The Leap Happened!

The Leap happened!  And we’ve landed on our feet, by God’s grace!

After serving as the pastor of Grace Harbor for 8 years, that role is now in the hands and heart of Pastor Marc Rickabaugh.  He’s a great brother in the LORD. Being co-laborers with God to bring a church into being was a deep experience of growth, joy and sacrifice for myself, Eileen and the whole congregation.  We are very thankful to the body of Christ at Grace Harbor.

My first Sunday as an evangelist was quite possibly, my busiest Sunday ever! It was a ‘good busy’ though. I preached at The Bridge www.cometothebridge.org which is a church plant in downtown Portsmouth in the morning.  In the afternoon, I spoke to the youth at Virginia Korean UMC in Suffolk on the subject of “The Purest Mind in the Universe Thought Up Sex”.  I am grateful for the leadership of Pastor Chul Ki and Pastor Ho Hyun who know that the church must teach on this topic.  I then met with the New Creation Youth leaders working on plans for “Youth Week”, which runs from July 18 -25.  I am the speaker for the week, which is filled with teaching, small group sessions, mission work and fun!

I have been with students at Virginia Wesleyan College this week during Orientation for the new students and their parents.  God has already led me into meaningful dialogue with some students about Jesus, life and salvation.  I love those conversations!  I've met with a number of staff, faculty and students as the chaplain (part-time) at VWC.


I'm just finishing up an amazing book: "Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret."   Taylor was born in Yorkshire, England in 1832 and went on to his reward from Hunan, China in 1905.  The book was written in 1932.  "Taylor was a pioneer missionary who spent the last half of the nineteenth century serving in China.  More than a century before Richard Nixon reopened Communist China to the Western world, this young British missionary traveled to China.  He left for China at age 20 with no university degree and sent by no government.  He arrived unexpected and unannounced.  But, by the time he died, 50 years later, he had founded the China Inland Mission which consisted of 205 mission stations with over 800 missionaries, and 125,000 Chinese Christian converts."

Quote from: http://www.pettengillmissionaries.org/archive/title/book_review%3a_hudson_taylor%27s_spiritual_secret

I am transfixed by Taylor’s description of his deeper experience with Christ, from which the title: “Spiritual Secret” comes.  The experience is described in a chapter called "The Exchanged Life."  Here is a quote from an Episcopal priest who hosted Hudson Taylor in Melbourne, Australia:

"He was an object lesson in quietness. He drew from the bank of heaven every farthing of his daily income – “My peace I give unto you.” Whatever did not agitate the Savior or ruffle his spirit, was not to agitate him. The serenity of the Lord Jesus concerning any matter, and at its most critical moment, was his ideal and practical possession. He knew nothing of rush or hurry, or quivering nerves or vexation of spirit. He knew that there is a peace passing all understanding, and that he could not do without it . . .

“I am in the study, you are in the big spareroom,’ I said to Mr. Taylor at length. ‘You are occupied with millions, I with tens. Your letters are pressingly important, min of comapritely little moment. Yet I am worried and distressed, while you are always calm. Do tell me what makes the difference.’

‘My dear Macartney,’ Taylor replied, ‘the peace you speak of is, in my case, more than a delightful privilege, it is a necessity. I could not possibly get through the work I have to do without the peace of God ‘which passeth all understanding’ keeping my heart and mind.”

 

That was my chief experience of Mr. Taylor. . . Dwelling in Christ, he drew upon His very being and resources, in the midst of and concerning the matters in question. And this he did by an attitude of faith as simple as it was continuous.”  pages 226-7

Taylor's story draws me because I am convinced so many of us (me included) settle for far too little of what Christ offers; or lives to the standard Christ sets.  The old saints called it ‘full salvation’ and ‘the deeper life’ among other descriptions.  I believe this settling for less come mainly from two sources: 1) ignorance – that is we just don’t know. Do you remember these word from Jesus to the Saducees?

“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).

Couldn’t it be the same for us today? We are in error, that is, we think incorrectly and therefore live lives that miss God’s highest, because we haven’t read and understood our Bibles. This as well as our error of underestimating God’s power – that is, God’s ability and willingness to act on our behalf.

As one of my professors used to say: “Go and sell your possessions and buy this book at any cost.”  The Scriptures first and Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret next. 

I'll leave you with a question that raised from the book.  I urge you and I to answer it honestly while asking the Holy Spirit to search our hearts: 

Are the promises of God less true for us today than they were to the faithful who have gone on before us?

Thank you for your prayers for us and for your partnership in the Gospel. 

Greg West, Evangelist~Chaplain

Transition, Soccer and the Goal

The shift from pastoral ministry into the new roles of missionary-evangelist and chaplain is happening fast! In the transition I joined a soccer team with a number of men from Grace Harbor and some Latinos who have also been a part of our church . . . Puerto de Gracia. We had our first game on Sunday and it was a excellent! There was this great moment in the game when the opposing team had a penalty kick against us. I ran in to help form ‘the wall’ to block the kick. At that moment, as we covered critical parts of our body, the realization came, “I could really get hurt here.” It was thrilling! We were willing to risk bodily injury for a greater cause! The good news is that we blocked it and nobody was hurt. Even more exciting than blocking a penalty kick was the opportunity to score a goal. I personally didn’t even get a shot on goal, but the excitement was there as I got close.
My longing as a follower of Christ is that we go on the offensive. Yes, there are things we must stand for and ‘block’, but we must be moving towards the other goal. The goal of Christ-likeness, the goal of loving God, loving neighbor, not merely with words, but with action; and the goal of seeking the lost and making disciples of all nations! The world knows what the church is against much more than they know what we are for. This should not be. They cannot understand what we’re against unless and until they know . . . Who we are for and what we are for!
Let’s not allow people to think we’re about this cause or that cause. Let them see a people who are compelled by the love of God in Christ to serve and proclaim. Paul shares with the church in Philippi about the value of all of his former accomplishments, titles and status. We must learn from his example:

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ . . .” (Philippians 3:8)

I ask for your prayers and support as we move forward to make this new ministry a reality. I have been meeting with a few churches, families and individuals and am very encouraged by a willingness to partner with me. We’re at about 20% of our monthly pledges, but have also received some special gifts that will help us get going. July will be a month of transition, support raising, evangelism and discipleship!

If you have not checked out the new website, take a look: http://www.lifeinhisname.net/

In Jesus' great love,

Greg West

More Good News . . . Leap Year Update #5

Friends in Jesus,

I accepted the offer to be the chaplain at Virginia Wesleyan College, beginning this August!  There are some wonderful students there that I have already met. I’m looking forward to encouraging them in their growth in Christ there on campus.

This is one piece of the puzzle that God has for me. We are moving ahead with “Life in His Name”; Pete and Pastor Bob and I are meeting in the morning.

I have begun meeting with churches who may be interested in partnership with us in this new ministry. I’m hopeful and encouraged that we can raise the needed financial support. I am open to coming to your church if invited!

The website is up! We will be making additions and changes.  Check it out:
www.lifeinhisname.net

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."  Hebrews 10:23-24

Greg

Pastor to Missionary~Evangelist . . . Leap Year Update #4

Friends,
The transition from pastoral ministry to the work of an evangelist is ongoing! I am blessed to have so many people who keep encouraging me along the way!

Name Chosen . . .

I have decided on the name of this new ministry: Life in His Name. You’ll recognize the phrase from John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John, after bragging about how he was faster than Peter, gives us the motive behind his letter and this is it! It is the appeal of an evangelist. This is what we long for everyone on the planet to experience . . . life in Jesus name! The name takes a bit of explaining to those not familiar with Scripture, which creates a beautiful opportunity to share Christ! I have been playing with some logo ideas, the latest you can see above to the right.

Great News!

• The Portsmouth District Board of Missions voted yesterday to pay for our health insurance for 1 year! Wow . . . big answer to prayer!
• The Website is almost ready to launch! A gigantic thank you to Cathy Stevens for setting up the website! She shared with me that: “Old secretaries never really go away :) We bother you FOREVER.” She is wonderful! Next email I will share the web link

Waiting and Setting Up Appointments with Churches for Partnership & Support . . .

• We are hoping to hear this week if I will be the next chaplain at Virginia Wesleyan College. The link to the Chaplain’s office is: http://www.vwc.edu/student_life/chaplain/index.php My interview last week went well, I especially enjoyed interacting with two different groups of student leaders on campus.
• I have 3 appointments on the calendar with churches who are considering supporting this new ministry and have started calling some individuals as well.

Prayer requests . . .

• Would you lift up our dear friends Bob and Jill Riggles? They are both serving at Christ Church in Fairfax, VA. Pastor Bob is also transitioning out of pastoral ministry after 11 or so years like me. Jill is the director of Christ Church Kids. We’re praying for God to clearly show the next step for them.
• Eileen and I are grateful for your prayers for us and our 3 children: Josiah, Evie and Luke. We are hoping to stay in the same house (that’s Plan A and there is a Plan B). It’s a big transition.

In Jesus’ unfailing love,

Greg West, Pastor
http://www.graceharborva.org/

Leap Year #3 - Moving Forward!

Friends,

Good news, I have been approved as an evangelist! I do need to meet again with the ‘extension ministry’ committee in October for final approval on the details of how this new ministry will operate including the 501 (c)(3), the Board of Directors and the Budget. I am able to move forward with the new ministry though on July 1.

I have a 2nd interview at Virginia Wesleyan College about the part-time chaplaincy position this Thursday. I ask for your prayers for wisdom and the ability to articulate myself.
I believe God has gifted me in the areas of evangelism and discipleship. These are the parts of pastoral ministry that always ‘charged my batteries’. I feel privileged that I will be able to focus on these two areas of ministry. I have been involved in small group discipleship and evangelism for almost 20 years. A healthy small group is one of the greatest means of evangelism. It is the redemptive community that offers Christ in word and deed to the seeker. This is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.

In the next month I will be working with Pastor Bob Weeks and Pete Kovalcik and others establish financial and prayer support for the ministry. There is no salary for this role. The District Board of Missions is considering covering our health care for 1 year. We are seeking people and churches to partner with us in any and every way! There are some churches and individuals that have already expressed a desire to support me in the role of missionary-evangelist.

I am super grateful for your prayers and encouragement!


May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Greg West, Pastor

Leap Year #2 - Update

Friends & Family,
This is the second update on the transition that Eileen and I are calling Leap Year! Our longing is to be the people God wants us to be and do the ‘good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’ (Eph. 2:10).

I interviewed with the Board of Ordained Ministry concerning the ‘extension ministry’ appointment as a general evangelist last Thursday.  I am waiting to hear from them. I also have an interview this coming Thursday with Virginia Wesleyan College. They have a part-time chaplaincy position open, which may also fit the gifts and calling that God has for me.

 Since my email last month, I met with the Evangelical Fellowship, which is a group of pastors and laypersons within the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Pastor David Ford graciously gave me some time to share with the group. Their response to my sharing about being a ‘Missionary Evangelist’ were and are a great encouragement to me. They prayed over me and read Scripture over me, which was tremendously affirming.

 Two first-rate people have agreed to serve on the Board of Directors. They are Pete Kovalcik and Pastor Bob Weeks. Pete is a part of the congregation at Grace Harbor and is the Executive Director of the Luter Family YMCA in Smithfield. Pastor Bob and I have worked together at our multi-campus church New Creation UMC, for more than 5 years. The initial paperwork for the 501(c)(3) is with a lawyer, who is also a friend.

 Thank you so much for your prayers, support and encouragement.


‘May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you’ (Jude 1:2).

Greg

My Grandfather Online Poet . . .

I just discoverd that my Pop Pop's poetry is online.  A friend of his, Harry Wettig, published a book of his poetry after he died.  I had no idea he had also uploaded the book.  Here is the link and a couple of my favorites from Percy below:

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry_all.asp?Authorid=76534

You Smiled - a poem written to Rae (photo)
You smiled at me!
And I shall forever be in your debt,
That long ago when we first met
You smiled at me.

Then suddenly my whole world changed from gray
To gleaming gold!
Now all eternity within my grasp I hold,
Because you smiled at me.
 
 
Prayer on a Bus

Dear God, forgive that I should be
So blind in faith as not to see
Thy shining presence everywhere I go;
And so,
My humble thanks that I was on
The bus tonight with old blind John.

(The above poem was written before 1940 when Rae and Percy were on a trolley headed for the downtown. The trolley stopped to pick up Old Blind John, who sold pencils on the street corner next to Thom's Drug Store. Percy jumped up, helped Old Blind John to a seat, talked for few minutes and then returned to recite the above Poem to Rae.)


Parson Brown & The Prodigal Son

This is the story of Parson Brown,
A colored preacher in a southern town,
Forced to retire 'cause he’s gittin too old,
With a thousand more sermons still untold.
So the parson took his sermons out on the street
Unloading them on anyone he chanced to meet,
‘Till his friends started shunning
The parson and his talks
So the parson did his preaching on long lonely walks.

This would be a sad story if it ended this way,
But, let’s hear from the parson
What happened one day:
As I was walking down the road
I met a stranger carrying a load.
He said, “Please mister, will you set me right,
I’ve looked everywhere that I could roam,
Please show me the road that leads to home.”

“Well brother.” says I, “Just stand where you are
And gaze in the sky at the evening star
‘Till your sins all melt, run down in your shoes,
And the good Lord above will send down news
Of a road to travel that’s narrow and straight
But leads ever upward to Heaven’s gate.”

“Now listen real good and take a hint,
Home is a place where the heart is content.
Peace can’t be found by a worldwide search,
Just go instead to the nearest Church,
Throw off your troubles and fall on your knees
And ask the good Lord to put your soul at ease.”
Then the stranger laughed ‘till he nearly cried
As he looked again at the country side,
Then he placed his bundle on the ground
And said to me, “Are you Parson Brown?”
I said, “I be, but what caused your joy?”
“Then welcome home,” says he,
“your wandering boy!”


My Name is Thomas
Forgive me, Lord, if doubting is a sin,
But finite minds can only comprehend
What human reason can explain.
I’m sure you know the limits of my brain,
Thou who did the universe design
Must surely know each weakness that is mine.
‘Tis not that I lack faith or love
Just send me understanding from above.

New Models of Learning

The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life By Parker J. Palmer

From an article: When I Figure Out the IPad
http://eric.clst.org/mystery/archives/1367

OLD:

NEW:

COMMENTARY: Seven things I hate about U(MC) - Ted Campbell, Jul 16, 2009

When we critique the bride of Christ, it must be done in the right spirit; that is for her well being and conformity to Christ.  MLK Jr. said it well:

"In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists."  from Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail

So good to hear someone speak up.  Thanks Ted Campbell.

http://umportal.org/article.asp?id=5592

Leap Year #1 - The Suffolk West's in February

You’re getting this email because you have encouraged Eileen and I as we have been discerning God's new direction for us. Thank you! Many have said, “Keep us informed along the way.” So I thought an email-blog would be best.

I met with Bishop Kammerer on February 15th. The purpose of the meeting was simply to inform her of our new direction and to seek guidance. I asked if she thought there was a need for a new evangelist in the Virginia Conference. She answered, "I think there's probably not just a need for one more, but maybe three or four more." Good sign.
I shared the concept of "Theology on Tap", something like this . . . we go to the local bar and find out which night is slowest for business. Then the proposal: We'll invite people to the bar on Tuesday nights and we'll give a presentation that will turn into a conversation around Jesus and the Scriptures. Our presentation isn't heavy handed or pushy, just a conversation. Alcohol isn't one of our topics, but if we're asked, we'll share that the Scriptures speak against drunkenness, but not drinking. Our Catholic brothers and sisters are using this approach in different parts of the country seemingly with great success. Again, Bishop Kammerer was good with it.

This week I met with the Board of Evangelism for the Virginia Conference. The interview went well and I was given a ‘thumbs up’. My friend Brian Sixby, also a pastor in Suffolk is the chair of this group. One of the highlights for me was when one of the pastors interviewing me discovered there was no salary. We made eye contact and with a puzzled look he said, “How are you gonna get paid?” I leaned forward and said, “I’m just about to take up an offering!” Good guy, he gave me his card afterwards and told me to call him.

So thanks for your encouragement and prayers. I’m also in the middle of setting up the required 501(c)(3). The next interview is March 25th with the Board of Ordained Ministry. The goal is to be appointed as a ‘general evangelist’ in the Virginia Conference. This will give me the freedom to be the ‘missionary evangelist’ that I believe God is calling me to!

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

I remember well that soccer game in Managua. The horses were on my team as was this muchacho!

These children were a part of a Compassion International project. Very moving.

http://www.compassion.com/

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Catastrophe in Haiti: A Different View

I am thinking of God being misrepresented at a time when our hearts are most vulnerable. I am thinking about the suffering of the people of Haiti and the tragic history of the island of Hispañola. What if the ‘Christian’ Europeans had actually obeyed Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor”? They would not have exploited, enslaved and massacred the indigenous peoples. They would have developed friendships and partnerships with the native peoples to develop the land. Maybe without this brutal history, which betrayed all of the teachings of Jesus, the island would not be impoverished and wrecked today. Maybe Port-au-Prince and the other cities would have been built with the resources and technology capable of withstanding a 7.0 earthquake.

Please forgive us. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul devoted an entire letter to his friend Philemon asking him to change his relationship with Onesimus, from slave to that of a beloved brother. This appeal was “on the basis of love” (Philemon 1:9, 15-16). We did not listen.

Please forgive us. The failure of the church to do serious study and application on the Biblical letter to Philemon gave a green light to the suffering, enslavement and death of millions. The consequences, pain and injustices are still felt today.

In Luke 13:1-5, there is a simple and weighty teaching of Jesus:

“About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. Jesus asked, “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

In this passage we are told of two catastrophes, both resulting in numerous deaths. The first is man made and the other is what we call a natural disaster. Jesus knew the thoughts of the people: They must have deserved it. Jesus corrects them with an emphatic “No.” We would be wise to apply this teaching: When tragedy comes, do not try to infer guilt and judgment. Your business is to be ready for your own death and judgment.

Please forgive us. We revere the Bible, but we don’t really know what it says.

Please forgive us. We have often made a Jesus of our own imagination to fit our politics, our prejudices and our greed.

Please forgive us. Though we are told to be “ambassadors for Christ”, there is too often little resemblance between the beauty and compassion of Jesus and we his followers.

There is a long, sad history of church leaders driving their personal agendas while claiming to have Jesus’ stamp of approval. With that being said I quote E. Stanley Jones, a 20th century missionary to India:

“Let me declare my faith in, and appreciation of, the Christian church. With all its faults it is the greatest serving institution on earth. It has many critics but no rivals in the work of human redemption. The isn’t a spot on the earth from the frozen north to the tropical islands of the sea where we haven’t gone with schools, hospitals, orphan and leper asylums, churches, everything to lift the soul, the mind, the body of the human race.”

Jesus, please forgive us.

“The Kingdom of God is God’s total answer to humanity’s total need. . . If Jesus made the kingdom of God the center of his message and the center of his endeavor, the greatest need of man, as I see it, is to rediscover the kingdom of God. Man needs nothing so much as he needs something to bring life together into total meaning and total goal. Life for the modern man in East and West needs something to give total meaning to an otherwise fragmented life. He needs an absolute from which he can work down to the relativisms of the day, a master light of all his seeing. He is being pushed and pulled and beckoned to, enticed and bludgeoned from all directions. He is being pushed from relativism to relativism. He is confused-the most confused and yet the most intelligent person that ever existed. He knows everything about life, except how to live it.” From E. Stanley Jones' book The Unshakeable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person.

The phrase 'Kingdom of God' appears 65x in the New Testament and 'Kingdom of Heaven' 31x (all in Matthew's Gospel); and yet we don't tend to think of Jesus' message in this way. Individualism and the focus on the afterlife has reduced and altered the message to 'accept Jesus and you get to go to heaven with him when you die.' Jesus certainly is the way to the Father, but this reduction and alteration of the central theme of his teaching tames the revolutionary message of complete allegiance to this King and complete participation in bringing this Kingdom of God, of heaven to the earth: ". . . your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" Matthew 6:10.

Here is an amazing quote from Thomas Cahill's book: The Desire of the Everlasting Hills ~ The World Before and After Jesus.

He writes . . . ‘the radical society of friends, of free and equal men and women, that came forth from the side of the crucified (an earlier reference to the blood and water that poured out of Jesus as the spear went into his side - the blood and water, the Lord's supper and baptism) was quickly overwhelmed by ancient patriarchy and has been overwhelmed in every era since by the social and political forms of the age’ (pg. 303).

So this community of love that Jesus envisioned and gave his life for has been usurped by some with different agendas. Well meaning, good people maybe, but still not in line with the purposes of Jesus. So it's been form over funtion and the the mission of Jesus is often subverted in favor of issues of power, status, expedience, structure, legacy, etc. It's very difficult for people to discern because religious language is used and the forms are taken to be the reality; "having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5).

Kingdom and Church

Sunrise Worship, Resurrection Sunday on the James River

"The church gets into trouble whenever it thinks it is in the church business rather than the Kingdom business. In the church business, people are concerned with the church activities, religious behavior and spiritual things. In the Kingdom business, people are concerned
with Kingdom activities, all human behavior and everything that God has made, visible and invisible. Church people think about how to get people into the church, Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church, Kingdom people work to see the church change the world." Howard Snyder

The One who started the church said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the
gospel will save it" (Mark 8:35). This is not just true for individuals, but for groups as well and institutions! So the church that is in survival mode ends up losing its life and the church that willingly gives away its life ends up saving it.

Just finished Langston Hughes' brilliant book, Not Without Laughter, written in 1930. It's the coming of age story of Sandy, a black youngster being raised in Kansas poverty mostly by grandma, who is called Aunt Hager. The book climbs to this passage, "But was that why Negroes were poor, because they were dancers, jazzers, clowns? . . . The other way round would be better: dancers because of their poverty; singers because they suffered; laughing all the time because they must forget. . . . It's more like that, thought Sandy.
A band of dancers. . . . Black dancers-captured in a white world. . . . Dancers of the spirit, too. Each black dreamer a captured dancer of the spirit. . . . Aunt Hager's dreams for Sandy dancing far beyond the limitations of their poverty, of their humble station in life, of their dark skins.
"I wants you to be a great man, son," she often told him, sitting on the porch in the darkness, singing, dreaming, calling up the deep past, creating dreams within the child. "I wants you to be a great man."
"And I won't disappoint you!" Sandy said that hot Chicago summer, just as though Hager were still there, planning for him.

I read through 1 Thessalonians this morning. Some thoughts . . .

Almost everyone will tell you Paul wrote this letter, but it’s actually written by Paul, Silas and Timothy. So there was a team! "We", "us" and "our" are the words that fill the letter. There are only two times in the 5 chapters that the word "I" is used, referencing Paul. We keep trying to be superheros for Jesus when God is trying to form a team with it's strength being the unity shared in Christ.

These passages from 1 Thessalonians showed that at the core of the Gospel, is about living ‘life together’.

1 Thessalonians 1:4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.

1 Thessalonians 2:6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

James Madison on the enemies of true liberty . . .

"Of all the enemies of true liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manner and of morals, engendered in both. No nation can preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare … War is in fact the true nurse of executive aggrandizement. In war, a physical force is to be created; and it is the executive will, which is to direct it. In war, the public treasuries are to be unlocked; and it is the executive hand which is to dispense them. In war, the honors and emoluments of office are to be multiplied; and it is the executive patronage under which they are to be enjoyed; and it is the executive brow they are to encircle. The strongest passions and most dangerous weaknesses of the human breast; ambition, avarice, vanity, the honorable or venal love of fame, are all in conspiracy against the desire and duty of peace."

Phenomenal insight into a great plague upon humankind. And does not one war sow the seeds for the next war? I certainly don't have it all figured out, but we're killing ourselves, literally.

Take a look at Congressman Ron Paul's words during the buildup for the war in Iraq:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLV7zDhKzDY&feature=related

And here is Chalmer's Johnson on a little history of Iraq:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wg1WuPgFJQ

haunting song - Wave of Sorrow ~ U2

I've been haunted for 6 months. The first is Bono explaining the song and the second is the song and video.