That's my gal! - Part 1

I want to take a moment to brag on my wife for everyone to read.

Our lives are exceedingly counter-cultural, even against the popular tide of Christianity in America. For starters, we have 5 kids. You should hear people's reactions at my work when they learn we have 5 kids. (Admitedly, part of the shock comes from the fact that I look so young). This goes so against the grain where the prevailing opinion of our neo-Socialist culture is: "2 kids at most. Population-control!!"

Ok--I'm gonna dive into some deep waters of controversy here and just state my opinions plainly. In my work, I am surrounded by a lot of corporate women. In fact, there is a massive initiative for promoting women and supporting women in the workplace. As a former feminist, this all seems good-and-healthy-and natural, right?

Well, here's where I get to brag on my wife. She is a very smart, focussed, disciplined woman. She could do very well in the corporate world if she put her mind to it, as many women have. In fact, she could probably do "better" than me and achieve far greater success than me.

What has my wife invested all those great talents and energies in? A thankless, disappearing, low-esteemed 7-24-365 job of MOTHERING 5 kids under the age of 9! She changes hundreds of diapers (cloth, I might add, and rinses them out by hand!), fixes hundreds of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, listens to and breaks-up hundeds of sqabbles and fights over toys, corrects hundreds of bad attitudes, washes hundreds of dishes, wipes hundreds of runny noses, changes hundreds of sheets that got stained by nighttime accidents,...and misses hundreds of more "fun" and exciting opportunities to see plays, go to beaches or malls, have long visits with friends over coffee, etc. She even misses church when a child is sick and needs extra rest.

Does my wife EVER complain about her life? Does she EVER say, "Dan, I wish I was working back at XYZ corporation, like I was back before Nicolas was born..." My wife is so incredible that she never, and I mean NEVER has uttered a word of complaint, like she feels her talents are being wasted and is simply "withering on the vine" while being "stuck" at home. Oh yes, the days get long---she won't deny that. The weariness is thick, to be sure. But my incredible jewel of a wife has said times without number that she feels "called" to this life, and by God's grace is flourishing and thriving in it more and more each passing year.

Did I mention that on top of all the aforementioned realities, she homeschools as well! So she not only does all the care for the littlest ones (age 1 and 3), but also juggles in teaching and instruction for our 3 oldest (age 9, 7, and 5) to boot.

Ok, are you ready to REALLY get blown away?
She says that she can't WAIT to have another baby!


So, are we nuts? No, I'm just so incredibly blessed beyond anything I deserve to have such a wife.

My time is up, and there is much more to write.
My aim isn't to tear down corporate or career-minded women. My purpose is rather to hold up the stellar example of my wife for all to see and admire. Frankly, I don't think even a CEO can hold a candle to my wife.

More to be said on this subject.

05-Nov-2008

Ok--I'm just gonna come out and make my prediction for the reality we will wake up to in less than 6 months. On November 5, we will have elected Barack Obama as our President, and thereby hampering our longstanding support for the nation of Israel, and thereby sealing our fate as a world leader.

I'm not typically that bold with predictions, but I'm attempting to turn over a new leaf of boldness in writing this blog.

Am I saying Mr. Obama is anti-semitic? No? A radical Muslim terrorist? Absolutely not. All I'm saying is that the entire WORLD current is moving against Israel, and I see nothing in Barack Obama which tells me he has the inclination to stand AGAINST the world's prevailing opinion against Israel. I see him as sympathetic toward "the Palestinian cause--siding with those poor oppressed people against those mean bullies of Israel.

Again, I'm not painting Barack Obama as a bad person. To the contrary, I kinda like the guy. But I just get this sense that he has no real heart to stand for Israel, particularly if doing so would stand in the way of "improving America's standing among the rest of the world's leadership."

Let's face it, the vast majority of American's HATE this war. Nothing has stirred up America since Vietnam like the war in Iraq. People want the war ended NOW, no matter what the cost. They want to be "liked" again as Americans. They want us to regain our place of prominence and prestige and popularity in the world's stage once again. Barack Obama promises to deliver that hope--and people are turning out by the boatload to buy into that promise.

And if the world says: "Get out of the Middle East"--Barack Obama and the Democratic ruling majority will waltz out promptly. It's what they have wanted since the war began in 2003. Nothing else makes sense.

And once we pull out of Iraq, the next step will be to systematically pressure us to withdrawing our support of Israel, if only to further the objective of "increased peace in the Middle East." Again, this is what Americans WANT, right? Peace, right? Bring the troops home, right?

I'm no expert in Israeli-American relations. For all I know, Israel itself may be wishing to distance itself from "the evil empire" of Bush's America!

I gladly welcome any educating you readers (all 2 of you, heehee) have to offer.

So anyway, my times up, and that's my politcal insight for today

I'm sitting down to enjoy my favorite Sunday night ritual---listening to, of all things, Pipe Organ music on Minnesota Public Radio (Pipe Dreams, sponsored by American Public Media).

My wife just refered me to a book that I want to check out sometime, "Crunchy Con" by Rod Dreher. I'll let the author speak to his own book rather than recreate the review. It's as I was telling my friend Dean Malley today, I've got to blog someday about why I can neither subscribe wholly to either the Left nor the Right on the political spectrum. My King is Jesus---and there's a LOT he said that would fit squarely in the Democratic camp. Jesus was rescuing blatant sinners and society's scum from the Religious Right--the absolute purists. Read the Gospels, his harshest condemnations were reserved for the religious hypocrites of his day---and said that repentant sinners were welcome in God's kingdom. Since I'm only allowing myself 15 minutes to write, I won't take the time to look up all the references. That will need to come later.

But as you know, Jesus wasn't just a liberal hippy, either. (No offense to any hippies reading this post). He talked a lot about HELL. He said if your eye causes you to lust, pluck it out and throw it away because it's better to enter into heaven (implied---by your purity and astinence from sexual sin and lust) than to be thrown into hell with both eyes intact (implied---by continual lust and sexual sin---rightfully receiving JUDGEMENT).

So the reality is, Jesus expects pure living of his followers. But the reality is, we only get the power to resist sin by the indwelling of the holy spirit, so that HE, not us, gets the glory.

Now how did I get into religion when I started talking politics? Simple. For me, the two are inherently intetwined. You can't have one without the other. In fact, your politics is nothing more than an OUTFLOW of your religious conviction. If you believe man is inherently good, that God is uninvolved in human affairs, or non-existant, than you're going to carry out a political ideology and agenda that reflects that religous belief. If God is Sovereign Lord and redeemer of penitent sinners and will one day come to judge the living and the dead, you're going to carry out an completely different political idealogy and agenda.

Again, 15 minutes doesn't give me time to go any deeper than that.

That's why I'm a political moderate. George W. used the term "compassionate conservative" in 2000, and it probably best describes my view now...no matter how much that term is reviled by the likes of ultra conservatives.

Final word--I'm thinking of voting for the Constitution Party this election.
My real ambition is to launch an internet campaign called JCin08, but I don't think I have enough time.

Speaking of time, mine is up for today.

Amazing! Miraculous!

I have decided to make it my goal to blog for 15 minutes each day as an exercise of concise, consistent writing.

In an unusually balmy February, 2002, I finally dusted off the cover of an old book I had received several years earlier. At the time, I was working as on the administrative team of a cutting-edge Gen-X church for singles and college-students, one of the first of it's kind, in Minneapolis. The book was sent to me in the mail, adorned with a simple post-it note saying something profound like: "I thought you might enjoy this." I don't even remember exactly who is was that sent me the book in plain brown paper, other than his name was also "Dan." But I'm terribly indebted to that man named Dan, for my life has never been the same since reading that short book.

The book is "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannon, founder and director of Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org). I warn you, should you dare to pick up this book for yourself, your Christianity may never be the same.

At this point, I need to change tone, and jump forward from a poetic introduction and speak squarely from my heart. True to my promise, I only have a few more minutes to write, and I want to capture the important thoughts without a lot of dry background.

Here's the deal--I try to think as much as possible as a "global Christian" and try to envision what God is doing with His Church across the entire planet. You may find this offensive, but I have determined in my heart that the high point of the North American church has passed, and it is time for us Americans to be aiming ourselves to the next wave and generation of Christian Growth across the globe. Guess what, it's not in America.

No, I'm not denying that God can't bring about pockets of revival, dotting the American landscape here and there.

But here's where I need to defer to Brother K.P.'s book---I urge you to read it. GFA will send it to you for FREE off many websites, such as Crosswalk.com, or their own website. Why, I ask you, do we need to pour out enormous gobs of energy in trying to win a sated, cynical crowd of Americans who reject the gospel time after time, when HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people who have never even HEARD the name Jesus in the Indian subcontinent are so desperate to hear Good News that they are now coming to Him, often just from hearing radio programs. God is affirming his might in Asia by miracles, signs and wonders.

In North America, we spend thousands of dollars to make slick, cool, pyrotechnic programs to attract people who don't really care. Yes, God cares for North Americans. He cares for your neighbors, relatives, and friends.

But when life is so short and precious, why are we "wasting" time (please excuse me if this is offensive) trying to "win" the same people time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time again without number...when all it takes is a tract, a conversation, or a radio program in Asia, and ENTIRE VILLAGES come to know and worship Christ our Saviour.


Jesus wants the gospel to go into the entire world. GFA is doing it. I want to join them.


My 15 minuts are up. More tomorrow.