This passage comes from "Common Prayer" by Shane Claiborne, Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma. I am simply copying instead of summarizing or rewording because they have done a better job then I could, but to be fair there are three of them.
"
There is an old saying many Christians use: "Offer the Lord a sacrifice of praise," refering to Hebrews 13:15. In many circles this notion of a "sacrifice of praise" almost becomes cliche. (Perhaps because worship does not often come at much cost, especially compared with the sacrifices of saints who've gone before us.) But when we worship with folks of various traditions, there are times when we may hear a prayer that uses language we might not naturally use or sing a song that isn't really our style. That is part of what it means to be a member of a community as diverse as the church is. And perhaps that also helps shed some light on why it might require some sacrifice for us to give up ourselves.
When a song isn't working for you, consider praising God, because that probably means that it is working for someone else who is very different from you. Offer your worship as a sacrifice rather then requiring others to sacrifice for your pleasure or contentment. There is something to the notion of becoming one as God is one; it doesn't mean that we are same; it just means we are united by one spirit. After all, we can become one only if there are many of use to begin with.
Liturgy puts a break narcissism. Certainly, there is something beautiful about comtempory worship, where we can take old things and add a little spice to them, like singing hymns to rock tunes or reciting creeds as spoken word rhymes. But liturgy protects us from simply making worship into a self pleasing act. So if a song or a prayer doesn't quite work for you, be thankful that it is probably really resonating with someone who is different from you, and offer a sacrifice of praise.
I wish I was more like this. Please pray that God would challenge me more with this in mind.
Daniel
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Summer's Almost Gone...
... well, kind of. The fact is that with 365 days of sunshine here a year, summer never really goes away, but sadly, summer groups do. And what a summer we had! We had teams here from all over, painting, mixing cement, laying block, playing and sharing Jesus with innumerable amounts of children and helping many, many more get healthy. We played softball, hiked waterfalls, saw rock concerts, survived a flood and a nation-wide strike, pushed buses out of the mud, danced merengue with our sponsor kids, saw the lame walk again (thanks to our prosthetic team), hosted one of the most incredible worship nights that I've ever been a part of and we grew and we loved and we were forever changed.
Sometimes the repetitious things about our days (laundry, dishes, toilets breaking, grocery shopping) make life seem so mundane... but then you look back and WOW! Look what God has done! Look at this adventure! And in spite of my weariness or ignorance- he's working and he's moving and LIFE is happening! What a cool and overwhelming story he's telling- and I'm a player in it! Shame on me for ever forgetting that or for ever letting a moment slip by when I'm not caught up in the awe and wonder of it all. God is so good. Life is so good.
Sometimes the repetitious things about our days (laundry, dishes, toilets breaking, grocery shopping) make life seem so mundane... but then you look back and WOW! Look what God has done! Look at this adventure! And in spite of my weariness or ignorance- he's working and he's moving and LIFE is happening! What a cool and overwhelming story he's telling- and I'm a player in it! Shame on me for ever forgetting that or for ever letting a moment slip by when I'm not caught up in the awe and wonder of it all. God is so good. Life is so good.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Today's top priorities: Build an ark, bake a cake.
"Hispaniola's weather goes downhill Tuesday night and Wednesday with heavy rain, flooding, land slides and strong winds."
That's what weather.com says about tropical storm Emily that apparently is on it's way towards us as we speak in all of it's impending doom. It's hard to believe that a tropical storm will most likely hit tonight when I look outside and hearing the birds chirping and the sun shining down and everything seems pretty... perfect. I guess I'll believe it when I'm up to my knees in it, haha. Either way, I'm making my way around the guesthouse this morning, moving important things to higher ground and getting us "hurricane ready" (as if a girl from Minnesota knows a thing about how to prepare for a hurricane- not really a skill I thought I'd need in life).
In dryer news, today is Jhonny (one of our translator's) birthday! Kamanda and I dreamed up a "drum" cake that I've been working on... I'm pretty sure that it'll taste better than it looks. Here's my progress...
That's what weather.com says about tropical storm Emily that apparently is on it's way towards us as we speak in all of it's impending doom. It's hard to believe that a tropical storm will most likely hit tonight when I look outside and hearing the birds chirping and the sun shining down and everything seems pretty... perfect. I guess I'll believe it when I'm up to my knees in it, haha. Either way, I'm making my way around the guesthouse this morning, moving important things to higher ground and getting us "hurricane ready" (as if a girl from Minnesota knows a thing about how to prepare for a hurricane- not really a skill I thought I'd need in life).
In dryer news, today is Jhonny (one of our translator's) birthday! Kamanda and I dreamed up a "drum" cake that I've been working on... I'm pretty sure that it'll taste better than it looks. Here's my progress...
 |
| It started off well... the shape was right(ish) |
 |
| But then I tried to make red frosting and it ran out too quickly...I ended up with pink |
 |
| Then the heat got to it and it started going all alice-in-wonderland on me! |
 |
| Tried to add blue candles to make it look slightly more manly... definitely gave up on it looking like a drum at all. Haha, good thing it at least tasted delicious! I think I'm sticking to flat, boring cakes from now on... |
Monday, August 1, 2011
Catching You Up:
Important things that have happened in the last few weeks:
* We've hosted the biggest group(s) in Solid Rock history the past couple weeks in the guesthouse. This week we have 50 med students from ONU staying with us and they are doing FOUR barrios a day! Whew! Can you imagine how many patients they will be able to see in the next four days?? Thanks to Nicole Eby and some awesome group leaders, we are hoping to have one of the most organized and smooth Monday's ever!
* These weeks have been a TON of work, but we've had some really great times too! A few people from the group stayed for a couple weeks in a row and we spent the weekend going out to eat, seeing an AMAZING concert by some of our friends, and going hiking up in the mountains.
* A couple women last week came down with the purpose of conducting interviews about health around the community here in San Juan. The talked with nurses, doctors, community leaders, water purification plant owners, herbal healers, health department employees, etc. They hope to use the information that they gathered to create a health education curriculum to bring down with them next year to be implemented in the barrios and health clinics in the areas that speaks directly to the issues that are most concerning and pressing to the Dominican people. LOVE it! Way to go ladies- thank you for all your hard work!
* I have met my new favorite person in the DR and his name is Bam-Bam.
Bam-Bam is a taxi driver that took a small group of us into town for a tour of the local hospital. In a culture of even the poorest of the poor doing everything they can to look their very best, Bam-Bam stands at about 4-11, rocking a saggy pair of grey sweat pants and a stained t-shirt that doesn't quite cover his protruding gut. Once at the hospital we were surprised when, instead of dropping us at the curb, he hopped out of the taxi and shuffled into the building after us. It got even more hilarious as Bam-Bam proceeded to slowly take over the tour. Before the doctors could respond to any of the group's questions, Bam-Bam was there with the answer (whether it was the correct one or not). While the rest of the group shyly peeked into patient rooms wondering what condition they might have, Bam-Bam wasted no time guessing and simply walked up to the patient and lifted the sheets to examine their swollen foot. A-mazing.
He then sealed his place in our hearts later that evening. The group had gone out to dinner and ice cream in town, and just as we were starting to take loads of people back in the bed of the truck, the sky opened up and it started raining... hard. We were just starting to wonder how we were going to manage to get 45 people back to the guesthouse in the cab of a truck, when (dah da-da DAH!) Bam-Bam pulls up, out of nowhere, slides the door of his taxi-van open and we piled in like a clown car. haha- he's the best.
* As of 8:00 last night, Dan is down 3 wisdom teeth. We have an oral surgeon down this week who offered to take care of them for him! He's a little loopy on drugs this morning, but otherwise doing great- What a HUGE blessing!
* Jeff and Kamanda are leaving us this week :( They've been here with us for 8 weeks now and become part of our family here at the guesthouse. We're bummed they are leaving- it will feel so strange not to have them around anymore! There is no way that we can thank them enough for all the help they've been this summer as well as just being awesome people and great friends. We love them lots and are hoping they will be back again next summer???
* We have so much to look forward to this fall! We have a small break coming up that we are hoping to fill by spending lots of time with our friends here in San Juan, as well and doing a little bit of traveling here on the island with Nicole. My sister will be getting married in October, so we will be back in Minnesota for a couple of weeks, then we'll be blessed with another visit from Dan's folk's for Thanksgiving. We've also had a few friends who have expressed interest in coming for a visit sometime this fall. Woo-hoo! We LOVE visitors and we have so much great stuff to look forward to!
* We've hosted the biggest group(s) in Solid Rock history the past couple weeks in the guesthouse. This week we have 50 med students from ONU staying with us and they are doing FOUR barrios a day! Whew! Can you imagine how many patients they will be able to see in the next four days?? Thanks to Nicole Eby and some awesome group leaders, we are hoping to have one of the most organized and smooth Monday's ever!
* These weeks have been a TON of work, but we've had some really great times too! A few people from the group stayed for a couple weeks in a row and we spent the weekend going out to eat, seeing an AMAZING concert by some of our friends, and going hiking up in the mountains.
* A couple women last week came down with the purpose of conducting interviews about health around the community here in San Juan. The talked with nurses, doctors, community leaders, water purification plant owners, herbal healers, health department employees, etc. They hope to use the information that they gathered to create a health education curriculum to bring down with them next year to be implemented in the barrios and health clinics in the areas that speaks directly to the issues that are most concerning and pressing to the Dominican people. LOVE it! Way to go ladies- thank you for all your hard work!
* I have met my new favorite person in the DR and his name is Bam-Bam.
Bam-Bam is a taxi driver that took a small group of us into town for a tour of the local hospital. In a culture of even the poorest of the poor doing everything they can to look their very best, Bam-Bam stands at about 4-11, rocking a saggy pair of grey sweat pants and a stained t-shirt that doesn't quite cover his protruding gut. Once at the hospital we were surprised when, instead of dropping us at the curb, he hopped out of the taxi and shuffled into the building after us. It got even more hilarious as Bam-Bam proceeded to slowly take over the tour. Before the doctors could respond to any of the group's questions, Bam-Bam was there with the answer (whether it was the correct one or not). While the rest of the group shyly peeked into patient rooms wondering what condition they might have, Bam-Bam wasted no time guessing and simply walked up to the patient and lifted the sheets to examine their swollen foot. A-mazing.
He then sealed his place in our hearts later that evening. The group had gone out to dinner and ice cream in town, and just as we were starting to take loads of people back in the bed of the truck, the sky opened up and it started raining... hard. We were just starting to wonder how we were going to manage to get 45 people back to the guesthouse in the cab of a truck, when (dah da-da DAH!) Bam-Bam pulls up, out of nowhere, slides the door of his taxi-van open and we piled in like a clown car. haha- he's the best.
* As of 8:00 last night, Dan is down 3 wisdom teeth. We have an oral surgeon down this week who offered to take care of them for him! He's a little loopy on drugs this morning, but otherwise doing great- What a HUGE blessing!
* Jeff and Kamanda are leaving us this week :( They've been here with us for 8 weeks now and become part of our family here at the guesthouse. We're bummed they are leaving- it will feel so strange not to have them around anymore! There is no way that we can thank them enough for all the help they've been this summer as well as just being awesome people and great friends. We love them lots and are hoping they will be back again next summer???
* We have so much to look forward to this fall! We have a small break coming up that we are hoping to fill by spending lots of time with our friends here in San Juan, as well and doing a little bit of traveling here on the island with Nicole. My sister will be getting married in October, so we will be back in Minnesota for a couple of weeks, then we'll be blessed with another visit from Dan's folk's for Thanksgiving. We've also had a few friends who have expressed interest in coming for a visit sometime this fall. Woo-hoo! We LOVE visitors and we have so much great stuff to look forward to!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
"The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up"
I now understand.
As of today I understand what it means to say that we are in the "rainy season" here in the DR. I understand why tropical storms can actually be a big deal and I understand why it is that we are making plans to build a new clinic. Holy new appreciation for nature.
I understand all of this because it rained last night. It was that angry kind of rain, where the sky growls and flashes and just opens wide up and dumps rain drops heavy and fast. The kind that in less than an hour had filled our street, flowed into our courtyard and rose into the guest rooms. Less than an hour!
Anyone who has seen Top Gear will appreciate my want for a "Toybota" rather than our Hilux as we came driving down our street, watching the water break up over the front of the hood. Crazy! Thank goodness that we have an awesome group from Roanoke here this week, that not only had great attitudes about it, but were an incredible help in our clean up efforts late last night.
So, I had been talking with our good friend, Kristin the other week about how unexpected, unplanned and uncontrolled life is here. I was telling her how I basically feel like a schizo on a daily basis- the group is doing well, so I'm happy, then our workers don't show so I'm frustrated, then our truck won't start and I'm stressed, but then it turns out to be an easy fix so I'm happy again, but then I hear about some sad news from a friend and I'm sad, then the group calls again with a need and now I'm sad and stressed together. I think you are getting the idea, and it's ridiculous! When I told all this to Kristin, she nodded, because she understood (she's been a missionary here for 6 years) and then handed me a great book because she is wiser than me and was kind enough to share some of that wisdom.
The book is all about thanksgiving, and I'm not going to lie, I did not really understand what it had to do with my situation when she first handed it to me. But that's Kristin's wisdom in action, because this book has really been rockin me. At one point she actually equates thanksgiving to salvation. Crazy, right?! The author talks about how any moment in our lives that we do not accept as a gift from God and give thanks for, is a moment that we basically are telling him "you aren't Lord over this situation/moment, you are not big enough or good enough for me in this". Wow.
All that to say, this week has been a crazy one for a lot of reasons, but I'm working on practicing my thankfulness in all things and I really do see it slowly beginning to change my heart and my perspective. I have had more peace and joy this week than I've had in a long time. I feel more blessed than I have in a long time too, mostly because I have stopped to name and recognize all those little blessings that have been there all along... even rain.
As of today I understand what it means to say that we are in the "rainy season" here in the DR. I understand why tropical storms can actually be a big deal and I understand why it is that we are making plans to build a new clinic. Holy new appreciation for nature.
I understand all of this because it rained last night. It was that angry kind of rain, where the sky growls and flashes and just opens wide up and dumps rain drops heavy and fast. The kind that in less than an hour had filled our street, flowed into our courtyard and rose into the guest rooms. Less than an hour!
Anyone who has seen Top Gear will appreciate my want for a "Toybota" rather than our Hilux as we came driving down our street, watching the water break up over the front of the hood. Crazy! Thank goodness that we have an awesome group from Roanoke here this week, that not only had great attitudes about it, but were an incredible help in our clean up efforts late last night.
So, I had been talking with our good friend, Kristin the other week about how unexpected, unplanned and uncontrolled life is here. I was telling her how I basically feel like a schizo on a daily basis- the group is doing well, so I'm happy, then our workers don't show so I'm frustrated, then our truck won't start and I'm stressed, but then it turns out to be an easy fix so I'm happy again, but then I hear about some sad news from a friend and I'm sad, then the group calls again with a need and now I'm sad and stressed together. I think you are getting the idea, and it's ridiculous! When I told all this to Kristin, she nodded, because she understood (she's been a missionary here for 6 years) and then handed me a great book because she is wiser than me and was kind enough to share some of that wisdom.
The book is all about thanksgiving, and I'm not going to lie, I did not really understand what it had to do with my situation when she first handed it to me. But that's Kristin's wisdom in action, because this book has really been rockin me. At one point she actually equates thanksgiving to salvation. Crazy, right?! The author talks about how any moment in our lives that we do not accept as a gift from God and give thanks for, is a moment that we basically are telling him "you aren't Lord over this situation/moment, you are not big enough or good enough for me in this". Wow.
All that to say, this week has been a crazy one for a lot of reasons, but I'm working on practicing my thankfulness in all things and I really do see it slowly beginning to change my heart and my perspective. I have had more peace and joy this week than I've had in a long time. I feel more blessed than I have in a long time too, mostly because I have stopped to name and recognize all those little blessings that have been there all along... even rain.
Monday, July 4, 2011
BIRTHDAY!!
It's all because of my mother...
Both the fact that I was born and the fact that I am convinced that every birthday should be the most wonderful day of the year (with only the possible exception of Christmas Eve). It is also a well known fact, in the Stark household, that the magic of a true birthday begins several days before the actual day of birth and can last for up to a solid week after. Everyone wants a reason to celebrate, right??
And this, my first birthday in the Dominican Republic, was no exception. The day would have been a typical friday morning: helping an exhausted group muster up their last amount of energy to clean out their rooms and pack up the bus for their trip back to Santo Domingo, except for all the friends and family who either stopped by, called, or left me yummy treats filled with birthday wishes. What a wonderful start to the day! Eventually after a birthday chat with my mom, Dan and I hopped in the car for my birthday drive to the capitol.
This sign was at the entrance to the resort... I have no idea if it was actually for me, but the top line says, "Welcome Birthday Girl"! Woot! Now the only thing they are missing is the marching band and parade in my honor. haha ;)
After dropping our bags off at in our room, we wandered a block or two down the road and had a birthday lunch at a fancy deli/wine bar. Delicious! -and a fun change from regular resort buffet. After lunch was a great birthday nap that we woke up for just in time to get ready for a great birthday dinner. The resort had gifted us a dinner for two at their fine dining restaurant. After they had spoiled and stuffed us with great food and wine, the chef and waiter brought out a huge birthday cake, singing the most adorably pathetic version of "Happy Birthday" I've heard yet. haha, it made me smile.
But of course Dan doted on me most of all, with lots of laughes, great conversations and love the whole day...awww :)
And I got to continue the celebration all weekend long! The son of our friend and bus driver, Monchy, had a birthday on Sunday, so they invited us to celebrate along with them for a double birthday party on Sunday evening.
And the birthday weekend kept rockin as we got to celebrate ANOTHER SIX birthdays when Lassie (Monchy's dog) gave birth just a few hours earlier to some very cute and healthy puppies. So stinkin adorable.
Birthday Wishes!!
DR birthday #1= big success
Monday, June 27, 2011
Relearning how to do life... San Juan style
So living here in San Juan for the last 4 months has taught me a lot of things. Mostly things that I had already learned but apparently I there are other ways to do them. For instance communication, no longer done in English and unfortunately Spanish is not easy for me. So I would like to take this time to share some important lessons.
1) The only thing that really matters when talking about road safety is one question: "did you get in an accident?". If the answer is "no" then you did a good job driving. Along with that, it is also it is your responsibility to do everything you can to avoid hitting someone or getting hit. Your horn tends to be insanely useful and isn't intended to communicate anger but caution.
2) Children are very durable. I was lead to believe that they are actually quite fragile and if they fall down you should take them to the hospital and have an MRI done. I have seen kids here wipe out from hanging onto a truck while riding a bike, get nailed by a baseball, and play with whips in such ways that they make Indiana Jones look like a giant noob (and sometimes things go poorly). These kids bite it hard and then get up and do it again, no fuss or anything.
3) It's ok to shake everyone's hand. In San Juan when you meet someone or to say hi, physical touch seems to be not only an expectation but a requirement. At first I was a little freaked out, but after awhile I see that it actually makes the "get to know you" process much faster and more pleasant. You can also get creative when your hands are dirty with things like elbow bumps, which is always fun.
We'll unfortunately that;s all I have time for right now. There are many more examples but each one reinforces a very important lesson that there are other ways to do life and it's not too late to learn a new one.
On a somewhat related note, I wonder what is was like for Jesus to learn how to do things all over when he became man. Really annoying I bet. But the effort I think was worth it.
-Daniel
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