Yes, office equipment can be an adventure too! Especially when God gets involved.
For the last couple years, the printer in my office has been disabled by an annoying error message that would not go away no matter what I did. This morning I really needed a printer. I had forgotten on Friday to print off quizzes for today's eight o'clock class. And the department printer is usually not available until a little while after 8:00. My first idea was to try to access from home the online practice quiz to get questions from, and then print at home. But we've been having firewall issues lately that kept me from being able to access the web page . . .
So, when I got to the office, I was desperate enough to be pondering the possibility of completely disassembling my printer and putting it back together, or something like that. Instead, I was shocked to find that the error light on the printer was not lit up!!!! After confirming that it had paper and navigating around on the menu, I got up the courage to print the demo page. AND IT WORKED! When I tried to print the quiz though, it aborted. It didn't take too long to notice that I no longer had the USB cable connected to the printer. Once I managed to get it back in, my printer was once again fully functional. And I still had a few minutes left before class. Wow! Talk about an 'on-time' God!!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Oddities of U.S. Borders, Part 1
On the border between southern Alaska and British Columbia, Hyder gets most of its services from the larger Canadian community of Stewart. Although there is a Canadian customs station at the border, there is no inspection on the American side since the road pretty much dead-ends at Hyder. The telephone service is Canadian, and until 2000 all students had to be bused into Canada to go to school. Unofficially, Canadian time is used also. And there's a dead-end road north of town that crosses over the border again with no formalities to the Salmon River Glacier.
A little further south, there's Point Roberts. It's an unincorporated part of Washington State, but you have to drive through Canada to get there. It exists because the Tsawassen Peninsula extends south of 49 degrees latitude (the border settled by the 1846 Oregon Treaty). Students beyond 3rd grade have to cross the border twice just to get to school. The phone service was Canadian until 1988, and most summer residents are actually Canadian citizens.
The next place of interest is the Northwest Angle, in Minnesota. A rural area of about 100 residents, it's cut off from the rest of the country by the Lake of the Woods. Access is normally by gravel road through Manitoba, although it's usually also possible to reach "the Angle" by boat or snowmobile from Ontario or from Warroad, MN. The most recent claim to fame was in 1998 when residents frustrated with border crossing and fishing regulations threatened to secede from the United States. After all, fish are big business, actually pretty much the only business in the Northwest Angle. The unmanned border crossing at Jim's Corner is managed by videophone, and students attend the last one-room school in the state.
At the intersection between New York, Ontario, and Quebec, is another kind of border anomaly. The lands of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Nation straddle the border here. In New York, they are officially the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation, while the Akwesasne #15 First Nation Reserve is in Ontario and Quebec. Besides the obvious jurisdictional issues, there are also overlapping claims of authority by elected tribal councils, traditional chiefs, and the Warrior Society on both sides of the border. At times there has been open violence and blockades relating to gambling, smuggling, and law enforcement issues. The situation is complicated even more by the Mohawks special status under Article III of the Jay Treaty of 1794, which gives certain tribes unrestricted border crossing privileges. For several years, the Mohawk/Haudenosaunee have even asserted their right as a sovereign nation to issue their own passports. As if all this wasn't enough difficulty, the Quebec portion of the Akwesasne reserve is only accessible by means of a road from New York.
At the northern tip of Maine, Estcourt Station is a tiny collection of houses that were built as part of the town of Pohénégamook, Quebec. However when the 1842 international boundary was resurveyed in 1910, it was discovered that some of the Pohénégamook homes were in the United States and that others were actually on the border itself. In fact the driveways of the homes only connect to Rue Frontiere, which is still in Quebec. Until recently this wasn't too big of a deal, and even had the nicety that the Estcourt Station gas station could sell gas without the higher taxes of Canada. But on October 11, 2002, that changed when the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Pohénégamook resident Michel Jalbert for crossing the border to get gas after the official closing of the port of entry at 2:00 PM. Things have calmed down some since then, but it underscored the awkwardness of living on the border. It is technically possible to visit Estcourt Station from the rest of Maine by driving on private logging roads, but the rules imposed by the North Maine Woods forbid doing this in order to cross the Canadian border.
A little further south, there's Point Roberts. It's an unincorporated part of Washington State, but you have to drive through Canada to get there. It exists because the Tsawassen Peninsula extends south of 49 degrees latitude (the border settled by the 1846 Oregon Treaty). Students beyond 3rd grade have to cross the border twice just to get to school. The phone service was Canadian until 1988, and most summer residents are actually Canadian citizens.
The next place of interest is the Northwest Angle, in Minnesota. A rural area of about 100 residents, it's cut off from the rest of the country by the Lake of the Woods. Access is normally by gravel road through Manitoba, although it's usually also possible to reach "the Angle" by boat or snowmobile from Ontario or from Warroad, MN. The most recent claim to fame was in 1998 when residents frustrated with border crossing and fishing regulations threatened to secede from the United States. After all, fish are big business, actually pretty much the only business in the Northwest Angle. The unmanned border crossing at Jim's Corner is managed by videophone, and students attend the last one-room school in the state.
At the intersection between New York, Ontario, and Quebec, is another kind of border anomaly. The lands of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Nation straddle the border here. In New York, they are officially the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation, while the Akwesasne #15 First Nation Reserve is in Ontario and Quebec. Besides the obvious jurisdictional issues, there are also overlapping claims of authority by elected tribal councils, traditional chiefs, and the Warrior Society on both sides of the border. At times there has been open violence and blockades relating to gambling, smuggling, and law enforcement issues. The situation is complicated even more by the Mohawks special status under Article III of the Jay Treaty of 1794, which gives certain tribes unrestricted border crossing privileges. For several years, the Mohawk/Haudenosaunee have even asserted their right as a sovereign nation to issue their own passports. As if all this wasn't enough difficulty, the Quebec portion of the Akwesasne reserve is only accessible by means of a road from New York.
At the northern tip of Maine, Estcourt Station is a tiny collection of houses that were built as part of the town of Pohénégamook, Quebec. However when the 1842 international boundary was resurveyed in 1910, it was discovered that some of the Pohénégamook homes were in the United States and that others were actually on the border itself. In fact the driveways of the homes only connect to Rue Frontiere, which is still in Quebec. Until recently this wasn't too big of a deal, and even had the nicety that the Estcourt Station gas station could sell gas without the higher taxes of Canada. But on October 11, 2002, that changed when the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Pohénégamook resident Michel Jalbert for crossing the border to get gas after the official closing of the port of entry at 2:00 PM. Things have calmed down some since then, but it underscored the awkwardness of living on the border. It is technically possible to visit Estcourt Station from the rest of Maine by driving on private logging roads, but the rules imposed by the North Maine Woods forbid doing this in order to cross the Canadian border.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Some Recent Ferry News
Here are some news stories relating to ferry services over the last couple months:
The Christian Island ferry in Ontario managed to maintain service throughout the winter this year.
Kenya proposes to add tourist cruises to Mombasa ferry services.
Overbooking issues cast safety concerns for Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic ferry service.
Although ferry transportation is catching on in Hawaii , environmental and funding concerns have plagued the Hawaii Superferry project.
In eastern Canada, St. John-Digby ferry across the Bay of Fundy is being threatened due to rising fuel costs.
The British Columbia ferries board voted themselves a large and controversial pay hike.
The U. S. Border Patrol has beefed up border security in San Juan Islands of Washington by occasional questioning of passengers even on domestic ferry routes, to the consternation of some passengers.
The Christian Island ferry in Ontario managed to maintain service throughout the winter this year.
Kenya proposes to add tourist cruises to Mombasa ferry services.
Overbooking issues cast safety concerns for Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic ferry service.
Although ferry transportation is catching on in Hawaii , environmental and funding concerns have plagued the Hawaii Superferry project.
In eastern Canada, St. John-Digby ferry across the Bay of Fundy is being threatened due to rising fuel costs.
The British Columbia ferries board voted themselves a large and controversial pay hike.
The U. S. Border Patrol has beefed up border security in San Juan Islands of Washington by occasional questioning of passengers even on domestic ferry routes, to the consternation of some passengers.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Grace and Race
The Bible Belt. Traditional wisdom would probably put Mississippi and Alabama in the heart (or "buckle") of the Bible Belt. And Jackson is right smack dab in the middle of there. A strong argument can be put forth that the Bible Belt states have long had the greatest concentrations of Bibles, of churches and of professing Christians. Yet in many respects the Church of the Bible Belt seems to have failed. In 1999 it was noted that the Bible Belt actually has a higher divorce rate than most of the rest of the nation. Recently more Southern states have embraced expansion of casinos and lotteries. Here at home in Mississippi, out-of-wedlock births have skyrocketed while church attendance plummets. And our gospel is (almost) always in black and white. Surely this is not the Biblical "Promised Land"!
Aside from the larger national picture of an expanding multi-generational welfare state of dependence and general degradation of morality, something else is clearly wrong in the Bible Belt, specifically in Mississippi. While the racial reforms of 40 years ago provided freedom and opportunity, they also provided excuses. On the one hand, much of the Civil Rights Movement became entangled in an unholy alliance of manipulation by a secular national Democratic Party that was largely powerless to really improve the lot of black Southerners after the mid-70s. The problems (and required solutions) had changed. No longer were institutionalized oppression and incomprehensible poverty the biggest threats to African-Americans. The black community was increasingly being destroyed by abortion and drug abuse. Although the physical danger of the turbulent 60's was largely past, the need for true racial reconciliation has proven to be a slow, tedious, and frustrating exercise without the glory and excitement of the "Movement". And reconciliation can only bring holistic improvement of society in concert with Biblical Christian ministry.
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege to hear John Perkins speak. Along with my renewed involvement with Mission Mississippi, recent concerns about the ethnic division within my home country of Kenya, and thoughts about the French/English split in eastern Canada, I've been asking a lot of questions. For many, many years I've been troubled by racial, ethnic, and denominational divisions among Christians. But I've generally felt powerless and alone. I guess I'm finally at a stage of my life where I'm tired of making excuses. I've also been doing a lot of reading. Right now I'm in the middle of John Perkins' classic "Let Justice Roll Down". Some other good reads were "God's Long Summer" (Charles Marsh) and "The Preacher and the Klansman" (Jerry Mitchell).
So what is the connection between grace and race? I am more and more convinced that the biggest stumbling block of the Christian church in the South is race. For way too long, the dominant white churches have failed to make a wholehearted commitment to bridging the race barrier. Since the mid-70s, I think most Southern whites have believed that "the problem" was behind them and they could just forget about all the lynchings and cruelty and segregation and hatred and terrorism of the last couple hundred years. But true Biblical repentance has been hard to come by. Just because we can now work, shop, and go to school together without fighting does not mean that all is right. The churches are still divided in more ways than just where we worship, and the demographics of Jackson are driven as much by "white flight" as by economics. As John Perkins described it, "integration" is often just "the transitional period between when the first black family moves in and when the last white family moves out". Perhaps it's possible to dislike interracial marriage and favor single-race churches without being labeled a "racist" by society. But are we really making any substantial, personal effort to build bridges of trust and Christian brotherhood between black and white? Unfortunately I don't see very many churches making an effort. Most seem to be more interested in financing bigger buildings and trying to maintain the status quo.
A couple things have particularly disappointed and surprised me in my recent reading. Although some of the most influential and courageous leaders of the Civil Rights Movement were committed Christians, it's hard to avoid noticing that many of their supporters were atheists, agnostics, and nominal Christians. That should be a huge black mark of shame for the evangelical church. True, most denominations have passed resolutions to apologize for slavery and racism. But how many Southern churches really try to reach out to people of other races in their community? Christians need to be the ones leading in racial reconciliation, outside of their comfort zones and without concern for getting any credit.
The other thing that I've noticed is that white Christians in the 60's concentrated their concerns with the degradation of public morality and respect for authority, while ignoring their moral responsibility toward the black community. Many of their moral concerns were of course justified. But they were no excuse for ignoring the rest of the gospel. What seems to have been the result in many cases was a Sunday morning hypocritical righteousness that failed to positively affect society. And so the prevailing institutionalized "Christian" culture of the South produced a Christianity that, to a large extent, resembles a West Texas river: a mile wide, but only inches deep. Yes, there are some narrow areas of deeper currents, but they are the exception.
And so we find the white Southern church often in retreat, and the black church in survival mode. We both need each other, but don't want to admit it. And the growing masses of unchurched and underchurched are able to ignore the often watered-down morality and theology of churches that still fail to take a countercultural lead in the great nagging problem of the South. I think that even the most recalcitrant racists (often atheist nowadays) are unimpressed by churches that tend to just go with the cultural flow of mediocrity on racial issues instead of aiming for a higher, maybe even impossible, standard.
Yes, I've had a lot on my mind, and my heart, lately. And I'm determined not to be discouraged, distracted, or otherwise held back. The call to reconciliation is personal, and universal. And it's foolish to think that it's someone else's job to take care of. Or to think that it's primarily a "secular" challenge that can be attacked without the empowering Holy Spirit. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:11-12; NIV)
Aside from the larger national picture of an expanding multi-generational welfare state of dependence and general degradation of morality, something else is clearly wrong in the Bible Belt, specifically in Mississippi. While the racial reforms of 40 years ago provided freedom and opportunity, they also provided excuses. On the one hand, much of the Civil Rights Movement became entangled in an unholy alliance of manipulation by a secular national Democratic Party that was largely powerless to really improve the lot of black Southerners after the mid-70s. The problems (and required solutions) had changed. No longer were institutionalized oppression and incomprehensible poverty the biggest threats to African-Americans. The black community was increasingly being destroyed by abortion and drug abuse. Although the physical danger of the turbulent 60's was largely past, the need for true racial reconciliation has proven to be a slow, tedious, and frustrating exercise without the glory and excitement of the "Movement". And reconciliation can only bring holistic improvement of society in concert with Biblical Christian ministry.
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege to hear John Perkins speak. Along with my renewed involvement with Mission Mississippi, recent concerns about the ethnic division within my home country of Kenya, and thoughts about the French/English split in eastern Canada, I've been asking a lot of questions. For many, many years I've been troubled by racial, ethnic, and denominational divisions among Christians. But I've generally felt powerless and alone. I guess I'm finally at a stage of my life where I'm tired of making excuses. I've also been doing a lot of reading. Right now I'm in the middle of John Perkins' classic "Let Justice Roll Down". Some other good reads were "God's Long Summer" (Charles Marsh) and "The Preacher and the Klansman" (Jerry Mitchell).
So what is the connection between grace and race? I am more and more convinced that the biggest stumbling block of the Christian church in the South is race. For way too long, the dominant white churches have failed to make a wholehearted commitment to bridging the race barrier. Since the mid-70s, I think most Southern whites have believed that "the problem" was behind them and they could just forget about all the lynchings and cruelty and segregation and hatred and terrorism of the last couple hundred years. But true Biblical repentance has been hard to come by. Just because we can now work, shop, and go to school together without fighting does not mean that all is right. The churches are still divided in more ways than just where we worship, and the demographics of Jackson are driven as much by "white flight" as by economics. As John Perkins described it, "integration" is often just "the transitional period between when the first black family moves in and when the last white family moves out". Perhaps it's possible to dislike interracial marriage and favor single-race churches without being labeled a "racist" by society. But are we really making any substantial, personal effort to build bridges of trust and Christian brotherhood between black and white? Unfortunately I don't see very many churches making an effort. Most seem to be more interested in financing bigger buildings and trying to maintain the status quo.
A couple things have particularly disappointed and surprised me in my recent reading. Although some of the most influential and courageous leaders of the Civil Rights Movement were committed Christians, it's hard to avoid noticing that many of their supporters were atheists, agnostics, and nominal Christians. That should be a huge black mark of shame for the evangelical church. True, most denominations have passed resolutions to apologize for slavery and racism. But how many Southern churches really try to reach out to people of other races in their community? Christians need to be the ones leading in racial reconciliation, outside of their comfort zones and without concern for getting any credit.
The other thing that I've noticed is that white Christians in the 60's concentrated their concerns with the degradation of public morality and respect for authority, while ignoring their moral responsibility toward the black community. Many of their moral concerns were of course justified. But they were no excuse for ignoring the rest of the gospel. What seems to have been the result in many cases was a Sunday morning hypocritical righteousness that failed to positively affect society. And so the prevailing institutionalized "Christian" culture of the South produced a Christianity that, to a large extent, resembles a West Texas river: a mile wide, but only inches deep. Yes, there are some narrow areas of deeper currents, but they are the exception.
And so we find the white Southern church often in retreat, and the black church in survival mode. We both need each other, but don't want to admit it. And the growing masses of unchurched and underchurched are able to ignore the often watered-down morality and theology of churches that still fail to take a countercultural lead in the great nagging problem of the South. I think that even the most recalcitrant racists (often atheist nowadays) are unimpressed by churches that tend to just go with the cultural flow of mediocrity on racial issues instead of aiming for a higher, maybe even impossible, standard.
Yes, I've had a lot on my mind, and my heart, lately. And I'm determined not to be discouraged, distracted, or otherwise held back. The call to reconciliation is personal, and universal. And it's foolish to think that it's someone else's job to take care of. Or to think that it's primarily a "secular" challenge that can be attacked without the empowering Holy Spirit. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:11-12; NIV)
Springtime on the Trace
Since things didn't quite work out like we'd expected, to spend time in Texas during Spring Break, we decided to take a short camping trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway. Before that, we spent a few hours at the Jackson Zoo. It was nice to actually visit the zoo before the heat of the summer sets in.
It was beautiful weather for camping, though still a bit chilly in the morning for mid-March in South Mississippi. We took advantage of the free National Park Service campground at Rocky Springs. Not only did most of the campers seem to be from out of state, but I got to see a European RV/camper for the first time in person, still with the European license plates. And the campground provided easy access for the kids to play around in Little Sandy Creek. It was a much more restfull and stressless night than can usually be expected with six people in a tent! For the first time that I can remember, both Cynthia and Jesse actually stayed in their sleeping bags all night, with hardly a peep.
The main attraction though was a visit to the Owens Creek waterfalls just a couple miles past Rocky Springs. But we didn't rush over there too quick in the morning since I wanted to let the dew dry from the tent and we didn't have any real rush. In the mean time, I put myself through the frustration of getting a fire going. Without any matches, I resorted to using the van's cigarette lighter and napkins. The problem was that the van was parked about 20 yards from the fire pit and pretty much all wood in the area was wet. The only reason I was able to get any good tinder to start was that there was a recently fallen tree nearby that was sort of splintered in the middle.
After packing up, we let the kids play for a while in one of the waterfalls. After that, we headed further down the Trace and south of Natchez to St. Catherine's Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately everyone else was getting a little tired and frustrated, and most of the roads on the wildlife refuge were flooded by backwaters from the Mississippi River. I had forgotten that it was time for the spring floods. Eventually we did manage to see four turkeys, before turning back for the drive home. We also saw several deer along the way back.
It was beautiful weather for camping, though still a bit chilly in the morning for mid-March in South Mississippi. We took advantage of the free National Park Service campground at Rocky Springs. Not only did most of the campers seem to be from out of state, but I got to see a European RV/camper for the first time in person, still with the European license plates. And the campground provided easy access for the kids to play around in Little Sandy Creek. It was a much more restfull and stressless night than can usually be expected with six people in a tent! For the first time that I can remember, both Cynthia and Jesse actually stayed in their sleeping bags all night, with hardly a peep.
The main attraction though was a visit to the Owens Creek waterfalls just a couple miles past Rocky Springs. But we didn't rush over there too quick in the morning since I wanted to let the dew dry from the tent and we didn't have any real rush. In the mean time, I put myself through the frustration of getting a fire going. Without any matches, I resorted to using the van's cigarette lighter and napkins. The problem was that the van was parked about 20 yards from the fire pit and pretty much all wood in the area was wet. The only reason I was able to get any good tinder to start was that there was a recently fallen tree nearby that was sort of splintered in the middle.
After packing up, we let the kids play for a while in one of the waterfalls. After that, we headed further down the Trace and south of Natchez to St. Catherine's Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately everyone else was getting a little tired and frustrated, and most of the roads on the wildlife refuge were flooded by backwaters from the Mississippi River. I had forgotten that it was time for the spring floods. Eventually we did manage to see four turkeys, before turning back for the drive home. We also saw several deer along the way back.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Hanging Out in South Florida
Recently I had to spend a few days in Miami for a work-related meeting. Nice weather of course, but I wasn't particularly looking forward to the long days of meetings or being cooped up in an overpriced high-rise hotel. As usual, I flew down on Saturday afternoon, and chose the more economical Fort Lauderdale airport. After picking up my rental car (which got upgraded to a minivan), I headed south for the Tamiami Trail. (It's actually a highway.) Along the way, I had a disappointing experience with what used to be one of my favorite fast food chains when I lived in Florida. Heading out across the Everglades, I found space in a free campground in Big Cypress National Preserve. I was especially thankful for a free site since I'd forgotten to pack my checkbook.
It was a pleasant night with remarkably few mosquitoes compared to my previous experience camping in South Florida in March. So, after packing up the tent, walking around a short nature trail, and eating some Amish friendship bread, I headed back east toward the highway. Just before I got to the highway, I was able to talk some with my wife on the cell phone. I told her I was probably gonna be heading all the way back to Miami to find a church service since I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Of course I knew that I was on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, but I was still doubtful that I could find a church. God knew better though! As soon as I hung up the phone, I saw a Baptist church just about 100 yards ahead! The gate was locked, but there was a sign saying there would be worship at 10:00 and that "All are welcome".
Since I had about 45 minutes to spare, I went on over to the Shark Valley entrance of Everglades National Park and walked around taking pictures for a while. When I got back to Indian Trail Baptist Church, it was past 10:00 and there was one car in the parking lot. After poking around a little bit, I found pastor David Jumper in the back of the church doing some cleaning. We talked for a while about the ministry, challenges that have really hurt the church over the last several years, and the assembly they had the previous day of Baptist churches ministering to the Seminole and Miccosukee. Finally we decided to go out to the sanctuary, take turns praying, and sing some hymns. After a few hymns, three people showed up for worship! (It was probably close to 11:00 by this point.) Apparently this is not uncommon. So Brother David brought us a message from the Sermon on the Mount about being salt and light in the world.
Whether in Miami or on a remote Indian reservation, God's salt and light to our generation seem to be in awfully short supply. While looking at Matthew 5, I noticed that Jesus was talking to "you". I was curious who that referred to, since so many of the multitudes that were usually with Him were not (not yet at least) faithful, believing disciples of the Lord. It turns out that "You are the salt of the earth" follows just after the Beatitudes. And just before the Beatitudes begin, we are told that Jesus went up on a mountainside with His disciples and taught them. So He talked about "salt and light" with the disciples, and within the context that they should be living the Beatitudes. Even more interesting is that verse 11 changes from the pattern of "Blessed are the/those ..." to "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (NIV).
So it appears that the Christians who Jesus actually described as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" are those whose faith is radical enough to bring insults, persecution, and slander from the world. What a difference it might make if we really sought for our Lord to be able to (truthfully, of course) say that we are salt and light, instead of either assuming that it's just an automatic "name" for us since we're saved or that it's a vague idealization of what we should be. Over the last few years, I've become conscious that we can often miss the point of Scripture when we don't consider closely enough who a verse applies to. Now the question is do we really, deeply, passionately want these verses to apply to us? Only then should we expect to "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven" (NIV). Wow.
It was a pleasant night with remarkably few mosquitoes compared to my previous experience camping in South Florida in March. So, after packing up the tent, walking around a short nature trail, and eating some Amish friendship bread, I headed back east toward the highway. Just before I got to the highway, I was able to talk some with my wife on the cell phone. I told her I was probably gonna be heading all the way back to Miami to find a church service since I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Of course I knew that I was on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, but I was still doubtful that I could find a church. God knew better though! As soon as I hung up the phone, I saw a Baptist church just about 100 yards ahead! The gate was locked, but there was a sign saying there would be worship at 10:00 and that "All are welcome".
Since I had about 45 minutes to spare, I went on over to the Shark Valley entrance of Everglades National Park and walked around taking pictures for a while. When I got back to Indian Trail Baptist Church, it was past 10:00 and there was one car in the parking lot. After poking around a little bit, I found pastor David Jumper in the back of the church doing some cleaning. We talked for a while about the ministry, challenges that have really hurt the church over the last several years, and the assembly they had the previous day of Baptist churches ministering to the Seminole and Miccosukee. Finally we decided to go out to the sanctuary, take turns praying, and sing some hymns. After a few hymns, three people showed up for worship! (It was probably close to 11:00 by this point.) Apparently this is not uncommon. So Brother David brought us a message from the Sermon on the Mount about being salt and light in the world.
Whether in Miami or on a remote Indian reservation, God's salt and light to our generation seem to be in awfully short supply. While looking at Matthew 5, I noticed that Jesus was talking to "you". I was curious who that referred to, since so many of the multitudes that were usually with Him were not (not yet at least) faithful, believing disciples of the Lord. It turns out that "You are the salt of the earth" follows just after the Beatitudes. And just before the Beatitudes begin, we are told that Jesus went up on a mountainside with His disciples and taught them. So He talked about "salt and light" with the disciples, and within the context that they should be living the Beatitudes. Even more interesting is that verse 11 changes from the pattern of "Blessed are the/those ..." to "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (NIV).
So it appears that the Christians who Jesus actually described as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" are those whose faith is radical enough to bring insults, persecution, and slander from the world. What a difference it might make if we really sought for our Lord to be able to (truthfully, of course) say that we are salt and light, instead of either assuming that it's just an automatic "name" for us since we're saved or that it's a vague idealization of what we should be. Over the last few years, I've become conscious that we can often miss the point of Scripture when we don't consider closely enough who a verse applies to. Now the question is do we really, deeply, passionately want these verses to apply to us? Only then should we expect to "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven" (NIV). Wow.
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