The Tsavo Maneaters

Has anyone ever gone to the Field Museum in Chicago and seen the display of the Tsavo Man-eaters? A movie was made in ’96 called “The Ghost and the Darkness”, staring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas, perhaps you have seen it? Evidently, back in the 1800s when railway workers were building a railway in Kenya, some of the workers started to go missing. Later it was discovered that two lions, which generally do not eat people, tag team hunted for people apparently due to drought, provoking their literal thirst for blood. Together the two lions ate 135 people between the railway workers and locals in the surrounding region.

Eventually the Ghost and the Darkness, as they were named, were shot and killed by Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson. Years later the skins were sold to the Field Museum in Chicago, and are currently on display. Fascinating story, especially considering the first one that was shot was over 9 feet long from nose to tail. Rumor has it that if you look directly into the eyes of the stuffed lions in the Field Museum, great terror will come over you. I don’t know if I buy that, but I’d love to be the guinea pig who finds out for sure. I’ll let you know what my discovery is as soon as I get a chance to check it out.    

Reflecting

Today I am propping my feet up after a satisfactorily busy day. I have to my right a window overlooking the back yard, which displays the greening trees and backdrop of a sunset. I’m reflecting a little and looking forward to the coming year. I graduate next week. Yes, for those of you who still read this, I am a student. Four years ago I picked up and moved to Kansas City to be a student at the Forerunner School of Ministry, and what I found was something far greater than a few classes on the Bible. Being at the International House of Prayer is something of an enigma. People from all kinds of backgrounds come to this little place in the heart of the heartland for all kinds of reasons, but for me it was my desire to know the Scriptures and to figure out how to do this ministry thing.

 

So… four years of theological training. What have I learned? (Provided I am a slow processor and am sure to realize more of what I have learned years down the road) I think I know only one particular thing: I love Jesus. The sub-categories to that statement are important, I know, but for all intents and purposes, I have found that regardless of how hard I study and search and ask and wrestle, it is Jesus I care to know.

He is the First and the Last; the Slain Lamb; the Great High Priest; He is the Branch of the Lord; the Beginning and the End; the Door; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; He is the Resurrection; He is the express image of the glory of the Father; He is the firstborn from the dead; He is the Alpha and Omega; the Shepherd; the Son of Man; the Root and Offspring of David; the Bread of the Life; the Word Made Flesh; the Servant of the Lord; the Captain of the Armies; He is Wonder[ful] Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace; the Messiah; the Elect One; the Servant of Rulers; the Christ, the Son of the Living God; He is the Great ‘I AM’; the King of Israel; the Last Adam, the Second Man; the Chief among Ten Thousand; the Bridegroom; the Mediator; the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well-pleased; He is the firstborn among many brethren; He is the perfect sacrifice; He is the Redeemer and Savior. He is a Man.   …Jesus is God.   

…And I love Him.

This is sweet

Today someone searched “High Fructose Corn Syrup Stomach Ache” and found my blog. …I really need to start posting more.

Doctrine Divides?

Have you ever heard the verse “Doctrine divides, but love unites?” You hear it quoted at the pinnacle point of theological disagreement. There’s only one thing wrong with it- it’s not true. If you search your concordance you won’t find it because it is not in the Bible. 

Of course, there are several phrases like this that have come out of the evangelical world, and because of repetition get attributed to the Scriptures but have no chapter or verse. Some are true statements and others are better left unsaid. This is one I have a beef with because of the implications.

I do empathize with the perspective. I Timothy 1:3-7 comes to mind, and I agree that endless debate for its own sake is not helpful, but debate is not the subject I’m addressing. I’m talking about knowing truth. What people generally mean by using the “doctrine divides” statement really just mean, “We’re fighting over something one or both of us have little clarity on and I desperately want to bring resolve to this conversation because one or both of us are being immature, making me feel more confused about the Bible than when we started, and now I just want to punch you in the face.” 

Often without intending to, the one quoting this non-verse is making a statement about Christianity that has no logical end. Why? Because love and the Bible are never at odds with one another, and to buy this statement makes the pendulum swing the other way, causing individuals to feel comfortable under the guise of ”love” to not grow in understanding.

But what defines you as a Christian is your faith in Christ and His word, and believing the words of the Author does not pit you against love because He IS LOVE. We grow in love for God when we grow in the knowledge of Him, and by proximity we grow in love for one another. (See Matthew 22:37-40). If this is not happening when we search the Scriptures, there’s something wrong.

I love how my Christology professor Stephen Venable once said, “Increasingly a methodology  for church growth and unity is being adopted that reduces orthodoxy to the lowest common denominator, stripping it of nearly all doctrinal confessions and preserving a loose, vague code of morality and faith. All across the landscape of Christianity it is thought to be virtuous for one to believe almost nothing at all in the hopes of pleasing as many people as possible.”

This is my exhortation: belief in sound Biblical doctrine is vital to us as believers. If we do not have clarity on a certain subject, it is wisdom and our joy to search out the answer by going deep in the Word and prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit to instruct us and lead us into all truth.  It is WISDOM and a JOY to know the Bible! 

God the Son did not put on flesh forever to rally people around ambiguity.  We were made to know God and He gave us His word for this very purpose.

The Day My Life Actually Did Change… a lot

Since getting engaged I’ve managed to drop off the face of  Cyber space, but I’m hoping to remedy that soon now that wedding plans have relaxed. Spring break also played a role in my disappearance, and since writing is a simultaneous hobby and hassle, I’ve managed to pull the old blog off the proverbial shelf to dust it off a bit and see if I can’t do a little polishing.  

So…. everyone has been asking for my side of the story with how Zack popped the question. He did a splendid job telling his perspective, but I’ll do my best to keep up. It was over a month ago now… Mandie and I were supposed to grab some lame Chinese and a movie for the evening since we both had it off. We met up and as I jumped into the passenger side of her vehicle, which immediately subjects you to a bump on the head and sunglasses hanging in your face, she sighed and looked at me with a weird twinge of a fast approaching confession in her eyes.

“Carrie,” she began. “We’re not going to Peking.” She was referring to the aforementioned food plan. I replied with a tone of confusion and grace. She continued, “We’re going to go shopping…. for a really nice dress for you…. and we might be meeting a boy later.” She waited for me to grasp the implications of her statement.

I think I estimated a likely 52 “oh-my-gosh!” exclamations between getting in the car and reaching the 71 Highway. I had nothing of sense to say, but my “oh-my-gosh” turned into Mandie and me screaming our heads off as I rambled about how shocked I was that Zack was proposing so soon. Yes, I knew it was going to happen, but never did I think on a Thursday, and certainly not for another couple of months.

Mandie and I got to the mall, but only had a few hours to find what I was going to wear and get ready to meet Zack downtown, so we power shopped that beast until I was almost ready to lay on my face in the middle of the food court while I made Mandie find something for me. I mean, ladies, you know how hard it is to shop under pressure for a dress in pre-prom season, right?!

Okay, so finally I found what I needed and we jetted back to Mandie’s apartment so I could get ready. Of course he had to plan all this on the day I’m grunged out. We were running pretty late by this point, and my poor fiance-to-be was getting outrageously antsy.  …But it was worth it. I looked good and he didn’t complain.

Finally, with my heart about to jump out of my esophagus, I arrived at the hotel and was met by the doorman who directed me to the front desk. The ladies freaked out and greeted me with warm and giddy directions to follow a waiter, who escorted me to the crystal ballroom where Zack was waiting with a table, candles, and flowers.

I was shaking with anticipation and ecstatic to see him. We ate some of the best food I have ever experienced and after a while I just couldn’t eat another bite. “I don’t know if I’m stuffed or just done at this point,” was my signal that I couldn’t take the anticipation anymore.

Zack expressed the same sentiment and came around to my side of the table. He knelt down, pulling the little box out of his pocket. With effortless unrehersed sincerity he said so many beautiful things that can be left unexpressed here, and asked for my hand in marriage.

I said yes about thirty times. The rest of the night was consumed with us freaking out and telling everyone we could find. So… that’s my take on it. 

  

The Day My Life Didn’t Really Change Yet

Recently I was asked to tell my side of the story concerning Zack’s and my first meeting, which he told on his blog not long ago. So, here it is, as promised, but before I go on I must admit that my side of the story is significantly less dramatic because I’m generally oblivious to the happenings around me, particularly when it comes to men liking me.  Anyway… on with the story.

It was a weekday. I was steadily engaged with getting used to my new job as a leader of a discipleship program for young adults whilst simultaneously preparing for the semester to begin. The hectic-ness of my life had gone up exponentially and I was managing my time with valor and immovable zeal. After a couple of hours of shutting out the world and honing in on whatever it was that consumed me that afternoon in the coffee shop, I began to pack up.

I looked up to see Zack at the table next to me. He was also by himself. He was a guy I had met a couple of times and observed here and there with  no clarity as to who he was, and now his chair was inconveniently positioned directly over my plugged in power cord. I always hate when that happens because it’s usually an unnecessarily long process of etiquette to get your cord back, where now you apologize to the person for asking them to move and they come back with an over-courteous, “Oh, don’t worry about it!” and then you say a quick thank you, and then they start asking you how you are, even though you might not know them, and on and on we go, all for a simple action that shouldn’t require much interaction at all. 

I glared at my cord as if it were my child after an incident of rebellion and then briefly strategized ways of getting it unplugged without actually disturbing its large guardian, but the risk of personal space invasion was too high for both of us- I had to ask, “Hey, sorry, can you unplug me?” Zack was more than happy to oblige and quickly moved out of the way with a smile to get it for me. All I cared about at this point was leaving promptly… that’s just how I am: Point A to Point B.

To my general dismay, Point B began to slip through my fingers as Zack struck up a conversation, but this was one moment in time where I wound up enjoying the detour. This is the point in the story where I differ a little from Zack on his memory of the details. The only reason I trust my memory here is because, after the random questions about my classes and all that, I thought he was done. I threw my empty cup in the trash and he actually began the conversation again with ”Hey, I just want you to know, I really respect you and all that you do around here.”

The only reason this point is important is because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn’t have sat there talking to him for the next 2 hours had he not said it. His compliment was genuine and it tweaked a note in me that rarely gets touched. I was tense with the prospect of not getting wherever I was headed, but with the statement of his respect my shoulders loosened and with a few blinks and a neck-jerk I thanked him. (It’s not every day a girl gets something meaningful spoken to her from a guy).

From that point on I was put at ease and forgot entirely about hurrying on with my day. We conversed with a total absense of awkwardness. I eventually sat down because my computer weighs as much as one of my own legs and I was tired of holding it. What’s funny is that I didn’t find out until much later that when a girl sits at a guy’s table, it’s a big deal. I did it all the time and no one ever bothered to tell me, so ladies, bear that in mind.

After nearly two hours, we parted ways just how Zack said, but there was no shocking revelation or fireworks on my end. All I knew was that this guy was my new friend. The fact that I would fall madly in love with him months later never entered my mind, but I think that’s how it’s supposed to be; real. 

We spent from August until April just being good friends… but that’s another story for another time.

Winner is Nay

The polls have closed and the precious few of you who actually voted have decided that I do NOT look like Misty, but it was close. 5 said “nay” and 4 said “yay”. Better luck next time “yay-ers”!

Mornings with Pancho’s

As I await the closing of the polls in a couple of days (see previous post), procrastination is the order of the morning. I should be studying for a test, but instead I’m sipping my stronger-than-you coffee and breathing slowly, content to soak up how delightfully this morning has progressed. After few hours of sleep for me, and none yet for him, Zack and I truged through the rush-hour traffic/snow-packed roads to one of the best places to eat in Kansas City for breakfast: Pancho’s.

If you don’t know where it is, shame on you. If you’ve actually gone INSIDE the building, also… shame on you! See, Pancho’s is one of those places that has some of the best Mexican food on the planet, but lacks the… how shall we say?… ”ambiance” one would love if one were to actually step inside to dine. The great thing is that you don’t have to go in! The drive-thru is open 24/7 and they make your food hot and fresh when you pull up.

It’s not the sort of stuff you eat when you’re trimming off those few pounds from Christmas, but let’s face the facts- only 8% of Americans actually keep their New Year’s resolutions anyway, so Bon Appetit! Regardless of the mangled intercom that hangs off what used to be a sign where you place your order, Pancho’s Chorizo Breakfast Burrito is worth your $3.00- or if you’re me, it’s worth Zack’s $3.00.   

You Decide

Okay, let’s settle this once and for all… do I look like Misty Edwards, or are people out of their minds? Vote “Heck, yes you do!” or “No, are you kidding!?”.

Follicular Foible

How come every time you say you’re trying to grow your hair out someone says, “You should trim it! It’ll grow so much faster!!” Now… I might not be the world’s leading expert in logic, but huh? I’m not sure I buy it just because it works on shrubbery.

Dear Mythbusters,

What are you going to do about this?