Excellent video!!!

Desiring God Q&A Panel - Loving Our Muslim Neighbors from The Summit Church on Vimeo.

This is a very interesting video we watched for class. I tried copying the embed code and pasting it here, so... hopefully you can see it. Or you can go to http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2010/10/loving-our-muslim-neighbors.html and see it there. It talks specifically about ministering to Muslims, but a lot of what they talk about is very helpful just in examining our own faith as we work it out with fear and trembling, as well as ministry in general to unbelievers :-)
Enjoy!

Clash of the paradigms

It's weird, because as a Misisons Major at a Bible College, I'm reading almost more than I can stomach regarding different missiological approaches towards the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, when confronted with one of the people I read about in these books and actually hearing how their lack of faith manifests itself, I never ceased to be amazed and at the same time somewhat appalled.
What brought about this opening statement is the confuddlement I have been grappling with since befriending two lovely Turkish ladies who are also Muslim. One seems a little more open to the Gospel than the other, but both have asked me and my friend to explain the Bible to them so that they can understand it correctly. (yeah. No weighty responsibility contained in that commission at ALL!) And both times we've met and conversed I've been hit with the overwhelming realization at how complex and bizarre the Christian worldview is when perceived by non-believers. Its so simple once you get it, but when you haven't gotten it yet, its just weird.
A prime example is when we were answering some questions regarding Isa, the Islamic name for Jesus. They believe in Jesus, they love Jesus. They respect Him and actually Mohammed wrote some very touching things about Him in the Qur'an. They even believe that He was born of the virgin Mary, and that it was God who put Him in her womb.
However, He is NOT God nor the Son of God, because how can God have a son, and clearly God is ONE not two.
There's differences of opinions regarding sin and depravity amongst Muslims, but the one lady has informed me emphatically and repeatedly that Adam's sin in no way effects her. Her sins are her OWN, not Adams, thank you very much.
And the Law is simple to fulfill. If we don't fulfill the Law, that is our own business. Sin stems from abuse of sexual instincts or rejection of God.
I always start to get a headache by the end of my conversations with them because its such a paradigm shift.
There was one point in the conversation where we were trying to explain the Atonement in response to some very pertinent questions she had.
"Wait. You think that JESUS died for OUR sins?!?!" she exclaimed once we overcame the language barrier.
"Well... yes..." my friend and I answered, not entirely sure where the amazement stemmed from.
"No. Wait. God gave US the law to fulfill. Its there, its clear. And if we CHOOSE not to obey it, then He pays for it Himself? That doesn't make any SENSE!"

Or today, for class I had to visit a 'center of cultural or alternative worship.' Blech. I was raised in a Christian environment my whole life, and I've had this type of assignment before where I have to go to some other established meeting place of non-truth-religion. I always leave with a headache.
My mom explained it to me once this way: How do Federal Agents know when they come across a counterfeit bill that it is fake? Do they study the various methods and means by which false currency is made? No. Not at all. Do you know what they do? They study the real thing to such detail that they immediately recognize when a single splotch of ink is out of place. (okay maybe slight exaggeration there, but you get the idea)
I guess the same thing is coming through in this case: having been raised a Christian and fallen in love with Jesus Christ and wanting the propagation of His Kingdom to be my life's work, its appalling and offensive when I see His name slandered.
The Iranian gentleman who led the meeting today was a man overflowing with friendliness and hospitality. A sweetheart if ever I met one, although still possessing a very faint aura of creepiness that always accompanies a leader of any cult.
I have to give a group presentation on the Baha'i faith for class, and I asked the gentleman if we could possibly interview him later on this semester and even video tape the interview as well as photograph the center.
"Listen, listen. Let me explain myself to you. I want you to see me as your friend. Obviously there must be time and trust that will be established through friendship, but consider this community center yours and all you need available to you."
(Don't worry, I'm not going to enter there without my burly classmate accompanying me again.)
I was touched by his seeming sincerity but wondered how far I could push his commitment of compliance. With all the wacky events that have happened in my life the last few years, I've learned to take such offers with a tad bit of cynicism, even when they come from Christians; and especially when they come from non-believers.
However, his charisma was endearing. But I couldn't help but have a strong feeling of offense rise when he began explaining that Jesus Christ was just another manifestation/man possessed by god, just like Bahu-u-llah.
"NO! That is NOT true!" my inner-self screamed. "JESUS is the ONLY Way, Truth, and Life, and there is no other way by which you can be saved, friend!"

I've always had the opinion that religious radicals need to take a deep breath, smell some flowers, and stop taking life so seriously. But I had never had my beliefs so repeatedly and blatantly thrown in my face. And the funny thing is, this isn't in an antagonistic sort of way at all; its in a gentle, friendly way by people who seem genuinely concerned for my welfare.

So I'm not mad at them by any means, just struck with the profound tragedy of the reality of hell.
While headaches and fatigue always accompany such engagements with pagans, I haven't regretted an encounter so far. In fact I wonder why more Christians don't brave the headaches and circles under their eyes. I wonder why we are not more passionately pouring over Scripture to make sure our response is true and holy and correct in the eyes of God; not just in theology but in methodology.
C'mon, Christians. There are lots of people out there who need Jesus. Go find some of them! Its actually easier than you might think; the main point is for them to see the sincerity and authenticity of our faith. And if our faith is real, then that shouldn't be hard at all, right? ;-)

Domestic moment

I don't know why, but for some reason working 7 hours two days in a row made me walk into my apartment and simply want to bake something. Wacky? Yes indeed. However... this is ME after all.
Over the summer my team and I were near Amish country and we went to one of their whole foods stores and I picked up some non-conventional ingredients for when I had time and inclination to play around with tastes. (its what I do...) My mom has frequented health food stores since I was little and she always would buy the bizarre flours and weird whole grains and try to substitute them for actual real white flour (you know, the kind that causes cancer that we put in everything. That one. The tasty one!!!) when she wasn't abandoning normal western eating habits altogether and overdosing on some lentil combination and forsaking bread completely. (I'm not traumatized AT ALL). So out-of-the-box powders lurking on pantry shelves is now integrated into my bloodstream but I tend to lean more on the side that still listens to taste buds.
All that to say, I picked up a pound carob powder. I bought carob powder because my mom did occasionally take pity on my poor taste buds and buy these carob bars that had seaweed and kelp in them. You didn't mind the sea stuff because the carob redeemed it. So I knew carob was one of those powders that were not only healthy but tasty. (you CAN have both in the same dish! I promise!!)
And, hoping Mom would take the hint, I generously bought her pound as well. The end to that story is that I presented it to her with a flourish and she sort of wrinkled her nose and asked what in the world one put Carob in, muttered something about how I always bring home weird things that only tribal people cook with, and the lonely little pound of carob is somewhere in exile in my parent's pantry, not being eaten. (I bring home weird things?! and how many different NON WHEAT flours are in the SDian pantry I ask? Ever so complacently and un-emphatically I ask this...)
SO. To bring it back to last night, I walked in the door and was like, "I need to cook with my carob powder." Oh, the other deciding influence you need to know about is that my friend/coworker has been giving me grief ever since I treated my hair with Henna. He's called me either Carrots (which he did immediately before ordering food at the coffee shop when I was preparing food... I ask you, does that demonstrate smarts? Logical thinking? Superiority of the graduate program over the undergrad? I think not. And I reminded the dear fellow about what happened in the movie 'Anne of Green Gables' when she was called carrots, and said that since there were no slates to break over his head I would have to improvise on his sandwich. Since he's my co worker and not an ordinary customer I can do that) OR told me that I need to put my hair in two braids and hand him a frosty, as clearly I escaped from a Wendy's restaurant advertisement. So I left work wondering if I should find some way to acquire a frosty and do something devious to it, but that would take money and I didn't want to waste money. But I did want to cook with carob.
So. I got online and googled Carob recipes. Apparently it is high in protein and very healthy. There are a few historical armies that are said to have lived off of carob right before they invaded something significant... and I came across a recipe that looked as delicious as it was healthy. So I decided to not only make it, but to post it on here should it turn out well, which apparently it did. So here ya go. For whenever you have some extra carob lying around. If you don't, I think you can substitute cocoa powder. It just won't be as healthy.


Cake: 1 cup flour, Frosting: 1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup carob 1/3 cup honey (i used 1/2 honey, 1/2 sugar for
1 tsp baking soda this part)
1/2 tsp salt 1 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup water
2/3 cup honey 1 tsp vanilla
1 mashed banana
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 8 inch pan. Sift together flour, carob, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and honey until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in banana and vanilla. Beat in flour alternating with water. Stir in chopped (wal)nuts if you so desire (which I neither had nor desired)
Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean.


Frosting: Cream butter and honey until smooth. Blend in milk powder, carob powder, vanilla and water. Beat until smooth and spread on cooled cake.

The conclusion is that it came out amazing. My harassing friend and his two co-workers/my other two friends had joked when I left work that I ought to stay and close with them. Saturdays are insane, and anyone who works automatically gets several thousand years knocked off purgatory along with a few jewels in their crowns. (yes, I mixed up doctrines and theology. I did that on purpose!) I had worked from 9 to 4, and wasn't in any kind of mood to deal with a mob of voracious undergrad students. And I also knew that since I was working with all guys, guess who would be on food duty, as I am about 3 times as fast as making sandwiches as they are. I say this in all humility and it comes solely through working at Starbucks for a year and getting the 'faster than the speed of light' policy down, along with the fact that I've worked in this coffee shop two to three times as long as any of these guys. But I felt kinda sorry for them. And I had to return some theology books I had borrowed to one of them, and I knew despite the external trials and tribulations of demanding 'customers' it would have been fun to work with the three of them. So I cut three generous slices and skipped over to the coffee shop after it was thoroughly closed. The two were appropriately impressed and thankful, but the third - the one who teases me about carrot hair - didn't hear, see or smell the ambrosia-like scent wafting from the freshly cooked brownies. And I guess he didn't like the hip-hop that they were blaring full-blast. In a word, he was grumpy.
"Smile! You look awful!" I said, and he proceeded to grumble about how there was nothing to smile about, and he would only smile once the cutting-board he was bleaching was thoroughly cleaned. So I picked up the container with the brownies and held them over the counter and under his nose.
"Smell this and tell me there is nothing to smile about."
"NO! There is absolutely nothing..." and then he caught a waft... and then he inhaled deeply... and as he breathed a smile stole over his features and he began expounding upon the glories of the Lord.
I told him that i couldn't get a frosty for him and he said he hoped I could NEVER get my hands on frosties again. I also told him this was a result of his cruel harassment on my hair and it was God's sanctifying work in my heart that caused me to not only forgive him but bless him. The twirp then said that he was so thankful for Gods grace that he was going to harass me EVERY time he saw me so that I would cook more. Woops. That backfired. I said he shouldn't count on me being so receptive to conviction in the future but he said don't worry about that, he would pray conviction-resulting-in-brownies into my heart. Ha.

Anyway that is my domestic moment for the semester, as well as my compassionate, reaching out to brothers in Christ moment, so please do not count on any more sweet smells wafting out of my apartment because mid terms, group projects, papers and finals are within sight, and I think I won't have time to make anything else scrumptious for a while at least.
~Princess Ouch~