To Explore Is to Discover by Pat Cirrincione

Exploration has led man to many places to discover many things--Christopher Columbus discovered lands across the Atlantic and Marco Polo to shores and adventures beyond his wildest dreams. It has led people to look for gold and diamonds in various locales around the world. It led Solomon to discover that there was nothing new under the sun. It has led to journeys to the moon, Mars and beyond. It has led to high adventures, mischief, love, heartbreak and death. And still we long for sights unseen, uncharted, uninhabited. As exciting as all of that sounds I have found nothing more exciting than to explore the Bible. If you’ve never opened one, might I ask why not?

If you open it now, or after you’ve read my short post, you’ll discover that it is not one book, but is comprised of 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New Testament.

I recently participated in a Bible study that was quite intensive, which is why I’m so excited for you to explore this wonderful book inspired by God for his children to read and learn about the wonderful Creator of the world.

First, the genres are many and include narratives, prophetic literature, wisdom literature, apocalyptic literature, stories and parables, logs of journeys and letters. In what other book do you get that many genres to explore?

All of these genres are filled with wonderful content and take you on journeys through history. You have your choice of narratives (stories); discourse (or speeches) or poetry. The magnitude of it all boggles the mind. And if that’s not enough to intrigue you there are big ideas to ponder and think presented by each author, who describes a basic truth for all of God’s people in every age.

If it’s the history of Israel you’d like to explore the Old Testament is full of how God created our world and universe; to the awesome task Moses had to free God’s people from bondage and Egyptian rule. You’ll read about the Promised Land and be introduced to the wisdom of the Psalms and Proverbs. You’ll get a sense of what problems Israel and Juda faced.

Are you ready to explore more?  Perhaps how Jesus revealed his exclusivity, identity and authority? What is the way to God, and how do you know how to know and live for him? Biblical exploration shows how loving, constant and secure God is. That he embraces humility of service and taught through example.

I could go on and on and on, instead I challenge you to go on the greatest exploratory trip of your life by opening this amazing God-inspired book. Become consumed with the story of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who came to serve and save. Let me know what you discovered as you explore all this book has to offer. What lands you crossed; what adventures you read about, and what makes you want to explore it more.

And remember, while you are exploring its stories, speeches, and poetry that the Bible travels through the Cross, that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the center of everything the Bible has to say to us.

Take a moment each day to discover new lands, the adventures of its people, the mischief, love, heartbreak and death that most explorers have discovered on all of their journeys, but with a much better ending in sight.

A New Taste in Town: Tawk's Story by Cheryce Berg

Cheryce first posted this on her blog, Hope and Be.Longing as well as on the World Relief DuPage/Aurora blog. And we're glad to post it as a Saturday Musing.

Tawk’s ambition is to bring a new taste to town.

Tea Leaves Salad does it. My friend Sasha and I start our meal at Pa Lian Burmese Restaurant in Wheaton sharing a plate of this popular dish made of “grounded tea leaf, fried yellow beans, fried lava beans, fried peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced tomatoes, cabbage and lime”. It is crunchy, salty, and full of flavor—a perfect complement to the tiny cups of hot green tea we are served.

I order Shan Noodle as my main dish: clear flat rice noodles topped by ground chicken curry and soy bean paste, with a bowl of chicken soup on the side. After my first spicy bite of the curry, Tawk instructs me to ladle the broth over the noodles and mix well. He also graciously hands me a fork when I hesitate at my ability to eat noodles with chopsticks. I love the contrast of the slippery noodles with the crunch of the topping.

Sasha orders Nangyi Thoke: a salad of thick rice noodles, ground chicken, sliced shallots, hard-boiled eggs, tamarind sauce, fish sauce, and fried onions, served with a small bowl of chicken soup. She describes it as “tasty and texturally interesting, with thick, hollow noodles that make a playful elastic feeling in my mouth that contrasts with the crisp fried shallots.” It is mild, tangy, and yummy—something she’d order again.

Tawk's Story
Tawk pauses in the quiet hours between the lunch and dinner crowds to sit and tell us his story while we eat. 

He grew up in the old capital city of Burma, called Rangoon (Yangon). He doesn’t call himself Burmese but rather Chin, which names the state from which his family comes. He obtained a civil engineering degree but soon learned that education didn’t matter to employers. Details such as parentage, religion, ethnicity, and birthplace topped all other qualifications.

Tawk eventually fled the persecution of a militaristic government and came here seeking political asylum, hoping for a safe place and a better life. He immediately began work at a Whole Foods deli every day of the week for twelve hours a day. He credits his deli friends as the best teachers he ever had, as they had the task of growing his textbook English to fluency. They also introduced him to American food. His favorite? Tuna salad, eaten on rice instead of bread. But he can’t stand one of our most iconic dishes: macaroni and cheese.

“I really appreciate those times. I will never forget it,” he says of his deli friends and early season of hard work at Whole Foods. He still goes back to visit them and they tell him with pride: “You made it.”

Tawk later began work as a case manager for World Relief, where he learned how to teach fellow refugees and immigrants how to survive in America. His message to them? You don’t need to adopt the American culture, but you need to learn about it. Explore and respect it and you will gain friends. 

His work with Chin youth at church has shown him the widening gap between them and their parents. He boldly tells their parents: “Keep your culture but don’t mentally imprison your kids. They are changing; you have to change, too. Even if you don’t want to eat macaroni and cheese, you have to know what it is or you will lose connection with your kids. You can’t stop them from changing.”

Yet he continues to teach his own two little children the Chin language of Hakha, as well as cooking Burmese food for them at home. 

Tawk knows the value of hard work. He says, “Don’t pray for things without doing anything. Appreciate the blessing and do something with it.” He knows that immigrants and refugees need courage—courage to get the education they need here and courage to work hard to survive.

Tawk has modeled hard work and courage. He and his wife saw family members opening small grocery stores and restaurants in Dallas and Indianapolis and decided to take the chance themselves. They spent a year renovating this space before opening their doors, which are now open six days a week from morning until night. They also provide carry-out and catering.

Burmese Food
We ask him to tell us more about the food. He launches into an explanation of Burmese history—how their food was impacted by Indian and Chinese people brought to Burma by the Japanese in World War II. Burmese food relies heavily on onion, garlic, ginger, Thai hot peppers, Burmese kimchee, rice and noodles. They incorporate all kinds of meat as well: chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. Their dishes are spicy, salty, and sometimes sour—but within the realm of what a tamer American tongue can savor and appreciate.

Tawk does an excellent job explaining the dishes on the extensive menu. He plans to add ice cream flavored with mango and coconut as well as tea leaf cheesecake as dessert options. He says his most popular items are the curries, fried rice, noodle salads, and soups. He does all of the serving because he wants to explain each food to the customers, while teaching them about his country.

Pa Lian saw many Burmese customers the first month it opened, followed by a mix of Filipinos, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, and Americans. Tawk sees at least twenty of the same customers return a few times each week for fried rice and tea leaves salad.

What is the most rewarding thing about owning the restaurant? Tawk answers this question with pride. “We bring a totally new taste. New flavors to town. People say, ‘We never had that before. Your food is so good. We are so glad you are here.’ They encourage me.” 

Yet at the same time he admits that he is tired. He also gives us a brief glimpse into the loneliness and isolation he feels in American culture, which may be part of the drive behind creating a restaurant to connect different cultures over a shared love of new food.

Sasha and I finish our meal sharing a glass of fresh lime juice mixed with water and lightly sweetened with sugar. It is a perfect end to the explosion of flavors from our dishes.

As we prepare to go, Tawk reminds us of his mission. “It’s not only about the business. Our heart is to bring new food to the town and impact the community. Learn about Burma: our culture and our food, too.”

“My place is a place for connections,” he adds. He’s right. I have discovered a new friend and new food at Pa Lian, and I’ll be back.

Once We Walked by Wil Triggs

Once we walked 

for days to get beyond 

where trees could grow.

We lay on the granite floor to watch.

For this we walked so far:

God’s show of stars

Obscured by progress

Alive above the timberline.

A Prayer for Father's Day by Ellen Ellwell

Ellen Ellwell's heartfelt prayer for Father's Day is from her book, Prayers for Every Occasion.

Father God, thank you for blessing me with a kind, patient, and generous father. I wish all children could have that experience. The older I get, the more I realize it's not true in all families. Some children—even in adult years—find it difficult to grasp your unfailing love, partly because of painful memories associated with their earthly fathers. Maybe one of the reasons I haven't struggled to appreciate your kindness, patience, and generosity is that I've observed those qualities in my earthly father.

Please bless all children everywhere who need your help and perspective to work through painful or non-existent memories of their fathers. Please provide them with men in their lives who are outstanding and caring father figures, whether they are relatives, friends, colleagues or pastors.

For those of us whose fathers are still living, may we be quick to express appreciation and thanks to them in spoken or written words for the specific ways they have influenced our lives. As our fathers age, may we be generous with our time, care, and attention, which will honor them and honor you. Amen.

Secondary Relationship by Lorraine Triggs

Shortly before I headed off to Moody Bible Institute as a freshman, the Institute mailed me the student handbook, which I was to read, sign and agree to abide by. Most of the rules made sense, but the dress code, well, that was an entirely different matter.

This was back in the early 70s, and I wore jeans every day to high school. In fact, my high school didn’t even have a dress code. It was liberal before its time. We had open lunch and could leave school whenever we wanted. Some of my Christian friends and I took over one of the restrooms, decreeing that no cigarette or pot smoke was allowed. (Believe it or not, our fellow students respected our takeover.)

If I had to wear a dress, I wore granny skirts and peasant blouses (vintage at a young age.) I wore clogs or sandals or Chugga boots, not ballet flats or high heels.

I was in big trouble even before I started classes. “I don’t want to buy different clothes,” I whined to my mother. “These are stupid rules. Why can’t I wear jeans?”

My mother flipped through the handbook, not tipping her hand one way or the other about the rules. “Well, you do want to go there, right” she asked. I nodded.

“You’ll need to sign it, right?” I nodded, not liking where this was headed. “And if you sign your name, you’ll follow the rules, right?”

I didn’t nod in agreement, instead I asked my favorite question that I had been asking since I was a toddler, “Why?”

The answer was obvious to my mother and it had nothing to do with rule-keeping. “Your name is as good as your word. If you sign it, then you need to keep your word.” 

I'm glad my mother maintained this secondary view of rule-keeping. It's a reminder that rules are good, but not the end all, nor the way to righteousness or relationship.

Though the church I grew up attending was full of rules, my mother never let me confuse those rules with personal holiness. It was the people mattered, not the clothes they wore or what they did or didn't do. I could be a Pharisee in jeans or a dress, and she would have none of that. When you give your word to a person, you had to keep it, whether you were in a formal dress or wearing jeans with holes in the knees. So now the same sort of teaching was extending out to my school of choice.

When I read the prologue to the law in Exodus 20:2, I hear relationship: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery," and Colossians 1:13 echoes in my heart: "he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son."

On those days when my inner Pharisee makes an appearance, I remember that God has done the delivering, I remember that God wants wholehearted devotion, not my self-righteousness, and then I rest in the truth that I can depend on him to keep his word forever.

Taste of Jesus

It’s a little like the parable of the sower, but instead of different soils, there are all kinds of people. Some walk by and avert their eyes, others stop, interested from a variety of perspectives—where is your church? What denomination? Can I get some free stuff? How much is the water?

When we go out into the community, we trust God to do most of the heavy-lifting. All we need to do is our little part in God’s big work.

One of the Taste of Wheaton vendors, as she was setting up, came by and said hello. Looking at our display, she asked for a mug. Sure, I replied. Later, she came back and asked if we had bug spray. I pulled out the can of OFF and she sprayed it on and said thanks. The next day, as we set up she greeted me with a smile.

A student came by three times, the first time looking away, the second time stopping to take a pen and fill out a survey, the third time finding out about our summer programs. 

Diane warmly and happily engaged children as they walked by the table. She would take them to the games and encourage them to play and win prizes. Then, she would introduce herself to the parents and give them information about our summer ministries. 

She also talked with a follower of Bahai about Jesus and God and religion for about ten minutes. He spoke of how he liked that religion because of how it promised to adapt to changing cultures and societies and needs. Diane explained how she finds comfort in our unchanging God in the midst of a constantly changing world. He went away with Pastor Josh’s book “How Church Can Change Your Life.”

We are praying that we can show the love of Jesus to people in big and little ways.

A couple stopped and I spoke with them about our various areas of ministry. “You know, I drive by that church every day on my way to work” the husband said to his wife. “If you think you might visit us, come in a couple weeks and stop by the café for a homemade cinnamon roll, baked by my wife,” I said, handing him a Café card. 

“Well, that sealed it right there,” said his wife, “he’ll do anything for a cinnamon roll.” [Even go to church, I thought/wondered.]

“I’ll be there” said the husband.

A couple pushing their baby in a stroller went by. We talked through various aspects of church, and when I got to the 5K (aka Run for the STARS), the wife said, “My husband likes to run.” And took the flyer over to show her husband, who was already at the next table over.

Three students stopped looking at all that we had on display and two of them eagerly took Bibles. They asked first, tentatively, and were happily surprised when I said that they were free.

"Do you need to register ahead of time to go the a Backyard Bible Club?: asks one mom. "No, you can just come!"

After his time at the display, Bruce Aulie gave a brief report, too.

“Rather than eat by ourselves at the Taste of Wheaton, Caleb and I sat down with our food at a picnic table with a teenager with earbuds and struck up a conversation. He said he was joining the military after graduating from Wheaton North. We found out he doesn't go to our church but is a believer We encouraged him in his faith and talked about what it means to lay your life down.  How Jesus did that for us. That we are no longer our own.  

“A young woman stopped by our table. A recent college grad, she said she had walked away from the faith during school. Now she was returning. She took a Bible, encouraged to read it and anchor her life in Christ's promise of living water. 

“One young boy stopped, a bit shy and embarrassed to be at our church table but grabbed a Living Bible and took off like a shot. 

“A group of girls stopped to chat with Diane and with surprise and delight exclaimed, ‘This is my church!’" 

Our table at Taste of Wheaton isn’t very big. We’re right next to the Pella Windows display, facing Hale Street. When the bands play, sometimes the music overwhelms the park and it’s hard to hear anything. There are times when no one stops by or people ignore our cheery hellos. So why do we do it?

It’s because every conversation, every Bible grabbed or politely removed from the table, every handout or water bottle or book we give is an invitation to come and see who Jesus, come and meet the one true God and receive his gift of mercy and grace.

If you're going to Taste of Wheaton, stop by; bring a friend with you. Even if you're not, pray for this little piece of College Church in Memorial Park this weekend, that some might have a Taste of Jesus.

A Call to Listen by Whitney Wiley

Whitney and her husband, Caleb, are College Church mid-term missionaries to Madagascar. Music projects are part of Caleb's life--while at College Church, Caleb was involved with ChurchFolk.

Listen to the music of Sakalava believers as you read Whitney's post.

A local Christian radio station in my hometown of Houston is famous for its punny slogan, “God listens.” It naturally comes to mind when I consider our calling to work with the Sakalava Music Project in Madagascar. My husband, Caleb, and I are preparing to spend a year on a small island in Madagascar, recording local worship music for a new church that recently received the Bible in their language. All cheesy double entendres aside, the truth of a listening God has informed this ministry in drastic ways. 

God does listen to even the least of these, and he is at work drawing these people to himself. The Sakalava people are a minority group of about a million people in Madagascar, and God is sending people to this field white for the harvest, leading an ever-growing church of new Sakalava believers. 

God has called the missionaries already on the island to listen, hearing the gifts of local people and the way music is bringing the gospel alive in their hearts. Despite any preconceived plan or audio expertise, they readily followed the Spirit’s leading in fostering and equipping the new believers in the creation of worship music. 

God is using music to reach the hearts of the Sakalava people in their own language and style. He speaks their language and loves their songs, and as they listen they are transformed. A local radio station has picked up the song you are listening to now, and is broadcasting the truth of creation throughout the island. 

And as we go to serve on this island, recording more of these songs and teaching the local believers how to record and distribute their music for the sake of evangelism and the church, we pray that God would give us the grace to listen as He listens. Because, ironically, that is often the first step in proclaiming the gospel.  

A Memorial Day Prayer

This prayer is from A Pastor Prays for His People by Wendell C. Hawley

Father God, we thank you for those of yesteryear who left home and family
     to defend our country;
     we enjoy the fruit of their sacrifice--we worship you in freedom.
Remember your children, worldwide, who want to worship you openly,
     but dare not.
Grant openness to the gospel in those places of satanic oppression.
     Remember those of our extended family required to be in harm's way
     and all our military family.
     Keep them from hurt and destruction.
     Shield them from all harm.
     Enable them to boldly and faithfully live a Christian life,
 and may their testimony before fellow soldiers bear eternal fruit.
We pray all conflicts will end speedily
     and the gospel's power will permeate all those troubled lands.
Give divine wisdom to our national leaders
     that they may govern in ways that honor you.