Cleaning River Day

Yesterday was the fourth installment of me going out with the locals and cleaning the local rivers. The good thing was that it didn't rain on us while we were working. But it poured afterwards.

We were working a pretty hard place with lots of debris to get out of the river. The gnats were awful. Even with citronella, I got bit a couple times on the tops of my hands. Not only that but one of the Frenchies on our équipe (team) kept hitting me with cut debris. He was not paying attention and just kept jerking stuff around which usually walloped me in the side or back. I increased my vocabulary, so that was good. My favorite was fubu (br) and fléau (fr).

The meal afterwards was splendid as always. The first course was a slice of cantaloup, lettuce with a sardine, radishes, some bamboo type things, and grated carrots. The next was St. Jacques on pie crust (scallops). The main dish was either duck or lamb. Someone said duck, but I think I heard someone else say lamb. I would be more inclined to think it was lamb. After that we had the cheese dish which included three different slices of different types of cheese. The only one I recognized was Brie. I was not too impressed with the other. And for dessert, we were served a local far, my least favorite, but i ate most of it except the prune. Shortly after the coffee, we all left.

I was so tired I came home and had to take a 30 minute nap. And today my back is a little sore. Can't wait till next week.

Are Causes hamartia?

I went to church on Sunday.

I went to a, what looked to me like a younger tamer version of, Woodstock festival on Saturday.

I found some interesting differences between the two events. Now the "Woodstock"-like festival was a local Celtic festival celebrating a huge mark for, we'll say, local Celtic studies. So obviously, it was nothing like the French church service. Those differences are evident but we might as well mention them anyway. The festival was lively with lots of music, lots of dancing, lots of beer and local cider, lots of people, and lots of fun all culminating in one weekend. The church service happens every weekend with the same few people, little music (well there is more music than anything else), little enthusiasm, little interaction, and overall little benefit.

But the differences I saw were over the importance of incorporating social justice into the lives of those in attendance. Let me try to illustrate this. All over the church I see signs encouraging people to get involved in social justice causes mainly by buying commerce equitable (fair trade or the French site) products. One gets the feeling that if you buy fair trade you are being a good Christian. OK, fine. I have no problem with fair trade (except in some cases with cotton but that's another post).

At the Celtic festival I found a booth where people were selling various products and people ready to get you involved in making sure everyone gets a fair trade around the world (ohh, except Coke, and they are evil just because they are). I've even had the chance to talk to one of the more outspoken advocates of fair trade; I happened to be near her when I ordered a glass of that Satanic brew.

These are two institutions having the same goal; involvement in a cause for the betterment of humanity. But are these two groups being properly involved in the greatest good? What's the importance or even motivation to be more involved in social justice? I thought about this during the sermon when I heard the French version of Matthew 6:33 where righteousness in French is rendered justice. That may satisfy Christians who need a biblical mandate to get them more interested in social justices. But for others, they are motivated to get involved as a result of being affected by something even bigger than the cause of the day. However, if the Christian thinks that being more socially active ensures that he is a good Christian, then he has missed the mark. I am not saying social justice is not something good for a Christian. Sure it is. If you have seen the movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce, you have seen an example of how getting involved in social justice projects can have a huge impact on those around you. I am saying that, for a Christian, being involved in any cause without being connected to an even higher goal is missing the mark. He's simply getting involved to look good and possibly for selfish reasons.

The same is true for our earthy friends who put all their energies into their "causes," whether it be fair trade or something else. All of us want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. So, often social causes are a way to participate in something larger than ourselves. Stopping AIDS in Africa, promoting recycling, bring attention to child abuse, or buying fair trade products are all great in and of themselves. When one is involved in a project with others for a common goal, one can have this bigger-than-me feeling fulfilled. But it's not enough. Sure, one may be remembered as a great philanthropist and have a huge commemorative statue erected on their behalf. People may look to this one as an example, but the mark has been missed. It's been missed, in my humble opinion, because righting wrongs in society is the indirect result of people being in touch with the greatest good, God. Otherwise, we all become idol worshipers missing the Creator himself and helping others for pure self promotion.

Thoughts from Michael Frost

Just came back from a great conference where Michael Frost was the speaker. I like this guy. I like him because I find his church frame is somewhat more balanced than the house/cell/organic groups. He's not against the traditional model of church and at the same time he doesn't mind searching for other forms of church that may be more effective. Bravo.

The first thing that caught my attention was when he said we lack imagination. Something within me wanted to go out a be more creative.

He went on to say that we spend an incredible amount of energy on those just outside the church door (he estimates about 20% of the non-Christian population). What he meant was that the way we talk about our faith is only affective to those who have exposure to the church. He wants to know how things would look differently engaging the other 80%.

It would look different in that the church's function would be "missional" rather than "attractional." This simply means (and oversimplified at that) that we stop creating things for people to come to (i.e. come to our church because we have a good preacher, a good choir, a great children's program, a wonderful youth ministry, watch the Superbowl together, drink Starbucks on our campus, go bowling, go hunting-well, you fill in the blank) and start going to where they are.

I kinda thought that was what we were suppose to be doing anyway, but it was nice to hear it from his perspective. I do not know where or when it was decided that the church was for non-Christians. I've always thought that the church was for those already "in," not for those without faith. However, those without faith are welcome, even though it could be a dangerous place for them. They may actually believe in Jesus. But I did not know that the church was suppose to cater to the heathen. Somewhere along the way, she (the church) has thought she needed to become more "attractive," and she has decked herself out in all sorts of fancy dresses and put on all sorts of make-up. Nice look but not too many more are running to her.

MF believes there are about 4 functions of the church. 1) Worship 2) Discipleship 3) Fellowship and 4)Mission. A healthy church will be committed to all four at the same time equally. But often what has happened is that the church has focused on worship to be a catalyst for the others. This has caused a somewhat attractional looking church. MF proposes having mission be the catalyst for the other functions. To be missional would mean having a sense of "sentness" as well as being for others. MF made an interesting observation concerning this. He's Australian. He's been to America and said that in American culture the motto is "Bloom where you are planted," meaning American move around a lot. He says that maybe he's a "rare species" that can only live under certain conditions. He's lived his entire life in Australia, in fact, not too far from where he grew up. He thinks to be effective, you must establish roots. Granted, fly-by-nights are not very effective. They give the sense of guerrilla gospel encounters. Go in, make a presentation, get out, and hope the bombs go off. I think we agree that this is the least effective means of evangelizing. However, you can make the most of the time that you are in a place. You can establish roots in American society. I truly believe this is simply a cultural misunderstanding, and even a cultural feature he dislikes about America. But the way it sounds to me is that he's missional enough but not so much missionarial. I am thinking about exploring this in more detail later. I am all for an incarnational approach.

Another thing that got my attention was his PT APEs. These are the various leadership styles of the church. P (Pastors) T (Teachers) A (Apostles) P (Prophets) E (Evangelists). Each church needs all 5 to function effectively. I look forward to reading and exploring his ideas of leadership in The Shaping of Things to Come (and see this link) which he co-authored with Alan Hirsch.

I took away several good points from the conference. Now, it's time to figure out how to apply them.

Tag Time

I've been able to escape the many tags of late, but I just got tagged. I don't mind doing these things every once and awhile and since this is a-once-and-awhile thing, I've decided to do it. In this tag I am suppose to write 100 random true things about me. I was chosen because it was thought I would provide the most humor. Sorry to disappoint. =(Afterwards, I get to tag others. Haha.

1. I love vanilla ice cream, but the real kind not French vanilla or vanilla bean, YUCK.
2. I've almost joined the military 3 times in my life. In case you are wondering, I have no more ambitions of doing that.
3. The furthest north I've ever traveled is Helsinki, Finland.
4. The furthest south I've ever traveled is Zaracosa, Mexico.
5. The furthest west I've ever traveled is Possum Kingdom, Texas.
6. The furthest east I've ever traveled is Amman, Jordan.
7. I thought at one time I wanted to be a postal carrier.
8. I've eaten glass by accident and survived.
9. I have a scar on my left thumb that I got when I was either four or five. I had this tricycle, and I turned it upside down, and with my hands I peddled the front wheel. After obtaining a high speed, my hand slipped and was cut by the spokes. I can't remember much about it.
10. I have a scar on the underside of my right pinky. I was washing dishes one day and stuck my hand in the glass and it broke cutting my finger.
    
11. I ran my go-cart into my dad's dog pen when I was young and dislodged a concrete pole. I used to ride my go-cart on this "track" around this pine tree in our yard. Well, one day I thought I knew the track well enough to drive around the track with my eyes close. What a surprise when I came to a screeching halt confused and with a bloody nose.
12. I really did used to be a fashion model. I was actually on our local TV channel with a girl who ended up on the front cover of Seventeen magazine.
13. I showed up in blue jeans and a T-Shirt on the day I was inducted into the Honor Society in high school. I had forgotten I was suppose to dress up.
    
14. I've always wanted to do a morning radio show. The only qualification is to be obnoxious early in the morning to get people awake. I could so do that.
15. My favorite breakfast food is biscuits and gravy. However, knowing what makes gravy, I am less inclined to eat it.
    
16. I used to be on my school's Scott Hi-Q team. One day, on the final question, I gave everyone a shock by ringing in moments after a math question had been read. You have 60 seconds to answer it, and you get one chance. We couldn't afford to get it wrong. And it is best to discuss with your team. But I did none of that. Everyone,waited in horror, and even Bob Grip from the local news was stunned, but said, "Yes, that is correct." I had worked it out in my head as he read it. He even mentioned it the following year at a practice tournament.
17. The first time I rode my go-cart I almost hit the corner of our next door neighbor's house. A bush slowed me down enough, and I had the presence of mind to turn the wheel to the left. I had my eyes open (see #11) but was going full blast.
18. Years later I actually did hit the corner of my own house with my car. The yard was wet, and I hit the brakes too hard in the yard resulting in said collision.
    
19. I think Mrs. Hester (Sophomore and Senior English) was one of the best teachers I've ever had. She is not responsible for any grammar mistakes I make while writing.
20. With the help of my high school science teachers, I built the best bridge in the State of Alabama for the Science Olympiad in 1991.
21. I played soccer when I was in 4th grade.
22. The first movie I remember seeing at the theater was 101 Dalmatians.
23. I dream in color most of the time. A good bit of the time the colors are sharper than in real life. Other times, the colors are duller. Most mornings I can remember parts of what I dreamed the night before. If I would have written them down, I could have been a best selling author.
24. Speaking of writing, I do not particularly enjoy it. However, I love blogging and have 6 blogs. This is by far my most active. The others are mainly to practice writing in foreign languages. I've actually started 3 other blogs but have since deleted them from cyberspace.
25. In kindergarten, I was elected prince of my class. But everyday at practice for our fall festival, I cried. I guess I was scared of the princess. On the day of the festival, I did not cry though.
    
26. I used to work at a Cancer Research Lab when I was at university. My boss had been my grandmother's doctor. While working there, he was the doctor of another man who had cancer I knew at the time. (His funeral was my first to perform.)
    
27. I almost passed out the first time I saw a "rat being bleed"
28. Arterial blood is one of the most distinctive neon red colors in this universe.
29. I got into trouble in 4th grade for singing the words, "Turn the page" during music class. However, the teacher just thought it was me, it was actually Alan Faith who sung the words. My mom had a chat with her and got it all straightened out.
30. I graduated from high school as a minority (white Caucasian).
31. The first time I rode my first motocycle, I almost hit a tree. Somehow, I had it at full throttle and froze. Fortunately, I missed the tree, and tall grass slowed me down and made me slide and release the throttle. No one was hurt in this incident. Praise God.
32. I have been living in France for just over two years.
    
33. In 11th grade for Black History Month, I analysed Little Black Sambo for my class project. I had no idea it was racist. I must have really messed it up because my project was pro-African.
34. My first dog was a Feist named Snoopy.
35. My first cat was a Persian named Porky. His face was not flat enough to be a show cat, but I liked him anyway. I did hate the hair and the BATHS!
36. One of my favorite cats was a solid white Turkish Angora named Smurf (she had blue eyes).
    
37. In kindergarten, I had to say all 26 Bible verses for a school program because the girl who was suppose to do half of them didn't know them well enough to do it. This is the same girl who was voted class princess with me (see #25).
38. I have met Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin) but at two different times.
39. I graduated third in my high school class. I just barely missed being salutatorian. The guy who beat me was a star football player. So, while he was getting an A in P.E., I was trying to keep my head above water in AP Calculus with a B.
40. I drink the milk first before I eat my cereal.
41. I have had several raccoons for pets. They are my favorite type of pet.
42. I am highly allergic to oak. Within seconds of being exposed my throat begins to tighten followed by sneezing and itchy watery eyes.
43. I started preaching at 19.
44. The smallest group I have addressed is two.
45. The largest group I have addressed is around 400.
46. Subjects I have taught as a professional: French, Spanish, German, ESL, Journalism, Speech, Career Development, and Year Book.
    
47. I pastored my first (and so far only) church at 23.
48. I used to be a courier for an engineering firm in the Dallas/Forth Worth area to help pay for seminary.
49. I find it funny to get a forward from someone who starts the email with, "I never do forwards, but this was..."
50. For three summers, I went to a gospel singing school. Great times.
51. My favorite place on this planet is Jerusalem, Israel.
52. Loyalty is one of the things I highly value. In saying that I know I am not as loyal as I should be.
53. I prefer a gasoline lawnmower over an electric one.
54. I've had a quack operate on me and cut an artery.
55. The only bone that I have broken to date is my nose. I was playing "catch" in middle school, and one of the older kids threw a softball very hard at me. The ball hit the top of my glove then my nose.
56. I blacked out two times on my 30th birthday. Both times I was riding the Titan at Six Flags Arlington.
57. Some days I actually miss teaching. I even miss the students too (sometimes).
58. I have picked many a pecan.
59. My first gun was a CO2 BB pistol.
60. I actually owned a Timex Sinclair 1000.
61. If I have to write I prefer a pen and paper.
62. I usually have a favorite pen, and I do not like to write with any other pen except my favorite one. I'd rather spend the extra minutes searching for my favorite pen than to write without it.
63. I've met Shirley Muldowney.
64. I have never enjoyed Space Mountain at Disney World.
65. Mr. Camp turned me on to math in 6th grade. I enjoyed having Ms. Horn (Geometry) and Ms. Cross (Algebra 2 and AP Calculus) as my high school math teachers.
66. I have been to Qumram Cave 1 (and it is not in the Israeli National Park).
67. I hate tomatoes and coconuts.
68. My favorite color is purple. And the reason is because red and blue make purple. Now, this is not a girly purple. It's the purple you get from black light on white (usually clothing).
    
69. Ms. Price turned me on to science in the 5th grade.
70. My 6th grade science teacher was one of the candidates for the Teacher in Space program. We watched the tragic Challenger explosion live on Jan 28, 1986.
71. I am an ISTJ on the Myers-Briggs who was fortunate to marry an ENFP. God does have a sense of humor.
72. I won a "Best of Show" trophy for my dad by showing one of his hunting dogs at a local hunting association.
    
73. My high school vice principal became my boss.
74. If I had to drink a hot drink, it would be mint tea.
75. I hate coffee.
76. I learned to read by Phonics, and I think we should ban Whole language altogether everywhere in the world.
    
77. It was neat the day my former teachers became my colleagues.
78. My mom has given me a love for books.
79. The first foreign language I studied was Spanish in 7th grade. My second was German also in 7th grade.
80. I used to collect coins. I should get back into that.
81. Several of my family members race cars.
82. I know what a scupinon is and have eaten some. But I nor anyone else on the internet knows how to spell it.
83. Who would have known that in university for my study abroad program in Paris, France, that I'd ever be back and actually live in France?
84. I never desired to live in France. I thought (still think) there are better places to live.
85. I had the same 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Criswell.
86. I have dug for diamonds in Arkansas for an anniversary.
87. I have been to Mexico only to spend the night at a bus station then return home.
88. For the longest time as a kid I thought the Coca-Cola Bottling plant in our town was the capital.
89. I would love to go on an archaeological dig at Hazor.
90. Words I am tired of hearing, "strategy, end-vision, emergent church, postmodern, postmodern Christianity, evangelical, John Piper, 'I am Reformed,'" and many other Christanese en vogue fads.
91. I have spent the night in the hotel that JFK stayed the night before he was killed.
92. I have also spent the night at the supposed place where Jesse James died.
93. I actually do not mind snails (les escargots) nor goose liver (la foie gras).
94. My friend Jeff introduced me to weird looking sausages of France. My personal favorite is wild boar.
95. I can actually type without looking at the keyboard, but not in any way is my method "standard."
96. I have practiced literal feetwashing and think is is more than a metaphor.
97. I have never published (except for my thesis).
98. I have never been to the Grand Canyon.
99. I lived very close to the USS Alabama and have never visited it.
    
100. I know W will use this list against me probably sooner rather than later.

And who will I tag? No one. But if you want to do this, tell me and I will come to your site and read what you've written.

Wild at Heart

Today, I feel I have earned my title "pecheur." As most of you know, the word "pecheur" is a play on two French words. Depending on how you write the accent you get either pécheur (i.e. sinner) or pêcheur (i.e. fisherman). I picked this name for my online identity when I was writing my thesis on sea monsters (leviathan) and the relationship to God's kingship. It was an attempt to keep the marine theme going.

Obviously, I've earned the pécheur title. That's an ongoing recurrence. But I had hoped to earn the pêcheur title sooner seeing that I live so close to both fresh and salt water here in France. And that day has come.

Today, I went with the locals (those who form the French equivalent of the Fish and Wildlife Service, know as the AAPPMA or Association Agréée pour la Pêche et la Protection du milieu Aquatique) to help clean the various river beds around town.

We started about 8AM (in the rain) and I knew I was in trouble when I noticed that everyone had shown up with hip boots on (waders). The leader asked me if I had some "boots" other than my tennis shoes. Fortunately, I had some wellies that came up about half calf. Next, I was issued a pair of gloves and an instrument that I later found out is called a billhook. As far as I know, I've never seen one of the things before, and I certainly had no idea what it was used for.

Off we go to the river.

This was a trilingual situation: French, English (half of the group was Brits), and the local Celtic language. I was hoping to get on a 'Celtic' team, but ended up with the Brits. It was probably best though so that I could know what to do. Besides, I learned a ton about the outdoors from these guys. You see, I am familiar with nature from my neck of the woods back in the States, but there are different sorts of trees and plants here I do not know.

At 9:30 AM we had our first break which included a photo opt for the local newspaper and her being told I was an American (who was studying the local language and culture). She was intrigued and got my telephone number and will probably call soon for an interview. YIKES!!!

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the day. I had a sense of accomplishment being able to see the results at the end of the day. Several words and phrases keep coming to mind that expressed what I was feeling.

Fulfilled, Adventurous, Blessed, Nature/Outdoors, Feeling like a kid again trouncing through the woods like I used to with my dad, Helping the environment, Tired, Dirty, Fresh water smelly, Pricked, Confused, Wet, Accomplished, High schooler learning tree names by their leaves, Included, Satisfied, A Fisherman.

Not so great gift

Nearly every day we look forward to getting the mail (la poste). We do so because we never know when we might get a fun surprise from someone.

Today, I got a not so great gift in the mail. I can't use it, and it's going to cost me money. So, please do not send me another gift like this! Please!

Now before you think I am being ungrateful, let me tell you what the gift was. Exactly a week ago today, I got flashed. That means I got my picture taken by a stationary traffic control radar. Yep, I've gotten my first speeding ticket in France. Usually, these type of radars are marked by signs telling you that a radar is ahead. When we were in driving school, we were told that the government of France was not out to make money on moving violations; the signs are there so you would indeed slow down. That's a bunch of bologna! I had believed this lie until last week.

I had just entered a roundabout and as soon as I exited onto my road, I noticed a car to the left on the shoulder. There was a car in front of me, and I had not yet begun to accelerate (this road has about a 3% decline so you don't need to even touch the accelerator). Just about the time I noticed that this car was an unmarked stationary radar, it flashed and took my picture. The camera was hidden inside the rear door. The ticket said I was going 56 km/h in a 50 km/h zone (basically doing 35mph in 30 mph zone). At least with a cop, you might get some leniency!! But with a radar, no mercy. Yikes!!

I've paid it online and life goes on, with less points on my learner's six point license.

Bienvenue chez les ch'tis

I did it!!

With some success I have watched my very first French film in French (without subtitles) about France at the movie theater. The movie I mentioned in my previous post lived up to its reputation. This is a fabulous movie and the best thing is that I actually got some of the jokes!!

Now a little note on French movie going. We have been going to the movies in France for awhile, so we've gotten use to the procedure. But it's a little different than in the States, as I hope you can see. We decided to go to a matinée on a Saturday hoping for a reduction in price. No such luck. We still had to pay 8 euros each (check the current conversion in the links.). That's almost double what you'd pay in the States (it's because the dollar is SO weak against the Euro right now). We bought our ticket around 15h20 (3:20 PM) which was about 30 minutes before the movie was advertised to start. Then, instead of going into the theater (la salle), we had to stand in line outside the room. Somewhere around 15h45 (3:45 PM), the room was open, and we were allowed to go in.

It was a very nice theater with a lot of room (this is not always the case). I do not think there could have been a bad seat (also not a given). The seats even had cup holders (a rare thing). And being the good little French movie goers that we are, we brought in our own Cokes and candy (not bought at the movie theater, mind you). However, I did notice some people did have popcorn (this is a first) that they had bought in the lobby. We sat there looking at the white screen with pleasant music playing (no advertisements or silly movie quizzes). At 15h50 (3:50 PM), the time the movie was listed to start, the room became dark, and the screen lit up with maybe 4 previews. The movie began...

Afterwards, we exited through a different door than we entered. Although this is for us a bit odd, it is well designed since you exit near the restrooms, and you do not get in the way of the next group waiting at the door. Sadly, the facilities were filthy, not nice and clean as back home (but this seems normal for all public toilets-if you can find them).

This city has a Domino's Pizza, and we could not pass up getting a buy-one-get-one-free deal for supper. Not only that, we got to help two American Navy boys who were struggling to get their food. They had not seen the light of day for 15 days. This was their first international tour and their first stop on that tour.

Am I the last person in France to see this movie?

I have never heard so much buzz over the latest French block buster Bienvenue chez les ch'tis.

It's about a dude who gets "mutated" (or moved) to the North part of France in Picardy, where they speak a little different. He has a hard time being understood as well as understanding.

I've been told I will not be able to get all the jokes, but nonetheless I should see it because it's just a great film.

I've tried to summarize the movie and give you the advert for it.

Phillip Abrams is a business manager in a certain city in Provence in the South. He's married to Julie, whose depressive character makes his life impossible. In order to be happy, he fraudulently gets a job transfer to the French Riviera. But he is found out, and he will be transfered to Bergues, in the far North instead.
For the Abrams, Southerners full of prejudice, the North is an horrible, icy place, populated by hicks who belch out an incomprehensible language, Picard. Phillip will be going there by himself. And to his great surprise he finds a charming place, a warm team, some welcoming people, and makes a friend with Antoine, the postman among others. When Phillip returns to Provence, Julie has a hard time believing that he liked the North. She even thinks that he is lying to her to get her to move. In order to satisfy her and make things simple, he indeed convinces her that life in Bergues is hell. From then on he sinks into a comfortable lie...