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3/22/2021

Joy Theft

Nextdoor is a fun little app. I get to hear about porch pirates or car theft, or vandals in my neighborhood.

Tiktok is great, tons of little funny videos that make me smile, peppered with a few videos propogating lies or displaying things that upset me.

Facebook is uplifting, I see stories of friends and family, littered with ads and political arguments.

Watching the news is never uplifting at all, not even the human interest stories anymore.  It's all just source for memes.


So why do I expose my brain to these things when I first wake up? I mean I'm not even out of bed yet, my brain hasn't even fully charged its defenses against the lies of the day.  Walk right in folks, make yourselves at home.

You know people quote that "Joy comes in the morning" verse a lot.  Psalm 30:5

Usually its misquoted or misapplied in some way and so I've often counted that verse as being misrepresented by man.  There are a few verses in Scripture like that, where the popular slant of sermons of the day misuse a verse out of context.

Another one also concerns joy.  "Count it all joy, when you face trials of many kinds."

People misuse and misapply that one a lot.

You know what I realized today?  Two things.

1 - I have really discounted the value of Joy in my life.  Probably because I've not liked the way so many Christians apply the concept of Joy. 

2 - I have really not allowed my days to start off celebrating in the Joy of Christ.... instead I've started my days letting the enemy steal and devour my joy.

I wake up Monday morning thinking 'ugh, it's Monday, gotta go to work!'

God delights.

Nuff said about that. You might ask 'what does He delight in?'  All kinds of things, but take a moment to realize the God delights.  He gets delighted.

Is Joy constant happiness?  Not to me it isn't. I don't believe we need to be 100% perky and smiley all the time. In fact I've learned that's a recipe for disaster.

Neither do we need to be stoic and frowning all the time.

To me the Joy of Christ is very simply this - a sincere belief that what happens in this life, on this earth, can not rob from me a future filled with all the good things God intends for us.

Sometimes that thought, that belief, brings an ecstatic happiness to me and I have to smile and jump around. Other times it brings a calm.  During suffering it brings no smile but a solemn comfort that I'll get through whatever hard time is present before me, and saves me from ever having to ask 'why me God?' or 'God do you even exist?'


Each day I need to wake up, and recharge my reminders.  Each day I need to start by flooding myself with God's thoughts instead of the world's lies.  Then, once I've let that 'joy come in the morning' (to abuse a verse) then I may be able to stand amidst the world of lies and be a beacon of hope to others, showing them Christ's love.

They really won't know we are different if we're not allowing ourselves to be made different each day.

It also helps a ton with my attitude.

It is the underlying concrete foundation of my life.



3/21/2021

We Broke TV

There's a documentary on Netflix called 'The Last Blockbuster'.  In it celebrities lament the loss of the social connection found in going to the video rental store.  I felt it was waxing poetic about a bygone era but one thing struck me.  The social experience of going to a physical location with someone, maybe a date or maybe your family.  Deciding together what to watch, getting it, and bringing it home, made an activity out of watching a movie.

We're de-socializing ourselves slowly.

13 years ago I 'cut the cord' of cable TV.  People started cutting the cord but I said to anyone who asked my advice, "as with all major shifts in technology, the only people who will profit are the early adopters, eventually tv will find a way to make you pay."

Today we don't have the 'network wars'.  ABC, CBS, NBC aren't all working hard to bring you a Fall lineup to get your ratings and viewership.  Instead we have:

Netflix - $15.99

Hulu - $11.99

Amazon - $8.25

Disney -$6.99

HBOMax - $14.99

AppleTV - $4.99 

Total = $63.20 p/month

All vying for your attention, hoping to hit the biggest new show.  Don't have Mandalorian, hey subscribe to Disney.  What?! The Snyder cut of Justice League is out! I just read it on Facebook!  Okay I'm subscribing to HBOmax!

Etc.  We don't call them 'channel's' any more we call them 'streaming services'.  They are on demand, and you don't need a Tivo.

New streaming services are popping up all the time. And when they do, they revoke the rights of their shows from each other.  You could be watching your favorite show, season 3 episode 5 and find out that in a few days if not today, your show is no longer available on Hulu.  You now have to subscribe to StarZ.. or whatever.

In the midst of all of this, there is no 1 place you can go to see what is available to watch.  You can't go into a video store and see the new releases on the screen.  

To compensate you have to pay attention to what's hot in the social networking discussions.  Our new Water Cooler talk happens via Twitter and Facebook.  If you're not on those, how are you going to know what show everyone is talking about?

You could subscribe to a service that tells you, I suppose.  There are a few of those. 

Don't want to pay $63.29 p/month, but don't want to install a Tivo?

You got Slingbox - $25 p/option or $50 for the whole magilla minus bonus packages.

Or Youtube TV - $50 p/month

Or keep your Dish Network - $64.99 for starters

or Cable TV - $84 for the basic package.

Want to watch Classic movies?  Good luck with anything streaming. You have to add TCM to your dish or cable for that, but then you'll need a Tivo.

We've made TV far too complicated and too costly.

And yet, we're watching more of it than we ever have, and I'l submit we're watching a lot more garbage than we ever have because we get fatigued from trying to find a good show and just give up and watch anything! Just for the love of Pete stop reading the guide and put something on?

"I can't, I have to google this on rotten tomatoes to find out if it's worth watching!"

"But you just binged watched the Muppet Show, how discerning are you with your time, really."

"Fair point, okay pressing play on Pig Pirates from Pluto"

....right now someone reading this is saying 'that sounds good, what service is that streaming on?'

(I made it up...geez I hope I made it up, if that exists I'll have to watch it!)

The family no longer gathers around the TV once a week to watch that show you all love. Little House on the Prairie would never get everyone in the family together.  Instead you watch what you want, and I'll stream what I want on whatever device, in my room.

Everyone with earpods in, no one hearing what the others are saying.

When you're together as a family around the TV you can talk about the issues, or make jokes, or help filter out the lies for your kids.

We're losing that.

Friday night Family Movie night remains a thing until your kids reach a certain age.  It's right around the time when their friends start having more of an impact in their lives... more of a voice. 

That is also around the time that youtube and tiktok take a larger role in their lives.  Your voice as a parent get drowned out sooner.

So exactly what is my complaint?

Is it that TV is too expensive? Shows are all in 1 place? The lack of social interaction?  Make up your mind man!

It's all of it.  If I could my tv would stream exactly 3 channels.

-24x7 Classic movies (anything predating 1972)

-Sports - NFL, MLB, NHL

-Newly released Films

I would have it pull in all the stuff from wherever, and only play on the 1 screen. It wouldn't play on demand, there'd be no pausing. We'd go back to fighting over which channel to watch, and we'd have to gather when the show we wanted to watch was coming on.

And if we missed it, we'd have to wait for it to come back around.

In between, we'd go outside and play, or do homework, read a book, talk, play a game or a puzzle.

People used to say 'don't let TV run your life.'  They were referring to the need to get back home by 8pm Sunday to catch X-files.

We used to GATHER in large groups to watch that show when it aired.  Yeah we had Tivo but seeing it live with others, all discovering it at the same time was fun.

Now... we declare certain hours to be 'tv watching time'.  And the tv is always there, ready for us, with whatever we want to watch so long as we're willing to pay for it.  And also ready with a bunch of other stuff, to keep us in front of it even when we know we should turn it off.

We've broken TV, and we're breaking ourselves.

So am I gonna go turn off my tv and unsubscribe?

Not likely. Every TV fast is shortlived with me.  I love TV. Okay I used to love TV, now it's sort of a love hate.

The one thing that is good from all this competition, is that the shows are improving dramatically. There are some really good shows out there.

At least I heard there were, on facebook.

I'll be darned if I can find them.  What channel are they on?  Oh I'm sorry.  What service are they on?  Oh!? I don't have that.  Is Falcon and the Winter Soldier good enough to warrant the $6.99 p/month? I'll go ahead and get the free trial and see.

.....didn't I read somewhere once that if you put $6.99 p/month in an investment you'd be a millionaire when you retire?  Is Disney+ considered and investment?





1/10/2021

The Toilet Hose

Homewerks Worldwide 3/8-in Compression Braided Stainless          Steel Toilet Supply Line

There are moments in life when you receive confirmation that you're on the right path.  These moment usually look like insanity to anyone outside the know because they are perfectly curtailed for you and you alone to fully comprehend. This is the nature of a loving and close relationship with Jesus Christ.

With little and big confirmations along the way, I already knew our latest big move was the right thing.  But my father in heaven also knew I'd need another little nod today.

Traditionally the night before my wife and I have a big move/trip planned (furloughs, etc) and the house is all packed up and it's late at night, something of a plumbing type nature breaks.  It is usually the washing machine.  I can't tell you how many times we've been up late at night fixing a washing machine because we left at 8am the next day and we had no way to get it repaired before then without doing it ourselves.

Well today it was a leaky toilet supply line.

It was 6pm. The hardware store closed in an hour or so. I was achy and sleepy from a long day.  My wife says those dreaded words, "Honey I think the toilet is leaking, there is water all over the floor."

Sure enough, it was.  The toilet supply line had a very slow drip.

Could I make it to the hardware supply store in time to get the right part, then get back and hope it worked?  (Usually plumbing for me doesn't fix the first time around.)

Most toilet supply lines are standard in the U.S. There are really only 2 types of connectors for the most part.  It wouldn't be hard, I was just tired, and had to chuckle... why didn't I expect this? I mean, WE ALWAYS have our plumbing emergency.

Then the thought hit me!

Fast Rewind to 19 months ago.

We were living in a temporary house and in order to thank the landlord for not charging us as high rent as they could of, I did little repairs around the house.  Finding a leaky toilet, I went out and got replacement parts for it.  Turns out it wasn't the parts I thought. But I had put in all new parts anyway.  Well I had a perfectly good, if only about a year old, toilet supply line in my hands.  Throw it out? NAH! I'm a missionary, I'll save it.  And so I did.  18 months ago.

Fast Rewind to a month ago.

I was pre-packing (we do that) and purging stuff I didn't need. I went through my 'odds n ends' bin in the shed and found the toilet line, and went to chuck it in the trash/rubbish bin.  Until earlier tonight I thought I had.

So there I am tonight.  Psyching myself to don the mask, go out to the hardware store, find a line, come back, plumb it in, etc. Not a major thing, would be done in under an hour, when I have this thought:

"Hey, do I have a spare line in my oddsnends bin?  Nah! Even if I did it wouldn't fit.  Besides didn't I chuck it?"

I went down there, and there it was, I hadn't thrown it away!  It fit perfectly and the toilet no longer leaks.  A nice newish hose back in place!  The whole ordeal cost me 10 minutes.  I even had spare 'plumbers' tape' in my toolbag (of course I have a theory that every toolbox has plumbers' tape).

I was done and happy that I had not thrown away that toilet line.

And honestly a little puffed up and proud of myself for having the tools, the talent and the supplies needed!

But a few minutes went bye, and then I started to chuckle.

You see, this morning I said 'see you later' the bulk of my family.  It was my little neice's birthday party and as we left we gave longer than usual hugs to all.

I was a little emotional about it, surprised by the emotion, actually. I hadn't exactly planned on being emotional.

So of course when I'm like that I look up and say 'okay God, seriously? I'm I being nuts here? This is something you're doing right?  If not, I'm losing my mind.' 

And then, as if God said 'okay my immature little child, I'll yet again reassure you... '   Yup, I'm convinced God gave me a toilet hose over a year ago because He knew I'd need a little hug from Him tonight.

That's how my relationship with God is.  Call me crazy. That's how we roll.



12/08/2020

The Three Bags

The Three "Bags"

The stages of our missionary journey can be summarized by the luggage we used throughout.  There were three chief pieces of luggage.

The Duct Tape Box:

This box was our first piece of luggage.  We knew that we would only be able to carry 2 pieces of luggage each and every spare inch counted!  How did we know this? We had never moved to PNG.  We were going off the advice of others and our best research with no real feet on ground experience.  Why did we duct tape them?  To make them water proof.  This was supposed to be clever and cost effective, and to make them more easily carried, we put a luggage strap around them.  I spent hours duct taping box after box, preparing for our trip to the mission field, excited, ambitious, and full of theory.  These boxes made good sense in theory at the time.  They later proved to be functional but not practical, not as cost effective as we had hoped, and well meaning but ultimately not very useful.   I still laugh at myself for thinking at one time, that this was a brilliant idea of mine! I mean just a little bit of elbow grease and this was going to be the best idea ever! I was going to enlighten the entire missionary world with my brainstorm!  Wrong!

We had a choice to make.  Did we flex and change? Did we try to adapt the box? Did we throw it out and start over? Or did we maintain an emotional connection to the box and trudge on, denying its uselessness and heralding it's many well researched and wonderful qualities?

 

We adapted, abandoned what wasn't working and moved forward … to..

 

The Military Duffle Bag:

 

Found at a surplus store. They wre affordable and the perfect size. They had handles too!  We had to throw out the box and move to the bag!  We lost a little bit here but gained so much more. Much like our first few years on the field.  Experience proved useful but came with some unexpected surprises.  This bag was soft and offered less protection, so we adapted and wrapped clothing around fragile items.  It also had 5 metal buckles that were a pain to open and close through customs.  BUT! It was the perfect size, water proof, very durable, and very flexible for our needs. 

This bag represents the majority of our 13 years on the field.  We had to be flexible, durable and useful, even if we had those awkward surprises at times that weren't exactly convenient, we lasted.  This bag just lasted. We still have them.  Though we don't use them as much now.. because we have….

 

The Hard Cover Suitcase

As we ended our time overseas, we didn't have as many kids with us to travel, we were a little bit older, and we were willing to sacrifice a little bit of storage space for ease of transportation.  These bags opened quickly because.. no buckles!  We didn't have to carry them on our shoulders because they had wheels!  They were practical, but a bit more costly.  They were very strong and durable and could handle anything we threw at them.  Even getting lost! 

This bag represents our exit from living overseas.  We were stronger because of our experience, but also made wiser. We knew tricks of the trade as to how to remain durable thanks to the wisdom that time brings.  We found a way to live without exhausting ourselves.  The old saying 'work harder not smarter?", we were able to work smarter and still just as hard until the very end, because we put in protections to avoid burnout. 

 

As I think back on the times we packed and the bags we used, I realize there is a direct correlation with our stages of being a missionary.  Even now we have lived in 4 houses in 3 years. We're still packing and moving, we still haven't settled yet.  The Lord keeps us moving for sure, and it never gets dull!

11/19/2020

Dresden and Jesus

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher: 9780593199305 |          PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

I don't know if you've ever read this series, and I'm not throwing in any spoilers except maybe 1 small one.

Have you ever read any book, or seen any tv show or movie where some large apocalyptic battle is fought?

Did that fight involve the supernatural?  If you're a fan of the show 'supernatural' then it does.. almost every season finale has something like that.

I want you to think about this:

-Knowing how the world currently feels about God

-Knowing that Philippians 2:10-11 says ...every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

Consider the monumental event that would have to come to pass in order for that to happen!

The thought brings me elation, that starts at my toes and wiggles on up through my soul until it comes out as a shiny smile on my face.

Currently the 'supernatural' or 'spiritual' realm behaves on Earth in such a way that humans who desire to reject it's existence can easily explain it away.  This world doesn't work in secret entirely, I mean we're told how they work in the Bible, we have cultures all over the world who are sensitive to it...  but for the most part, if we choose to close our eyes to it, we can get along in life without acknowledging it exists.

We can deny God, and still be considered reasonable, logical, sane human beings.

But there will come a day when no one will deny who God is.

For missionaries who spend their lives trying to tell others about God, in other languages, in other places, this is a rivetting thought!

Now.. not everyone is going to have the pleasure of being on the right side when that day comes.

For me, the idea is exciting because I know who God is.  For others, the realization that there is a God, and He is all powerful, might be cause for one to quake in one's boots.

I view the world's media through my filter of Scripture and so when I read or see an apocalyptic battle I keep thinking of the day that the Lord will come with His forces, and face off agains the other side, and He will show his power and not a single living or dead person will be able to deny that Jesus is God's son, that God is real, and He can not be thwarted.

That day my friends, I plan on being on the winning team.  That day, will be a marvelous day... where we get to see God in all of his wonderfulness.

I get really excited thinking about it.

-Chad





10/22/2020

Deserving God's Love

God loves you.

A lot of people don't believe that. First they have to get over the hurdle of believing God exists.  Then they have a few more hurdles.

-Some don't believe themselves worthy of love, don't feel lovable.

-Some don't want to be loved by God because while they believe He exists, they don't like Him much.

-Some have run into bad experiences with others who God loves, and who say they love God and it has given them a sour stomach about God in general.

And then there are people like me... who are perfectly willing to believe God loves them, and also sorta thinks they deserve that love.

Arrogant much?

I grew up in a loving home, my parents love me, and taught me God loved me.  The human evidence for this in my life is ample. I look at other people who love me and say 'yeah, okay I get that I'm lovable, and that people love me, it's not hard to image God does too.'

The fact that as humans we're often very bad proof of God's love to one another, is a human failing.  God loves you so much, whether or not you believe He does, but if you're looking to me for proof, you're looking in the wrong spot.  I screw up often.  I'm supposed to love you, but at times, I'm a self centered, failed human being who opts for the lazy thing and that is to simply not show you love.

Instead look to what God did.  He gave up His son to be tortured and killed badly.  To be embarrassed and humbled. To be spit upon, he made a trade. He traded what He valued most, to prove His love for you. 

So here I am, saying 'yup! Easy to believe! Yup God would totally do that for anyone! And I amongst so many sorta deserve it. I mean. I'm not supposed to SAY I deserve it, but secretly inside I'm enough of an ego maniac to believe I do deserve it because I'M AWESOME!.

Until I'm not.

I'm awesome until I'm not.

In those moments when I fail, when my confidence plummets.  God loves me still.  Yet I don't feel lovable.

My mistake was, thinking I was somehow earning God's love.  Turns out, that's not possible.  I can't earn it, nor deserve it.

God loved us, so much that He did what He did, even when we are at our worst.

So.. wait, I don't get it.  God loves us, whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, whether we deserve it or not, or earn it or not... I mean are there any conditions?

No.

It's true unconditional love.    Mind.. blown.   Like I know it on paper, but in reality I'm always trying to be good enough to deserve it.  But I can't deserve it and I don't need to.

He loves me, mister type A personality high performing professional individual as much as he loves that annoying person I sometimes wish I didn't have to interact with. God loves THEM the same as me.

But.. but.. I'm more lovable.

Not to God. No one is more popular to God, everyone is equally popular and loved to Him.

So what's the catch here?  Seriously... no one really loves anyone unconditionally right?

Well... if God loves us... why would a loving God allow _____(fill in your favorite atrocity here)____?

I don't know. I am not even attempting to explain it, because you might as well as me to explain to you the unknown undiscovered secrets of universes that lie beyond our own.

It is outside of my mental capabilities to fully grasp and understand.  It just is.  I'm certain it'll all make total sense one day.

I mean my faith makes sense. I'm not a person who runs around saying 'God says this and I believe it!' no I test things and try them and think on them and research them.

But there are some things that are unknowable.  If you refuse to admit that, your life will have a moment of humbling at some point in your future, and I wish you the best of luck.

I think we all have to come to a point where we say 'This is true, and I know it, and I have reasons, but I admit I'm not as smart as God.'

Okay so God loves me.

There's my confidence.

There's my identity.

Who am I?

-I tell myself I'm a good guy, I tell myself I'm a failure at times.

-God says I'm His and He loves me, and I'm valuable to Him.

Hrm... which sounds better to me?

What makes me His? - Well when you love something you want it to love you back. I mean dogs are masters of this right? They love you back when you show them love.

What makes me His is that I know Him, who He is, and I love Him. I choose Him, unknowable bits and all, because He loved me, He put action behind those words, and sacrificed a lot to win my love to Him.  And I give that love to Him every day. He then asks me to show love to others.  I'll admit I screw that up daily.  But I'm trying.


Love and kindness, is what this world needs more of.  We're letting it slip from our grasps.

God has an ample supply for all of us.  Tap into it.

I'm always willing to talk about how to tap into it if you have questions.  Contact me.

chad[@]gimpel.tv


8/15/2020

Batteries

Vacations aren't the only thing that recharge our batteries.  Hobbys, relationships, etc. We're all different.

Batteries are different too. Some have memories, some are alkaline, some can recharge, some can't.  Today we returned from a wonderful vacation camping in the woods.  As I unpacked I returned over 2 dozen batteries I was carrying around with me that we never used.  Even though they're small, the weight adds up.

It got me to thinking.

1. The Planner:  knowing the vacation was coming up, I recharged all battery packs, knowing my family may wish to recharge their phones on the trip and being unsure if electricity would be available, I was prepared as the 'dad' to have battery packs and solar panels and spare batteries for whatever needs they might have. 

2. The non-planner, pessmimist:  someone who brings a battery operated device, and never prepares a way to charge it, and in fact may have left the house with the battery on empty and no charging cable, and then gets angry that they can't charge their device, and complains.

3. The non-planner optimist:  someone who assumes someone else is going to plan for them, and brings their device, and then when a charging opportunity presents itself, they're happy.

4. The Uber-planner: someone who keeps everything charged ALWAYS just in case sponteneity strikes. This person keeps spare cables, batteries, etc. around in multiple locations.   They charge so far in advance, that the batteries go unused for a month and then they recharge them again just in case.  This person may or may not also have a spreadsheet that tracks charging dates.

5. The lucky duck: things always just sort of work out for this person, so they have learned not to plan and just go-with-the-flow.

In this situation, the only combination above that doesn't work out well, is if you combine 2 and 5.  If 3 can't charge, they're fine, still optimistic that they will soon be able to charge.  But if you put 3 and 5 together, the lucky duck gets really upset at the pessimist for harshing their vibe.  No one charges, and everyone is mad at each other.

Who am I?

I'm #4 in some areas, #1 in other areas.

But none of that is my point.

You'll never really know which one you are, until you go do something alone, with no one else to bail you out.  That's when you realize  "Oh I thought I was a 1 but it turns out I was always camping with a 1 and I'm really a 5".

But one universal truth seems to exist,  no matter what number you are, you always bring your phone charger with you.  That's your umbilical cord to life!!! Without that, we're all zeros.

(not really, I was being sarcastic).


6/25/2020

Razing Awareness


So, I haven't blogged in a while. Mostly because, I believe we live in a world where we freedom of speech is no longer valued.  Legally I can say things, but in the court of public opinion I can be ruined for something I say, or have said in the past, regardless of context or meaning.
With that in mind, it really serves very little purpose to anyone to speak publicly about one's convictions.  Rather than helping others, a blog serves as a list of wrongdoings that someone can use against you any time in the future.
So why write today?

Because I want to give my fellow believers in Christ out there, a few pieces of food for thought.  I'll try not to lead you to the same conclusions I've made, because frankly, I'm not really sure where any of this is going, but follow along with the things I'm seeing for a moment.

awareness - Refresh Mental Health

-Covid-19 We all voluntarily let the government of the U.S. violate our constitutional rights and we did not say one word of organized disagreement (pre-George Floyd).  I mean it's really hard to argue with.  Now of course, people are starting to argue, but for the most part the damage is done.  We proved that we would bow down and let government invoke all kinds of (arguably crazy) policies in the interest of public health.

What did I conclude from all of this?  - I saw first hand how the entire world, entire cultures, economies, businesses, futures, could be changed, in an extremely SHORT time span.  The amount of (hopefully temporary) devastation caused by this Shelter in Place is so far widespread I can't even fathom all of it.  The lasting impression this has made to me is how incredibly FAST everything changed.  In order to attain some of the Revelation level events, I have always said that the world would need to change drastically before some of those events could happen, and for that reason, we still have a long way to go.  But this country is forever changed, and impacted drastically in a matter of 90 days or less.  Business gone under, food supply chain put at risk, popular opinions changed, graduations and weddings missed, or cancelled.

This is more than an interruption of life.  This is an indicator that things can change VERY VERY rapidly with VERY LITTLE push back from society.   This is a major ingredient in the events of Revelation needing to occur, and it has truly made some folks reconsider their pre-trib mid trib, post trib theories on the rapture.

Ask anyone older than 65, have they ever seen the country this crazy before?

Item of Interest: things can change faster than you think.


Next item up:

-Covid restrictions target religious groups: May 22, 2020 - The CDC attempts to release 'guidelines' that rather than saying 'large group gatherings' specifically say 'guidelines for worship', but there was a battle over it with the current presidential administration. 

Problem: Why is this organization targeting and naming religious gatherings specifically? And why then, after the Minneapolis Floyd protests did protestors get the okay to gather?

Item of Interest: Yet another indicator that religious freedom is being targeted.


Next up:


-Supreme Court ruling  6/15/2020 - Justice Neil Gorsuch, effectively argues that even though the word “sex” back in 1964 could not possibly have included LGBTQ identity behaviors or relationships or anything related thereby, nonetheless Gorsuch in his opinion for the court said that the law does mean that now even though it did not mean that then. (from one of my favorite news editorials on this topic: https://albertmohler.com/2020/06/17/briefing-6-17-20)
Why is this significant?  This decision while sounding 'okay' to many, creates a major problem for religious organizations.  This was such a political hot potato, that even though this wasn't the job of the Supreme Court, the people whose job it was to legislate... Congress, are simply happy that the Judicial branch handled that issue.  So.. Legislative being done by the Judicial and no one bats an eye.  Okay... 


Problem: all the news coverage (as expected) is using terms like 'obstacle' and 'discrimination'.  These are words often applied in the news coverage to indicate that this ruling is a good thing, in keeping with public opinion, and now, thankfully there only remain a few 'obstacle's in their path.   Guess who... religious organizations that until this ruling could say that they refused to hire people who did not keep in line with their religious convictions.  Because it sexual identity was not a legally considered entity, and it now is.

It just became that much harder, for a church to avoid hiring a lesbian pastor if they don't want to, simply because she's a lesbian.   I'll leave that for you to decide if it's a good or bad thing.  I firmly believe we should be showing love to everyone of all identities and preferences.  I am only making the point that it is becoming harder and harder for religious organizations to still be able to practice their religious freedoms.


Item of Interest:  religious freedoms are at risk and the Supreme Court made it even more problematic.

Next up:

Microchip rumors around a Corona Vaccine - You've probably heard these rumors that Bill Gates wants to vaccinate the world and implant microchips. This rumor is a little out of control, and it derives from something Gates said before Corona.  "Rumours took hold in March when Mr Gates said in an interview that eventually "we will have some digital certificates" which would be used to show who'd recovered, been tested and ultimately who received a vaccine. He made no mention of microchips."

Problem: Before Corona, Gates was partnering to help get the world vaccinated and find a way to track the medical histories of people in developing countries, so they don't accidentally get the same vaccine twice.  Corona brought attention to this.  The issue really to me, is that the tech exists to do this, AND the reason to do this seems very acceptable (except that there is a large contingent of anti-vaxxers in the U.S.)  


Item of Interest: The technology, the motivation, and the financial ability now exists and is combined to install some sort of 'digital tracking' onto individuals.  This should bring to mind the ideas of 'mark of the beast'. I do not say that to scare you because Scripture clearly tells us, that it has to be an open choice. Christians are forever talking about what form the mark could take (or has taken).  Do not worry too much about this, just be aware.  The point I'm making here is that, all the ducks are in a row now, to make this happen.  EVEN.. the economic side of things.  Airpay, Paypal, Venmo, Googlepay, all of it is lined up and ready to go.

Next up:

Covid Trackers - Check your phone, you likely already have one.  Google and Apple rolled out Covid tracking apps on your phones. And right now, I can't find a way to uninstall mine.  It works much like the 'tile' keychain works.  If you've tested positive for Covid 19, then when someone's phone nears your phone, they get a notification that they are near a Covid infected person.  Your phone is tracking the bluetooth id's of the phones around them and checking an online database.  (details here: 
https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/19/how-to-turn-on-off-covid-19-contact-tracing-iphone-ios/
https://support.google.com/android/answer/9888358?hl=en

They did this without most people knowing.
Again, I'm not here to tell you how to interpret these things, although I'm sure my natural bias will present itself.

Item of Interest: we are currently being tracked at some level and also reporting on one another through this app. Do I fully know how much data the gov't is getting from this? No.  Do I care if the gov't is tracking us right now?  I've just always assumed they have been, that's not why this is important.


Let's add it up:

-Currently you very likely have a tracking app on your phone
-the Law is making religious freedoms a little tougher to come by
-Popular opinion is being shaped by the press against religion in many cases
-Churches are closed, voluntarily, because the legality of opening is difficult.

-We know the culture can now completely change quickly.
-Technology exists that was spoken about in Revelation.
-The world is in general chaos right now with China, India and Pakistan in conflict (and they have nukes).


Draw your own conclusions.  I'll tell you mine.

  • I am making sure that every day I am drawing closer to my Lord God.
  • I am committing Scripture to memory like a gunslinger loads bullets on his belt, preparing for the worst.
  • I am not preaching doom and gloom to the world, because our Lord Jesus Christ fills me with hope.
  • I am staying alert and aware, because we're supposed to be watching for His return.
  • I'm keeping a close eye on Israel and the Temple, and boning up on my prophecy.
  • Friends, my mom and I have always discussed prophecy and she has always hoped the Lord would return in her lifetime.  I was never convinced of that. I saw far too many things that had to all happen in convergence in order for some of the Revelation events to even seem plausible.
  • The last 100 days, I've seen things happen so quickly and so dramatically that my eyes are open wide as I wonder... just how far are things going to go?
  • If... everything returns to normal, I will be indelibly aware of how fast things can change, and never again will I assume that the events Scripture has described are eons away. I'm convinced now, that they could be less than a year away at any time now.
  • So.... if you were convinced, that the Lord could be returning any day now... how would that impact your relationship with Him?
  • I'm not carrying a sign decrying the end of the world is nigh.  Because it could still be some time away. But I am telling my friends and my kids, to take their relationship with Christ very seriously, don't let it get rusty.  Spend time with the Lord, grow close to Him.
  • If you're in a place where you've been a believer for a while, and you're sort of coasting now, you know there is sin in your life and you've told yourself 'when this fun is over I'll repent and be cool again with God.'  get cool now.
  • If you've always planned to finally get a daily devotion time going.... get it going now.
  • If you've just been putting off your relationship with God, about getting serious about God for one reason or another... get serious now.
  • While I am excited that we may be getting closer to seeing our Lord, I am adopting His stance to always be trying to redeem the lost, bringing people into His kingdom showing love and humility.


Don't get complacent in your faith. 


Even if the tribulation is eons away, this world is hurting. Racism is rearing its violent head in a very public way, and people are stressed, and without hope.  Christ is hope.  Let Him shine through you.  (Extra bright because we need to maintain 6 feet).

Its harder to show compassion and empathy and love with all these new restrictions, so we have to try even harder.  We need to be intentional folks for us, for our families and for our neighborhood.
Well that's my take on things, make up your own mind.

I'm sure I didn't get all the facts precisely correct, I'm sure I was wrong in a few places. I'm sure folks could nitpick my points or use them against me in the future.  I'm not really interested in arguing, and I'm fully prepared to accept I made mistakes or was wrong in a few of these things.

My only goal was to help people open their eyes a little, if they aren't already wide open.

Thank you


















4/13/2020

Survival Scenarios

Who Designs the Fiendish Obstacle Courses for "Wipeout," and How ...

I would like you to imagine in your minds eye the following four
scenarios as they relate to faith and trust.  If you recall the tv. show
'Wipeout' try to imagine one of those obstacle courses. It's a course
that if you were to mess up on an obstacle there is a real consequence,
you fall, or get hurt, or land in mud, slime, water, whatever it is.  So
each obstacle has a certain amount of anxiety and fear involved and
there is risk.

You have been invited to this obstacle course on Friends Night. The
rules are simple, you run the course, while your friend talks you
through each obstacle.  So you chose your best friend for the job.  The
one who has never deceived you, doesn't like to pull pranks on you, one
that you trust implicitly.

Scenario 1: It is a bright sunny day, you can see the obstacle course

clearly in front of you, and already you see you can do this level
easily.  Your friend is visibly nearby on a walkway so they can see
perfectly.  You can hear their voice well.  The course begins.  You see
in front of you a log across your path and you friend says 'Take two
steps forward and then jump over the log."  You see the obstacle, agree
with your friend, and execute their orders perfectly.  The next obstacle
is a rotating arm at your eye level, your friend says "duck and crawl
forward 20 paces."  You see the obstacle, agree that is good advice, and
perform perfectly.  Doing things in this way makes the course easy and
you pass it with flying colors.

In this scenario, you built trust with your friend. You could see what
needed to be done and agreed with their instructions.  While you didn't
have to call much on FAITH, what you did do was build TRUST.  Trust as I
am defining it, is how much you believe what someone is saying is true. 
FAITH as I'm defining it here, is putting action behind that trust and
actually doing something. You trusted the instructions to leap over the
log were correct and when you leapt over it, you applied FAITH.

In this scenario, would it be hard to trust your friend?  The major
difficulty might instead be to ignore your friend's instructions and do
the course on your own.  Maybe your friend would be impressed at how 'in
sync' you were because you did what they were about to tell you do
before they said it?  Maybe you didn't need your friend at all?  But by
doing it the way you did, you came through the course, and your
relationship grew stronger.

Scenario 2: It is the same bright and sunny day. Your friend is visible

and clearly heard, only this time they are on a raised platform and have
a different vantage point than you.  The obstacle course is easily
viewable and the two of you work like a team just like you did before,
going through several obstacles until you come to a new one.  This one
has a large wall in front of you with painful looking spikes on it.  It
also has a clear path around it.  It is obvious to you that you should
take the path around the wall, and yet your friend's instructions are
"Run hard at the wall and smash into it."  The instructions contradict
what your gut tells you to do.

In this scenario, your trust in your friend is challenged. You have to
decide if you trust them more than yourself. What you do next determines
where you're placing your FAITH.  You decide, they have a better view
and so you trust them, and in faith, charge at the wall.  As you collide
with the wall, there is a small amount of pain but not as bad as you
anticipated, and the wall collapses, you land on top of it, spikes
having receded, and move forward through the course to completion.  At
the end you ask someone else who completed the course, 'what did you do
at the wall' and they tell you 'I went around it of course, but as I
did, this large boxing glove hand came out and hit me right in the gut. 
Took the wind out of me. I nearly fell!"  You both arrived at the same
place, but your way, though you incurred some pain, was less painful. 
(you could really paint many scenarios here for what happened on the
other path, they could have been completely unharmed, or taken to a
different location, or fallen into the water, it doesn't matter what
happened on that other path.)

In this scenario, your TRUST was tested, and your FAITH prevailed.  But
the temptation there was to go your own way and ignore the advice of
your friend. But because you didn't, you were rewarded in finding that
your friend's advice was a better way, even though it did cost you some
pain, it didn't cost you as much as your way would have.  By behaving in
that way your trust and faith in your friend has increased and your
relationship grew stronger. You're more likely to trust them on the next
level when they tell you to do things that don't make sense.

Thick Fog Covers Forest Landscape Stock Footage Video (100 ...


Scenario 3: A thick fog sets in.  You're standing at the beginning of

the next level of the course, and your friend is no longer visible but
completely audible.  You can hear their voice very clearly, but you can
not see them, nor the obstacle in front of you.  You begin, but this
time, are a bit slower and more cautious because you're robbed of your
ability to see ahead of you.  But because you've gone through the first
two levels with your friend, you trust them.  They say duck, you duck,
they say jump you jump. Each time you do, things go well.  But there is
a constant anxiety because you can't see.  At one point they say "this
next part will be tricky, you're doing great, but there are several
obstacles in a row here, we're going to take them one by one." 
Together, you listen and follow and get through it to the end!!! YeS!

In this scenario, you may have been nervous because you couldn't see
ahead of you.  Maybe you were tempted to never step onto the course at
all.  Maybe you were half way through the course and when you got to the
point of 'this next part will be tricky' you wanted to hear ALL the
instructions at once so you could plan and react.  As your friend only
gave you one instruction at a time you may have wanted to shout out
'tell me the next 10 steps before I proceed!'   (It has been my life
experience that I rarely get more than the instructions for the next
step, though I'd love to have the entire course laid out for me that
doesn't seem to be how this teamwork works. ) But in the end you got
through, and now you have a deep faith based in 3 successful levels of
this course.

Scenario 4: The thick fog remains, you can not see the course, and now

you can barely hear your friend.  Fear sets in.  You know this level is
likely the hardest and you can only faintly hear your friend's voice in
the distance.  What happened? Why this change? Is there a CB radio?  Did
you wander to the wrong location? Why can't you hear them?!  Never the
less, the bell rings and it's time to begin.  You can barely make out
your friend's words.  Did they say 'duck' or 'jump?'  You're uncertain. 
The more you move, the more noise is made and the less you can hear
them.  What is going on? How can you do this? You can't see on your own,
and now, you can't hardly hear them?  All the work you've put into
building your faith and trust with your friend, seems pointless now, and
you have no idea how to succeed at this level.

What's the first thing you need to do?  Do you step out on your own and
grope around and feel and hope? Do you try to repair communication with
your friend, figure out why you can't hear them?  Do you cup your ears
and  try to listen harder?  By now you have learned that you can't
really succeed without either seeing the course yourself or hearing your
friend.  So which problem do you try to rectify first? Or do you even
try to fix either and just begin walking forward?  This level seems like
a cruel trick and yet, so many times in our lives we come to this scenario.

These scenarios are very likely to be obvious to you at this point. The
obstacle course is my life.  My friend is Jesus Christ, the all-knowing,
all-loving, humble savior of my soul.  I've found myself in all these scenarios
at one point or another in life, and I've come to the decision that my
favorite scenario, is scenario 3.  It seems that as long as I have a
close relationship with my Lord, I feel at ease doing the things He
instructs me to do while at the same time, I don't know 'what comes next'. This is scary and exhilarating but also forces me to rely on Christ and keep my ear tuned to Him. None of these scenarios are easy, the obstacle course without a friend is hard enough and requires athleticism and
confidence to even attempt. With a friend, with the Lord, it may not be
any easier, but you have something outside of yourself, with your best
interest at heart, helping you. You're not alone through it, and there
is a way to be victorious. There is someone at the end to celebrate
with.  There is hope. Even in Scenario 4, it is not hopeless because you
can hear that voice, all you have to do is focus on it, and by doing so,
it gradually becomes louder.  There is hope, there is help, you're not
alone.


There is a 5th scenario. One that I don't like to contemplate much.  It

is identical to Scenario 4, thick fog, inability to see very obstacle,
but in this scenario there is no voice of the friend.  You have no
friend that you trust that much, you haven't built that relationship, no
one seems to want to be your friend, or you have a hard time making
friends, or a hard time trusting people.  There are a lot of people who
have succeeded and failed at live in this scenario.  Sure you can get
through the obstacle course alone who needs a friend anyway?  But when
you get through it at the end, there is no one to hug, to jump up and
down with, no one as excited about your success as you, no one invested
in your win.  No one to celebrate with.  In those darkest hours there is
no hope. As you come to the end of yourself, there is nothing external
you have built trust in that you can rely on.  The dark times have no
light.

My friend is Jesus Christ. I have spent my life investing in trusting
Him and having faith in Him and He has never let me down. It took a
while to find Him, to find the real Him.  Lots of people want to tell
you about Him, but there's really only one way to truly get to know Him
and that's by reading the Gospels of the Bible yourself, and
understanding them.  Sometimes they can be hard to understand, so I find
it's best to find a translation where the words make sense, and then if
you get stuck on something, to really seek out truthful answers. 
There's a lot of charlatans out there who want to tell you about Jesus. 
It's best to just seek Him out on your own through the Bible, so you
know you won't be steered wrong.  I started in the Gospel according to John.

I met Jesus Christ when I was young, and at first He seemed like a bunch
of rules I had to follow, but as I went through life, and ran into those
difference Scenarios I listed, I learned to trust Him, and to love Him.
Oh man how I love Him.  The phrase people use these days is 'He's my
person.'  He gets me, my thoughts and dreams, He loves me in a personal
way.  He is my best friend of all time. I know that's odd to say seeing
as how I've never seen Him face to face, but I am super excited about
the day that I get to.  I want to rush through the obstacle course we
call life, and get there.  That's what's waiting for me at the end of
it.  Not riches or prizes like the t.v. show, but getting to see my best
friend, face to face, and hopefully give Him a big long bearhug. Like
one of those awkward hugs where other people are looking on going 'okay
man, that's long enough... wow that's a long hug! Enough, He's a busy
guy! Let Him go.'  And then Jesus says 'nah, let him be, I'm loving this
hug! I've waited a long time for this one.'

First Day In Heaven Wrapped Canvas

note:
This really isn't meant as way to define FAITH vs TRUST.  Some see FAITH
as being TRUST in spiritual things, whereas TRUST is believing in
scientific or empirical evidence.  To me the two words can be used
interchangeably in this example, save for the fact that there is an
action element to FAITH whereas TRUST doesn't always need to be acted
on, thought often is. Also I hate when people tell me 'how to feel' in
their writing. I am guilty of doing that in this, and I chose to do so
because of brevity, but also, this came to my mind as more of a sermon
than a blog entry, so it's meant to be spoken so you can hear the
emotion coming from me.

10/17/2019

Emotional Support Humans

Image result for picture of dog

I have seen a large uptick in people in hardware stores with multiple dogs around them.  I don't know about other stores, but hardware stores are where I hang out lately.  I heard one man say 'a dog is better than a man because they'll never cheat on you, never argue with you, never leave you.' and I thought 'dude, the definition of a 'dog' is that they'll 'procreate' with anything that moves... when a woman calls a man a dog.. she means, he is guilty of infidelity.  That's their thing.  And they do run away, all the time.

But I digress.

I believe the growing need for emotional support animals is indicative of our human failure.

We have failed to be decent to one another, to be kind, to be loyal, to be caring, to even smile at one another.  We've stopped being human to one another, and so, given that lack, people are turning to animals who mimick human traits and now, even out perform humanity in the areas of simply being 'human.'

Man's inhumanity to man... demonstrated, by replacing humanity.



10/03/2019

Caleb

The christian equivalent of the question "If you could choose a super power, which would it be?"  (that's an entire other blog post), is "Which person from the Bible do you most want to model your life after?"

When I was a young boy the answer was Joseph. I liked how he survived injustice and betrayal, and grew to a position of power. But as I became older I looked at him as more of a pompous youth and a bit unwise and full of braggadocio.  So I changed my mind.

When I was in college it was Barnabas.  Such an encourager.  I wanted to be an encourager, but I found it very difficult to get good at, and realize I didn't know a whole lot about Barnabas.
Today it's Caleb.  This guy is told to go spy out the land, finds it full of giants and comes back all excited. "Look at these huge grapes, they take 2 men to carry! This place is awesome! Sure there are big bad guys there, but if God says we can do it, WE CAN DO IT!"  Out of 12 people only 2 came back from the spy mission not depressed, and saying 'God can overcome'.  They remained faithful.  Then 45 years later, when he's in his 80's, because he remained faithful to God at that time, Caleb walks on the land the Lord gave him as a fulfillment of a promise.  45 years later. 


Some may ask 'why not want to be Joshua?'  No thanks.  He was the man in charge after Moses, he led the people wonderfully, made a few mistakes, won wars, lost a little, and did great things.  But I don't aspire to be the 'great things' guy.

I want to be the 'With the Lords help, we can overcome all obstacles" guy. The guy who is faithful, but you hear very little else about because he didn't do much else. His story is more about God than him. A guy who waits 45 years into his 80's before he sees the fulfillment of a promise given to him.  A patient guy, a faithful guy, and one whose life points more to God than to himself.

Of course I don't like the idea that only Caleb and Joshua survived. Of all the people alive at the time they went in to spy the land, only 2 were alive to enter it. I'm not sure I dig on the idea that I'd outlive all my friends and neighbors, that would be a sad undertaking.  But if I were Caleb I'd probably not be worrying too much about that, I'd probably be thinking 'well, the Lord made a promise so I figure I'm still around until he fulfills it. And look! I'm 80 something but I'm still strong and can still fight! Let me at 'em!'

Yeah I like Caleb.





9/24/2019

Owens Update Sept 2019


Dear Partners,

Our last update we told you that Sydney and Calvin are both getting settled at William Jessup University in Rocklin, CA.  They seem to be really enjoying school.  Calvin is making friends and enjoying classes.


Sydney has a full schedule with classes, choir, leadership, and her role in the Jessup theater department's production of Picnic.

Chad and I have been busy too.  One of the things we've needed to sort out upon returning to the US is a long term housing solution.  We are so grateful for the missionary house we are currently staying in, but it is a temporary housing solution, so we've been looking to figure out where we go from here. We're also getting a bit itchy to put down some roots. With so many questions about the future, we're beginning to feel a bit weary of this "limbo" stage we are in.

As you may know, the California bay area housing market is difficult, but we are convinced that this is where the Lord has called us to return to. After several weeks of visiting homes for sale, the Lord (with the help of a great realtor) led us to a townhouse that will be our new home!  We've just closed escrow and will be moving in the next couple of weeks! 

For us, this is a story of God's provision and abundant blessing that begins back to 2007 when we first went to Papua New Guinea.  Days before we left for PNG in March of 2007, God provided an unexpected bonus from Chad's job a Cisco Systems here in the Bay area.  We used that money to purchase a home in PNG which provided stability for our family during our 12 years there.  When you live in a community where friends and neighbors are constantly coming and going, it's a blessing to have a consistent place to call home.  Our home in PNG was a place where we could rest during the challenges of living overseas and a place where we could encourage and minister to others through hospitality. Our hope has been that wherever we settle here in the US, we could continue to use our home to bless and encourage others. 

When we sold our house in PNG earlier this year, God gave us back that bonus money from Cisco and we were able to use those funds for a down payment on our new home in San Jose, California! We'll be moving into our new home in the next couple of weeks and can't wait to welcome guests!  Being a good steward of the funds that our partners supply us with has been a huge burden on our hearts and moving into the Bay Area with its additional costs caused us to really search if this was the right way to use money.  God blessed us above and beyond by making the funds for closing Escrow come from non-missionary sources!  He knew over 12 years ago that we'd be touchy about that, and He provided a way for us so long ago.  We are very thankful for that. 
How awesome is it that a job Chad held in 2007 funded a down payment a house for us in 2019?  God is so good!


For those wondering 'does this mean we no longer contribute to Chad and Kendal financially?'  The answer as always is to do as the Lord leads you.  We are still employed by Wycliffe and will be traveling to churches to talk about God's story in Papua New Guinea.  We will be incurring extra expenses there, and also have expenses in getting setup in this area.  (yes we have a house, but no plates, pots n pans, blankets, etc).  So many people have been donating furniture and we are thankful for that.  We are dedicated to being good stewards of your trust and funds.  At this time we are still seeking our next assignment, and we will be informing you of any major changes that come up.  As many of you have indicated you're willing to stay with us until June of 2020, and we are overwhelmed by your generosity and faithfulness to help us re-settle.  If new information comes along before that June time frame, we will let you know.  

Thank you all so much.
 -Chad and Kendal

(email or private message us for the new address)


4/11/2019

Where You At?

It has come to my attention that various web pages and Facebook groups
have picked up my blog without consulting me, and/or without giving me
credit as the original source or a courtesy link to my blog.

Would you please help me find out who is doing this?  I've had a few
friends shut down their blogs because of this lack of internet etiquette
and it is the primarily reason I have not posted recently.

If you read this.. please email chad@gimpel.tv and with the subject:
YOURBLOG and include the URL or the GROUP name where you found this blog
entry.

Thank you.

-Chad