Tharseo: January 2008

makes me grateful, humble, motivated

Doug and I watched a thought-provoking movie on Sunday night, recommended to us by Karmyn and Brock - God Grew Tired of Us. It's the story of "the lost boys" of Sudan. The film follows the lives of a few of these Sudanese children as they escaped the atrocities of the war in the country, by walking to Ethiopia and then down to Kenya. We're talking over 1000 miles! These were children from 'barely walking' age to young teens. They were taken in by a refugee camp. The US government randomly chose a few of them to be resettled in the states and the story takes you on their journey from living in the camp to settling into major US cities with all the HUGE cultural, physical, emotional, mental, language adjustments that entails. This is a 'docufilm' and so there are no actors - just real, live people.
Why am I grateful? - we have SO MUCH in North America - too much, but nevertheless I am grateful to live in a country where health care is accessible; food is in rich supply, shelter is more than comfortable; employment is more than adequate to supply my daily needs; freedom to choose and live is a given!
Why am I humble? - I did NOTHING to deserve all I have. Why was I chosen to be born into the family, culture, country that I was? Why do others live with huge challenges just to stay alive? All in God's sovereign plan! What I do with what I was given is what matters.
Why am I motivated? Stories like these push me towards global awareness and global action more and more. My living choices, my financial choices, my day to day actions MUST reflect God's global heart.

The Shack

You've got to read The Shack - I polished it off in a day, as I couldn't put it down. I'd love to know what everyone else thinks of it. Let me know if you've read it.

Good books

I've just finished reading John Ortberg's newest book, "When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box". It was a good read and I loved his analogy - comparing how we play the game of life to a playing a board game. Ortberg always makes me think, which is a good thing.

I just enjoyed a visit with my brother Blaine and he is RAVING about a book I MUST read. It's written by a fellow I was in Bible College with, so that makes it even more appealing. It's called The Shack and the author is William P. Young. I knew him as Paul. So, I'm out to buy it today. I just checked the reviews and it is compelling. Eugene Petersen tags it as the "Pilgrim's Progress" of our century. That's quite an endorsement from a man of his literary stature.

I've also got The Irresistable Revolution on my shelf - actually - it's not on my shelf because my husband stole it to read. My kids have insisted I read it. I love it when they insist I read a book, since it helps me know and understand their world better. Doug's comments so far are "very good".

Back at it

After taking 4 days on a computer fast last week, I'm back at not only work, but also my blog. The fast was good - extra time suddenly available because the computer was off. That meant more time for reading, study, prayer and of course getting the house back in shape after Christmas. Pretty amazing how a simple thing like turning off the computer can change the look of your day. It was challenging at some points not to peak at email- my work seems to always be pushing at the corners of my mind. But, guess what...the work is still there and I'm better for these days of quiet. Solitude is necessary for reflection and even though computers are quiet, it's not solitude with many voices coming to you through that little machine. I've got to book another few days of computer quiet soon.