DuaneFriesen.com

I’m currently in Texas over the Christmas/New Years holiday.  Today Central Texas had numerous tornado warnings.  (KWTX)  It even affected President Bush.  He waited out the storm in an armored vehicle. (Click here for story)  Thankfully all we received was rain (which is much needed).

At least that is the title of the Austin American-Statesman article on two Mennonite groups in Texas. One of the groups happens to be the church I grew up in. I am sure some things are quite different now than when the original report was written. Click here to read.
The “Quiet of the Land” is (the sub title to the book) doesn’t totally impress me. I know we are called to maintain the Scripture, but aren’t we called to more than this. I don’t just want live a peaceful, passionless life. I want to make a difference.  I want a battle to fight. A battle bigger than what I am able to accomplish.

Maybe the word I’d like to add to the “Quiet of the Land” is another word by which Mennonites and Anabaptist have been called – “The Radicals”. Somehow this feels more alive. I do however believe that we need both.

Sunday afternoon I went with a couple of friends to the Germantown area of Philadelphia. Germantown is where the first Mennonite church house in America is located. The Mennonite church in this are has basically just become a museum. It has virtually no positive influence on the people in that area.

Germantown now has a strong Muslim population. Many of the people in this area are converts to Islam. We came across a restaurant which had booths with curtains along the side. This is so the woman could unveil their faces in front of their families in private.  I found this fascinating.
We had a good afternoon talking with friends.

“My Grandmother is over eighty and still doesn’t need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle.”
- Henny Youngman

Recently a relative of mine had a colonoscopy performed. In her conversation with the nurse they spoke about my family’s cancer history.  Somewhere the nurse must have put it together that we might be related or know each other. The nurse asked how I was doing and went on to say that she had helped my GI doctor perform the colonoscopy on me when they discovered my cancer (August 1, 2002). She said, “I didn’t think he would make it.”

Well, I’m still here. I credit this to “The Healer” – Jesus Christ. There are times when I am hit with the seriousness of my situation, and realize in a little way what God has done in my physical body. I think it is so awesome. I just want to live to make life count.

BTW – I have had some of the world’s best doctors, surgeons, and nurses. I have been blessed.

National Geographic has an interesting story about the popular portrait of the Afghan girl. Seventeen years later they tracked down the girl who is now a woman and mother.

Click here or on the picture to read the story.

I wonder what the story is behind those eyes. I wonder what pain and hardship she has been through. I wonder what dreams she has had which have died.

Our Father wants people to go to people bringing them hope. To rekindle their ability to hope and dream. To bring them the only Hope there is – our Messiah Jesus Christ.

The angles were excited about Jesus’ birth. Finally our God had entered into our world! Hope had come! Those who are followers of the Messiah long to do the same – Enter into peoples lives, bringing hope.

Here are some words from Michael Card which have inspired me.

Weep with those who weep

A child screams from pain in a cancer ward.

A mother drapes her body over a murdered child in the ghetto.

A husband makes the silend determination that he’s going to give up on his marriage.

A teenager sits desolate in the corner of a class, her self-image ravaged by unfeeling classmates.

An elderly woman gets the final diagnosis.

Jesus… wept with those who were weeping. He used suffering to save the world.

-Michael Card from his album cover for “The Hidden Face of God”

Josh McDowell gave a powerful two part presentation on Focus on the Family.  This is a must listen.  It is powerful and heart-twisting.

You can listen to it on OnePlace.com for a little while.  Click here for the link to Part 1

Good stuff

Last Tuesday at our children/youth Bible study my friend Jethro was driving on one of the van routes.  He was trying to concentrate on driving the van and speaking on his cellular phone at the same time.  One of the boys in the van was speaking  loudly, causing a distraction for Jethro’s phone conversation.  Without thinking, Jethro reached over to turn down the stereo…. OOPS…. Wrong volume control.

So is life… at times.