Top 12 2016

This is my annual review of the past year, choosing a favorite photo from each month.  Though I confess that this year I included two in some months that included being in more than one country, so it actually comes out to "Top 15"

January

Pleasure Cruise



In January we brought together several leaders from Canada and Laos to share stories with each other and encourage one another.  My main job was logistics.  I was instructed to set up a fun outing on one day, so we arranged a boat ride for the group from the Changing Life Center to a restaurant in Chiang Khong.  While many of the folks from Laos have probably been on the river many times in their lives--even if just to cross to Thailand--this was different. There were 45 of us on the boat and we passed the two hour trip upstream singing and telling stories.  It was great to see the folks from Laos enjoying this once in a lifetime trip.  The return trip only took half the time, as we were going downstream.

February

Ngao River



The district we live in consists of the watershed for the Ngao River.  The river can be quite tame in the dry season but usually floods at least once in the rainy season.  In my bike riding I've explored many parts of this watershed.  This past year I tried a field road that I had not been on before.  The road eventually fords the Ngao River.  This is a quiet spot and sometimes I like to ride there just to detach myself from life's cares and concerns and enjoy God's presence.

March

Women's Conference



This past year, we held the first Khmu Women's Conference at the Changing Life Center that featured women speakers.  We had hoped to also have it planned by women, but that was not to be.  Ingrid was one of the presenters, and it was her first time sharing at a large group in Thailand.  So I captured this glimpse of her speaking.  One of our Khmu leaders, Pat, was translating for her.

March-Vietnam

A taste of Mexico



In March, I had to opportunity to travel to Hanoi to observe some training.  While I was there, I decided to visit a Mexican Restaurant that was near our hotel.  The hotel was not in a tourist area, so I was surprised to find a Mexican restaurant there.  The proprieter (In the red sweater) was happy to have someone to practice English with.  When I asked her why she opened a Mexican restaurant, she said that she once worked at a Mexican restaurant in the tourist area, but it was quite expensive.  She wanted to make Mexican food available to the common people.

I also chatted a bit with her husband, whose English was fairly good.  While I was explaining the kind of work I used to do, he responded using some technical words in English that not many Americans would even know. That's how I found out that he works for the Environmental Ministry.  Before I left, they wanted a picture with me.  So we grabbed the sombreros that were hanging from the walls as decor and put them on for this pose.  The food may not have been as authentic as what we find in California, but it was quite tasty. And the atmosphere was great.

For more pictures from Hanoi, view here.

April

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden



In April, we ended up making a trip to Chiang Mai.  While we were there we took a few hours to visit the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden.  The place was quite awesome, and I easily could have spent several days there.  Or maybe a few months.  It was hard to pick a photo from all the flowers I photographed there, but I especially liked this water lily, which seemed to glow like the sun.

May

Doi Pha Tang Park



About 30 kilometers from us (20 miles) is a mountain park called Doi Pha Tang.  While it is quite close, It takes over an hour to get there because of the steep, windy, narrow roads.  Every once in a while we like to go there just to enjoy the cool mountain air. When you make the short walk from the parking area to the crest of the mountain, you are standing on the border of Laos.  Looking down off the cliff, one can see the Mekong River making its way towards Louang Prabang, the ancient capital of Laos, and eventually out the South China Sea in Vietnam.

June

Butterfly



Not far from where we live is the ancient city of Wiang Kaen, which is now a forest.  There is a dirt road around this forest, where sometimes we go for walks.  One morning, the butterflies were particularly active.  While I never discovered the name for this particular butterfly, it seemed particularly pretty in its rather simple white, gray and black colors.

July

Voodo Lily



The voodoo lily plant is fairly common around our area, but I had never seen it flower.  Finally, while I was walking around the forest that was once the city of Wiang Kaen, I saw this unusual white flower spike. Upon approaching it, I noticed a strong and not particularly pleasing smell.  Apparently, the plant uses these strong odors to attract the flies that pollinate it. What an amazing creation of God.  For more about this plant, view here.


July-Laos

Tat Xai Waterfall



Towards the end of June, our visas were expiring.  It was necessary for us to leave Thailand to apply for a new visa. We decided that the least expensive option was to travel to Vientiane-the capital of Laos.  In order to time the expiry of our visas with our MINA plans, we stayed several days.  One day, we took an outing to Phu Khao Khouay National Park.  We drove about an hour then we boarded a small boat which took us up river.  Since it was rainy season, the rivers were running high and I noticed we were boating over the tops of some small trees.  (Most people make this trip in the dry season when they do less of the travel on water and more on foot.)

When we got to the base of some nasty rapids, we disembarked and a guide helped us find our way through an overgrown trail up to a waterfall.  It was quite pretty along the way, and at the top, the tour included a gourmet picnic lunch.  Fortunately, there was a picnic shelter, because at that point the rain had started to fall.  There was an impressive amount of water going over the falls and the water was brown with mud.  But it was a beautiful place to hang out and listen to the water crashing on the rocks below.  For more photos from this trip to Laos, view here.

August

Rice Paddy Reflections



Rice is the main crop grown in Thailand.  We grow both paddy rice and upland rice.  Where there is sufficient irrigation water, they may grow three crops a year of paddy rice.  Often, the farmers depend on rainfall even for the paddies.  Down the street from us is a creek bottom that they use to grow rice using primarily rain water, but also supplemented with water from the creek.  After one particularly heavy rainfall, the paddies were quite full and showing reflections of the hills and clouds.  Shortly after this, the fall rice crop was planted.

September

Skull Mountain



In September we were finally able to get away for a short break.  We went to one of our favorite places in Thailand, Sam Roi Yod (Three Hundred Peaks).  We like it because it has a mixture of ocean and mountains and parks, but it is not overdeveloped.

On one day we rented a scooter and drove up to Khao Kralok, which interprets "skull mountain".  It receives its name because the cave openings in the limestone hill give it the appearance of a skull.  There is a really nice beach there, that is quite popular.  But if you are brave enough to walk the rugged trail, you can walk over to the back side of the mountain where there is a nice, secluded beach.  We had it all to ourselves.

October

October Surprise



On a Sunday afternoon towards the end of October, we were getting our house ready in order to go on home assignment.  But before that we were leaving the following day for a week-long conference in Chiang Mai.  I was doing something in the back yard when I heard a motorcycle drive up.  To our surprise, it was Ching and June--two Hmong girls who had studied English with us and were now in their first year of university, Ching in Bangkok and June in Chiang Mai.

We were not at all expecting them as we thought they were away at school.  But they had come back for the weekend to attend a wedding and they didn't want to miss seeing us before we headed back to North America.

This visit was one of the highlights of our year--like having your kids travel a long ways to make a surprise visit.  Sometimes we wonder if our work has an impact on others.  The visit from these two young women showed that their relationship with us was more important than learning English.

November

Buntzen Lake



In early November we were in British Columbia.  One day, Ingrid's sister and her family took us on an outing to Buntzen Lake.  There was a trail running alongside the lake through the evergreen forest.  The humidity in this part of the world meant that everything was green with moss.  At one point, our nieces and nephew (who love to climb trees) found this small mossy tree beside the trail. In no time, they were up on its branches, and the bright colors of their clothing stood out like beacons in the dark, mossy forest.

December-New England

York Harbor



One of the things I like about New England is the rocky coastline that has lots of crannies in which there are sandy beaches.  One of such beach is at York Harbor.

We had awaken one morning in Montpelier, Vermont, to several inches of snow on the ground, with more rapidly accumulating.  We had planned on traveling almost due east to central Maine, but that would have meant driving in heavy snowfall the whole way, because we would be tracking the storm eastwards.  We opted instead to head southeast to southern Maine. It was my first time driving in snow in a many years.  Fortunately, the vehicle we had borrowed had all wheel drive with traction control, so we didn't slip and slide too much.  We arrived in York Harbor in mid-afternoon, just as the snow was ending.  Not much snow had fallen there, so before it got dark we went for a walk along the bluff trail.  As we were coming back to the Inn, the sun was going down in a way that made it seem the sky was on fire.  What an awesome end to a tiring day of driving.

December-Canada

Christmas Gathering



The latter half of December found us in Canada, staying with Ingrid's parents.  On Christmas day, we went to church, and came back to finish getting dinner ready.  Soon, family members started to arrive. It was nice to be surrounded by family members as we celebrated the birth of Jesus, even though we were two short as Christian was in the hospital and Karin was with him for the holiday.

What does Jesus Look Like To You?

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."           Luke 2:11-14 (NIV)

Earlier this month, while we were in Connecticut, we went to the Abbey of Regina Laudis in
Bethlehem, Connecticut. It seemed appropriate to visit a village by that name during the Christmas season.

At the abbey, they have a Neapolitan crèche dating from the 18th century.  The crèche is interesting in that it tries to depict how the people of the time would respond to the birth of Jesus.  So there is a large village scene, with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and company in one part, while much of the rest of the village goes about their business.






Then, this past week, we had the opportunity to visit Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta.  Each year the church puts on a display of nativity scenes that people have collected from around the world.  There is a great variety in both the construction of the nativity scenes and how the characters are represented.






The baby Jesus ends up with various shades of skin tones.  While normally he is pictured laying in the manger on His back, some scenes depict him on his stomach.  One display has him in a canoe instead of a manger.



There are even some displays which use animals instead of people, and in these sets he may end up as a mouse or a moose.




One wonders why God chose to send Jesus at a time when technology was such that no one really knows what he looks like.  If God were to have sent him in this day and age, his birth would have been quickly recorded for all on social media.  But maybe it’s better that way.  With no photographs or realistic paintings to depict what Jesus looked like, we can focus more on other aspects of His life like his activities and teachings.  For in the end, it is not so critical as to what kind of facility the manger was in and exactly who and how many people were present.  The more important thing is, as depicted in the nativity scene at the Abbey, what are we going to do about it?

What are we going to do now that Jesus has come into the world?  What are we going to do about His teachings?  How will we respond?  Will be believe the testimony of the shepherds and angels?  Or will we just go about our lives as if nothing of consequence has happened?  Will we believe and obey?  Or we celebrate the season of materialistic indulgence that Christmas has become?

Thailand is not historically a Christian country.  Few people there could tell you what the real meaning of Christmas is.  Yet all the malls are full of Christmas carols and Christmas displays.  Christmas has become a money-making opportunity for merchants.  Unfortunately, this commercial Christmas is the first one many Thai people learn about.

It’s probably not much different in North America anymore.  There is Santa Claus and Christmas trees and reindeer, but I don’t think most children are learning the story of the first Christmas—the story of when God came to earth to show people what He is like.

It is up to us who believe in Jesus to celebrate Christmas like God did.  To go about humbly demonstrating the love of God to people who are desperately in need of it while telling them the good news that the Kingdom of God is here.  To focus less on stuff and more on the people around us.  To be less concerned with ourselves and more concerned with others.  For Jesus came not to accumulate things in this world but to lay down His life for others.

This, I think, would be the best Christmas present we could give away—and not just one day per year.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 (ESV)

Thanks+giving

Early last week in my Bible readings I came to Psalm 50.

Psalm 50:8 begins "I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer."

Then the next verse begins with that scary word:

BUT

But what?

I'll paraphrase the next verse this way:

"But I really don't need them because they are already mine."

God seems to be saying that it's great that the people were offering sacrifices but he didn't really need them.  Which seems a bit confusing, and that's where verse 14 adds some clarification:

Make thankfulness you sacrifice to God and keep the vows you made to the most high. (Psalm 50:14 NLT)

The Psalmist is trying to tell us that there is a wrong way to give.

If we think that everything we have belongs to us, and that WE are giving to God out of OUR stuff that we earned, be might have a bit of a bad attitude when we give it.  Paul alludes to this in 2 Corinthians 9:7 where he writes that we are to give cheerfully, not grudgingly.  When we give, it is out of recognition that everything we have is God's.  We then return a portion to God out of thanks for what He has given to us.

Offering and Thanksgiving are inextricably linked:

Thanks=Giving

(Maybe I'm getting a couple of holidays mixed up here.)

The Psalmist alludes to another kind of bad giving attitudes in verse 14: "keep the vows you made".

Some people make vows to God.  A vow goes something like this:

"You do this for me, I'll do this for You."

So if God comes through on His end of the deal, we then offer whatever it is we said we would offer.  It's a simple transaction.  But sometimes we might have an attitude problem.  We might be handing over payment with a bit of reluctance--not wanting to part with our hard earned stuff for what we have received, like maybe we resent having to pay so much for something.

"Bad attitude", the Psalmist writes.  What should our attitude be?

Make gratitude your attitude.

Give--and give thanks.

Many years ago I was working for an organization and one of the employees was helping me load my truck with supplies.  When we were done, I thanked him.

He then began to exclaim, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" over and over again.

I told him I was confused, he had helped me load my truck, so why was he thanking me?  He replied, "Because you said, 'thank you.'"

I drove away in tears.  This man had worked many years for this Christian organization, but when it was time to get paid, it was just a transaction.  Payment for services rendered.  No sign of gratitude (at least not in a way that was meaningful to him).

I had to ask myself, "What is my attitude?  Do I have an attitude of gratitude?"

Let our giving be thanks and our thanks be giving.  It's easy to mouth the words, "Happy Thanksgiving."  It takes a bit more effort to show we are truly thankful.

Isaac

One of my life mottoes is:

Take life very seriously

    but

        don't take yourself too seriously
 
God is never ceasing in doing important work in this world.  But we should not be so proud as to think He cannot accomplish His work without us. We are not indispensable. (Pardon the double negative any readers for whom English is not one of your primary languages.)

Unfortunately, for the past while I have had a hard time abiding by that motto.  I went through a period of time where laughter was mostly absent from my life.  It was no longer my norm.

Many years ago lived a woman named Sarah.  Already almost 90 years old she was childless and for her that was no laughing matter.  One day she overheard an angel say she would have a child.  "What a joke", she snickered.  But the "joke" was on her, and she gave birth to a son.  She named him Isaac, which means, "he laughs" (Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7)

I'm grateful that this past week I have had plenty of Isaac moments--I've been able to let down my hair and bellow out laughter on all kinds of occasions.  I've laughed at myself.  I've laughed till I cried while watching a movie.  I've laughed while reminiscing with others.

It helps to have friends and family who can laugh with you.

Life is not a joke.  But it doesn't mean there is not time for a laugh at the appropriate time--a time to let your hair down and have some fun.

Letting Down my Hair
(I had a hard time keeping a straight face for this.)

Ten Hanky Movie

Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. (Philemon 1:7 NLT)

Recently someone was wondering about my emotional response to something.  He was a bit confused, so I offered up some explanation.

God has blessed me with the ability to generate copious amounts of body fluids.  One of the chief among them are tears.

Lots of things cause me to cry.

• Laughing.
  
• Sneezing.
  
• Cool winds below about 70F/20C (makes bike riding challenging in Fresno winters)
  
• Yawning. (Hate to burst your bubble, preachers, but those probably aren't tears of conviction and repentance.  Maybe you need to shorten the message; not lengthen it.)

I do also shed tears for emotional reasons, something I seem to have inherited from my mom.  There are two categories of these.

• Tears of empathy for others.  I cry when I sense either hurt OR joy on the part of others.  Forget the "ten-hanky movie"--just bring me the whole box.
  
• Tears related to my own pain OR joy.  I would say that the majority of these by far are tears of joy (I seldom cry at my own pain or sorrow).

I have shed a lot of tears this past week.  As we have processed some of the difficulties we have encountered this past year, I have been overwhelmed by the love, grace and support shown me by the people of God. It's not like I deserve it.  It's because people have been responding out of the tremendous reserve of love they have in Jesus.  And it's overwhelming.

But it gets better.  This great love I have experienced this week is nothing compared to the love shown to us by Jesus.  One night in the garden, Jesus faced a choice.  Would Jesus act within his rights and walk the path of self-preservation?  Or would he choose the path of love--love for those who don't deserve it?  He chose the path of love: the path to the cross.

"God shows his love for us", scripture says,  "in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 ESV)

Which path would we choose?  Do act within our rights and choose the path of self-preservation?   Or do we choose the path of love, the path of the cross?  (This seems an especially pertinent question in light of the recent election in America.) It is a very difficult path to choose the path of love--but what a blessing we can be to others.

Jesus said: So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 (NLT) 

We are the vehicles God has chosen to show His love to the world.  If we don't do it, who will?

I am so grateful this week for those who have chosen the path of Jesus.  I have been overwhelmed by His love as demonstrated by others.

One day, when I depart from this life, don't be surprised if it rains.  If the love I have received this week from God's people has caused me so much joy, how much more will the joy I experience in the presence of Jesus cause an outpouring of tears

Giving and Receiving

We were coming out of Walmart yesterday, when Ingrid noticed that a minivan that was pulling out of the parking area had a flat tire.  We waved them over to let them know.

When they rolled down the window we saw it was an elderly couple.  We said we would help.

If you're going to have a flat tire and need help, I'm probably a good volunteer.  I have probably changed more flat tires than most people in North America, save those who work in tire shops.  When we lived in Haiti, we probably averaged a flat tire a week--over 7 years.  I used to carry two spare tires except on long trips when I carried three--and on one occasion needed them all.

Changing flat tires isn't particularly hard.  It's more of a challenge figuring out where the jack is and how to access the spare tire--that part takes over half the time.

While I was getting the work done, Ingrid was chatting with the couple.  Turns out that this is a German Mennonite couple from Paraguay, so as fellow Mennonites and Ingrid being a German, we had a common bond.  They have been in Canada 16 years and this is their first flat tire since coming here.  They don't have CAA or anything like that because they pretty much only drive from their condo to the store.  So they were particularly appreciative of the help.

Their names are easy to remember--they have the same first names as a couple who took in my oldest brother's wife during her younger years (and don't ask me how I even remember that after only meeting that couple twice in the 1960's).

I didn't want any kind of remuneration for using my "gifts" to serve others, but they were quite insistent gave far more than deserved.  They wanted to bless us on our journey as well.

Don and Katy, it was a pleasure to meet you.  Hope to see you when our paths cross again--wherever that may be.


Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Psalm 128:1-2 (ESV) 

Dust Storm

On a chilly December morning several years ago, I joined several co-workers in Twenty-nine Palms, California to help with some soil sampling.  We gathered in the office while it was still dark and then headed out to the sites we would be working at.  Each soil scientist had their own vehicle as we were traveling to different places.

It was still dark when we crossed over the mountain and dropped down into the valley.  The wind was blowing fiercely and as we approached the playa (dry lake bed) visibility began to drop from the blowing dust.  At one point, I could barely see 10 feet ahead of me.  I remember thinking how once in my youth I was driving in fog so thick, I ended up turning off my headlights and sticking my head out the window. But since this was dust, not fog, it didn't seem like a very good idea.

What is interesting though, when I looked up, I could see the stars.  They were a bit fuzzy from the dust, but there they were.  I'm thinking, even though the dust is blowing so thick, one would still be able to find one's way using the stars.

Dust Storm in California
(Photo by Kerry Arroues)

This past year I have experienced the worst dust storm I have ever encountered since becoming a Christian.  While I can't go into details, it has been a very dark time for me.  Many were the days I wanted to quit Thailand.  Many were the days I wanted to quit my organization.

But I didn't want to quit God--because when I looked up, I could see the stars.

I remember even darker periods before I became a Christian.  Then I could not see the stars when I looked up. There was only hopelessness and despair.

But this time, even though the path was murky and going forward was difficult, there was hope because God was there.

The good news is that the wind and the dust are beginning to settle.  A retreat last week provided opportunity to work through some things and for the first time in a long while I finally feel "normal".  (Normal for me, that is, I'm not sure anyone else has ever thought of me as normal.)

I'm grateful for the many great people in my organization that were patient with me in this process and helped me focus on the stars instead of the dust.

I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
Psalm 121:1-8 (NLT)

Cycles

What does the term "fall colors" mean to you?  When you hear that term, what do you see in your mind?

For many years, the term fall colors would cause me to picture standing on a mountain top in the White Mountains of New Hampshire looking across at the vast and varicolored display of reds and oranges and yellows and greens.  Later on in life, living in California, I would think of the non-native oramentals such as Chinese pistache, Chinese tallow and Liquiamber in shades of yellow to purple.

Now, I think of yellow.

For September and October is when the Siamese Cassia bloom in Thailand.

 

I first recall seeing these blooms when we visited the Changing Life Center in October 2011 for the first Youth Camp they hosted there.  There was a tree on the campus that was blooming at the time.

But the Siamese Cassia are only  one of many indicators of the passing of time throughout the year.  Some indicators are natural such as when certain flowers bloom, when certain fruit are ripe or when birds pass through on migratory cycles.

Some cycles are agrarian in nature such as rice planting season, corn planting season, harvest, etc.

Some cycles are cultural such as memorial holidays or events such as throwing water during Sonkran or setting off fireworks on Independence Day.

Other cycles are religious.  Some Christians may look forward to things like Advent or Easter.  For the Jew it may be Passover.  For the Buddhist it may be Buddhist lent.

Many of the religious and cultural cycles are based on the cycles of the moon.

Furthermore, there are individual cycles such as birthdays and anniversaries.

No wonder many cultures think of time as cyclical instead of linear.

Solomon wrote:

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.
 (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 ESV)  

It takes a while to adjust to the cycles of a new place.  The first year you don't notice the cycles because you are new.  Perhaps each year you start to notice more and more.  Eventually you get used to the cycles and they become part of your norm.  Though perhaps if you grow up in a place, you may take the cycles for granted and hardly notice them at all.

Now that we have lived in northern Thailand for 2-1/2 years, we have become used to some of the cycles--especially the fruit cycles.  Especially mango season!  (Begins about March, peaks in June and July with some varieties carrying on later.)

As we prepare to head back to North America for a few months, part of me is already grieving some of the things I'll miss that we've grown accustomed to such as the cooler, drier weather and the dry-season blooming trees such as flambouyant, Cochlospermum and Tabebuia.  But then we will catch the fruit tree blooming period in the Central Valley of California.  I'm looking forward to the drive from Fresno to Reedley in peak bloom season!  And then there is that annual cultural event of the valley, the International Ag Exposition, which I used to go to every year.  There is also the possibility of a white Christmas for us this year.

We don't know what the future holds for us.  The cycles we may find ourselves in in the future may be different than what we have grown accustomed to.  But one thing doesn't change, and that is God.  Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever, the writer of Hebrews tells us. (Hebrews 13:8)  He is the anchor of our lives, for which we are grateful.

I'm thankful for those rhythms God has placed in our lives.  But I'm more thankful that He will still be in my life even when those rhythms are gone.

Sadness and Joy

We only had a small group at our house on Saturday for English club, but it was still good to meet together.

The tone was a bit muted as the King of Thailand died only two days earlier.  We took the opportunity to remember the life of the King. The youth had more questions than usual and the conversation led to talk about different traditions regarding death and funerals between our home countries and theirs.

One things we found interesting was that they were surprised we use the same words "die" and "death" for everyone.  Here in Thailand they use a special language when they talk about the King and it was hard for them to grasp that we don't.

Earlier in the day we had found out it was Kook's birthday.  So while Ingrid was playing games with the youth I went out to get a birthday cake.  Nice to live in a place where you can go out, get a cake custom decorated, and be back home in 20 minutes!  So the tone of the gathering eventually changed to one of celebration.





At the end of our time together, there was a bit of sadness.  Since this was our last gathering before we head out on MINA we realized we would not see Gomeen and Kaeo until after we get back.  (Kook lives next door, so we will still see her around, but the others live in a village 12 km away.)

We are grateful for the opportunity to share God's love and stories about Jesus to these young people.  I'm not sure who benefits more from our meeting together.  They learn some English and learn about God.  We, on the other hand, are made to feel that just because we are "old" doesn't mean we are irrelevant.

Thank you, God, for putting these wonderful people in our lives.

Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15 NLT

Streets of Gold

Just south of Central Plaza in Chiang Rai is a street called Soi Sawan.  The English doesn't really capture the nuance of the Thai, however, as the name translates "Heaven Street"




I was a little disappointed as I drove down Heaven Street to find our hotel, though, as it was just a narrow concrete road.  Where was the gold pavement worthy of a street in heaven?

While there was no gold pavement, there was a sign promising I could learn the shortcut to riches for only 1900 baht (about 55 US Dollars.)




I've often wondered about the description of New Jerusalem where everything is made of gold, including the streets (Revelation 21:21).

I've often figured the streets of heaven are paved with chocolate, but since John had never seen chocolate--and he knew whatever the streets were made of it was very valuable--he called it the most valuable thing he could think of: gold.

But, seriously, what does it mean for the streets of heaven to be paved with gold?  I used to think that if the New Jerusalem had gold streets, it must be a sign of wealth and luxury.  But living in Thailand has given me an different perspective on what this might mean.

Here in Thailand, the higher up on the body something is the higher esteem it has., The head, then, is considered very high in esteem.  Therefore, one does not touch another person's head because it would mean touching it with something of lower esteem (since the hand is lower than the head).  The feet, then, are the lowest in esteem--and it it considered quite rude to even point the bottom of one's feet toward someone.

We even see this reflected in the name name of the late king of Thailand (who died this week)--his short title is Phrabat Somdet Phrajao You Hua (พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว), which translates: "the feet of my lord, the king, are on my head."  In other words, the King is in such high esteem that his feet are higher than our heads.

We see this in royal court talk in the Bible.  When a common person talks to the king, he refers to himself as Kha Phrabat (ข้าพระบาท) which means, "the servant of your feet", and he refers to the king as Fa Phrabat (ฝ่าพระบาท) which literally means, "the soles of your feet".  This isn't to insult the king, but rather to imply that the king is in such high esteem that a common person cannot address his head, but only the soles of his feet.

What does this have to do with streets of gold?

We walk on streets with our feet.  We step on them with the lowest part of our body.  To step on something is to hold it in very low regard.  Gold streets imply that gold is of very low esteem.

Buddism is similar to Christianity in that the things of this world are considered transient and of low value.  There is a unique temple in Chiang Rai province called the White Temple. (For more about that temple click here.) The designer is a very gifted artist and he does an amazing job at portraying the Buddhist worldview.  In the temple, there is a part that represents Nirvana (their idea of heaven).  It is a very plain white structure.  On the same grounds there is a gold building.  If heaven is plain and white, then what is so much more valuable that it is gold?

The restroom.

In the grand eternal scheme of things, gold has not much value.

In the Apostle John's day, people commonly used animals to carry things.  The donkeys and other livestock that plied the streets would not excuse themselves when they wanted to use the toilet.  The road was their toilet.

If the streets are gold, then what does that say about it?

It means gold is of very low value.  It's value is so low it can be used for the most crass and common purposes.

Gold has such low value, because in heaven there is something of far more value--Jesus Christ and the glory of God.

Here in Thailand you often see gold statues of Buddha.  When the sun hits it the right way, the glare is very intense.

That's nothing compared to the glory of God. When Moses spent time with God, his face shone so bright the people couldn't look at it.

How much greater, then, is the glory of God Himself?

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.  The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.  Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.  And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.

Revelation 21:22-26 (NLT)

If, in the grand scheme of things, gold has so low value, then why do we spend so much effort to accumulate wealth?  The point of the last chapters of Revelation then would seem very similar to what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

Jesus and the Kingdom of God are what have real value. 

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.  When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT)

It seems I am constantly faced with a choice of either the riches of this world or the Kingdom of Heaven.  If  I want to walk on streets of gold in the future I must not seek after it in the present.