Saturday, April 28, 2012
A letter to Fefe
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Fasting for Lent
Fasting for Lent
For centuries, Christians have observed the season of Lent by fasting from food and observing other self-denying acts.
These acts help us become more aware of our true needs. When we deny ourselves the comforts we are used to—whether a full plate of food, or some other part of our daily routine (TV, coffee, alcohol, Internet, etc.)— we are more mindful of our great need for God. Also, when we deny our sinful desires, we become more acutely aware of them, for when they are not fed, they tend to surface in more noticeable ways. Most importantly, these practices make us mindful of our need for salvation by Jesus' death on the cross.
Removing Distractions
What follows is some suggestions for ways to fast. None of these are compulsory. Remember that the important thing is to take away distractions, to focus instead on the mercy, salvation, and comforting provision of God. Make time and space for God, and God will meet you.
What can I give up?
[First, some important considerations: if you have any concerns about whether dietary fasting (fasting from food) is safe for you, ask your physician, especially if you have a health concern (heart,diabetes ). ... Don't fast from food if your are pregnant ornursing ; make sure you always get plenty of fluids; and finally, don't make decisions for others (for example, don't modify a child's diet except to help them decide to cut nonessentials like sodas or desserts, etc.).]
You know yourself best: which of the following might you do without? Try adding to your list each week (see the individual pages of the Calendar to read more specific suggestions). If you fast from all the food items listed in the Calendar pages, you may find that at the end of several weeks, you are eating very simply: vegetables, beans, rice, fruit, grains, etc. Take the suggestions one step at a time and make sure you do what is necessary to have energy for your work, community, or family.
SUGGESTED FAST ITEMS:
Food: Meats, poultry (eggs too), fats and oils, soft drinks, 2nd helpings, Alcohol, Coffee (try tea or some other low-caffeine drink if you get headaches), dairy (milk and cheese), solid foods (only drink water or juices), Junk foods (chips, snacks, salty food), candy (plus refined sugar in general), and dessert (great for kids—very meaningful!).
Media: TV, movies, computer, email (set an autoresponder), Internet, magazines, radio, the phone (leave your cell phone off when appropriate), handhelds, video games, and other technology ....
Other Things: You may want to fast from certain relationships, or people in general, choosing instead to walk only with God for a period. You may also fast from social events, parties, or clubs, if you regularly go out of your way for that kind of gathering.
Days: Leave it all behind: leave junk food, TV, cars, noise, and all the media and messages of the culture. Pack the very minimum (water, warm clothes, etc.) and find a trail, a mountain, or a beach, and feast on God.
Imitate Jesus, who took whole days to walk alone in the wilderness fasting and praying .... Give God the time and the room that he wants. God wants to fill you up, wants to bless you. If we are constantly pouring other stuff into our heads or stomachs, there will be little room for God.
On what days should I fast?
Fast on any day but Sunday--the day of the resurrection--which is a feast day even in Lent. On Friday (the day of the crucifixion), many world Christians will fast, and it can be meaningful to join them. Try fasting from something on each day, Monday-Saturday. You may choose one day to fast from all foods or other comforts for as much of the day that you can (remembering to drink plenty of fluids). End your weekly fast on Sunday: on this day, enjoy your food and your freedom!
Fasting Etiquette
When you fast, you will occasionally be faced with a dilemma: someone offers you food that you have eliminated from your diet. Not everyone knows that you are fasting (nor should they--see below). Just about the time that you are beginning to feel good about going without your daily dose of chocolate—or whatever—somebody comes along to offer it to you with all good intentions. What is the proper response?
Let humility be your guide. Resist the temptation to explain that you are fasting and so refuse. If you can politely refuse without hurting the person's feelings, then do so. But if someone has prepared something for you to bless you (a special desert at the end of a meal, cookies for a visit, or a big steak dinner right after you gave up meat), then perhaps the more humble response is to accept gratefully. After all, the point of Lent is not the elimination of a specific food, it is sacrifice. Sometimes the greater sacrifice is to give up the idea of a perfect day of fasting for the sake of another.
Matthew 6.16-18
16 ... When you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone will see that they are fasting. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. 17 When you go without food, wash your face and comb your hair, 18 so that others cannot know that you are fasting, only your Father, who is unseen, will know. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. (TEV)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Day 2 and Day 3
I am thankful for my mom, Joyce Arnold. A godly woman who raised me in the ways that are right and holy even though sometimes I didn't follow the path.
I am thankful for my church family. The support they offer me is immeasurable!
I am thankful for my church family. The support they offer me is immeasurable!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Day one of 30 days of thanksgiving
Over the next month I will post about one person I am thankful for and why I am. Today's person is Hayden Arnold, my dad. I am thankful that even though I didn't understand it at the time, he taught me how to be a good Christian father and husband. We didn't always see eyebto eye but now I realize it was because he is a good man an I wasn't b
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Haiti-Revisit. By popular demand a repost
There and Back, Again
By: Robie Arnold
As one of my favorite authors wrote a story of Bilbo Baggins, the small hobbit from the Shire who was given a great task to accompany the dwarves on a great mission, I too was given a great task to accompany a group of strangers to a distant land. I was recently called to take a mission trip to the earthquake ravaged island country of Haiti. I was given a great opportunity to share my faith and beliefs through works and assistance to the people there. We left from Atlanta on February 27th by air with a small layover in Miami before we landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This was my first ever airplane flight and was an experience all to itself. We were on one of the first commercial flights allowed to land in Port-au-Prince and as we flew over the land the deafening sound of silence held me in awe as everyone looked out of their windows at the devastation below.
Once we had landed we were corralled to buses and driven no more than thirty yards to customs. While in customs the sights and sounds were astounding. There was a group of Haitian singers there singing and playing their banjos, accordions and drums while we waited. After we made it through customs we were once again corralled into a “holding area” to wait for our transport. Once our buses arrived, we met our translators and group guides for the week. We loaded the buses and made our way out of the airport and into the hustle and bustle of the open air markets and through the streets of the city. The city itself was amazing. Even through all of the carnage the people were going about their daily routines of survival. We witnessed many new and exciting things while there. The Tap taps (Creole for taxis) were vividly painted and darting in and out of traffic. Children played in and around the streets as the cars whizzed by barely missing other cars, farm animals, and pedestrians by the looks of some of the bumper guards on the vehicles, “barely” wasn’t always the case as there were few that didn’t have some sort of damage to them.
We arrived at the home of our host for the week, Estecoeur Olistin, a Baptist Minister and senior pastor of ten of the churches in and around the city. His home was surrounded by ten foot walls with barbed wire and broken glass bottles on the top of most of the walls leading to the home. He opened his home to the Score International group that I had volunteered with. We were the fifth group of missionaries to stay at his home since the earthquake. Since most of the roof tops are flat there, we decided that this would be a good place to set up our camp. Our small camp of tents on the Pastor’s home paled in comparison to the huge tent cities that stretched as far as the eye could see along the dried river banks. The UN is currently attempting to relocate these tent cities to more suitable locations due to the onset of the rainy season that is currently beginning.
On our second day we attended church service as the “special guest choir” of Pastor Olisin’s. This was a surprise to us but we adapted and overcame. We sang old stand bys like I’ll Fly Away and Amazing Grace. Of course we sang in English but the wonderful part is the church members soon joined us in French and Creole. We were asked to return for the evening service and to learn to sing in Creole. Our team leader was also asked to speak at the service. Once we returned to our camp we hurriedly found our translators and the kitchen girls and learned a couple of simple “children’s songs” in Creole. I do wish I knew what I was saying now or had some way to record ourselves. At the evening service we stood up and sang our songs to much laughter and applause. Our team leader, Justin Mcworter, gave a short sermon on Psalms 73 in which Pastor Olistin translated to the congregation. We met and had fellowship with many of the members of the church before returning to our tents for the night.
Our first day of work saw us travel to the small village of Penye (this is the phonetic spelling) to continue the work of the past groups. The church in this village was severely damaged by the earthquake and was being razed and a new one built in its place. We assisted the men of the church with the removal of usable concrete blocks and reclaimed re-bar. Once this was finished we dug footings for a new foundation for a larger church. The Haitians have no set building codes and things are done a lot differently than they are done here in the states. Instead of concrete footings we placed large boulders in the hand dug trenches and filled the gaps with smaller ones and then bucket by bucket of concrete that was mixed water thin to conserve costs. We used buckets to move the dirt and concrete due to the fact that the one wheel barrel in the village was commandeered by the children to ride up and down the mountain in.
The children of the village quickly stole our hearts and our water, but that’s another story all together. We played games with the kids and sang songs; they do a good rendition of “Who let the Dogs Out.” The kids made their own kites and flew them with us. There were hardly any toys as we are used to seeing there. One little girl had a naked Barbie and would not let it out of her clutches. It gave me a great appreciation of what my daughter takes for granted with her Santa’s Wish List every year. We had a storage closet that we were keeping our supplies, bottled water and food inside. We kept noticing certain kids would disappear for periods of time and then would return with empty water bottles. They were drinking and then pouring out our water to have the bottles to sword fight with!
We went to an orphanage and school that the church sponsored and helped feed the children there. The church sponsors over 100 children every day. Some are there because they lost parents during the quake and some are there because they have no place else to go. All are welcome as long as they follow the few rules posted. I set up a small clinic to tend some healing wounds ranging from earthquake damage all the way to everyday scrapes and bruises that children get. Soon after we toured the city and saw the damage first hand. There are still collapsed buildings that have not been searched and still thousands unaccounted for. We went to Pitionville the area where Hotel Montana was located. We also saw the Presidential Palace and the Commons where several thousand refugees are staying directly across the way.
Day after day we hiked up the mountain to the church and by the last day our results were applauded by the villagers. The foundation for the new church was complete and ready for the floor to go down. It was sad to leave the people that we had gotten to know personally and especially the children we came in contact with. Our last day with Pastor Olistin, he pleaded with us not to forget what we saw or what we learned. He tasked each of us with coming back to Haiti and coming back to stay with him any time that we could. He said he understood the financial obligations that it took each of us just to make the short journey there but also it would never compare to the lives we touched and the experiences we gained. Would I go back to the 105* heat and less than ideal living arrangements to work harder than I ever had before? I would leave tomorrow if I could.
By: Robie Arnold
As one of my favorite authors wrote a story of Bilbo Baggins, the small hobbit from the Shire who was given a great task to accompany the dwarves on a great mission, I too was given a great task to accompany a group of strangers to a distant land. I was recently called to take a mission trip to the earthquake ravaged island country of Haiti. I was given a great opportunity to share my faith and beliefs through works and assistance to the people there. We left from Atlanta on February 27th by air with a small layover in Miami before we landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This was my first ever airplane flight and was an experience all to itself. We were on one of the first commercial flights allowed to land in Port-au-Prince and as we flew over the land the deafening sound of silence held me in awe as everyone looked out of their windows at the devastation below.
Once we had landed we were corralled to buses and driven no more than thirty yards to customs. While in customs the sights and sounds were astounding. There was a group of Haitian singers there singing and playing their banjos, accordions and drums while we waited. After we made it through customs we were once again corralled into a “holding area” to wait for our transport. Once our buses arrived, we met our translators and group guides for the week. We loaded the buses and made our way out of the airport and into the hustle and bustle of the open air markets and through the streets of the city. The city itself was amazing. Even through all of the carnage the people were going about their daily routines of survival. We witnessed many new and exciting things while there. The Tap taps (Creole for taxis) were vividly painted and darting in and out of traffic. Children played in and around the streets as the cars whizzed by barely missing other cars, farm animals, and pedestrians by the looks of some of the bumper guards on the vehicles, “barely” wasn’t always the case as there were few that didn’t have some sort of damage to them.
We arrived at the home of our host for the week, Estecoeur Olistin, a Baptist Minister and senior pastor of ten of the churches in and around the city. His home was surrounded by ten foot walls with barbed wire and broken glass bottles on the top of most of the walls leading to the home. He opened his home to the Score International group that I had volunteered with. We were the fifth group of missionaries to stay at his home since the earthquake. Since most of the roof tops are flat there, we decided that this would be a good place to set up our camp. Our small camp of tents on the Pastor’s home paled in comparison to the huge tent cities that stretched as far as the eye could see along the dried river banks. The UN is currently attempting to relocate these tent cities to more suitable locations due to the onset of the rainy season that is currently beginning.
On our second day we attended church service as the “special guest choir” of Pastor Olisin’s. This was a surprise to us but we adapted and overcame. We sang old stand bys like I’ll Fly Away and Amazing Grace. Of course we sang in English but the wonderful part is the church members soon joined us in French and Creole. We were asked to return for the evening service and to learn to sing in Creole. Our team leader was also asked to speak at the service. Once we returned to our camp we hurriedly found our translators and the kitchen girls and learned a couple of simple “children’s songs” in Creole. I do wish I knew what I was saying now or had some way to record ourselves. At the evening service we stood up and sang our songs to much laughter and applause. Our team leader, Justin Mcworter, gave a short sermon on Psalms 73 in which Pastor Olistin translated to the congregation. We met and had fellowship with many of the members of the church before returning to our tents for the night.
Our first day of work saw us travel to the small village of Penye (this is the phonetic spelling) to continue the work of the past groups. The church in this village was severely damaged by the earthquake and was being razed and a new one built in its place. We assisted the men of the church with the removal of usable concrete blocks and reclaimed re-bar. Once this was finished we dug footings for a new foundation for a larger church. The Haitians have no set building codes and things are done a lot differently than they are done here in the states. Instead of concrete footings we placed large boulders in the hand dug trenches and filled the gaps with smaller ones and then bucket by bucket of concrete that was mixed water thin to conserve costs. We used buckets to move the dirt and concrete due to the fact that the one wheel barrel in the village was commandeered by the children to ride up and down the mountain in.
The children of the village quickly stole our hearts and our water, but that’s another story all together. We played games with the kids and sang songs; they do a good rendition of “Who let the Dogs Out.” The kids made their own kites and flew them with us. There were hardly any toys as we are used to seeing there. One little girl had a naked Barbie and would not let it out of her clutches. It gave me a great appreciation of what my daughter takes for granted with her Santa’s Wish List every year. We had a storage closet that we were keeping our supplies, bottled water and food inside. We kept noticing certain kids would disappear for periods of time and then would return with empty water bottles. They were drinking and then pouring out our water to have the bottles to sword fight with!
We went to an orphanage and school that the church sponsored and helped feed the children there. The church sponsors over 100 children every day. Some are there because they lost parents during the quake and some are there because they have no place else to go. All are welcome as long as they follow the few rules posted. I set up a small clinic to tend some healing wounds ranging from earthquake damage all the way to everyday scrapes and bruises that children get. Soon after we toured the city and saw the damage first hand. There are still collapsed buildings that have not been searched and still thousands unaccounted for. We went to Pitionville the area where Hotel Montana was located. We also saw the Presidential Palace and the Commons where several thousand refugees are staying directly across the way.
Day after day we hiked up the mountain to the church and by the last day our results were applauded by the villagers. The foundation for the new church was complete and ready for the floor to go down. It was sad to leave the people that we had gotten to know personally and especially the children we came in contact with. Our last day with Pastor Olistin, he pleaded with us not to forget what we saw or what we learned. He tasked each of us with coming back to Haiti and coming back to stay with him any time that we could. He said he understood the financial obligations that it took each of us just to make the short journey there but also it would never compare to the lives we touched and the experiences we gained. Would I go back to the 105* heat and less than ideal living arrangements to work harder than I ever had before? I would leave tomorrow if I could.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
How do you communicate the Message?
I was sitting on my front porch reading the other day and you could hear dogs barking in the distance. My oldest daughter was sitting a ways down from me also reading. She looks up at me and says "Dad, why do dogs bark?" I answered "That is how dogs communicate." She sat there quitely pondering what I had said and then says "Dad, I thought dogs communicated by sniffing each other's butts....." John 3:16 NIV
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Austin 3:16 as quoted by Stone Cold after defeating Jake Roberts :
"You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ***!"
For you Greek buffs:
Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα2 πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς Αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Which translates literally as:
For in this way God loved the world: that he gave the unique son, so that all the ones trusting in him would not perish, but have eternal life.
This is the Gospel of Christ in a nutshell but it isn't the whole story! The story is of Nicodemus and Jesus having a conversation as to how to be reborn. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin that actually showed favor to Jesus instead of just writing him off as a heretic. He asked Jesus how it was possible to re enter the womb of his mother to be reborn. Some people may think that this was a thick headed question. I do not. Being a member of the Sanhedrin meant that he probably knew a thing or two about the prophecy of the Messiah. And also knew that the Messiah would bring about peace. I think he was curious how this peace would be brought about since Jesus was not the fierce ruler everyone expected, like King David.
How did Jesus communicate this message of peace? Not just in words but also in His actions. Saint Francis of Assisi said "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." He also said "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." It is more than just words on a screen or page. The way we live our lives denotes how we spread the Gospel. Now go sniff some butts......
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hot or Cold....
Revelation 3:16 Do or Do Not
Soon after the farm boy has a dream of the hermit and is told to find his old teacher. He has to travel through a swamp to reach the teacher. Once he finds the old teacher he soon learns of his much larger role in the scheme of life. He learns that the man who killed the hermit is in fact his long lost father. He is taught many things about good and evil. The main point he learns is to not be lukewarm. Not to do anything half way, either do it or don’t do it. There is no Try.
"No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."
So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:16
Jesus spoke those same words not to an individual but to a church. The church of Laodicea was having trouble fulfilling their commitment to the Gospels, not fulfilling their commitment to Christ. Just only halfway, half heartedly doing anything, He said that they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Not looking for riches in Him but in the world. He told them to repent and that he loves them and he wanted to correct and teach them.
This has been on my mind for a few months now. It’s a story of a young orphaned boy. His mom died in child birth and his dad was a dead beat. He lives with his Aunt and Uncle on a farm. Growing up a farm boy he knew he was destined for so much more but didn’t know exactly what. While he was out getting farm hands trained for their job, he was mugged and by bandits and then picked up by an old hermit and taken to his home. Turns out the hermit knew his father when he was in the military. The farm boy returns home to find that his aunt and uncle have been killed by soldiers looking for the new farmhands. He returns to the hermit and decides to leave the area with him to seek out the former employers of the farmhands.
While on their journey the hermit teaches the farm boy life lessons in right from wrong. They pick up a couple of highway men to help them on the trip. The military is searching for them and soon captures them. They split up and try to escape the compound, while doing so the hermit is killed by the military’s leader who happened to be an old friend turned enemy of the hermit. From this the group joins with a band of straggling rebels and attempts to seek revenge on the army.
"No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."
So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:16
Jesus spoke those same words not to an individual but to a church. The church of Laodicea was having trouble fulfilling their commitment to the Gospels, not fulfilling their commitment to Christ. Just only halfway, half heartedly doing anything, He said that they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Not looking for riches in Him but in the world. He told them to repent and that he loves them and he wanted to correct and teach them.
Be Hot or Cold: Do or Do Not
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