Lent Day 2: Is your glass full or empty?

A scene we'll miss: MT rivers

How life feels depends on our focus. Ditto for Lent.

Participants choose to dwell on what they're doing without (feeling deprived) or on what they're gaining (feeling full and satisfied in Christ).

This year is filled with change for W and me. We're transitioning from life-as-we-know-it to a completely new environment (moving from Seattle to Indonesia), tackling new work (from university faculty to language students), and experiencing a new culture (from American to Indonesian). We don't have much concrete information, but we assume:

1. There will be more unknowns than certainties in our future
2. We will experience many shocks in transitioning to a foreign land
3. We're moving into a vibrant and old culture, finding new friendships and participating in adventures we couldn't dream up "back home"
4. God has called us to this so we're excited to go
5. Every loss here prepares us to open our hands and hearts to new relationships and experiences there
6. Our glass is being emptied in order to be filled to the brim and overflowing

Beauty everywhere: we're leaving
our Seattle forest behind,
for the jungles of Indo

Aren't you grateful that God sent Jesus from the perfection of heaven to the messiness of earth? Until He experienced life and death among us, we could not be healed from what ails us.

So, does your glass feel empty or full? Are you focused on gratitude or worried about not having enough?

Here's a bonus for those of you interested in culture and how people live in other parts of the world? We'll be sending a weekly photo and cultural note from Bandung. If you'd like it emailed to you, send us your e-address: rosemee@hotmail.com with the subject line: Bandung.

Read more:

*They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock. Isaiah 48:21 ESV

*For this is what the high and exalted One says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 NIV

*Jesus says, "Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." John 4:14 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Lord, the waters of your Spirit refresh our souls and sustain us through the desert times of our lives. May your name ever be praised. Amen.

CS Lewis, from The Weight of Glory: 

If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you had asked almost any of the great Christians of old, he would have replied, Love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance. The negative idea of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point. 

I do not think this is the Christian virtue of Love. The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self- denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. 

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

A New Year and new expectations

Indonesian moth: ah, the adventures ahead!

How do you approach each new year? Some possibilities:

• Ignore it. "It's an artificial marker, created by other people."
• Celebrate it. "It's a new beginning. I'm glad I get another year."
• Reflect on it. "What was good last year? What could be improved in the new year?"
• Resent it. "Nothing has changed. I don't like where I am and what I do."
• Resolve for it. "This year will be different! I want to accomplish my goals."

However you approach the coming year, I hope you're hopeful, filled to the brim with God's joy and lovingkindness. Here are some ideas to help us make the most of it:

The past and the future: granddaughter
K plays with my childhood "Johnny-doll"

1. Have realistic expectations. If we didn't live a perfect year last time around, we probably will have some challenges this year, too. Life happens. Good and bad. Interesting and boring. Full of highs and lows. Thrilling and depressing.
       I'm glad nothing takes God by surprise, even when we feel blind-sided.
2. Focus on important things. Let's align our dreams with lasting values. Relationships with God and others - expressed in time, energy, work, and play - will shape everything else.
       A great tip is to choose a word that expresses the focus of the coming year. Mine is "gratitude," as we set the past aside for new adventures ahead. What's yours?
3. Set achievable goals. It's great to aim high, but we're living within our personalities, relationships, and environments. How can we become more fully human, the best person we can be where we are (or where we should be)?
4. Be willing to work steadily, in small increments. Very few things get done in one-time big wins. What can we do today, tomorrow, this week, or this month?
5. Invest ourselves. Let's use our talents, skills, and resources for things that matter. Remember that income is an exchange for life-hours at work. Let's spend our money (i.e. our life) deliberately, not carelessly this year.
6. Evaluate our progress. Let's set aside regular quiet times to ask, "Are we becoming more loving? More friendly? More giving? More reliable?"
       Goals should be measurable: how will we know that we are moving in the right direction? That we have reached our target?
7. Expect the unexpected. Let's rely on God for daily routines as well as un/pleasant surprises. Who knows what is coming our way?
       Leaning on the God-of-the-impossible, we we will have everything we need to do what He's set out for us in the coming year.
8. Be happy. Let's remember to be grateful for blessings. When challenges come, let's thank God for good years and great experiences of the past. Things could be worse. There's always something to be thankful for - let's find those and focus on those this year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR. Blessings and peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Read more:

*As one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him of no account. Isaiah 53:3 ESV

*He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 NEV

*For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB

Moravian Prayer: Father God, your light is brighter than the sun. It is so powerful that wherever we are, our path is lit and our fear of the dark is no more. Continue to light our way throughout our lives. Glory be to you. Amen.

Surprise! and surprise again!

Elizabeth and Alexander English Tea Room

"You can't make up days like today," I tell Mom this evening. "Thanks for praying. We wake up each morning not knowing what surprises to expect."

"I'm not the only one with you. You have a lot of people praying you through this," she replies.

God is providing a fast track for our basement project. This morning, the "two great guys" are back, finishing the framing. Tomorrow they expect to do the plumbing. And a friend is coming to string the electrical wire.

Meanwhile Kirsten and I take her dog to the groomer. While Zoe is madly squealing at being clipped, K treats me to a mother-daughter tea at Elizabeth and Alexander Tea Room. It's a precious time to talk over our children's growing years. W and I did a lot of things well and made a lot of mistakes, just like other parents.

I get to affirm the strong gifting of our daughter, too. She easily re-imagines spaces, creates beauty from chaos, and connects the dots between ideas. She loves seeing possibilities and combinations that may be non-traditional but fit into the world "just right." Both of us get great satisfaction from seeing how God arranges places and relationships for his purposes. (And we love to be part of those connections.)

When we go back for Zoe, we have a chance to pray with the groomer, Yvonne. She has serious health and financial challenges, but our God has all the resources in the world at His disposal. I've missed Yvonne since selling our dogs! One of my friends is taking her dog there - so we have a mutual contact.

W and I head to NW Seattle to look at used IKEA cabinets for the kitchen. As usual, I got a price in my head when I responded to the Craigslist ad last Friday. The seller lowered the price and wrote back: "$450 seems generous and fair." I agreed and got the internal green light to move forward.

When I sketch the shapes of the cabinets, I realize that they'll fit perfectly. The 24" sink cabinet is just the right size for our donated (free) kitchen sink. There's even a glass display cabinet.

At the seller's house, I'm stunned. The cabinets are like new, clean, and ready to install. The feet, end panels, and hardware are included. W and I looked at these in the Singapore IKEA, but they seemed an expensive pipe dream, what I might buy if we were splurging. Yet here they are, waiting for us. Doug shows us his remodeled kitchen, a lovely bright workroom with the same cabinets installed.

We start talking: this Swiss-German gentleman was raised in Ontario and went to Scarborough College, a sister college to the one I attended for 3 years. He finished his education in Springfield at sister schools to the seminary where I did my masters and doctorate. He was ordained by our denomination before moving to the Foursquare group.

Doug smiles and says, "I bet we have a few people in common." He writes down four names of friends and favorite professors. Surprise! We both know them. The list includes Dr. Gary McGee, the professor whose history course determined my dissertation topic and the direction of my studies. What are the chances?

Click here to buy the book.

Moreover, Doug Hagey is a writer, college prof, church planter, and handyman - much like W. His wife Ellie is a nurse who works with impoverished immigrants. They've traveled the world serving people. These kitchen cabinets are the leftovers of God's provision for them.

Doug and W load up our SUV. Doug volunteers his trailer to bring the rest of the cabinets over. We follow him through the neighborhoods to avoid the freeway. On the way home, I read aloud a chapter from his book, In Search of the Church. W and I are learning the same things about emerging communities of Christ's followers. We're blown away in agreement.

Doug helps unload the cabinets in our driveway and speeds away without accepting gas money. "It's my contribution," he insists.

Our next trip takes us back into Seattle. The sweetest boy Freddie and his mom greet us at the door to their complex. She's a dark-haired beauty! The family is selling the counter and table that will complete our kitchen (@$20). We are as delighted to get it as they are to sell it. (W and I looked at that unit in Singapore as well.)

On the way out the door, I risk asking the husband the nationality of his wife.

"Indonesian," he replies.

Of course. Who else would she be? Her sister studied at the top university in Bandung, where we'll be in language school.

He's an anthropologist who teaches at UW. He and his wife met in Indonesia while he was working on his dissertation. They'll return to Jakarta for a few months of research about the time we arrive there next year.

"This is amazing," says the gal. "This is like ... "

"A God-thing?" I ask. She nods.

Kitchen counter and entry shelf

We all agree: "Let's stay in touch and get together in Jakarta!" W and I offer, "Feel free to stay with us if you are in Bandung and we're there at the same time." (We'll definitely need a guest room!)

Our son drives over to help W carry the cabinets into the basement. We tell him and our daughter about the so-called coincidences, one after another.

W make one more trip - to the builders' store for plumbing supplies - while I think about the meetings of this day. You really can't make stuff like this up.

Read more:

*But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

What next? The big reveal

Where in the world is Indonesia?

The last six weeks have been crazy. But now I can tell you why! Here's what God has in store for us.

My dear friend (Martha Ming) passed along an opportunity over lunch in late March, and then her husband Mel shared it with W a few days later. My heart almost stopped when W paused and said, "You know, that may be a good fit for us." [He's never considered anything but NU teaching in decades.]

We're leaving Seattle to become Missionary Associates to Indonesia (initially for 2 years, but we plan a permanent move). Starting date is Summer 2014. We have a year of fundraising and preparation while W finishes out his teaching contract at Northwest U (2013-14). Then we're on our way.

Bandung

In brief: last fall, I heard the hint: "Get the TESOL certificate." I was thinking of the multicultural world of Seattle. However, I was so burned out after finishing the PhD that I just said, "Nope. No more paper. I'm done!Done!DONE!"

This spring I felt a renewed urgency to do TESOL [teaching English to speakers of other languages]. I asked W if NU had summer classes. They did. 4 weeks in a row. I signed up. After which this invitation arrived ...

Many of you have asked me -- some of you more than once :-) -- "Why are you getting a doctorate? Why a missions-focus? What kind of a job do you get with this?" OR more recently, "Now that you're done, what are you going to do with your degree?"

I had no idea. I only knew I was supposed to go to school, that the program was the right one, and that the outcome was God's business!

And here we are. In two weeks my TESOL courses are done. We'll attend Pre-Field Orientation in Missouri, then teach a month in Singapore, and come back for W's final year (his 28th!) at Northwest U. NU is so much a part of our DNA that it's weird to think of not being part of the campus. (Our kids are alums, as are we)

Our president (Joseph Castleberry) and W's colleagues are excited for us. We'll stay connected to NU and anticipate that its students and alums will join us to do God's work in Indonesia in coming years.

Please feel free to ask us any questions, and please support us financially and pray for us!

My heart's pounding. OF COURSE I'LL BE BLOGGING THE PROCESS!

Read more:
Today the NU provost sent the following announcement:
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Dear Friends,

I want to make you aware that Waldemar and Rosemarie Kowalski have accepted an assignment as Missionary Associates to Indonesia with Assemblies of God World Missions. This assignment is scheduled to begin after the end of the 2013-14 academic year. So after 28 years, this next will be Waldemar’s last as a full-time faculty member. 

Talk about mixed emotions! Waldemar has been an incredible force for good at NU. As the only instructor of our daytime Christian Thought course, Waldemar is the only faculty member from whom almost every traditional undergraduate takes a class. He has had a huge role in defining the NU experience for many generations of students. Similarly, Rosemarie has been involved at NU in a variety of ways over their time here, and recently completed a PhD in Intercultural Studies. We will miss them at NU.

On the other hand, we are pleased for Waldemar and Rosemarie—with their children (all NU alums) out of the house, it is exciting to take on a completely new challenge for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Their plan is to partner with NU alumnus Dave Kenney in planting an International English Service in Bandung, near Jakarta. Waldemar will continue to teach in various university and church settings, including as teaching pastor in the church plant.

They will attend Pre-Field Orientation in Springfield Missouri this June and then begin the process of raising their support. We will all have a chance to learn more details about their plans, but importantly, they hope to stay connected to NU by teaching online courses and by providing a place for NU students to have short-term mission experiences. 

We look forward to honoring Waldemar and Rosemarie over the coming year, both for their service to NU and for their example of being open to God’s direction.

Jim [Heugel]
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*Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Psalm 115:1*Jesus said, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name.” Luke 11:2Moravian Prayer: O High and Holy One, we owe you love, adoration, and worship for your steadfast love and faithfulness. With Jesus’ help we will honor your name in every act, thought, and deed. Amen.