kingdom travelin'

the day has come...

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:28:00 +0000

kingdomtravelin is moving, if you have linked to this site, you might wish to update your link... but this post will be here for you to link to from here on out... to get to the new and improving kingdom travellin, when you get there, you will discover a new look that is developing... go to the new site

spring shows hope

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Daffodils are coming up... I saw my first Cardinals today... as I went for a long hard walk that was much needed this morning... I have been woefully negligent in my walking the last couple of months... today I struck out for a fast paced 28 minutes and saw that the neighborhood landscapers had been down to the pond and done some greatly needed trimming. No longer does one need to dodge limbs, the path is now clear... that makes me think of the life of following Jesus - there are issues in our lives that make us have to dodge our own stuff, when in fact we should not be dodging it - we should be cutting it clean, confessing our sin to Jesus and whomever we have offended or judged... and for the stuff that is deep in our hearts from our past that are hurting us and dragging us down, we need to lay that at the cross too... Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save the world... this is what spring reminds me of... rebirth... resurrection... redemption... relief.
The recent events in the Balkans (see previous posts), the newly awakened unrest (its not new, it is old, very, very old) shows us the need for the Gospel to the nations... all nations: Serbs and Albanians, these people groups are among the people groups who Jesus came to redeem... all the nations, all the peoples... for we ought to remember that the Greek word from which we get 'nations' is better understood as ethnicities... Jesus loves the Serb and the Albanian alike, He died and rose for them all, for us all... we all need the spring with its rebirth... resurrection... redemption... relief - thank you Jesus.

at week's end, some analysis on Kosovo

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:28:00 +0000

BBC asks lots of questions and provides some new insights
PBS/News Hour hosted a discussion between two scholars on opposite sides

pix from last week in the HeartLand

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:45:00 +0000

Here are some pix from my trip last week, click here.

a helpful timeline

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:05:00 +0000

MSNBC has a helpful timeline of recent Kosovo history. Click Here

yes, I know... its American... it isn't my belved BBC, but it is valuable...

The International Herald Tribune has an article about tooday's events that has some scary words from the Russians. Click Here and a slide show, click here

Serbs continued

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Yesterday a huge mob of Serbs attacked and burned the US Embassy Consulate in Beograd. The embassy has been closed for days in anticipation of such. It's funny how the embassy staff could figure out the danger and the Serbian police/military couldn't. It took the riot police and fire brigade forty-five minutes to respond. See Pix from BBC. This and the attacks in northern Kosovo of Kosovar police stations was clearly orchestrated by the Serbian leadership. When I passed through Serbia last week, it was clear that trouble was brewing from the people, the newspapers and the leaflets being handed out. Some things never change. Read more on the BBC, don't expect much from American news outlets... click here.

thinking about Kosovo

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:08:00 +0000

back in '99 as we prepared for the summer trip, i heard about a missionary in Bp who was collecting clothes for Kosovar refugees... they had travelled a long way, some of them walked all the way, at great risk to Hungary... I hope they are safe in their newly independent home now... [a bit more about the story and a pic is here... ] these little kids are teenagers somewhere now, I bet the older girl would be married now... the Kosovar's deserve thier own place, free nations should embrace them... many died for that freedom.

helpful maps

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:56:00 +0000

The Kosovo question brings up lots of other questions... some understanding is helpful from a BBC web page... click here

growth and depth

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:21:00 +0000

I’m back... this post is overdue, but I'm a bit jet lagged...
In my recent travels I observed servants of God engaging their friends in deep and meaningful conversations... I will limit myself to three observations.

In Sz I was so blessed by the worship at ICF and I was thankful to God to see two things:
first, how ICF has grown, there was a great crowd of uni students who came to worship, there were folks there from ten nations... so, so exciting to me, secondly, the team in Sz is developing as their leader has invested heavily into them and students are active in leadership of International Christian Fellowship

In Vu I was so blessed to see the sweet folks of Agape church... I love visiting these folks... but the night before, five friends invested about four hours together first around coffee and then over dinner discussing how people pour into one anther's lives... we were seeking to help a dear friend know that Jesus wishes to pour into him... depth of conversation, investing in people...

In Bp earlier, I attended a conversation among some university students and got to share how I had seen God work in the lives of young people in Kyiv... young people who were once street kids, but because of the depth of love Jesus shows through His followers, these young people were now living abundant lives of Christ-following... It was great to see the interest these men and women showed in this important issue…

Thanks be to Jesus for using these servants in these three places to bless so many as their service to God grows and deepens.

good news

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:49:00 +0000

This past couple of weeks there has been, up in Hungary, a train strike that has been on and off. Because these trips of mine rely heavily on trains, I have been trying to keep myself informed about these train strikes. Over the course of the days leading up to our arrival in Budapest and our preparation to travel south I must admit that I worried about the availability of the trains. On Thursday night as we bought our tickets south from Budapest, we were told by two different people that the strike was called off. But these were people I did not know, so I was unsure. At a meeting we were at in Budapest Thursday night, I got to make a new friend named Balazc and Balazc worked for the railroad. As he left, my new friend said, that the strike was over. I was very glad and I said: “that’s good news.” And I thought about how that made me feel, I was reassured. I felt comforted. I was glad. Good news is good Good News (the gospel) is better.

This morning we took a train from Szeged to Subotica and the Emperor picked us up in the chariot and took us to get burek and hang out at his parents house for a while. We talked about the fact that perhaps tomorrow Kosovo will at 1700 hrs on the 17th of Feb. declare its independance from Serbia. Soon afterward we drove to Vukovar... I loved this sign on the way, note the two Budapest options, a left turn anyone?

I'm glad we left Serbia today, the borders may be interesting tomorrow. What will be the ramifications of Kosovo's independance? an inportant question that only time's passing can answer.

Upon arrival in Vukovar we began telling Dan and Mario the story of the war in Vukovar... In 4 1/2 years of coming here I have seen progress. The red building on the righ was norm... on the left is whats new!

peace to you from Vukovar.

it's just a joke, but...

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:05:00 +0000

i went to the doctor for a bit of a check-up this morning... then i went to see Sweet Anna... she said "what did he say?" I joked "I have six months to live... gotta get busy!" then she asked the question "okay, so IF you REALLY (which i don't, calm down) only had six months to live, what would you do? so, no kidding, if you only had six months to live, how would you invest those months? note I use the word invest here not spend... i would want to invest my time in people...

related to that, in a conversation with a friend about what is going on in their part of the world, we began talking about what does discipleship mean... this is a summation of that conversation:

...discipleship isn’t about information transference... its about Christ-like character development which is facilitated by Christ-centered relationships... it isn't about programs, it is about depth of friendship which has Jesus as the real uniting factor of that friendship... as Paul said to the Romans in chapter one: "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." (1:11-12)

dollar rising against forint

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:55:00 +0000

friends in HU be alert: the dollar has been rising and will buy more forints from your usa banks... in fact, this morning (and who knows what the afternoon will bring) the dollar was trading at a 5 month high... here is a helpful chart for those of us who watch these things... click here

a get away

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:02:00 +0000

It is important to get away every once in a while... so Sweet Anna and I did yesterday... we went across the eastern ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Staunton... This town is known for its Victorian architecture.

It was a quiet, restful time... we all need rest, God told us so... Jesus reminds us that the Sabbath was made for man... We need to make time and take opportunities to rest and reflect on Him.

order

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:56:00 +0000

I was talking to a friend the other day who is an engineer; a very ordered fellow. And we talked about the necessity of keeping order in our lives... from keeping the checkbook balanced to keeping one's rooms and desk in order...

...in my daily reading, I'm now in Leviticus... each year as I journey through this book, I am struck by the fact that God has brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the desert so that He can show them that He will care for them...

...and with Leviticus he shows them how to bring and keep order in their community and in the Tabernacle. During the time of the year when I read Leviticus, I am thankful. I am thankful because God has brought order to my life by bringing me out of a world of condemnation and into a life of following Him... the New Testament teaches us that the followers of Jesus are the Tabernacle now... and there should be order to our lives... many of us have even understood that this means for us daily reading of Scripture so that we may hear God words to our hearts... For me I have found that my prayer journal has clarified my prayers... reading thoughtfully crafted prayers of the ages and writing my heart to God daily brings order to my prayer... but ardour is needed too, we need the passion and feeling that walking with Jesus and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit can bring...

hanging on to stuff in the heart

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:33:00 +0000

a friend of mine, who is a great brother and cares deeply about people and God uses him to speak deeply into hearts, will often say to me: "let it go, Foley"... he knows the human tendency to allow the past to cloud our present... recently in a conversation about life another friend began to recount details of the past and look for people to blame... these were 'small' things of the past that did lead into the situation my friend found himself in... I asked him, "is this something you need to put at the cross and let go of?" he wasn't ready to answer, he needed to pray... that's okay... Jesus is ready to help us let go of past stuff when we are ready to give it to him...

"cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you" - Peter, talking to us about Jesus

ten commandments

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:18:00 +0000

click here

Juno

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Sweet Anna and I saw it Friday night... pretty good acting... up to date script, especially if 17 year old sarcasm is your thing... it was interesting to see Jennifer Garner in such a role... at the end of the movie I was expecting her to put on a green wig and use the baby as a decoy to get someone from a Munich prison... but noooo... there was nothing Alias-esque about this predictable movie which is less about abortion and more about post-modernity expressed through adolescents and adults with adolescent ethics... wait for the video, it's not necessary to see it in the big screen... i'm not even going to bother to link to the problematic website, if you want to see and hear THAT THING, you'll have to google it your self...

MLK: a man of vision and action

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Read about a man who used his gifts and talents in life and death to changing the world. How will we change the world?

Jesus calls us to serve and to give of ourselves in Matt. 25 - read his words here.

Read the Nobel Prize website bio of Martin Luther King Jr... click here (photo from the Nobel website).

Watch and hear the I Have a Dream speech... click here

How are we living? how are we using our gifts and talents Jesus has given us to change the world?

a dusty screen

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:11:00 +0000

I am working on my laptop. The sun is blazing in the window. The sun shining on my laptop screen shows how dusty it is! So I wipe it off and I see more clearly. But in the other room with just artificial light, I don't see the dust. We should seek the Son who shines the real Light on our hearts so that can see the dust and ask Him to wipe our soul clean through confession and His forgiveness.

advice

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:21:00 +0000

Arden has some important advice - about advice - over on her blog... click the link on the right to read her thoughtful words.

snow day part two: Becca says she wasn't pummeled...

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:56:00 +0000

so Becca prepares... and returns a snowball and then peace broke out with a mini snowman...

and of course you know what I say whenever the snow blankets the ground...

"though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." and "...we are covered with a coat of righteousness that He provided for us!"

remembering travelin last year

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:20:00 +0000

von Lazo posted a short film (that Mark made) on a trip we took to Sarajevo last Feb. rather than post the film myself, I'll send you to Laci's blog to see it if you wish... click here.

btw, its a snow day here in the 'ville, here is Sweet Anna "the leftie" pummeling Becca in a snowball fight (note the snowball in the top right corner of the pic)!

intentional solitude

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:09:00 +0000

intentional solitude

we should crave it for it is there that we meet the King...

I asked a friend something like this yesterday...

"what would the relationship between you and your girl-friend be like if your emphasis on time and intentionality with her was like the time and intentionality you give God?"

well???

court field trip

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:14:00 +0000

I helped with a field trip to the UVa Law School today where students were jurors in "trials." It was interesting to discuss with them how their decisions were as much about the lawyers presentation as it was with the facts themselves. This raises one concern and one relief. The concern is for those people who go to court with an unskilled attorney. I am relieved that God is, as Romans tells us, a just judge. He sees the facts of who we are and what we do objectively. He deals only in the facts. He knows I am depending solely on the work of Jesus.

light at Notre Dame

noreply@blogger.com (revtom) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Continuing to think about Epiphany, I was seeking inspiration for a post and saw this pic that Joanna took Christmas night in Notre Dame...

I love lighting candles for specific people and offering a prayer for them and then giving that prayer to God with the candle as a symbol of the 'lastingness' of prayer... kinda like when the Hebrews used incense as a sweet offering of prayers up to God...