Our girls playing in the rain

Our girls playing in the rain
Originally uploaded by rblackstock

Our girls enjoying the rain yesterday.

Computer Tech Support Cheat Sheet

As someone that has provided computer tech support to various people over the years, I found this to be pretty funny.  Enjoy.  :-)

Book Review - Once An Arafat Man by Tass Saada

I just finished reading an awesome book and I wanted to tell you about it.

Once An Arafat Man, by Tass Saada is the story of a Palestinian man that served as a PLO sniper under Yasser Arafat.

This is one of those books that is hard to put down as the chapters flow easily from one to the next.

I smiled, laughed, and praised God as I read about the journey God took this man on to lead him from a life filled with hate, to a life filled instead with peace, purpose, and a deep love for the people he once considered his enemies.

God used this book to challenge my thinking in these areas:

• The source of the struggle between the Arab world and Israel
• The ways God uses to bring Muslims to repentance and a relationship with Jesus Christ (specifically dreams and visions)
• Following the vision and plan God has set before me, trusting God to see me through even when there is danger

As the foreword of the book points out, the first section graphically describes some of the fighting that Tass was involved in during his time as a Fatah fighter. For some this will not present any challenge, but for others it might be difficult to read about the details of the battle. I would encourage you to not be deterred by this first section. It is graphic, but well written, and an important piece of the complete story.

This is a book that will leave you rejoicing and thanking God for the marvelous ways He transforms sinners into saints.

You can find the book for sale on Amazon.com by clicking here

A highly recommended book!

Have you contracted Affluenza?

Neither a typo nor a new strain of the swine flu, affluenza is not a sickness in the traditional sense.

I heard this word being used recently and thought it was a catchy way of describing a condition that ails Christians and Non-Christians alike.

A (non-Christian) definition from Wikipedia:

Affluenza, a portmanteau of affluence and influenza, is a term used by critics of consumerism. Sources define this term as follows:

affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. (de Graaf ^[1])

affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. (PBS [1])

So in other words, a clever name for materialism.

It is interesting that materialism is usually associated with those that have much and are focused on getting more. But really the basic definition of materialism or affluenza is being focused on what you don't have.

• Those that have much and are focused on getting more
• Those that have little and are focused on getting more

While we lived in the states, there were lots of examples of those that would be considered rich by most standards and were focused on getting more. More cars, more houses, more televisions, more Ipods, more stuff. I am afflicted by the dreaded affluenza at times as well.

Here in Central America, there are many examples of those that are poor by most standards and are also focused on getting more.

While the rich man has the resources to buy more and does, the poor man does not have the resources to buy more. The problem is that the focus of both men is the same, they are focused on what they don't have.

The world is driven to try to fill a void in their life that can only be filled by a relationship with Jesus Christ. So what about Christians? What kind of void are we trying to fill through the accumulation of more things?

Could it be the same lack in our own lives? Not a lack of salvation, but rather a lack of a real, intimate relationship with our God?

So what am I focused on? What are you focused on? Have you contracted the dreaded affluenza?

Let me prescribe to you the medicine which I too must take far too often.

Medicine A

Medicine B

Am I the man? I AM the man. Part III

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Stop! If you haven't yet read Part I or Part II of this mini-series, you should read them first before reading this post. It will make much more sense and be a better investment of your time when read within the context of the other two posts.

Part I
Part II








So we left off in Part II talking about the story that the Prophet Nathan used to confront King David about his sin with Bathsheba. We talked about the 3 main characters and the oft-overlooked 4th character of The Traveller.

This time we are going to look at the real-life parallel in the life of David to discover what this Traveller represents for us and what application we can make to our lives from this story.

The components of the real story go like this (paraphrased):

1. King David is walking around on the roof top of his palace while his army is away at war (we will save the topic of why David wasn't with them for another time).

2. He is looking down into the city and he happens to see a beautiful woman bathing herself.

Here I am going to make two assumptions about what happened that cannot be supported nor refuted in the scriptures:

• Assumption #1 David was not looking for trouble, his glance simply came to rest on something he had no business looking at. He made the decision to sin in continuing to look and then act upon it further, but the fact that he happened to see her bathing was not necessarily sin. Just as if we are innocently walking down the street and have something inappropriate come into view, the issue is what happens next. Do we keep on looking, or do we look away?

• Assumption #2 Bathsheba was also not looking for trouble, she was simply taking a bath. It was very likely that many "private" places ceased to be private if viewed from a sufficient altitude. The place where she was bathing might have been quite private unless viewed from somewhere up high, such as the roof of the palace. So I am assuming that Bathsheba had no ulterior motives for bathing as she did, other than to be clean.
  

3. David sees Bathsheba bathing, sees that she is beautiful to look upon, and decides to keep looking.

4. Desires of a sexual nature are stirred within David and he acts upon them by inquiring as to who she is, and then sending messengers to bring her to him.

5. David brings Bathsheba into the palace and satisfies his desires with this woman who is the beloved wife of another man.

6. David tries and fails to cover up his sin with Bathsheba, then resorts to having Uriah the husband killed in battle.


So where does The Traveller fit into the story? Which component of the real life events does he represent?

Let's review briefly combining both story lines:

1. David is The Rich Man. He has many wives and concubines at his beck and call.

2. Uriah is The Poor Man. He has one cherished wife (that we know about) named Bathsheba.

3. Bathsheba is The Cherished Lamb. She is loved and cared for by her husband Uriah.

4. The Traveller comes to visit The Rich Man and needs to be fed.

Here is where I believe we see the role of The Traveller in the real life events.

5. The Traveller shows up and needs to be fed. David sees Bathsheba and a sexual desire is stirred within him.

So The Traveller (in this case) is the sexual desire that was stirred up within David after seeing Bathsheba. Without becoming too graphic, think this through with me for a moment.

Is our naturally occuring sex drive something good or something bad when used within the biblical context of marriage? Something good obviously. Used outside of the biblical context of marriage, it is sin. Clearly.

David sees something that "gets his motor running", so to speak, by innocently glancing down from the roof and seeing something he shouldn't have seen, and didn't intend to see.

The Traveller arrives at the Rich Man's house and needs to be fed. A sexual desire that in and of itself is not wrong arrives within David.

Now the question is: Which lamb will feed The Traveller? One of the many lambs from the Rich Man's own flocks of which he is rightfully entitled to, or the Cherished Lamb that does not belong to him.

So the question is: How will David feed this naturally occurring desire? By being with one of his many wives or concubines of which he is rightfully entitled to, or the woman Bathsheba that is loved and cherished by her husband Uriah?

6. The Rich Man takes the Cherished Lamb from the Poor Man to feed The Traveller. David chooses to sin in looking more at Bathsheba, inquiring after her, and ultimately bringing her to the palace.

Remember in Part II when we talked about how things would have been different if the Rich Man had simply fed The Traveller one of the many lambs he rightfully owned? No harm, no foul right? The Traveller is fed. The Rich Man is happy. The Poor Man is happy. And The Cherished Lamb goes on being cherished by the Poor Man.

The Traveller did not doing anything wrong did he? He was just hungry. The sin was committed by the Rich Man in how he chose to feed The Traveller.

So how would the story of David be different if he had decided to feed the desire in a righteous way?

Imagine with me how the story would have been different had David accidently seen Bathsheba. His "desire" is stirred. He goes and spends some time with one of his many wives or concubines, as he was righteously entitled to do. No harm, no foul right? The desire is fed. David is happy. Uriah is happy. And Bathsheba goes on being cherished by her own husband Uriah.

So what does The Traveller represent for us? I believe The Traveller represents naturally occurring, God designed desires that occur in us and that in and of themselves are not sinful. The question is: How do you feed the desire?

We have seen the example of sexual desires within the Biblical context of marriage which should obviously be fed by your own spouse.

But what about some other naturally occurring desires?

• To eat food? Enough, but not too much. Eating the right things in the right quantities. Gluttony is where this naturally occurring desire becomes sin.

• To provide for our family? How many men take this natural desire and allow it to destroy their lives? More than food, shelter, clothing and care, now it becomes bigger and bigger homes and a new car.

What are some other God-given desires that can be fed the wrong way?

So The Traveller was not bad. The Rich Man was wrong for the way he chose to feed the Traveller.

The initial part of David's desire (prior to looking more, inquiring, and fetching) was not wrong. David was wrong for the way he chose to feed the desire.

Are there any God-given desires in your life that you are feeding the wrong way?

Let's feed them God's way so it does not need to be said to us, "Thou art the man".

Am I the man? I AM the man. Part II

OK, so in part II of this short series about King David, we are going to look specifically at the story that the Prophet Nathan used to confront David with his sin in II Samuel chapter 12.

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
2 Samuel 12:1-4

Let’s begin by breaking down the story into its main characters:

1. The Rich Man
2. The Poor Man
3. The Cherished Lamb

These are the characters in the story that always receive the attention in every sermon I have ever heard about this story.  Their parallels in real life are easily identifiable as David (Rich Man), Uriah (Poor Man), and Bathsheba (Cherished Lamb).

But there is another character in the story that doesn’t seem to get much attention.  A character whose parallel in real life is a little less obvious than the rest.

Look with me again in verse 4:

And there came a traveller unto the rich man, 2 Samuel 12:4a

We find here our fourth character in this story:

4. The Traveller

Who is this traveller?  We aren’t given very much information about him in the story, he just arrives at the home of the Rich Man and the Rich Man is compelled to feed him.

Let’s review briefly what happens in the story as it is written:

1. The rich man is rich, he has many flocks and herds.
2. The poor man is poor but he has a lamb that is loved and cherished.
3. A traveler comes to visit the rich man and needs to eat.
4. In order to feed the Traveller, the rich man chooses to take away the cherished lamb from the poor man instead of taking one of the many lambs in his own flocks.

Now let’s imagine the story played out in a different way, and I think this will help us to identify who The Traveller represents:

1. The rich man is rich, he has many flocks and herds.
2. The poor man is poor but he has a lamb that is loved and cherished.
3. A traveler comes to visit the rich man and needs to eat.
4. In order to feed the Traveller, the rich man simply takes one of the many lambs from his own flocks.

In this imagined version of the story, there is no problem right?  No harm, no foul.  The Rich Man is happy.  The Poor Man is happy with his Cherished Lamb.  The Traveller is happy and full of delicious lamb chops.

The point is this: The arrival of The Traveller set things in motion, but the simple fact that the traveller arrived at the house of the rich man was not in and of itself anything bad.  It could have ended up differently than it did.

This is getting long.  So stay tuned for Part III coming soon!

Who do you think The Traveller represents in the real life story of David?  Who do you think The Traveller represents in our lives?

Am I the man? I AM the man. Part I

I've been reading through II Samuel and recently came upon the story of our beloved King David and his sin with Bathsheba in chapter 11. Then in chapter 12 is where the prophet Nathan is sent by God to confront David about his sin.

In 2 Samuel 12:1-6 Nathan used a powerful story to illustrate exactly what David's sin looked like to the outside observer. And as we know, David, seeing the transgression from a position outside of himself declares that the rich man who killed the poor man's lamb should make restitution and be put to death.

Then come the words of Nathan in verse 7 that seem to hang in the air even to this day:

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.

There it is. It's that punch in the gut you know you deserve. As you lay there on the ground gasping for breath, you are incapable of being angry because you know it is exactly what you needed.

The conviction of the Holy Spirit can be the same in my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. How many times are we told in the book of Proverbs that every way of a man is right in his own eyes?

Thank you Lord for the Holy Spirit who shows us the sin in our lives that we would not see clearly on our own.

But seeing the sin is only the first step. After realizing that he indeed was the man, David had a choice to make. He had to choose how he was going to react to God pointing out the sin in his life. He had to decide whether to push aside God's efforts at reconciliation and proceed in his sin, or to repent from his sin and return to fellowship with Almighty God.

In verse 13 we see David's decision:

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.

David chose correctly. His repentance didn't eliminate the consequences that followed, but fellowship with the Lord was restored.

So what about me? What about you? What is my response when the Holy Spirit speaks to me clearly and says, "Ryan, thou art the man".

I too have to make the same decision David did; to accept God's efforts to reconcile me to Himself and repent from my sin, or choose to go on in my sin trying to ignore God's conviction.

Recently Keeley and I had a "break in fellowship" over an issue. As you might have guessed, I was the man in the situation. God made it abundantly clear that my sin had caused the problem and I needed to repent and make things right both with God and with my wife.

Accepting the blame goes against our nature. Great, great grandpa and grandma Adam and Eve provided us with an excellent legacy in this area, the original blame shifters. It is easier put the blame on someone else (my wife for example) than to accept the wrong and repent.

This time worked out fine. I listened to the Holy Spirit and made things right with God and my wife.

But what about next time? And the time after that? And the time after that?

I want to always respond correctly. "Yes, Lord. I am the man. Please forgive me"

How do you respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction in your life?


For Part II we will take a look at the characters in the story that Nathan used to confront David. Who do the characters represent in the life of David and what can learn from them?

Trashy Marketing

OK, I just got home from going to pay our telephone bill, and on the way home I was following behind a pickup truck. Something happened that surprised me, and I wanted to share it with you.

As I was driving behind this pickup, the man sitting in the passenger seat threw something out of his open window. Now, this is not the surprising part. If you have ever been to Latin America, you will know that the general attitude towards throwing trash out of your car and onto the street is far different than the US. It is an accepted practice here and something you see ALL of the time.

What I saw today was different however. As I continued to watch the passenger of this pickup truck, I noticed that what he threw out of the window was a yellow sheet of letter sized paper. But not just one. In a somewhat rhythmic fashion, he was throwing more of these yellow sheets from the window, one every couple of seconds.

It became apparent that these yellow sheets were not just pieces of trash he didn't want anymore, in fact they were flyers advertising for a new cable company in the area.

He was passing out flyers!!!!

So the obvious question is, "Does anyone read these thrown-from-the-window-of-a-pickup-truck advertisements?"

To my amazement, the answer is yes. I witnessed with my own two eyes several people picking up the yellow flyers to see what they were.

I can see it now......

Police Officer: Do you know why I pulled you over?

Me: No Sir, I don't. Was I speeding?

Police Officer: No, you weren't speeding. I pulled you over because you are throwing sheets of paper out of your window onto the ground. It is illegal to throw your trash onto the ground.

Me: Oh I think there has been a misunderstanding officer, I would never think of throwing my trash onto the ground. You see, I'm actually just passing out flyers for a new business in town.

Police Officer: Get out of the car son and put your hands behind your head.

Great Quote 2 - The Normal Christian Life

OK, so I'm not trying to type out the whole book for you here in my blog, but I read another great part this morning and wanted to share it.

Check this out. In the context of being consecrated (setting ourselves apart) to God:

I am the Lord's, and now no longer reckon myself to be my own but acknowledge in everything his ownership and authority. That is the attitude God delights in, and to maintain it is true consecration. I do not consecrate myself to be a missionary or a preacher; I consecrate myself to God to do his will where I am, be it in school, office or kitchen or wherever he ordains for me is sure to be the very best, for nothing but good can come to those who are wholly his.

May we always be possessed by the consciousness that we are not our own.

Awesome huh? People ask me all of the time, "How did you know God wanted you to be a missionary?" This quote from Watchman Nee really helps to frame the right question. The questions isn't, "God, do you want me to be a missionary?", the right question is, "Lord, I will do whatever you want, wherever you want, what do you want?"

In 1998 I moved to Missoula, Montana with a group of people from our church in Kansas City to plant a new church there. I don't know if you have ever been a part of a church plant, but many times the first few years are the most difficult. Your "big ministry" at church might be setting up chairs or making the coffee.

I can remember God taking me through a time of learning there in Montana to change my perspective. Upon arriving in Montana, I had a whole list of things I was willing to do for God. Disciple people, preach, teach the Bible, etc. These were the ways I was willing to be used by God. But God put me back in my place and showed me that I needed to come to Him without a list, bow before Him in humility, and offer myself to be used for whatever, wherever, whenever He wants. Be it setting up chairs, or preaching a sermon, I need to be consecrated to God completely, and not just in the areas on some self-made list.

Are you possessed today with the consciousness that you are not your own?

Great Quote - The Normal Christian Life

I am reading The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee. This morning I read a portion that really struck me and I wanted to share it with you.

"For it is our wills that are in question here. That strong self-assertive will of mine must go to the Cross, and I must give myself wholly to the Lord. We cannot expect a tailor to make us a coat if we do not give him any cloth, nor a builder to build us a house if we let him have no building material; and in just the same way we cannot expect the Lord to live out his life in us if we do not give him our lives in which to live. Without reservations, without controversy, we must give ourselves to him to do as he pleases with us."

I especially like that last sentence. God is not interested in "most" of my life, He want it all. And He is worthy of it all. I am eternally grateful that Christ did not only give us "most" of His life.

Are you giving yourself to God to do as He pleases with you? Without reservations, without controversy?

Taekwondo Classes

Avigail and I started taking Taekwondo classes together tonight.

Each Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4:30 to 6:30 we will go and learn and sweat with a group mostly made up of young kids. The class is taught by a nice guy named Walter. It is obvious that Walter knows his stuff and he is very patient with the kids. The classes are quite a bargain at a mere $6 per month.

The first class tonight showed me exactly how out of shape I am, but I had a great time. Aside from being stared out because I am a tall, white, bald gringo, I am also by far the oldest student. The instructor told me there was no age limit, so here I am.

Both Avigail and I are really excited about the classes and it will be great time spent together as well. Stay tuned for more adventures in Korean martial arts in Spanish.

Premeditated Obedience

I have been spending some time these past few weeks in Psalm 119 and have really been refreshed by the continual challenge to love and obey God’s Word.

This morning I read the following verse and was challenged by God to think about my attitude toward obedience.

I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.  Psalms 119:112

David made a decision today about what he was going to do in the future.  He decided that he was going to obey God’s statutes unto the end. 

David had premeditated obedience.

David committed to obeying God for the rest of his life.  Would he fail again even after making this strong commitment to God?  Sure, just like we will.  But the point is that his life was aimed at obedience.  Obedience was the driving force.  Obedience was the plan.

Failures caused temporary deviations from the plan of obedience, but David was committed to getting back on course as quickly as possible.

How far in advance are you committed to obeying God?  Are you just taking things day-by-day, seeing how things will go, and then deciding to obey God or not depending on what circumstances exist in your life?

I want to have premeditated obedience like David did.  Every new circumstance that God allows in my life should not require the question to be answered anew, “Will I obey this time?”. 

Lord, I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end.

A world built for shorter people

I live in a world built for shorter people.

While at 6' 2" I may be a bit above average height in the United States, here in El Salvador I am a freakishly tall giant.

Some examples:

• This picture is of a door way in our newly constructed house. It is one of several in the house that have inflicted damage on my un-ducked head

• I went to a store to buy a desk for my office and could not find one tall enough to fit my knees under

• While driving a friend's pickup truck at night, I had to duck down to have a view of the road that was not made pitch black by the narrow strip of dark tinting across the top of the windshield

• I have to stoop over to wash dishes in our kitchen sink or to prepare food on the counter top. (Are there any chiropractors in Gotera, El Salvador???)

One of Our Singing Princesses

Here is a precious video of our daughter Ella singing from our 2nd floor balcony. Straight out of a Disney princess movie. OK, except for the end.

A video worth watching