Praying Mantis thoughts for Saturday, December 31, 2005

Happy New Year.
Lots of love for you
and blessings of a God
who loves you.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Friday, December 30, 2005

A new type of church?:

1. Intellectual (Serious about the word and living to it)
2. Relational (Serious about community and relating to people in and out of the church- not just one)
3. Intentional (Committed to servant evangelism and actual sharing of the gospel)
4. Spiritual (Spirit filled - Holy Spirit still alive and kicking and moving - the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.)
5. Culturally Relevant (Not held captive by by-gone cultural prohibitions that are not Godly, but rooted more in culture than in the gospel of Jesus Christ.)
6. Practical (Dealing with the common struggles such as handling finances, marriages, families, dealing with being single, etc)

and the catch....


all at the same time.


How this might look:

A biblical teaching on the practical issues of finances, a ministry time with people dealing with spiritual junk and strongholds connected to money issues, relational accountability and support - while being free of cultural stigmas attached to dealing with money, spending, keeping up with the jones's, while intentionally touching on key areas.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Thursday, December 29, 2005

A picture sent from a friend's desk.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Wednesday, December 28, 2005

My yearly modigliani

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Call me Amadeo

for this obsession of mine
will not go away.
It will not go away-
I can not stop it-
it will not go away.
when I am in dispair,
when sickness is everywhere,
when I am brought it from this world
caught in, and run through with the sword
I am in love with Him.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Modigliani and Me

We are all trying to paint something
you see.
You. Me.
You with the brush,
me with the pen-
and family-
and home.
I'm a miserable failure-
my long days
and dry-wall that needs patching-
you with your long neck
and arching line
down your nose.
So many days
I live my life as a Jew-
confident in my heritage
and inheritance,
and I live long in my Catholic guilt-
because birthrights die hard,
and I am a saint in my own home-
imperfect and kneeling-
I live like a protestant
in my raging and railing
and forgetting my past-
I live like a Baptist in my
new-found supereority,
and like a community church
in my forgetting all things not sociable,
I live like a four-squarer
in my mad ramblings,
and like a vineyardite,
begging for the spirit to come back-
painting, painting, painting
in my madness
the best that I know how
Me & My Modigiliani.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

An exercise.

Lamentations, Psalms and Even Proverbs sometimes uses acrostic. So, here is my attempt.

a person needs to wonder out loud some times
b ecause God's ways are mysterious.
c an you explain to me why he would choose
d ead men to rise and
e nemies to bless while the world is
f alling seemingly farther away each day?
G ods ways are not our own
H is wisdom is foolishness to this age
I try my best to twist my mind around it,
J uggling these truths, the fact that somehow it is His
K indness that leads to repentance,
L ove and not force that
M ends broken hearts,
N ot like the
O thers who
P rostitue themselves in
Q ue for fortune and fame.
R eleasing their hearts to
S wine, these pearls
T hat point to the master
U nderstanding nothing of the
V iolence of their very act.
W hy does the
X ray of the body always
Z oom in on the heart.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas

I hope you all had a
wonderful day
filled with family
and remembrance
of a God
who loves you.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Friday, December 23, 2005

Where have you influenced my life and writing?

Poems

Mandy - Poem 1, 7, 8, 14, 47, 55, 65, 74, 86, 93, 95
Paul - Poem 3
Youth - Poem 5, 64, 83, 97
Co-servant in the gospel - Poem 9, 10, 12, 13, 25, 33, 36, 38, 44, 46
Jason - Poem 11
Jennah - Poem 11, 16, 69, 86, 99
Female Co-workers in the gospel - Poem 15, 54
Colon Fissure - Poem 20
Aussie Luke - Poem 23
Robert & Obie - Poem 36
Tim from Ireland - Poem 40
Jen - Poem 48
Robert - Poem 48, 82
Obie - Poem 48
Vu - Poem 48
Susie - Poem 48, 73, 74
Jeff - Poem 48
Jolene - Poem 48
Andre - Poem 48
Mike - Poem 48
Steve - Poem 48
Amy - Poem 48
Britt - Poem 48
Amy - Poem 67, 72, 93
Noah - Poem 69, 72, 73, 86, 88
Annah - Poem 69, 72, 86
Hannah - Poem 72, 75, 86, 16
Baby Trinity - Poem 82
OZ - Poem 92

Stories

Luke, Micah, & David - Stories - Ch 8
Mandy - Stories - Ch 1, 3, 4
Jason - Stories - Ch 5


and there is more in there that you have influenced - all of you - but those will be left for guessing and wondering - knowing that your every touch and breath in my life moves me like a leaf in the wind - for yes... your words, smiles, and prayers moves me friends - i am moved by even the memories of you.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Arizona desert bug
in the valley of the sun,
toasting on the block fence,
in a posture of prayer.

hemmed in by the
Santans, Superstitions,
Saint Francis and the Estrella Mountains
like a new quilt
while the sun beats down
his life-giving rays-
saints, and stars,
supersitious in my stance-

my natural tendency may be to birth
and then to devour,
so many American consumers
and my very nature
has taught me this is the way.

But I am praying for a brave new world
where the man is a prayer
and the praying man (t)is
truly bowed in a humble posture.

Learning to pray
and steward the garden
He gives -- and no more
is my schooling.
Learning to destroy only
those aphids of our existence
that kill off the hopes and dreams
of heavenly things-
is my lesson...
so that the garden and kingdom
may come and bear fruit-

and my beady eyes
and dual nature
is plenty clear-
sometimes I am more hungry
than I can control-
and sometimes
have an appetitie larger
than I can bear.

see the street and meat,
and music and His house,
the bread of life
and the green sky
have all painted the words
clearly in the sky-

you are a praying mantis-
cleanser
destroyer
sometimes a prayer
sometimes preying

it is not always pleasant
looking in the mirror-

but knowing your faults
and overcoming your
unholy birthright

is the forerunner
of repentance
and escape from
the winter solstice
of our life.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Thursday, December 22, 2005

The Second book is also out.

It is book 2: Stories: Tales of a first year teacher.



Praying Mantis Book 2: Stories (Tales of a first year teacher.
Praying Mantis Store #2

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

The First book is out. It is book 1: Poems.



Praying Mantis Book 1:Poems
Praying Mantis Store #1

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Tuesday, December 20, 2005

I leave the lift when it reaches my floor. As the doors shut, we salute each other, for old times' sake, or even new times' sake. 'See you along the road,' he says. That could mean next year, in five years, or 10 years. It might even be that U2 will still be touring, and getting better, and Bono will still be talking, and rearranging the world, in another quarter of a century.

The lift doors shut, and Bono rises to the sky.

Yes, we love him ...

'Bono has a willingness to lead, to achieve what his heart tells him, and that is nobody - nobody - should be living in poverty and hopelessness.'
George Bush, 2005

'I think that politicians are attracted at first by the celebrity, but once they meet him, they find that he is an outstandingly capable interlocutor.'
Harvard economics guru Jeffrey Sachs, 1999

'You have made people listen. You have made people care, and you have taught us that whether we are poor or prosperous, we have only one world to share. You have taught young people that they do have the power to change the world.'
Kofi Annan (UN secretary general), 1998

'He's a poet. He's a philosopher. And last night, I think I saw him walking on water.'
Mick Jagger introducing Bono as he received his MTV Free Your Mind award, November 1999.

'When we get the Pope and the pop stars all singing on the same sheet of music, our voices do carry to the heavens.'
Bill Clinton, 2000

'He's somebody I admire. He does a lot of good in this world of economic development.'
US. Secretary of the Treasury, John Snow, on rumours the U2 front-man should become President of the World Bank in 2005

He's charming, he's persuasive. And the politicians can go home to their daughters and say : 'I had a meeting with Bono today".'
Bob Geldof


see the whole article here!

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Look what seems to have happend to me recently.

Check it out here.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Did anyone ever doubt the ferocity of a Praying Mantis? If you did you might reconsider after seeing this picture.




Check out more gruesome pics and the story here!

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Monday, December 19, 2005

I have added a new icon to the top of my praying mantis header. It is like a tattoo on my blog stating that I have become dedicated to something new - "The Street." JW said the meat is on the street, and I have always known it - but I am more committed to it today then ever before. The picture is this one:



and the sign speaks more words than I can about this life experiment I am on. If you hover on my four icon (as I am sure you know) you will go to different sites of things that are important to me - check it out if you have never done it. But this new icon takes you to google news - that which is the street of the world. Hope you guys are having a great evening.

And let me say a bit early - happy Holy-Day.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Sunday, December 18, 2005

I have a new friend at my secular job, he might be even reading this, who has come over twice in the last few weeks. He and his wife are transplants from Colorado. They have been a joy to hang out with, and had I been just in "the church" lay ministry position I do not think I would have met them. And this same year I have met some new neighbors in my new neighborhood - most who have different beliefs than my own - some Jewish, some mormon, and some believers in God but non-church goers. I am praying the God they see in our life will be a God who is not like those projected by the hyper-religious. As well, I hope they do not see a God who is an irrelevant God - I pray they see a God who allows freedom, but also a God who enjoys good times, and beauty, and relationships, adventures, and service to one another. I pray that they will see that where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom - but I also hope they will see that it is His kindness that leads us to repentance. I know I am screwed up and imperfect and need tons of grace, and I pray I will be a blessing to all those He allows me to meet and come in contact with.

I am thankful for my secular job, not only for the friends I am meeting, but for the provision it brings that is not seen in the church job. I do not do the church job for money - but I do not think poverty and sacrifice = some greater righteousness. What matters the most is the time we spend with families, friends, and serving one another. I enjoy serving the country by developing software for the coast guard, and I enjoy serving the youth by teaching guitar - and I think it would be cool to serve the community by helping them with their home purchase - though I have never done it for another person before.

Our society seems to want to seperate the secular and sacred. Those who want to be in full time ministry are often frustrated they are stuck in thier secular job, and those in ministry (especially those working with youth) usually wish they were making enough money to do more than just survive. I am thankful I get to do both. I am thankful for prospering because of my work at my secular job - and I am thankful for being able to serve in my church - and to somehow have enough time for my family and the friends I have made.

I do choose to substitute a lot of tv for my son's soccer practice or going out with friends to eat or play games. I may not have as much time for hunting, or going camping, or watching movies - but I do have time for throwing the football with Noah and for working with Jennah's reading and speaking skills. I say no to lots of superfluos activities - but I say a lot of yes's to time spent with friends and neighbors. I do not have the balance - and I take on a lot - but I am praying God will deliver distractions away from me, and allow me to still do those things I love.

Anyways, I am a kook and I welcome any of your prayers and wonderings about what the heck I am doing.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Hannah touches on this thought in her blog. But, I thought I would expound. There is the parable in the Bible where Jesus holds a banquet and no one comes and how he then invites the beggars off of the street - and usually that has been seen as a parable that explains how the Jews took for granted God's gift and so he passed it on to the gentiles -- and we see that theme echoed over and over with Jacob and Esau (the Jacob he loved and the Esau he hated - the Esau that shoulda, woulda, might of had the inheritance and blessing but didn't cause he didn't want it bad enough).

I wonder if the church has in some sense become Esau - spoiled and hungry for their soup - willing to give away the inheritance for a bowl of sweet comfort and sunday morning services.

I know that is not really how the church is, but in Europe you can see evidence (and here too if you do any looking) of God leaving the building despite the church services going on. And then we start seeing God entering the building in the wierdest of places like: a U2 concert for starters? We see God working through secular governments like the United States - by putting in a man (who most consider a bumbling idiot) into power who cares more about justice than he does about political clout and accolades.

It makes me wonder if God would ever pass on the blessing one more time. Like ok, gentiles...you had your time like the jews...you lost your first love...so I am passing it on to rock stars and computer nerds and people who can really get my job done. And we are left there saying, "But God, are you sure you want to use Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to get your job done?" And then God saying, "Who the heck do you think you are...don't talk smack about who I am using until you start sacrificing your own time and money to go care for the poor orphans of the world."

I know that his church is without end and growing and vibrant, don't get me wrong. I also know that the church won't get the media coverage that the secular world does - so though much good work goes on, it will not get play. Still, it does appear that God will use whomever and whatever means he wants to care for the poor and the people he chooses to use will look less and less like our "average Christian," and more like a crazy looking "john the Baptist," some freaky rock start type chracter - who has a heart after God's house, not his own. That may be a mixed metaphor, but it seems like just the type God would use.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

May we all be able to integrated the sacred and the secular in such a way as Bono has. I'd rather be a million of him, even with a foul mouth, than 1 perfect me with no care for the rest of humanity. Thankfully, I don't have to be either - I can be a me who does the best with what God has given me.

read the article here

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Saturday, December 17, 2005

What do you see when you look at the world?

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Real Estate Services and a Discount Rate.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Thursday, December 15, 2005

More tavern motif.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Wednesday, December 14, 2005

This is what Don King has been saying:

BOXING PROMOTER DON KING: 'BUSH IS A REVOLUTIONARY'
Wed Dec 14 2005 19:23:37 ET

CNN, THE SITUATION ROOM 4:00 PM EST

WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Don king is known worldwide as a big-time boxing promoter. But has also taken some new fights on recently...

You love George Bush?

DON KING; I love George Walker Bush because I think he's a revolutionary. He's a president that comes in with conclusiveness. What they're doing in tomorrow in Iraq is a demonstration of that for the vote for democracy. The fundamental process of democracy is freedom of speech, law and order, being able to have freedom, working with people and working and governing yourselves. George Bush is that. He included in...

BLITZER: Do you have any regrets supporting him? Take a look at that picture when you and I were there at the diner last year. Do you have any regrets supporting him as enthusiastically as you did?

KING: No, I don't. In fact, I want to support him more now because it seems like everybody is punching him. You know what I mean? But he's fighting back, and he's throwing great combinations. And I think he's the guy that is really a revolutionary president.

I think he's a president that cares about the people he represents, but doesn't compromise himself to the extent that he acquiesce and accommodate. He goes out there and says like it is, and tries to make things better. Inclusiveness, education, is fighting for that.

These are the things that many guys that don't fight for -- George Walker Bush is a tremendous advocate to America, a great president for the great American people, and he's decisive. He's doesn't equivocate.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Who would like to be in Berlin in 2006?

July 15th?

Calling All Nations


The stadiums of this world are not just for sporting events. They are the places where the church can gather in tens of thousands to lift high the name of Jesus Christ. I am thrilled that after many years of planning, we are now on course to see the Olympic Stadium Berlin, filled with the sound of God's people worshipping, praying and dedicating themselves to mission.

I believe that on July 15th 2006, Calling All Nations will be a truly historic gathering. We are calling the youth of the world and the young at heart to come and worship in this great and strategic city of Berlin. Never before have so many people from all over the world gathered together like this. Never before have such a global team of worship leaders and musicians come together to serve in this way. This will be a unique event and I encourage you not to miss it.

On July 9th, the football champions will be crowned when the World Cup Final takes place at the stadium. But just six days later, in that same place, we will be declaring that there is only one champion, only one King and his name is Jesus Christ!

My prayer is that everyone who comes to this event will have a life changing encounter with Him and go out from there to play their part in reaching this generation with the Gospel.

Looking forward to seeing you in Berlin.
Noel Richards

The Vision
By Noel Richards

They came to Wembley Stadium from all across Britain, Europe and the World, and as almost 45,000 people sang, danced and worshipped Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the temple of English football was transformed into a temple of worship.

Each generation has moments that will live with them for ever. For all those present this was such a moment. Saturday, 28th June, 1997 saw the biggest ever Christian worship event in the UK take place at Wembley Stadium, London.

But there was more to Champion than just one day. The event was the fruit of an eleven year journey. Shortly before the Wembley Stadium Event in 1997 some friends were asking God - where do we go from here? They felt, along with a lot of other people that Wembley was the beginning of a journey and not the end. My praying friends felt God put three stadiums in their heart. They were, the Peoples Stadium (Nepstadion) in Budapest, Hungary, the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona - which must be the biggest stadium in Europe, 120,000 people - and the Olympic stadium in Berlin.

Berlin caught my imagination. A few days later a friend of mine in the church gave me a book called The Football Grounds of Europe. It described a bell that was used to signal the start of the Olympic Games held there in 1936. �On the south concourse stands the stadium�s original bell. This 16.5 ton monster was cast in Bochum in 1935 and transported in triumphal procession to Berlin, where atop the bell tower it signalled the start and finish of the Games.

When unearthed from the bombed ruins of the Maifeld (adjacent to the stadium) - as late as 1956 - the bell was found, fittingly, to have a deep crack through the swastika on it�s rim, where is etched the motto, I summon the youth of the world

When I read that it was like an explosion inside me and I thought, wouldn�t it be wonderful to gather the youth of the world and the young at heart for a completely different purpose - to worship Jesus the Champion of the world, to pray for revival, to call the people to get right with God and to receive a fresh commission to take the gospel to every nation.

How do you fill a stadium with people from many nations? We felt that we had to work on the model of Nehemiah - where each family worked on the part of the wall of Jerusalem where they lived. So we are endeavouring to find the gatherers across the world who can take responsibility for bringing people from their nation, city, movement or church.

A great Pentecostal pioneer living in America said these words: I believe that the sporting coliseums of this world are not just for football and baseball but for the last big breath of God.

Wherever I go, I am meeting leaders who have a similar vision to see stadiums used for worship and prayer. Stadiums are so high in the local consciousness of people in our large cities. They are community places, they are the places where people gather in unity to support their team. So, we are saying, let us demonstrate a different unity as we worship the King.

What we�re wanting to do is see the sound of heaven reverberating all around the earth. When we gather together in these large crowds, we are making the sound of heaven. It is a wonderful sound, which needs to be heard all over the earth. It needs to be heard over our cities.

�I really believe it can be a life-changing encounter with the living God on a�grand� scale�which then floods out as we leave the stadium There are a lot of things that are�happening��in the Spirit. It may be intangible, but you can guarantee that when Gods people gather to�worship and pray and speak and sing out truth, something is happening in the supernatural�realm, which will have an effect in the physical realm. We can make the sound of heaven�in�Berlin, and catch a fresh awareness of the sound of heaven in our own lives. Then we�take��that sound into the streets, into the villages into the�towns we represent.

Thats why events like March for Jesus and The Call over the last decade have been so�vital. It has cleansed the atmosphere in our streets. Thats what I am looking for, and I�believe stadiums are just a part of all of that. Part of Gods great design is to see the earth filled with His praise and the knowledge of His love.

As I thought about that, the phrase worshipping warriors came to mind. I thought thats what we are because its not just the people on the stage. The people on the stage are just the catalysts for this army of ordinary people.

So we want to worship Jesus in this place, and we are the worshipping warriors, yes! thats what we are. We want to gather people to worship, but also in our worship, doing warfare to see the darkness in our nations pulled down. So I believe that we are worshipping warriors, gathering in the stadiums of the world to pray against the darkness over Europe, to pray that Gods good news will flourish in these nations.

The Event will be called - Calling All Nations, because we truly want it to be a global gathering of young Christian people and the young at heart. I love the scripture that talks about every tribe and tongue and people and nation being gathered together and thats what it is going to be like in the age to come.

Our prayer is that this gathering will be a little taste of heaven on earth, and for those who are unsaved who come along, that they will taste something that will change their lives forever.

We want to draw on people to participate in the event who are on the same page as us. The last thing we want to do is to take big name personalities, who can draw a crowd and just simply use their name to fill the stadium. We want people who are influencing their nation, in the whole area of worship and music to be involved, but it is also important that they have the same vision as us. A desire to see the world touched with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Dance will be an important part of the visual spectacle. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have different styles of dance, truly representing the tribes of the world taking part in Berlin. People will be involved in prayer, and key people will come and give words of encouragement. It will be a broad international team that we draw on. But the key really is worship. There all sorts of things we could add on as reasons to be in Berlin, but the real reason is to worship Jesus in that place. Everything else that takes place is a by-product

Look at who will be presenting

	NOEL RICHARDS Noel has been involved in the UK Christian Music scene since the age of 15. In the early years, he worked full time, as an associate with British Youth for Christ. During the last 20 years, he has mainly been involved in leading worship and together with his wife Tricia and others, has written many worship songs. Perhaps the best known of these is 'All Heaven Declares'. In 1986, Noel began to get envisioned about large worship events taking place in football stadiums. This resulted in him organising 'Champion of the World' at London�s Wembley Stadium, with an attendance of almost 45,000, making it the biggest contemporary worship event ever staged in that venue. Since 1997, Noel and his team have set their sights on Stadium events in other nations. At the present time, they are working towards the Calling All Nations event, which will take place at the Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany, on the 15th July 2006.
	BRIAN DOERKSEN Raised on the west coast of Canada in Abbotsford B.C., Brian Doerksen has always had a passion for expressing worship through music. In the late 90�s he lived in the UK for 2 years, where he trained worship leaders and songwriters in the UK and Ireland and produced �Hungry� and �Come now is the time�. After returning to live in Canada , he continued to produce for Vineyard Music and then did his first recording with Integrity in Dublin , Ireland called �YOU SHINE� in 2002. �TODAY� , his latest recording with Integrity was released in the summer of 2004 on CD and DVD. He and his family (wife of 20 years Joyce, and 6 children) live in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada .
	DAVID RUIS David Ruis along with his wife, Anita, has been involved with church planting and worship leading for several years. Their latest adventure has been in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where they pioneered an inner-city church with the poor and addicts as a central focus. David has several worship songs published that are quickly becoming standards in Church worship. These include "You're Worthy of My Praise" and "Every Move I Make." He is currently giving significant focus to music and the creative aspects of his calling, from music production to writing and composition. David continues to travel internationally both speaking and leading worship across denominational lines. He lives with his wife and four children in Los Angeles, California.
	MATT REDMAN Matt Redman has quickly become one of the most respected worship leaders and songwriters in the praise and worship movement today. His songs are regularly featured on countless worship projects and at worship events around the world. Popular Redman songs include "Heart Of Worship", "Let Everything That Has Breath", "Once Again", and "Blessed Be Your Name". Redman is based near Brighton, England, where he lives with his wife Beth and two children.
	TIM HUGHES Tim Hughes can vividly retrace his steps into worship ministry. At age 11, his first encounter with a genuine display of abandoned praise led him to profess his own faith. Five years later, Tim attended one of the premier festivals of Soul Survivor, the powerful movement that seeks to reach, disciple, equip and empower young people. There, Tim soaked up the passion to reach his own generation for Christ through music. At 18, feeling a call to write songs, he spent a year in South Africa working with kids and leading worship for Soul Survivor. Tim currently lives in London, England, teaching others how to never lose the wonder of God.
	SUE RINALDI Sue Rinaldi was between 1986 - 1991 the lead vocalist for the Band "Heartbeat". Since then Sue has been co-ordination worship at many conferences and events in the UK like Greenbelt, Spring Harvest, March for Jesus and others. She is also involved in worship training and has written many songs which are currently beeing used around the world.
	GRAHAM KENDRICK Graham Kendrick was trained as a teacher but launched out as a singer/songwriter in 1972. His songs and hymns are sung by millions of people in numerous languages around the world. The song Shine Jesus Shine has been the UK's most popular contemporary worship song. Graham is a co-founder of March for Jesus which became global on June 25th 1994, with over 12 million people from 177 nations taking to the streets to proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. His recent album What Grace was the UK's number 1 best selling praise and worship album of 2001.
	CHRIS BOWATER Chris Bowater has been involved in worship music since the early eighties. He has helped pioneering worship conferences in several nations and still travels a lot internationaly. His work in Britain has led him to be at Spring Harvest, Kingdom Faith, and many other national conferences. His ministry touches and is effective in all denominations. The songs that Chris has written are in scores of languages. He has featured on many albums and written two books on worship.
	DAVE BILBROUGH Dave with over three decades in full-time Christian ministry and numerous albums later, is recognised as one of Britain's foremost worship leaders and songwriters. With a wide appeal that spans all Christian denominations and networks, songs such as "All hail the Lamb", "I am a new creation", and "Sound the trumpet", have become a staple part of many a church's repertoire. His ministry brings an emphasis on the grace and faithfulness of God, uninhibited praise and reconciliation.
	GODFREY BIRTILL Many of Godfrey's songs like, "Outrageous grace", "Lord turn Your footsteps", and "Looking for your presence", have a prophetic edge to them and have been picked up internationally. Much of his ministry is connected to 'grass roots' city prayer gatherings across the denominations. He often writes songs on location that are connected to the city. He has ministered throughout the UK as well as other nations, and has released 9 Live CD's of his songs.
	PAUL OAKLEY Paul�s songwriting and worship leading have been described on more than one occasion as a �journey into God�. His influence as a �well-established leader� in Christian Music, has come as something of a surprise to him and was never something he anticipated in his early stages of his new life as a Christian. If you're hungry for more of God, then Paul�s songs will always resonate with your spirit.
	PSALM DRUMMERS For thousands of years the drum has offered a beat for the armies of earthly kingdoms. A Psalm Drummer's beat announces the forces of love coming through Christ the King. The Psalm Drummer vision is carried in the heart of a worldwide community of Christian drummers and percussionists. They include famous kit players and other professionals, drummers from many different denominations involved in church bands and worship teams. Psalm Drummers have appeared on various CDs and DVDs.
	WAYNE DRAIN After over 20 years in ministry, Wayne Drain says, it's still about playing music for someone else's glory and singing the story of a lovesick father calling his children home. From leading worship before 45,000 people to singing in a friend's living room, Wayne has remained passionate about worshipping Jesus. He leeds a congregation which was born during the "Jesus Movement" that was sweeping accross America in the early seventies. He wrote the well known song "Waterfall" as well as other great worship songs, and has co-written many songs with Noel Richards.
	LOTHAR KOSSE Lothar is Germany's best known Songwriter and Worshipleader. His songs are picked up and used by many churches all over the country. But not only is he a gifted worshipleader and songwriter, but also an amazingly talented guitarist who has played on more than different 200 albums of international artists. Lothar is also the founder and director of the 'Cologne Worship Night' which attracks about 2000 people every three months for a worship event in the city center of Cologne.
	ARNE KOPFERMANN Arne is leading worship in Germany for 15 years now. He has written many songs and is known as well as a speaker at seminars and worship academies. He has released 12 worship albums so far and is involved in projects like Willow Creek, Youth Alive, Christival and other events in Germany. He is also working as a producer at Germany's biggest christian publisher Gerth Media.
	JUDY BAILEY The distinctive blend of Judy's religious roots and her concept of pop music results in a unique style, which has enthused several thousands the world over. Besides her concerts and large festival performances throughout Europe, she also tours in America, Africa and most recently in Asia. Judy's vision is to build bridges and heal divisions, to awaken hope, faith and the joy of living. As ambassador for the international relief organisation World Vision, she fights for awareness and support, especially for people in Africa.
	BROKEN WALLS Broken Walls was conceived in 1995 by Jonathan Maracle (a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Territory in Ontario, Canada). As different First Nations speakers spoke of the walls that have been built between the visitors to this land and the First Nations people, he began to see the need for these walls to be broken and wrote the song Broken Walls on the spot and performed it on the drum at this Gathering. Since that time the band Broken Walls was formed which has released 6 albums to date Their latest album "DRUM: Created for Worship" was just released in November of 2004. Broken Walls has toured worldwide over the past 5 years in such places as Peru, Mexico, China, Switzerland, France, Germany, Australia, Israel, Costa Rica and extensively across North America. Their unique style and sound keeps them booked steadily 1 year in advance.
	I THEMBA A great dance team from South Africa, that works closely with Youth For Christ, Germany.
	ANDY AU - MOVEMENT IN WORSHIP - UK Andy leads City Gate Church in Brighton, England. Andy is involved in mission and Development aid work in Cambodia as a trustee and Council member of Southeast Asian Outreach. He has also worked into Thailand and South Africa, on various projects. Andy leads "Movement In Worship" which holds seminars and workshops around Britain and Europe on a regular basis. He regularly performs at Grapevine and Spring Harvest. He is one of the Creative Directors for Spring Harvest. Andy is on the committee of the International Christian Dance Fellowship and is also an advisor to the Christian Dance Fellowship of Britain.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

do not be different because you do not use the words "crap," or "piss,"
be different because you speak words of healing & hope, justice and mercy

do not be different because you do not drink or occasionally smoke a cigar
be different because you also drink of the living water and eat from the bread of life

do not be different because you speak "Christianese,"
be different because your actions shows your allegiance to a loving and just God.

do not be different because you insist on going to church and others doing likewise
be different because you encourage men & women to seek after a God who loves them deeply

do not be different because you dress a certain way and take your hat off when you come to church
be different because you clothe yoruself in humility, compassion and service to humanity

do not be different because you do not watch tv, listen to the radio or go to movies
be different because you recognize beauty in all aspects of the human condition, or feel compassion for those mired in sin and death.

do not be different because you talk non-stop about righteouness
be different because you walk in it.

do not be different because you are stuck in the Christian ghetto
be different because you reach outside of it.

do not be different because you are smarter or better than others
be different because you know how little you do know and how small your own worldview really is

do not be different because you believe your church is more elite than others
be different because you could feel at home anywhere people knew and served Jehovah

do not be different because you have a better way of doing church
be different because you value relationship with Jesus over adherance to form and ritual

do not be different because you live in fear of the evils of the world
be different because you love the people tangled in the grip of the world

do not be different because you area prisoner of one political party
be different because you are a patriot and a lover of the people and land he has given you

do not be different because you act like sex is a taboo subject
be different because you talk freely about the good things God has given us

do not be different because you act holier than though
be different because you know that of the sinners, you are the chief

do not be different because you can not look past the sin
be different because you can forgive even the harshes crimes done against you

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Part of an article from breakpoint: Chuck Colson

There is a "church" without walls called the "First Church of U2." Formed in Dublin, Ireland, by four high-school students in 1976, it now has millions of members throughout the world. The founders are Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Jr., and Adam Clayton. In biblical fashion, two changed their names: Hewson became "Bono," while Evans became "The Edge." The members, except Clayton, are avowed Christians.

U2's journey of faith is comparable to that of many Christians. There is much believers can learn from this band's experience. U2-some would say, mainly Bono-have, through their art, gained a position whereby they can attempt to change the world, garnering adherents to their philosophy along the way. As they pursued their passion, music, the truths that affected their own lives became more apparent in their music.

FROM BOY TO BOMB
The U2 church released its first epistle, Boy, in 1980. With earnest tunes about growing up and songs of faith like "I Will Follow," Boy didn't win many believers. But the church continued its services to the rock community. A second epistle, October, was released in 1981, but still the church of U2's membership remained small.

All that changed in 1983 with the release of its third epistle, War. For the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday," church prophet and chief scribe Bono (inspired by The Edge, who came up with the tune and lyric idea) turned his attention to home, despite the notion that a prophet is not welcome there. With military drumbeats and machine gun guitar work, the song addressed the 1972 murders by British paratroopers of thirteen civil rights demonstrators in Ireland-and it became an anthem.

The church's influence was spreading. Critics stood up and took notice of these songs that were, while not often direct in their reference to Christian transformation, documenting what it was to live life under the guidance of God's Son:

So we're back where we've begun/to claim the victory Jesus won. ("Sunday Bloody Sunday")

But despite their Christian under- and overtones, a Rolling Stone review described the band as not having all the answers. Around the same time, Bono gave his pronouncement that Christianity doesn't provide answers, just a whole new set of questions.

Their 1983 album, Under a Blood Red Sky, became one of the best-selling live recordings in rock history and established U2 as the future of rock. The world was ready to receive whatever epistle the U2 church would nail next on rock 'n' roll's door.

But instead of a rock album to challenge the Rolling Stones or The Who, U2 opted for a meditative and sometimes outright mellow treatise, a soft pastoral message released in 1984 called The Unforgettable Fire. It created the church's first split. Rock devotees were shocked. Where was the blazing guitar, the inspired screams of the prophet-preacher? All buried under the production of ambient whiz-kid producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album presented a different side to the U2 church and still sold well, despite its artsy pretensions. It also contained another ready-made anthem, "Pride (In the Name of Love)."

Rock superstardom came with the release in 1987 of The Joshua Tree. Full of number-one singles, it topped the charts in the United States. The church of U2 was on the cover of Time magazine and had gone global.

UNCLEAR BELIEF
And there were in this church-and still are-different kinds of believers; a continuum that fluctuates in its theological understandings of the epistles handed down by the founders. Some believers in U2 believed more in God than they believed in U2; others have a more equal allegiance; still others believed only in U2. It was-and is-a broad church. And the church had its first major theological battle, a kind of Reformation, with the release of the song, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Read the whole article:

Here

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Bono and Jesse Helms

Click here

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Things to do today

1. Turn in mission support
2. Change Ski-Snowboard trip date/Find Recruit leaders
3. Move Drop in Center stuff
4. Write Sunday Lesson
5. Get invites out for SALT leadership team
6. Deposit and wire Money to Nepal
7. Turn in receipts
8. Staff Meeting 9-11:30
9. Post blog entry
10. Email notice about tax write-off
11. Pray
12. Go to youth's basketball game
13. Preview the video "the end of the spear."

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Friday, December 09, 2005

Idea #4 for the Tavern Motif

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Thursday, December 08, 2005

Got this from Tony.

"Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and founder of the nondenominational Acts 29 church-planting network, is among a growing list of prominent leaders to join Vision USA, each hoping to combat the roughly 2,500 church deaths in the United States every year. "Church planting is hot right now," he told WORLD. "For years, guys wanted to get out of seminary and go get a church that had a nice salary and would call them pastor. Today, young entrepreneurial guys don't want to take over a church. They want to start one."


Disney and Church planting? not exactly....but. A new type of Christian?

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

more brainstorming

Programs will be replaced by community not programs=community
Discipleship programs will be replaced by relationship
Christian radio will be replaced by Christians on the radio
Independent Churches will be replaced by "The church universal,"
Churches full of loan rangers will cease to thrive
Worship music will be written ever more globally
Cultural stumbling blocks will slide quickly into the abyss
People will be judged by their heart and action less than by their dress and cultural taboos
Personal retreats will increase
Communities of faith will increase
Our tendency to hide our children from the world will be shifted to our insistence that we train them in how to stand in the world from a very young age.
Short Term servant evangelism projects will be replaced with long term servant evangelism projects
More meetings will happen in the home
Large group meetings will be more celebratory and less dictated by a regular schedule
Purpose driven ministry will be replaced by spirit driven ministry, or needs based ministry
Long Term two way missional relationships - not just sending one couple, a monthly set of money, or just the leaders of a church

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

"This is the real point of my whole talk actually. You...have a long life ahead of you, so full of potential and promise. You may disagree with me, but I believe that the modern version of Christianity that you have learned from your parents, your Sunday school teachers, and even your campus ministries is destined to be a medieval cathedral. It's over, or almost over.

Most of your peers live in a different world from you. They have already crossed the line into the postmodern world. But few of you have. Why? Because you want to be faithful to the Christian upbringing you have received, which is thoroughly enmeshed with modernity...Will you continue to live loyally in the faiding world, in the wading light of the setting sun of modernity? Or will you venture ahead in faith, to practice your faith and devotion to Christ in the new emerging culture of postmodernity?

I will say it boldly: I want you to invest your lives not in keeping the old ship afloat but in designing and building and sailing a new ship for new adventures in a new time in history, as intrepid follower of Jesus Christ. Thank you."

----from the book, "A New Type of Christiam," by Brian McLaren.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Boohoo. Just finished the book Eldest - so sad. Time to find another book. Any suggestions out there? Tonight is the sneak preview for Narnia, we are going for the boy's 8th b-day. He is sooooo old. Anyways...happy Fridays eve.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Tuesday, December 06, 2005

My View

A new type of Christian is liberated from old structures but uses new ones and old ones to get things done at different times.

A new type of Christian commits to serving, but is encouraged to take extended breaks

A new type of Christian worships in all types of environments and is a part of the world in which he lives rather than segregated.

A new type of Christian looks beyong the Biblical text to find the eternal voices of spirit and truth that expound upon but do not altar the fundamental truths found in the holy scriptures.

A new type of Christian does not place any merit on traditions and regulations except those which return us to our first love: Jesus Christ.

A new type of Christian is more committed to his local neighborhood and global community - and less committed to an institution.

A new type of Christian has tighter and fewer relationships in the church and a greater hunger for authentic relationships - one where core issues are addressed: family, money, sex, personal wellness.

A new type of Christian actually tithes and is committed to personal integrity in the lust, the flesh and the pride of life.

A new type of Christian worries equally about the stumbling blocks of self righteousness and the stumbling blocks of culture.

A new type of Christian vows off "Christiany," words like "Stumbling block."

A new type of Christian hungers for Godly authority and mutual submission and honors those God has placed in authority for that time being.

A new type of Chrisian allows, encourges and insists that new Christians begin to participate actively in the promulgation of the gospel.

A new type of Christian seeks the wisdom, not institutions of its elders.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

What I am teaching on Sundays and working through with my men's group on Mondays - and working through daily.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

What is beside my bed.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

What is on my desk at work.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

What I have in my CD player

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Monday, December 05, 2005

Music is Magic

I enjoy reading fantasy and science fiction. I love the border of science and faith, myth and reality, mystery and clarity, the magic in miracles, and what is and what can be - the place where one is in awe at the mystery and still seeks to find the real. And to me nothing defines that space as well as music, except maybe a good story- and even then it rarely can do to your spirit what a song can do.

That is why my classroom during lunch time was often spent with all the guitarists and "non-band" musicians in the school - those long haired wanna-be rock-stars of all races: white, Hispanic, native American. When we were together at lunch we were all united in one thing: a love for music. Jerod was a skinny white fellow who sang like he was in Stone Temple Pilot but wore a "Type O Negative," concert T-shirt. Elian played guitar and Timothy Begay and his brother Arlen Begay played bass and drums. One night I went over to their garage and heard them play and for a moment Holbrook faded away and they were playing the stadium in Boston. Like all really good bands that start out they played only originals cause they weren't good enough to play other people's songs.

During the week I would teach guitar to two junior high students. God has always hooked me up with junior high students who I have taught guitar to while teaching worship at the same time. To me worship and music are one and the same. When music comes on that touches my soul I begin worshipping something - and I think it is the same for everyone else. Music is not usually a technical study, though it can be, it is a spiritual force moving you to express your deepest blues, or greatest exaltation. And there is something about junior highers that allows them to enter the spiritual realm when they have a fender guitar in their hands.

My first encounter into this truth (of the spirituality portal of guitars in the lives of junior high) started one day when I was having breakfast at Mike and Rhonda's in Flagstaff. I was in my last year of my Bachelor's and as I was eating my bacon, egg & biscuit especiality when a small and creepy lady looked up from her table at me with crystal green eyes. She looked a bit like the medium in the movie poltergeist, the one who says, "There here." She had a whole bunch of grey hair piled on top of her head and she wore a summer dress hanging over her heavier frame. She came over to me and said, "God told me you play the guitar." I said, "Why yes I do." She said, "Will you teach my son how to play? I will pay you $10 for a half hour. Well if God told her I was the one to teach her boy, I couldn't really disagree so I said, "Well yeah, I guess so." The next week I was teaching him "Wild Thing," "Louie Louie," and "Pharoah pharaoh," which all happened to be the same three chords. After a while they had me eat dinner with the family each night. Their son and I would pray together, learn the blues scales, and practice worship tunes. One week God told her to pay me $12.50 an half hour, and a few weeks later He told her to pay me $15 a week - so she kept being faithful and kept feeding me. Even today, ten years later, I am teaching two new junior high students worship and guitar and God continues to feed me and take care of my needs. This is just some of the magic I have experienced in music.

During the weeks I was doing my masters I would sometimes play guitar on San Francisco street and route 66 in downtown Flagstaff. One day a kind looking dirty man with dreadlocks came and listened for a while as I played worship tunes and my own original songs with a message of God and hope - after a while he said with a huge smile, "That's bitchin man," and put something in my guitar case as a gift. After he walked away and my song ended I looked down at what he had given me. It was the largest doobie I had ever seen - and to tell you the truth I had never seen one before - but this was a fattie. I thought to myself - I have got to hide this thing. So I ran down the alley and threw the thing away. It was his gift to me - the little pothead and the Jesus freak had connected for a moment - and it was in the magic of music.

During homecoming the Holbrook Student council asked my band Proving Ground to play for part of their dance. When the curtain opened and the smoke machine started with the chasing color lights - the students looked at us like we were aliens. They were expecting a DJ, what they were getting was a live act- and for 40 minutes they stared at us wondering what we were doing. We were in another universe, a mystery, they did not connect with the magic.

Thankfully, after we were done the DJ cranked up the music of the teenage masses - and magically they gave their bodies to the music and the trance began. Music that touched their souls and moved the once reserved to become free.

On Sundays I would lead worship at the church we had planted in Joseph city and I would seek for that place of communion with God, worship and faith - it didn't always happen. About 60 miles north The native Americans would have "sing'ins" for special ceremonies and occasions. And whether it was the church, or the garage, or the Hogan we were all doing our best to transcend our ordinary existence so that we might become something more of what we really were. Worshippers.

Music is science because it is good medicine. Music is faith because it echoes all that we place our hope in. Songs are our hopes and dreams and worst fears, sent from our spirit into the air like paper airplanes spirit songs. Beggin God to heal of us of our pains, or praising God for what we know we got from him. Tense Music affects our moods in movies, and happy music induces us to spend money in shopping centers. And one New Years Eve on my first date with Mandy, Hootie and the Blowfish prophesied about a boy singing, "Hold my hand," and today, ten years later, as Mandy and I drive in our Scion (inheritance), hand in hand, with Sara Evans playing in the background, my sub woofer kicking, I am reminded that if music is magic, and rhythm science then I will let God wrap me tight in spirit and truth.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Saturday, December 03, 2005

It was a green VW van I had bought from two lesbians in Flagstaff. It had a rainbow sticker on it at the time. I didn't know the sticker meant you were a homosexual so I drove around with it on the car for the whole time I owned it. I can only wonder now how many people thought I had come out of the closet when I was driving my used but cool green lesbian ride. I had bought it for $600 and it was just a fun ride, and an old left over high school dream that needed to be fulfille. Mostly is sat in the backyard of my house as a project to clean up and work on since I was still driving my Toyota Pickup truck.


For a while it housed a homeless Christian ex hippy friend of mine who lived in it while it was parked outside my garden in the home I rented during the last semester of student teaching. One morning I woke up early to go running and looked in the van and saw that his girlfriend had moved in with him. She was a Christian too, and they were both naked and looked kinda cute sleeping together in sin. I hated having to tell him that he couldn't live in sin in my van and it was probably best he didn't live in sin homeless - so he needed to knock it off... the behavior that is. To the best of my knowledge it never did happen again.

He moved out of the van the day my roommate, who had a nasty penchant for violent sleep walking and fits of uncontrollable rage, went outside asleep, opened the van and started beating the crap out of him. I had forgotton to warn him about Chris and he had not locked his van like I had locked my bedroom door. Anyways, it got him out of my van.

When I got the job as a teacher in Holbrook City I drove the car only a couple of times. The air didn't work on the hot days and the heating didn't work quite enough on the cold ones. The Native Americans made fun of it, and the SADD club wanted to use it for a fundraiser, the one where you charge people a buck for students to hit it with a sledgehammer. "Forget it," I said, "You're not touching my van."


One Sunday in Joseph City, we drove the van to the Clear Creek river just south of Winslow where we were baptizing two people who had joined our little church plant. They were getting a new life, a new start, making their faith known to all twelve of us who were watching. My little green van parked on the shore needed a wash - it was dirty, old and on its last legs. The next week after we baptized our friends their parents got offended and left the church.

Sometime that year my friend's car died and I loaned the green van to him. He drove it around for a few months and then one day on the way to flagstaff from Phoenix it died. He called me and let me know it had died and that he had it towed into Flagstaff. I had to pay $150 to get it towed back to Joseph City.

I guess what I am trying to say is something like this: there are some things that are better left dead, asleep, not a part of your life. Sometimes more is not better, and being cute or hip it just not worth the pain and problems. Also, it not always rewarding when you are helping others-but so what. This is what you are here for, and nothing is yours anyway. You and I are not here for the things, we are here for the naked man and woman in the car who need a small talk, and we are here for the psycho sleep walking man who needs us to hold him down on the floor until he wakes up and the sleep walking wanes. We are here for those who will smile as we baptize them and curse us as they walk out of the church. We are here for the student who will tell us that they hate us, and then next year will walk down the hall and tell us that we were there favorite teacher. We are here for our friends who need a car even when it breaks down and they make you come get it. You may not need a green vw van for survival, but your friends will certainly need you. So continue taking risks. Continue investing in messy people. Sometimes you just have to scrap the old & easy, the hip and cool, and stick with the new and improved, the essential and useful. It is somewhatlike He did when the dove flew from the window and the rainbow and all the colors came out.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Girls are cool -
especially ones that let men
play poker.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Praying Mantis thoughts for Thursday, December 01, 2005

You know your wife wants one of these sticking out of her dry wall.

And this is Tavern Motif #3.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Ok maybe not this one.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Essential Item 2 of the Tavern Motif

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Essential item #1 if you want to have a Tavern Motif.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

One More Teacher Tale on Despair
and Hope (From the epic saga - Tales of a First Year Teacher)

There is that moment in every one's life where you say, "Lord, what have I done." For me the moment has come on numerous occasions. My first year of teaching I would wake up saying, "why me, why me," more often then I would ever think of saying, "seize the day," like the professor had exhorted in the movie Dead Poet's Society. I would sit in the shower head against the wall thinking, how am I ever going to get the energy and hope up to teach one more day. By the third month all motivation was gone. The honeymoon had been short lived. I had won the Teacher of the Month award the very first month and now two months later I realized that I had been given the worst of the worst students, the rejects, the criminals. In some schools they call them Freshman. In Holbrook High they called them ESL students because they could use the money from the state to help fund the classes. I had one of my ESL classes with two white kids in it. I figured by their looks that they were perhaps Russian...nope. They were white-bread Americans with a severe case of ADHD or lack of familial discipline, I wasn't sure which. I also had five Mexican-American boys spread out through my three ESL classes. They didn't even know Spanish, cept maybe the four or five cuss words they used on me. The rest were Navajo who had not developed writing skills in their first language, so had a hard time believing it would be worth learning in the "Belanga's," (white person's) language.

Trust came so slowly for these students. Deanna Yazzie was a quiet girl in my sixth hour class who always looked at me with what I thought was suspicious eyes. I did not know at the time that it was rude to look someone (from the Navajo culture) straight in the eyes when you first meet them. It was too bold. One day she wrote an essay on a time she spent dancing at a Navajo Pow Wow. It was so well written with fine details about how she got dressed and how it itched and she told of her great anticipation for the event. I told her I was blown away by the essay and that I wanted to send it in for a contest. She said, "No. It is no good." I said, "It is good, it is...it is beyond good. It is amazing." I wanted to adopt her then, but she was someone else's child.

So many of us think that what we are doing is useless, that we are spinning our wheels, that what we are doing is no good. So many of us who are sitting in the shower early in the morning wondering, "why me?" and "what am I doing here." So many of us single and alone. So many of us married with an unhappy spouse and can't figure out what to do right. So many of us in screwed up families. So many of us afraid to look others straight in the eye because our culture and backgrounds have trained us to be something we are not.

So...one miserable day in spring on my first year of teaching I went to school and handed in my resignation to the school. I was done with teaching and the related grief. The superintendent of the school called me in and asked why I was leaving. "There is nothing here for me," I told him, not being completely honest because I did have the church. But I had only committed to doing the church plant for one year and then I was going down to the valley to become a famous rock star. I didn't know it at the time, but he was next door neighbors with the girl in town I was dating, Mandy Wischmann. He told her family I was leaving and what I had said, implying that Mandy wasn't anything to me. What he didn't know though was that I had already decided I was going to marry her and that I was taking her with me.

In my western version of the story, I had come to town, fought with the Indians and gotten beat up pretty badly. But at least I was taking the pretty girl from the town as a prize for my sacrifices there. Plus, I had many great adventures and had planted a church, and all told that ain't half bad.

On the day after I submitted my resignation I happened to check my school mailbox and there was a letter. Deanna Yazzie had just won five hundred dollars for her essay on "The Day of the Dance." There was a certificate of achievement folded three times and a check written to the order of Deanna Yazzie. During 6th hour I had the students begin their ten minute journal period and I went to my desk. "Deanna, will you please come see me," I said in my best teacher's voice. All the students were looking to hear what I would say. She came to the desk looking at the ground. I leaned in and whispered just barely loud enough for the whole class to hear, "your essay won the contest. You won $500 dollars," and I placed the check and the certificate on the desk in front of her. Her eyes grew big as the moon and she covered her mouth that had fallen open. She looked up at my eyes and her pride had turned into tears. "I am so proud of you," I said. "I told you it was amazing. You are amazing. Well done."

And that day as I drove back to my little Joseph City, to the duplex with the weeds growing from the carpet, I said, "I love my job Lord...thank you....thank you...thank you." When I got home that night I sat on the dutch tulip-covered sofa seat and looked over at the weed. It had blossomed 7 small yellow flowers. A puff of air burst from my mouth as I laughed out loud at God and his funny ways. We are all funky weeds growing in the most unexpected places blooming new dreams and hopes. People learning to Walk in Beauty. Of this, I am sure.

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Also check out a Sacramento friend.

PudlyGlum

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Here it is: the best looking missionary team to date. Maybe not - but still...notice anything missing? Where are the men?

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo

Everyone go say hi to a new friend from the Philippines.

Tales from the East

praying mantis - Friend - John 15:15 - Call me Amadeo