You mean Paul?

My niece, who will be three next month, attended Vacation Bible School (VBS) within the last few weeks where she apparently learned quite a few Bible stories. I heard part of a video of her telling about them. She talked about Jonah (which is cool because we've been talking a lot about that particular prophet and his story around here recently) and she talked about someone else.

On the video I hear my mom ask her, "What happened to Saul?" to which she readily responded, (complete with "country" accent) "You mean Paul?" and they go on from there. Hearing her sweet little voice pose this question reminded me of another name change.

There was a man who joined us for several days of our Project:Camp 1. Once upon a time his name was Muhammad. Now he is called Josef. Josef is a 50 year old Irani man who is in Germany as a refugee, a political exile of his own country. As I said he spent several days with us and joined us in the work we are doing in K-town.

He did a lot of yard work and cleaning up around the buildings- some demanding physical labor. He also spent a lot of time learning English. Smart cat! I got to work with him quite a few times and he would ask questions and have me write down words or phrases (if he didn't write them down himself). Then, I would slide the notebook back over to him for him to make notes in his native tongue, Farsi. It was amazing. He learned a lot of English that week and has hopes that it may even help him get a particular job he is thinking about.

In the course of time Josef shared parts of his story. His life has had many sad and hard times. Josef has 3 children who are still in Iran. One is a teenager and two are young adults in their twenties- the same age as the 12 people he spent his week with. He hasn't seen them (nor spoken to them, I believe) in many years. He has lived in Germany for 8 years and said that his week with us was the happiest in those years.

He was working hard, sharing one shower with 12 other people, didn't know the main language being spoken, and was sleeping on a roll-a-way bed in a room with another person. The happiest week in 8 years. He was welcomed, loved, and a part of us.

It's amazing what love can do. How it can make you feel -- and not just being loved, but loving too. A smile, kind word, a glass of water amidst hard work, a walk to town and ice cream to celebrate even small successes...all ways to show love. It's amazing what love can do...and what Love did.

He Restores My Soul

Our guest speaker/teacher out first week of Project: Camp spoke on a number of topics over the course of the week including one day on personal time with God. He said a number of things that made me think or nod my head in agreement. Things like, “We spend too much time trying to understand God instead of enjoying and getting to know Him.” Or, something I’ve heard him say a few times, “God is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be entered in to.”

We talked about the fact that spending time with God, like building any other relationship, isn’t to be based on a formula but our teacher was kind enough to give us a bit of an outline to start from as we explored the 23rd Psalm on our own.

I started by reading this passage familiar to many,
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me…

After reading the whole thing through a couple of times one key phrase stuck out to me- “He restores my soul.” He restores my soul.

Now, I don’t know much which is to say I know very little about restoring artwork but I began thinking about the process of restoring an artwork and paraphrased the statement. He makes my soul beautiful again.

God alone restores my soul- he’s the only one who can (HE). He makes it beautiful again, bringing it back to its original beauty, intention, design, etc (RESTORES). God desires not just to bring restoration to the world and people around me but to me too (MY). Finally, I consider my soul- it is central or at least a crucial, key part of my being (my soul, center of my beauty and passion) (SOUL).

He restores my soul; he makes my soul beautiful again.

Table for Two

Lyrics by Artist(Band):Caedmon's Call

Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes,
Talkin' 'bout soccer
And how every man's just the same
We made speculation
On the who's and the when's of our futures
And how everyone's lonely
But still we just couldn't complain

And how we just hate being alone
Could I have missed my only chance
And now I'm just wasting my time
By looking around
But you know I know better
I'm not gonna worry 'bout nothing
Cause if the birds and the flowers survive
Then I'll make it okay
I'm given a chance and a rock
see which one breaks a window
See which one keeps me up all night and into the day

Because I'm so scared of being alone
That I forget what house I live in
But it's not my job to wait by the phone
For her to call

Well this day's been crazy
But everything's happened on schedule
from the rain and the cold
To the drink that I spilled on my shirt
'Cause You knew how You'd save me
before I fell dead in the garden
And You knew this day
long before You made me out of dirt

And You know the plans that You have for me
And You can't plan the end and not plan the means
And so I suppose I just need some peace
Just to get me to sleep.