  Am I willing to step up?  Because it will take a lot of exchange....trading my comfort zones for the greater good of others, trading my pleasures and pursuits for the work of God's kingdom on earth, changing where I invest my time and energy, trading self-interest for loving strangers and sometimes very unlovely individuals.  The Bible makes it clear that God has given us the love we need.  "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."  Romans 5:5
So I pray that God tears down the walls of protection, pride, and isolation that self has built in my heart.  I pray that He makes my heart as tender as His towards the "least" of His children, who are actually the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.  These are the ones that Jesus identified Himself with, saying that whatever we do to them, we are also doing to Him.  I pray that I will not continue to pass Him by. 

First Impressions Of Romania

Hey from Romania, ya'll!  I have been in Arad four days now, and I'm learning a lot of interesting things.  But honestly, my thoughts are rather fragmented and I haven't quite had the energy to pull together something that makes sense for this blog!  So I'm going to keep this simple and hopefully interesting, because after all, how many people want to read long and thought-provoking blog posts all the time?  I don't have time for much of that myself, and I used to be an avid blog reader, and I like thought-provoking writers!  Keeping this in mind, I think it's better to write short but regular posts....sound-bytes of my experience.  But please be patient with me, because I am a writer, and my thoughts come out better in writing once I get started, so things usually end up much longer than I intended!

I flew into Budapest, Hungary, because that is cheaper than coming into the Romanian airport.  I had a three hour or so drive with my hosts from Budapest to Arad.  The country I saw reminds me a lot of the Midwest....mostly flat fields of corn, beans, and lots of hay bales....but they also have fields of sunflowers.

Arad is the third largest city in western Romania.  It is crowded with rows upon rows of block apartment buildings.  During the Communist regime, Ceausescu consolidated all the farmland into huge communal farms and built tons of apartments in the city in order to move most of the people there.  You can also see some fairly typical old European buildings; churches and such.  Little shops are everywhere, and not always in places that would be easy to find.  We visited a salon the other day that was tucked away on a narrow side street in a rather nondescript building.  Trams run along between the main city streets, and sometimes right down the middle of the street.  Most of the streets are not built for the heavy volume of traffic they have now. 

I am staying in an apartment with three young Romanian women.  The missionaries live across the hall.  One of the girls speaks English very well.  The other two understand a little.  The set-up is to provide a family for the girls, but also to give them a semi-independent situation, so they can eventually become fully independent.  The heart of the ministry is for these girls to find hope in Jesus Christ, because only He can deliver them from the bondage of their backgrounds and the darkness of their culture. 

Let me catch you up on some things I've gotten to do so far.  There hasn't been a lot going on over the past week, other than hanging out in the apartments, getting to know my hosts and the other girls.  They have actually had a busy summer, volunteering with some ministries, going here and there, and having three interns stay with them before I came.  Scott and Carolyn, the Rock of Hope missionaries, just returned from a vacation in Greece with two of the girls.  So they were needing a break from all the other stuff.  The neat thing is that I get to be a part of their everyday life, and just like it is with most of us, some times are busy and full, and other times are slow. 

My first evening here, I got to participate in a small support group of missionaries who gather to fellowship, study the Word, and pray for each other.  Just to sit and listen to them talk about the realities and challenges they are facing in their lives and work has been a faith builder for me.  They are seeking to follow and obey God in the midst of a culture that is very difficult sometimes, and their faith in Him is real.  Living here without a lot of the American "securities" we are used to has taught them to cling closer to the Lord and to band together as the body for spiritual and emotional protection.  I feel privileged to see inside their lives for a little while and to learn from them.

I've also been able to spend a lot of time with Scott and Carolyn, who are doing a fabulous job of painting for me a picture of Romania....its culture, its spiritual atmosphere, its mindset, etc. 

The weather here is comparable to the American Midwest, although lately it has been much hotter than our summer in Missouri.  The first few days of my visit, temperatures were around 100 degrees.  Too hot to spend much time outdoors, and the apartments are not air conditioned, so you don't feel like doing much inside either!  I'm so thankful for fans!  It has cooled down a notch in the last two days.

On Friday evening, we went to the home of one of the missionary families who work in radio.  We had American hamburgers on the grill, which is a treat for them here.  After supper we sat around and talked....several in the group have just had major attacks on their work, so it turned into a time of encouragement to stay in the battle and keep trusting God, and then we had another wonderful prayer time. 

One of the girls was wanting to go get her eyebrows done (beautification is a really big deal here), and we decided it would be a fun thing for us to do together.  So Saturday morning, a couple of us went to a salon.  These things are much cheaper in Romania.  I have never paid to get my eyebrows done professionally in the States, and I probably never will, but it was a cool thing to do for once!

I went out walking in the city with one of the girls on Saturday night, and again on Sunday with a group of girls.  Europeans like to stay out late at night.  For the most part it is quite safe, and plenty of people are around.  We bought ice cream and corn on the cob and walked through a park with a colored fountain and saw a lot of the city.  Oh yeah, we saw a horse-drawn cart on the road.  I don't think it's a common sight, but it looked like maybe a touring ride.  Horses draw my eye wherever I go!

So there's your first snapshot of Romania through my eyes.  Next time I'll tell you about attending a Romanian church.

Ciao!  (That is hi and bye between friends in Romania)

Going Out With Flair!

Welcome to the adventures of Kari before she even set out on her trip to Eastern Europe!  Warning: the following account may be slightly violent and possibly includes blood and needles.

Okay, to give you a little background, I have an awesome “family” at His Ranch and the church in our small community.  Three other people join me to make the core staff at the ranch this season, and we have basically been together for three summers now.  We have an amazing bond in Christ and in our common experience in the day to day operation of the ranch ministry.  But we have plenty of room for the many short-term and long-term volunteers and friends who come to take part in the blessing.  Then we have Shannon and Susan, who started the ranch and provide the authority under which we work.  All of my friends in the community are excited that I have this opportunity to go to Romania, but they have made sure I know that I am going to be greatly missed.  Now my ranch family in particular has been on my case all summer about the fact that I’m leaving them for a whole month.  I know it’s their way of telling me how much they appreciate me and will miss me.  Around the ranch, we pretty much give anybody a hard time about leaving.  We get attached. 

So, Monday morning at ranch staff devotions, people were joking about me thinking I’m actually going to leave today.   We use something called Ungame in our devotion time.  It’s a deck of cards with questions designed to get know people better and share thoughts and feelings about life and deeper matters.  We have the Christian version, so it’s all questions about God and the Christian life.  One person reads the question for the day and we go around the circle, so everyone gets a turn to answer.  This can start some great thought-provoking discussions sometimes.   And other times it elicits a lot of laughter when someone gives a not-so-serious answer. 

So the question that morning was, If you could ask God to do three things for you today, what would they be?  Right away Ben piped up and said his answer would be that I not leave.  He came up with a serious answer later, but I have quite gotten the point that they are letting me go very reluctantly!

I had not planned to work on the ranch that day, since I had a few things left to pack and get done.  But I thought I might take one student after lunch, since she’s one of my regulars and I would have everything done by then.  But the kids on the schedule for that session were not able to come, so I decided to go out and take one last ride before I left.  Call it my horse fix that has to last me a month. 

I worked with Cash in the round pen for a few minutes to focus his attention, and then we saddled up and I rode him in the pen for awhile.  Cash belongs to Ben, who is the most horse-savvy person on the ranch staff.  This horse has been on the ranch since last summer and is available to use for lessons, but I had not worked with him much until this summer.  After sticking to the horses I’m most comfortable with for the first few weeks, I realized it was time to challenge myself and build up my experience by working with a different horse.  So I have been working with Cash and using him with a lot of my students for the past month.  When I ride him, I do it in the round pen because it is a small, controlled space.  Cash is a powerful guy with the capacity to go really fast, and he used to barrel race, so he’s programmed to make fast and sharp turns.  I know I’m not ready for that kind of speed on turns, so I’m starting out easy.  But since I’ve cantered him in the round pen a few times, I wanted to try it out in the arena, in a bigger space, and see what he feels like running straight.

After warming him up in the pen, I took him into the arena, and after a few turns I gave him rein to run.  Well, he started off and then went into double time!  This is more speed than I’m used to, and I was concerned about being able to control him on the turns without making it too sharp and falling off.  And he was running straight toward the arena gate.  My attempts to slow him fell short, and since I was worried about turning too fast, I didn’t try hard enough, so he decided on his own to turn as we got right up to the gate.  We’re still going at a pretty fast clip, and I felt myself losing my balance.  There was really nothing for it….I slipped off and crashed hard into the metal gate!  By the way, I was wearing a helmet because I knew falling off was a good possibility in this situation.  I hit the gate with the side of my chin and my left leg.  When I got up, I thought I was just going to be sore and bruised, and I was ready to get back on my horse and regain control.  Then I looked down at my throbbing leg and saw that my jeans were ripped and blood was soaking through.  Oops.  What on earth did I do?  I didn’t look the gate over, but there must be something on it that ripped into my leg.  I had a fairly deep gash.  It wasn’t bleeding too badly after the initial tear, but I wasn’t sure if I could fix it with a bandage.  Then as I’m checking out my leg, my lip starts dripping blood in the dirt.  Wonderful.  I still want to get back on the horse for a bit, but maybe that’s not such a good idea.  So I tie him up and meet Ben, who’s just walking out of the barn.  When he saw the gash on my leg, he thought it would probably need stitches.  It’s about 2:45 now.  I need to leave by 5:00 at the latest to catch the train at 5:30.  All I need now is a trip to the emergency room.  After getting a few other experienced opinions, it was decided that medical attention would be needed.  Two hours later, after five stitches in my leg, three in my lip, and a tetanus shot, I was set to go.  Two of my wonderful girlfriends gathered up my luggage and managed to grab most of the remaining items still waiting to be packed, without me even telling them what I wanted, and met us at the ER with everything, as there was not really time to go back home at that point!   One of the girls drove me straight to the train station and we made it with time to spare and even found a place to change out of my bloody jeans.  And that’s my story. 

You see, I knew everyone was sad to see me leaving and the mood was too subdued.  So I decided I may as well go out with a bang and give my friends some excitement!  I’m quite alright and very thankful that it wasn’t worse and I still made it on the train and my awesome friends took great care of me!  And I figure it will make a great story when I get to Romania and maybe help break the ice with the new people I meet!  We have an enemy who I’m sure does not want me going to Romania, seeking to know God better and love people in a different country.  But God has been leading and providing for me all the way up to the start of this journey, and the incident with Cash just proves that He’s carefully watching over me and He is not going to stop now!  Join me in thanking Him for His love and protection, and keep praying, because He is listening!

Stay tuned, there’s more to come!

Viva La Adventure!

Hey there everybody!  This is the first official blog post for my Romanian adventure!  Here I am on the first leg of the journey, on the train bound for Chicago, where I will spend the night with my aunt and uncle.  Tomorrow afternoon I take off from O’Hare International Airport to cross the Atlantic!  After a change of planes in Switzerland, I will land in Budapest, Hungary on the 7^th, where I will meet my hosts and make the four hour drive to Arad, Romania.  Viva the adventure!

Some of you may not know what I’m doing in Romania, so I’ll give you the short version right now.  I’ll be able to share a lot more information when I actually get there and find out what kind of arrangements have been made for my time.

I will be serving with a ministry called Rock of Hope Romania.  They have a website if you are interested in learning more about what they do.  My hosts, Scott and Carolyn, are American missionaries who have a heart to help the youth of Romania.  Their primary ministry right now is with young women who age out of the orphanage and have no place to go.  They have an apartment where some of the girls live, and they try to make it as much like a family setting as possible.  They are  loving on them, spending time with them, helping them get jobs and learn skills and whatever will bring them to a place of healthy independence.  Without help, most of the girls would end up on the streets, being dragged into a horrible lifestyle. 

I will be living in the apartment with the girls.  They do not speak much English, so communication is going to present an interesting challenge.  But I am praying to be able to build meaningful relationships with them in the time that I have.  I also have opportunities to serve with other organizations while in Romania.  This will probably include an orphanage, a children’s camp, and a mental institution.  I plan to spend three weeks in the country, and I’m sure there will be many stories to tell along the way!

This trip was not my idea to begin with, but God orchestrated it and provided above and beyond what I needed, and I believe He wants to take me deeper with Him through this experience.  I am excited to see what He has in store, and I am so thankful for all of you who are remembering me and praying as I step out in faith. 

Next installment: the story of how I launched my adventure….I had to create some drama to make it an unforgettable send-off!

The Grand Master

The martial arts have been a fascination of mine for years.  I have dreamed of taking karate and becoming a black belt, but this year I decided to take the bull by the horns and pursue my dream!  I am making my temporary residence in a town which has a martial arts studio right up the street, and I wanted to do something different and crazy to commemorate the special birthday I just celebrated, so I started taking tae kwon do classes!  This is a style similar to karate.  Both are popular in our country.  My goal is to learn as much as I can in the next few months before I move back to Missouri for the summer, and I hope at some later time to be able to pick up training again.  I am heartily enjoying the experience!  Tae kwon do has a lot of physical and mental benefits.

Now, if you have read much of my writing here or on the His Ranch blog (www.hisranchblog.blogspot.com), you know how much I love analogies between the physical world and the spiritual.  Would it surprise you then to hear that I was also struck with analogies from tae kwon do?  I have been memorizing and meditating on Colossians chapter 1, and as I was pondering verses 9-14, the ideas started coming.

First of all, you need to understand the philosophy behind the martial arts.  I think many of us who are unfamiliar with the arts tend to have the wrong idea.  We think that martial arts are about superior fighting skills and self-defense, the stuff of the clandestine underworld and the military, and about making your body a dangerous weapon.  Yes, they can be and are certainly used that way, but that is not what the arts are truly about.  On the day I passed my evaluation to enter the tae kwon do program, the Grand Master, ie; the top dog in the arts, sat down with me and explained the philosophy behind these ancient skills.  He drew the Chinese characters for "martial arts" , explaining that it essentially means "the way of stopping the fighting".  In other words, it is the way of the peacemaker.  He went on to say that if you want to make peace but are weak in your approach, you will not be able to accomplish anything.  But if you show the antagonist that you are physically and mentally stronger than he, there is a great chance that he will listen to you, and it only needs to involve force if absolutely necessary.  I thought this truly interesting, especially since I know that I am a peacemaker for God, representing Him to the world.  And I recognize that I have been weak in my efforts to make peace on the spiritual plane, whether it be to help people be reconciled with God, or to fight for justice for the oppressed, or to take a bold stand against the sins of our nation. 

Colossians 1:9-10 says, "...we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

The word "manner" could be replaced with "way".  Paul is praying for the believers to learn to walk in a way that is worthy of Jesus.  He's not saying that we will become worthy by what we do, but because of the unconditional love and grace of our Lord, our hearts should respond in joyful gratitude and the desire to live in a way that brings honor and fame to the name of Jesus....the name we now bear.  How do we walk in Jesus' way?  It means living like Jesus, doing what He does, but I think it is more than that.  As I see it, we cannot get any closer than to follow right behind Him, walking in His footprints.  We are to become like Him!  In order to do that, we must stay as close to Him as possible, soaking in His presence, hanging on His every word, imitating what He does.  One who is devoted to loving Christ will naturally become devoted to walking in His way.

In tae kwon do, the grand master is the head teacher of the school.  He is the one who has mastered every level of the art and is fully qualified to train others to achieve the same.  In a similar, but much greater way, Jesus is our Grand Master for life! 
Jesus said, "A servant is not greater than his master...." John 13:16
Our goal is to look as much like Jesus as possible, but we will never become equal with Him or greater than Him.  Obviously, since Jesus is God, He is high above every earthly master.  But in a lesser parallel, a student of tae kwon do has the goal of attaining the black belt, and the ultimate dream would be to achieve the highest black belt status....that of grand master.  There is nothing higher than that.  So we could say that a student might possibly become equal to the grand master, but he cannot outrank him. 

If I wanted to become a grand master in tae kwon do, what would I do?  I would spend as much time with the grand master as possible.  I would watch him closely, pay strict attention to his words, and follow his instructions painstakingly.  I would work my hardest to match his every move, to pattern my form and technique exactly like his.  In fact, this is what I must do from the very beginning of my training, if I hope to even advance to the next level.  And to truly become a master, I would need more than technique and form.  The most important aspect would be to assimilate from my teacher the heart of a leader and the mindset of a master. 

This, then, is the picture in Colossians 1.  "....that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding...."  Knowledge is useful, but alone it is not enough.  To truly know God's will, to be intimately acquainted with it, we must be able to understand His way in our hearts, so that we embrace it as truth, and we also need wisdom....the ability to put our knowledge and understanding into practice in real life.  I can't just know about the techniques of tae kwon do; I must act them out and practice them until they become second nature.  Whether I am performing the dance of moves for an audience, using them effectively in a sparring session, or engaged in an actual fight where my life depends on my reflexes, I cannot be thinking through the steps in my head and concentrating mentally on each part.  I need these moves to become part of me.  I need my body to know them like it knows breathing. 

"...so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him...."  Nothing we do makes us worthy before God.  We are made worthy through the work of Christ on the cross.  But just as a child wants to please a loving and gracious father, our gratitude for the relentless grace of God should compel us to live in a way that brings Him honor and fame!  Nothing we do can change His love towards us, but the very existence of that love makes us want to live for His smile.  I had no special skills to get me accepted into the school of martial arts.  But because I was accepted and respected and treated well, I want to give my best effort to following the way of tae kwon do that I am being taught.  Students reflect on the teacher.  I want my performance to honor the grand master and to cast a positive reflection on the school.  I want to experience the pleasure of my teachers and hear them say "Well done!"

"...bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."  Before we were even born, God had prepared good works for each of us to carry out, that we might bring Him glory!  The closer we walk in Jesus' footprints, the more fruit our lives will produce.  Fruit speaks of a life that is well-lived, with purpose and meaning and the rewards of labor.  I don't know about you, but I long to know that every moment of my life on earth has been worthwhile and counts for eternity!  If you and I are stepping in Jesus' prints, then it is a sure thing that every step of our lives are meaningful and fruitful!  And as we bring our steps in line with His, we will know Him in an ever-deepening way.  We will experience all that He is and know Him intimately, as you know your best friend or your mate.  In tae kwon do, there are many levels, signified by different colored belts worn by the athlete.  I am in the beginning level, the white belt.  As I work to know the form and technique intimately and to perfect my performance, I will bear the fruit of achievement and be ready to advance to the next level.  Each level goes deeper in the art and becomes more difficult and involved.  If I want to be a successful tae kwon do athlete, I must continue to grow, challenge myself, and increase in the knowledge of my art. 

Verses 11-12 say, "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." 
Jesus said, "Without me, you can do nothing."  In my own efforts, I am weak, like a light bulb that is not plugged into the electrical circuit.  The power to walk in Jesus' steps, to bear fruit, and to please Him comes from His life in me.  He wants to strengthen me so I can endure joyfully through the trials and tests of life until the end of race, where I will receive a glorious reward!  Tae kwon do also requires great perseverance.  It takes a lot of focus, sweat, and muscle pain.  My teachers want to help me succeed, to move to the next level and the next and the next, all the way to black belt!  As a beginner, my flexibility is only fair, my movements are awkward, and my body is not well-conditioned.  But as I endure the difficulty and persevere, one class at a time, my muscles and my performance will become stronger.  I will be ready to move to the next level, where I will be challenged further, and with each new thing I learn, each added stretch and conditioning exercise, each level I achieve, I will be stronger and better.  If I could continue in the program long enough, I would eventually enjoy the rewards of top physical fitness, competence and accuracy in my form, the honor of achieving a high belt status, and an excellent natural reflex if I ever need to defend myself in a threatening situation.  I would also be able to lead other people in developing the same skills. 

As verse 12 implies, we are not qualified to share in the glory of God, but it is the Father Himself who qualifies us.  Through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, we are given entrance into the Kingdom of God and an inheritance in a new family!  In a similar way to an infant entering the world, we enter this family with nothing but our dependence on Father for eternal life and a profound gratefulness that He has chosen us to be His children and paid in the full the price of our adoption! 

Okay, so the analogy starts to break down here.  No one paid for me to enter tae kwon do; I had to pay for myself.  I had to demonstrate some basic skill in coordination, flexibility, and the ability to follow instructions.  But otherwise, I had no prior foundation in the arts.  I'm like a baby in the way of tae kwon do.  But the school welcomed me in as a part of their family.  It's a place where people at all levels of the sport can train together.  Those who are stronger help and encourage the weak ones.  Those who are further along in their training learn to bend down to the level of the beginners and lead patiently and by example.  Part of the martial arts etiquette is to look ahead to what we will be....when we face off with partners in any kind of sparring, we first bow to each other to show respect and say, "Future black belt!"  We are envisioning the ultimate achievement for each other.  There is much room for growth and maturing at each level, but the teachers are as fully committed to my success as they are to that of the black belts.  In this way, I share in the inheritance of belonging to the school.  The joy of the other students in their achievements becomes mine, and vice versa.  Watching those in higher levels gives me a picture of what I have to look forward to.  If I continued in the program and put my heart into it, I would eventually reach their level of success.  I could become what I dreamed of....a black belt.  Sadly, finances and other priorities put a damper on reaching that dream.  Given the right chance, I would take the challenge.  But since that is not too likely, I rejoice that I have better things to pursue, things that will last for eternity. 

God says that all of His fullness dwells in Christ, and I am complete in Him!  I have not experienced all the reality of that in my daily life.  But the more I look into God's Word, the Word of freedom, the more I come to realize who I am in Christ.  And the more I believe who God has made me to be, the more I see it turning into flesh, reality, in my life!  He sees me as complete, a finished product.  I may be walking out my life on a low level right now, like the white belt.  But Christ has given me His status, like the black belt!  And God sees me as a fully achieved black belt in His kingdom!  He's teaching me to see what He sees.  And by faith, I step up into higher levels, reaching toward the high place to which He has called me.  What's even more crazy is that I don't have to wait for Heaven to know that I'm a black belt, that I am a finished work in Christ!  Many of us make excuses for our flesh in our walk with Christ, saying that someday, that "elusive someday", when we get to Heaven, we will be perfect and complete.  But according to God's Word, we are already living in eternity, and we are already perfected!  We are no longer slaves to sin and our flesh, although we can choose to continue living that way, and many of us do, because we don't know the whole truth.  But we do not have to live that way!  If we walk by the Spirit-life that is within us, we CAN live as overcomers of our flesh and children of God!  It is more than being a future black belt....it is being a perfect child of God here and now!

Take this as your reality today. 

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."  Colossians 3:1-3