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.

The Hippie Teachings of Jesus

I'll have to admit that my wife has a better eye for catching details than I do.  I never would have noticed this Volkswagen pillow that was seemingly out of place in a Mitsubishi dealer's lounge.




What really caught my attention, though, is the text.

Don't worry, be happy.

This phrase was commonly used by the Indian mystic and sage Meher Baba, and was popularized by the hippie movement in the 60's.  Much later the phrase was made into a song by Bobby McFerrin.

The phrase seems appropriately placed over the quintessential hippie vehicle--the Volkswagen bus.

When I translated this into Thai, it caught me that this summarizes portions of the Sermon on the Mount.  The Thai word used for "be happy" is the same word used in some Thai Bible translations where many English translations use "blessed is".

อย่ากระวนกระวาย จงเป็นสุข

This got me to thinking,  Jesus taught us how to live the happy and worry free life in the Sermon on the Mount.  So I won't say much else, but let the Bible speak.

Don't Worry

25  That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?   26  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?   27  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28  And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,   29  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.   30  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31  So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’   32  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.   33  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34  So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

     Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT)


Be Happy


1  And seeing great masses of people he went up into the mountain; and when he was seated his disciples came to him.
2  And with these words he gave them teaching, saying,
3  Happy are the poor in spirit: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4  Happy are those who are sad: for they will be comforted.
5  Happy are the gentle: for the earth will be their heritage.
6  Happy are those whose heart's desire is for righteousness: for they will have their desire.
7  Happy are those who have mercy: for they will be given mercy.
8  Happy are the clean in heart: for they will see God.
9  Happy are the peacemakers: for they will be named sons of God.
10  Happy are those who are attacked on account of righteousness: for the kingdom of heaven will be theirs.
11  Happy are you when men give you a bad name, and are cruel to you, and say all evil things against you falsely, because of me.
12  Be glad and full of joy; for great is your reward in heaven: for so were the prophets attacked who were before you.

     Matthew 5:1-12 (BBE)

Don't worry, be happy.