Somewhere Between Green and Grey

Then and Now

2006-09-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

I was in the Middle East attending a conference for community development practitioners on 9/11/01. I distinctly remember the sincerity I felt from the many Arabs whom came up to me to express their grief and embarrassment at what had happened in the days that followed the attacks. I also felt that more then anything they wanted me to understand that the attacks were not in any way representative of the Islamic faith, and that they strongly disagreed with what had happened.

I remember sending an email out on 9/13 to many friends and family members in the United States talking about how I was feeling challenged to live out the commandment to love my enemies, and how I felt that we as a nation should not respond to the evil violence we had experienced with more violence.

I remember receiving many emails back telling me that I had taken the verse out of context, and that in the current period of time in which we were (and still are) living God was (and still is) administering His rule through man, and that the US's response to the attacks were (and continue to be) justified.

And here we are 5 years later. Did a violent response to violence produce a less violent and more peaceful world?

If it has, I can't see it from where I'm sitting and living...

I'm typing this while sitting in an extremely hot apartment in the Middle East. I very different Middle East then before 9/11/01. A much more angry Middle East. A much more volatile Middle East. A Middle East that 5 years ago was sharing in the pain and grief I was feeling for Americans who had lost their lives in the attacks, but now feels that they have been wrongfully punished for the sins of a few men who share their ethnicity, but stole their religion.

I sometimes feel like my religion has been stolen from me as well and is being sent to the nations all wrapped up in metal shells...

May peace come back to earth.

M.P.

20 different beds

2006-08-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's been over 3 months since I've posted anything, and quite a bit has happened over the past few months. I've slept in nearly 20 different beds, lost about 15 pounds, gained about 16 pounds back, driven nearly 6,000 miles, spent more time in airports and in airplanes than any normal person should, bought a pair of bluejeans, and have eaten fast food twice in the past 8 hours...

It has been a hectic few months.

I'm thinking about getting back into posting again soon.

Peace,

M.P.

A Game?

2006-05-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

I saw this site on two friends blogs where you can create a map of where you've been, and thought I'd play the game. However, judging from the fact that one of them is already plotting his course for world domination, I'm concerned that this game could become dangerous!

It looks like I've been to 26 countries, but I have to admit that 2 of them weren't exactly visited in a traditional sorta way... I don't have the stamps from these 2 countries in my passport, as I kinda stumbled into them accidentally, while spending a month up in the mountains with some really hospitable Kurdish folks...

My course for world domination isn't planned yet, as I need to first consult my Farmer's Almanac, and discuss things with my Spiritual Guide.

Thanks for reading.

M.P.

Happy Days

2006-04-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, President Ahmadinejad. Charlie Brown and I both stand with you in saying:

Peace on earth and goodwill to all!

RadioShack and a Thief

2006-04-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting thing happen to me today. I went to try and make a return at RadioShack, only to leave the store after being accused of stealing the item I was trying to return!

On Saturday, April 1, I went into the local RadioShack with my dad to purchase something that I needed. My dad paid for it with his credit card because he wanted to give it to me as a wedding gift. Well, I decided to return the item because I realized that I don't actually need it, but I didn't have the receipt. I thought that even without the receipt they could scan the item and see that it was purchased from their particular store, and credit my dad's card.

Apparently, I thought wrong.

The store manager of 14 years (or at least that is what his name tag said) was the man I spoke with and after explaining the situation to him he walked away for a moment. He returned shaking his head and said that he could not do anything for me. I asked him why not and he replied, "You don't have any proof that you actually paid for this item, and we are missing two of them." He said this without making any eye contact with me, and his tone of voice implied in an obvious way what his words were not saying. I then asked him, "Are you accusing me of stealing this item?" He said in response "Well what do you expect me to think? We are missing two of these exact same items, and you walk into my store with one asking for money back with no proof at all that you paid for the item, and look at yourself."

I was shocked, to say the least!

I admit that I am in need of a shave and have some shaggy hair, but over the past month I've been accused of looking like Jesus more times then I can count, not a thief! I guess the Jesus look wasn't helping me today!

I then asked for the name and number of the manager's supervisor and told him that I felt it was completely inappropriate for him to accuse me of stealing from his store, especially in light of the fact that all of this was taking place in front of about 15 customers. He then raised his voice and said that he would do no more business with me and that if I wanted to try and walk out of his store with this "unpaid for item" that I could go right ahead and try to do that. By this point all of the other customers were watching me, the apparent thief. So I again asked him for the name and number of his supervisor (he hadn't given it to me yet) and he wrote it down for me on a card. I took the card and began to walk out, and he mumbled something under his breath. I turned around and told him that I didn't catch what he said and he said back to me, "Go ahead and call my supervisor, you can call him right now if you want but I doubt that you will do that given the circumstances."

I left the store and called my dad to see if he still had the receipt, which he does. So I guess I can still get the 30 bucks back if I want, but this has pretty much gone beyond that now.

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm thankful that this happened or not. In some ways I am. This experience allowed me to in a very small way experience what many minorities face every day.

Unwarranted discrimination, simply because of an outward appearance.

It's a shame that we live in a society and culture that discriminates against people simply because of how they dress or their skin color, etc.

I probably won't be making to many purchases from RadioShack in the near future...

Peace,

M.P.

To Have or Not to Have

2006-04-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

So here we go - my first post as a married man!

Seeing how I've been married for 10 days now, I thought it would be appropriate to touch on a topic that married couples involved in full time ministry will inevitably encounter: the choice of whether or not to have children and the effect that this will have on their involvement and roles in full time ministry.

I've had several conversations over the past few years about this, and it seems that my thoughts aren't exactly in line with what a lot of evangelical (and definitely not catholic) Christians believe.

My wife and I have decided to remain childless for a season, and possibly forever, in order to focus our attention more fully, with as few distractions and restrictions as possible, on the ministry in which we believe God has called us.

I am under the opinion that as believers we are called to willingly lay down all of the rights that we seemingly believe we have, in order to more fully follow and serve Christ, having children being one of them. I believe that there is a place for some married couples to commit to remaining childless, in order to more fully focus on ministry.

I do believe that having and raising children is a ministry in itself, but I also believe that raising children and family-life have become to elevated of a thing in our present western evangelical society and culture, at the expense of pioneering new and challenging ministries.

The choice to remain childless is huge, but isn't it one that Christian married couples who are involved in full time ministry should be open to considering? I am under the opinion that if we truly want to see the Gospel spread and take root in the most dark and difficult places on earth, it will take some married couples being willing to remain childless for a period of time in order to pioneer ministries in these areas and places.

More posts on married life to come soon, but in the meantime I'd love to hear any of your thoughts regarding the idea of Christian couples remaining childless in order to more fully focus on ministry.

Peace,

M. Pascal

A Stranded Best Man

2006-03-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

Just to add a bit of drama to the already somewhat crazy times. My life long best friend, who will be my best man in the wedding tomorrow just phoned to let me know that his flight is being delayed due to high winds, which means he won't be making it to the rehearsal, which is supposed to begin in about 1 hour and 8 minutes...

It's going to be a great day tomorrow! Can't wait to see how it all comes together in the end!

The Countdown

2006-03-31T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm getting married in about 25 hours and 43 minutes...

Pretty cool if you ask me!

Peace,

M. Pascal

Gotta Love Them Underdogs!

2006-03-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

Did Tennessee really get beat by Wichita State? And did George Mason really win against UNC? Is a Higher Being in control here, is there some sort of conspiracy against certain teams, or could it be that the underdogs are just getting lucky?

I guess both Tennessee and UNC have good excuses though. TN's coach has a sweating problem that has attracted so much attention, his players have most likely become distracted by it, and UNC did lose a heck of a lot of talent after graduating nearly their entire national championship team.

The South is gonna rise again one day though. But this year's not looking so great.

Those Who Forgive

2006-03-17T13:23:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking quite a bit about forgiveness over the past several days, and how often times the most persecuted people, and those who have been wronged in the most severe ways seem to live out an attitude of forgiveness that many others don't. This was partly triggered by the murder of Tom Fox, who had been held captive in Iraq since the beginning of December, 2005. Tom Fox was a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a Christian organization committed to offering organized nonviolent alternatives to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict.

Some would say that the acts of CPT members in Iraq and other places are simply unpatriotic, and that they are naive to the great complexities of the world we live in, thus the need for war at times. Others would say that their actions are commendable, that they are truly living in solidarity with the poor and oppressed victims of wars and conflicts, following the commandment of Christ to love our enemies in a radical and tangible way.

Followers of Christ fall into both of these camps and undoubtedly have a plethora of, or at least some scriptural references to back up their views.

I'm not interested at this point in joining this debate, but am more interested in looking at the attitude of forgiveness that many non-violent protesters, and other persecuted people radiate.

I think of the life of Corrie Ten Boom, and how she was able to forgive her Nazi captors. Of a single South African mother I know whose HIV positive x-boyfriend raped her 9 year old and 6 year old daughters, passing onto them the HIV virus, and how this lady refused to harbor bitterness towards this man, but instead chose to walk in a spirit of forgiveness. Of an Arab man I know who has been shunned by his family and imprisoned several times because of his religious beliefs, and yet he continues to talk about how much he loves his parents, never speaking of them in a negative way.

These people encompass an attitude of forgiveness that I very seldomly understand, experience or live out. I often times find myself struggling to forgive people who have wronged me in even the smallest of ways. I even find myself struggling to forgive people who have not necessarily sinned against me but have sinned against my family and friends. And yet I have wonderful examples of people who very deeply walk in a spirit of forgiveness, living out the attitude in which Christ modeled and calls us to live.

How I long to truly live in this way, forgiving those who persecute me and loving those who speak falsely about me.

But how very far I have to go.

Peace,

M.P.

What Great Intuition

2006-03-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

The US ambassador to Iraq has said that continuing sectarian violence there had the potential to turn into civil war. I'm dumbfounded. Who would have ever thought...

You can read an article from the LA Times by clicking here, or one from BBC by clicking here.

How Shall We Judge?

2006-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a bit lately about capital punishment and justice, mostly as it relates to Saddam Hussein. In my opinion, Saddam is an extremely evil man, and I don't pretend to use the term evil lightly. A friend recently wrote about the evilness (or lack thereof) of Saddam on his blogsite, and although I think that Saddam is more evil of a person then my friend seems to, I greatly appreciate his fair approach.

However, I'm wondering if the magnitude of how evil a person actually is, really matters when we are talking about choosing how and when to end a person's life.

Does God, and God alone have this divine responsibility to carry out when and how He so chooses, or can you and I, mere humans take this responsibility into our own blood stained hands?

Do we have the right to end the life of even the world's most evil person? I don't believe that we do.

I believe that we are called to forgive even the most violent and evil of persons. Does forgiving always mean forgetting? No, it doesn't. Does forgiving mean not punishing? No, it doesn't. But does punishing have to equal killing? No, it doesn't.

If there is a person alive today that deserves the death penalty I would say that person is Saddam Hussein. However, I struggle to see how the killing of someone is justified, no matter how many atrocities they have committed. Furthermore, I can't seem to reconcile how another sinful person can condemn a fellow human to death. We all deserve death. None are righteous, no, not one.

I might be radically oversimplifying the situation, and as someone with a very strong sense of justice and right and wrong, this further complicates my stance on capital punishment, [whether carried out by the State, or by other means]. I've often asked myself what I would do in a situation where my own act of evil could potentially save the lives of many and bring to justice the person or persons committing the atrocities. Would I go down the path in which Dietrich Bonhoeffer chose to go, as he entered into the resistance movements against Nazism and a plot to assassinate Hitler? Because of the strong sense of justice that I have, I often times think that I would.

This however I can't seem to fully reconcile with Jesus' words spoken to the Scribes and the Pharisees who brought the woman who had been caught in adultery to him.

They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." John 8:1-11

Peace,

M. Pascal

Long Lost Me...

2006-02-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

For those of you who are actually still checking my blog site after what has been an extremely long and unanticipated silence, I wanted to let you know that I'll be posting new blogs once again in the very near future. There is definitely a wonderful reason for the silence, and although I'm not quite sure what it is as of yet, I'm confident that it will come to me in the very near future!

So check back soon, as I plan on beginning to post again within the week.

Peace to you all.

M. Pascal

Mr. Light follow-up

2005-12-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

Just a brief follow-up to my last post regarding the political situation in Egypt.

Ayman Nour was found guilty yesterday, December 24th, by an Egyptian judge for falsifying signatures to register his "Ghad" party in this past presidential election. He was given a 5 year jail sentence.

The US has demanded his release.

US White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in a statement:

"The conviction of Mr. Nour, the runner-up in Egypt's 2005 presidential elections, calls into question Egypt's commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. The United States calls upon the Egyptian government to act under the laws of Egypt in the spirit of its professed desire for increased political openness and dialogue within Egyptian society, and out of humanitarian concern, to release Mr. Nour from detention."

We'll see what happens in the upcoming days.

M.P.

Mr. Light and Tomorrow

2005-12-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Thus far I have chosen to stay away from political posts, but the political situation in Egypt has been producing some rather interesting stories for the past 18 months or so. As many of you are aware, the most recent presidential election in Egypt was the first one in which multi-candidate elections happened. As positive as this may sound, the reality of it was not a democratic (or at least not a Western/American understanding of democratic) election. The candidates had to have a certain number of signatures from the parliament to even run for election. For those who attained the required amount of signatures, they were then seeking to run against a President who controls the state run media, most newspapers, etc.

Campaigning was a bit of a problem (and a joke) for those who sought to oust the President.

Then came the actual elections which saw the police forcibly keeping many people from voting, opposition supporters being rounded up and hauled off to jail on the days leading up to the elections, and the National Democratic Party (the NDP is President Mubarak's party which controls almost all of parliament) not allowing outside monitors to monitor the election.

President Hosni Mubarak won re-election and is currently serving his fifth consecutive 6 year term.

Over the past month parliamentary elections happened and more then 5,000 (many of whom were write-ins) candidates vied for 444 seats in parliament. The outcome was the NDP (President Mubarak's party) re-claiming a comfortable majority. The Muslim Brotherhood, which fields candidates as independents, did win 88 seats. This is actually somewhat historic, and could potentially have an impact in the years to come.

However the main topic of interest currently is the imprisonment of the Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour (Nour means "light" in Arabic). Ayman Nour took second place in the presidential elections held this past September in Egypt, and has been imprisoned for forging signature petitions which enabled his Ghad (ghad means "tomorrow" in Arabic) Party to register with the authorities last year in order for him to run for election. All indications show that this is a politically motivated false charge, but whether or not he did actually forge these signatures, the imprisonment is an example of the Egyptian government taking advantage of it's power to keep those who could pose a threat to Mubarak from gaining momentum.

Some figures indicate that over 80% of male prisoners in Egyptian jails are "political prisoners." The mukhabarat, or the state run secret police in Egypt, keep an extremely close watch on anything and anyone who could potentially oust President Mubarak from the presidency.

Ayman Nour is currently in prison waiting for the verdict which will be delivered on Saturday, December 24. If convicted, Mr. Nour could serve 15 years in prison.

I suppose the light at the end of the tunnel could be a long ways off for the leader of the "Tomorrow Party."

So much for coming in 2nd place.

M. Pascal

Broken Words and Broken People

2005-12-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a bit lately about how my (our) actions and words can and do effect others. Our actions and words can effect those around us for the good, but also for the bad. Words spoken in love can bring life, building up and edifying others, but the reverse is also true.

Sarcasm and satire can often times be very humorous, but when it is taken to far it can be destructive and hurtful. The same can be said for prophetic statements and actions. When done in love and fueled by the Spirit of God they can bring life, but when prophetic statements and actions are fueled by wrong motives and are overly critical they often times do more harm then good.

This is true in my life. I have been built up and torn down by other peoples actions and words, just as I have built up and torn down others by my actions and words. I suppose this is yet another way in which living in community with others while intentionally practicing the spiritual disciplines can be such a helpful sharpening tool in our own personal development and growth.

I do believe that there are times and places for mild sarcasm and satire (which can lend itself to a storytelling parable style of teaching), and for black and white prophetic statements and actions, but these must always be done in a spirit of love. Finding this balance however can be much more difficult to put into practice, then to merely write about on a 3 minute blog post.

I am the first to admit that I have a long ways to go in learning how to be not simply a prophetic voice, but a prophetic voice that speaks with divine love that can only come from a life lived in communion with the Divine Maker and Creator of all.

Peace,

Matthew Pascal

Health and Wealth at Whose Expense?

2005-11-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

Moving forward from my reflections on Ignatius of Antioch, and the early church attitudes towards suffering and martyrdom, I would like to reflect a bit on the Imperial Church, and specifically on some of the theology that arose during the time of Constantine. What strikes me most from this time was how the new Christian theology was shaped by the circumstances surrounding Constantine’s rule, and in some regards to how drastically it abandoned some of the early church’s traditional themes.

There are a few main examples that I would like to briefly mention in order to illustrate the manner in which theology was shaped by the new circumstances during this period of history in the church.

In the New Testament as well as in the early church we see that the Gospel was first of all good news to the poor, and that the rich had particular difficulty in hearing and receiving it. This theological position was so firmly believed that some early Christians even went so far as to question and wonder how it was possible for a rich person to be saved. However, with Constantine came a time in which riches and extravagant living were seen as signs of divine favor. One of the leading theologians during this time was Eusebius of Caesarea. He was at the forefront in the guiding and teaching of the theology that was shaping (or was being shaped by) the church during this period. It seems fairly obvious that he was quite heavily influenced along these lines of wealth and riches being a sign of divine favor. However, some scholars have said that Eusebius was possibly not really aware of the radical change that was taking place, as the persecuted church became the church of the powerful.

One of the main problems I see that arose from this was the development of a clerical aristocracy that was very similar to the imperial aristocracy, who were undoubtedly very far from the common people, as were the great officers of the Empire. During this time the church began to imitate the Empire in its liturgy as well as in its social structure.

In my opinion, this was probably the birth of the theology that surrounds and supports the prosperity gospel that has continued to this day in several Evangelical Christian circles and denominations. In many ways the monastic movement that really began to gain momentum and popularity around this time as well, was in part a protest against this accommodating understanding of the Christian life.

Another radical theological change that took place during this time that Eusibius helped develop was the setting aside of a fundamental theme of early Christian preaching: the coming Kingdom of God. In many of Eusibius’ works we get the impression that with Constantine and his successors the plan of God was fulfilled. A theme taught by Eusibius was that all Christians were to hope for, beyond the present political order, was their own transference into the heavenly kingdom. Since the time of Constantine, there has been a tendency to set aside or to postpone the hope of the early church, that its Lord would return in the clouds to establish a Kingdom of peace and justice.

I do not mean to say that all of these theological changes were solely due to the teaching of Eusibius, for in actuality he was simply expressing the common feeling among the vast majority of Christians during this period of history.

In reflection, I believe we see a few dangerous fundamental changes from the theological orientation of the early church that have continued to the present day. The first being the drastic change in the theological position that the Gospel is first of all good news to the poor. Since the time of Constantine until our present day we have seen continued growth and adherence to the message of the prosperity gospel, while often times ignoring the cries of the poor. Not only do we see all of the television evangelists who preach and teach the message of a prosperity gospel, but we now have very large and popular mainstream churches springing up in the western world (one such church was birthed in Australia and has since gained a large following in America and Western Europe) that adhere to this theological orientation. In adherence to this theology we are saying that the Gospel is no longer first of all good news to the poor. In my opinion, holding a belief in this theological position is a self-centered way of living, making things all about ourselves. Jesus clearly lived out a radically different lifestyle.

The second outcome from these theological changes was the shift from a more heavenly orientation, and a hope and longing for the coming return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the establishment of His Kingdom that will bring peace and justice to the world. We should always be looking heavenward, longing and hoping for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Gospel that Jesus taught was never one that said riches and wealth and power and prestige were signs of divine favor. Jesus preached and taught quite the opposite.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For the shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3-10

Peace friends,

Matthew Pascal

Sandwich Diversity

2005-11-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

I had lunch with a friend yesterday at this cool little cafe type of place and ate a portabella sandwich. I had never heard of a portabella sandwich before, and was trying to figure out what kind of meat would be on a portabella sandwich without having to look stupid and ask, but couldn't figure it out. So I really didn't know what a portabella sandwich was when I ordered it, but the girl I was with suggested it and she's a pretty healthy eater and I'm probably not so I figured I would give it a try. I'm not sure if I ordered it to try and have this girl think that I'm healthy and eat portabella sandwiches on a regular basis or if it was because I have this secret longing to be more healthy or if it was the adventurous side in me coming out and wanting to try something new, but whatever was going on deep down inside of my psyche, there was a force that led me to order the portabella sandwich.

Well, when the portabella sandwich came out it didn't have any meat on it at all; no slabs of beef, or ham, or pork, or chicken, or turkey, or spam, or even a few slices of bacon. Really, believe me, I'm being serious here; there was no meat at all on the entire sandwich. Apparently a portabella sandwiches main ingredient is portabella mushrooms. Quite a fascinating concept.

So I got a bottle of hot sauce and poured some on my mushroom sandwich and sat across the table from my friend (she had a salad and a bowl of chili) and tried to eat it without looking like a slob and spilling mushroom and hot sauce mix all over myself. I did a pretty good job I think, because when I woke up this morning I decided to put the same clothes back on that I was wearing yesterday which means that there wasn't any noticeable amount of portabella mushroom and hot sauce mix on them.

It's pretty cool though; I actually liked the mushroom sandwich quite a bit. It was definitely my first experience in eating a meatless sandwich, but it was pretty good. While I was sitting there eating this meatless sandwich, I got to thinking about how different people are, and how that really is a wonderful thing that we should encourage and embrace in one another. Diversity can be such a beautiful thing.

For instance I have some Christian friends who think that the war in Iraq is a wonderful God-ordained thing that is bringing freedom and liberation not only to the Iraqi people but to an entire region of people for the first time ever since Adam and Eve were running around without any clothes on and not feeling ashamed that their privates were showing. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.

Then I have some Christian friends who are so far on the other side of the spectrum that they would never even take the life of a severely injured butterfly that smashed against the windshield of their car and was obviously in a lot of pain and might be better off dead so there is no way that these people are supportive of the war in Iraq, or any war for that matter. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.

Then I have some Christian friends who admit that they are just confused and don't know what to think and believe about war because they know that any type of war and violence is awful and ugly but that sometimes it might be necessary to kill 100,000 people in order to save the lives of 1,000,000 people. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.

I learn so much from all three groups, and I really do love them all. So I'm glad that for whatever reason it was that led me to order a portabella sandwich without any meat on it, that I did. It reminded me once again about the importance of and the beauty that is found in diversity.

Peace friends.

Matthew Pascal

Tapered Jeans, Pink Shirts and Jesus

2005-11-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

I had this girlfriend once, but we ended up breaking up. It was probably a good move for her because she's a lot cooler than me. For example she wears really cool clothes and understands style, but me, well I suppose I don't have a great sense of style. I remember how a few months after we had been dating she mentioned to me that she didn't like tapered jeans. I agreed with her, not because I dislike tapered jeans, but because I figured it would make me sound more cool if I agreed. Then she kind of nonchalantly asked me if I owned any tapered jeans. I knew at that point I had been busted, and that she wasn't really asking me that as a question because she already knew the answer, but I still tried to play it off. I told her that of course I didn't own any tapered jeans, because only dorks would wear those kinds of things, and that I wasn't a dork. But then she reminded me that one of the first times we ever hung out I was wearing tapered jeans. I was a little bit surprised that she had even noticed, but then again I guess this goes to show that she really is a lot cooler then me. So I'd say that her next boyfriend will probably wear really cool clothes, and not tapered jeans.

She also really liked pink shirts. I didn't. But she would always talk about how guys look "hot" when they wear pink shirts. I had never owned a pink shirt before, but then I went out one day and bought two at the same time. I was hoping I would look "hot" when I wore them, and that I would be more cool. I tried to say that the reason I bought them was because I knew that she liked them and I wanted to do something nice or special or whatever you want to call it for her. But I don't think this is completely true. I think I probably bought them because I wanted to look more cool. But then I tried to wear one of these pink shirts with my tapered jeans and I don't think that it went so well. Maybe pink shirts just aren't my thing.

So I don't wear the pink shirts very often anymore. I don't wear the tapered jeans either - well not as often as I used to. I went to a store and pondered the idea of buying some new jeans, but I noticed that all of the new jeans were already faded and torn up with a bunch of holes in them. Apparently that's how cool people buy their jeans nowadays; pre-faded and pre-torn with a bunch of holes already in them. So when they buy them they are not really new; but they are cool. I have a few pairs of pants that I've been wearing for four or five years now and they are a bit faded and torn up but they don't look like the new jeans that the cool people buy from the store with the holes already in them.

I wonder what kinds of clothes Jesus would wear if he was walking the streets of America today. I don't think that he would wear pink shirts and trendy jeans that you buy already faded and torn up with a bunch of holes in them. I think that Jesus would probably be more of a bargain shopper and when He bought new jeans, they wouldn't come with a bunch of holes already in them because the ones that are all faded and torn up with all of the holes in them are so much more expensive then the ones without all of the holes - like the tapered ones.

But maybe buying new jeans from the store that are already faded and torn up with a bunch of holes in them is kind of like what Jesus does with us.

He accepts, and even chooses us, when we are all messed up. He doesn't ask us to come to Him only after we are fixed and perfect. He takes us just like we are - faded and torn up with holes all over the place.

So maybe Jesus choosing and accepting us in our worn out and messed up state is like the cool guys who buy the new jeans that are already faded and torn up with a bunch of holes in them. It kind of makes sense because I think that Jesus is pretty cool.

Peace to you.

M. Pascal

Reflections on Ignatius

2005-10-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

I've recently been studying some early church history and have been thinking about the early Christians attitudes towards martyrdom in contrast to those held by many Western Christians today. We can find several writings from the second century that help us to understand the attitudes of those early Christians towards martyrdom, the most dramatic of which are recorded in the "acts of the martyrs," which retell the arrest, trial, and death of various martyrs. In addition we learn of the attitudes of early Christians towards martyrdom through other Christian writings of which one of the most valuable is probably the set of seven letters that the aged Bishop Ignatius of Antioch wrote on his way to martyrdom.

The most significant letter to help us understand the attitude that Ignatius held towards martyrdom can be found in the letter he wrote from Smyrna to the church in Rome, after his arrest, while on his way to Rome to die as a martyr. Somehow, Ignatius had heard that Christians in Rome were considering the possibility of freeing him from death. He did not look upon this with favor as he was ready to seal his witness with his blood. He viewed any move on the part of the Christians in Rome to save him as an obstacle to his goal. In this letter he wrote to them:

"I fear your kindness, which may harm me. You may be able to achieve what you plan. But if you pay no heed to my request it will be very difficult for me to attain unto God."

Ignatius views martyrdom as the highest attainment of imitating the passion of His God, Jesus Christ. As he faces the ultimate sacrifice, Ignatius believes that he begins to become a disciple and therefore asks that the Christians in Rome simply pray not that he be freed, but that he may have the strength to face every trial. He goes on in the letter to say:

"... so that I may not only be called a Christian, but also behave as such. My love is crucified. I no longer savor corruptible food but wish to taste the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, and his blood I wish to drink, which is an immortal drink. When I suffer, I shall be free in Jesus Christ, and with him shall rise again in freedom. I am God's wheat, to be ground by the teeth of beasts, so that I may be offered as pure bread of Christ."

I believe that we can learn from Ignatius of Antioch the attitude that many early Christians held towards martyrdom. An attitude of embracing that which Jesus suffered with great honor and joy. An attitude that enables us to look at persecution and martyrdom as a priviledge that God grants to some of His followers.

Martyrdom is not something that we should seek out but it is something that we should wholeheartedly embrace should we be given that gift. I sometimes fear that because the Western church has become so comfort oriented we have steered dangerously far away from Biblical teachings on suffering, persecution and martyrdom. Should we truly wish to be Jesus' disciples, and live our lives wholeheartedly for Him, we must once again embrace the attitude towards persecution and martyrdom that the early Christians held.

We often times speak of seeing the Gospel preached to the unreached Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists of the world, and should we truly desire to see these precious people come to faith in Christ, we must be willing to lay down everything, even our very own lives for them. We must seek to know God not only in His joys but also in His hardships and sufferings. We must seek to know Him in His greatest victory, the victory that He attained through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. We must say as the Apostle Paul did:

"that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10,11

Now I begin to be a disciple. Let fire and cross, flocks of beasts, broken bones, dismemberment, come upon me, so long as I attain to Jesus Christ. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH

Peace,

Matthew Pascal

Beware of Blogspot.com Slackers!

2005-10-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

I know, I know - long time no blog. I'll be back soon though, I promise. Life has been hectic lately, and I am currently transitioning into a new community for the next month or so, and that has been occupying most of my time over the past few weeks. Once I get my feet back on the ground, I'll start posting again.

I'm thinking that over the next month my posts will deviate from their normal nature a bit, and that instead of my usual ramblings I will write some short daily meditations. I'm going to be taking some time for rest, reflection and restoration over the next month and I would like to post some thoughts on that as the days go by.

And so until then, peace to you all.

M.P.

Falling Stars

2005-10-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

I noticed a few days ago that the star which is usually located at the top left hand corner of my blog's template has disappeared. I'm not sure where it has fallen off to...

Any ideas on how to get it back?

A Book and a Woman

2005-10-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny little addition to my last post that has to do with one of my first big goof ups when I was learning Arabic.

I was on the street chatting with a friend one day about three or four months after arriving into the Arab world. I was trying my hardest to use the limited amount of Arabic vocabulary I had learnt by that point and was trying my best to understand what my friend Abdulla was saying to me. Well at one point I thought that he asked me if I would like to go back to his house with him to get a book from his sister that would help me in learning Arabic. I began to very enthusiastically express my gratitude for the offer and was telling him how wonderful that would be. So we took off down the road and a few minutes later arrived at his house. Well within five minutes after arriving I realized that about 10 of his relatives had also shown up and were all trying to talk with me. Obviously I had no idea what was going on but just assumed the reason I was surrounded by these 10 extremely excited Arabs was that I was a foreigner visiting their home. Hospitality is extremely important in the Arab culture and entertaining guests and visitors takes priority over anything else that is going on at the time. So here I was thinking that all of this commotion was simply because they were excited to have me, a foreigner, in their home.

After about 10 minutes of this I began to wonder where the book was, and furthermore where my friend Abdulla had gone.

Well a few minutes later he showed back up with, "The book."

He walked into the room with his 21 year old sister who I had agreed to marry! Yup, I was getting engaged!

The Arabic words for “book” and “engagement” are extremely similar, and my friend Abdulla had actually asked me if I wanted to go to his house to become engaged to his sister, not to get a book, and I had enthusiastically said yes!

So there I was with a very limited amount of Arabic, surrounded by an entire extended family – aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters – trying to figure out how to get myself out of that one…

Ah – the joys of learning another language!

Peace,

M. Pascal

Hunger and a Woman

2005-10-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Seeing how most of my posts are somewhat serious, I figure it’s time to loosen up the ole belt and joke around a bit. If you don’t mind, I wanna make fun of myself for a second or 3.

I made a fairly humorous linguistic mistake recently that I think is worth writing about.

First a tiny bit of background information regarding the French language. In French, when you say that you are hungry, you actually say that you have hunger. So if I want to say that I’m hungry, I would literally say “I have hunger.” Well the French words for 'hunger' and 'woman' are quite similar, and if you don’t know all of the French pronunciation rules you could very easily pronounce the two words exactly the same.

And so here is what happened…

I live in a dormitory type building with about 20 other single people and we have a large kitchen that we all share. A few weeks ago when I walked into the kitchen to cook my dinner, I tried to tell the others who were also there that I was hungry. However, I instead announced in a fairly loud voice:

“I have a woman!”

How’s that for a conversation starter?!?!

Peace,

M. Pascal

The Socially Active Trend

2005-10-13T03:16:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that being an advocate for the poor or a socially active person is becoming more and more trendy these days in America. You can find socially and politically active young people on university campuses all across the country who are calling for social change. People are expressing their discontentment with what are very real social injustices. There are more and more groups forming that get together for weekly "pot-luck dinners" to discuss these things. In the aftermath of "Katrina" I expect more and more people will be verbally expressing their anger and discontentment over the social injustices in which poor face, and that these advocates for the poor will become more visible then they already are.

I love that this is happening, however I do sometimes find myself getting a bit annoyed by some of these socially active types. My concern is that many of these people are involved in social justice issues simply because it has become a trendy thing amongst certain groups of people. Furthermore, it seems like not to many people are truly willing to "put their money where their mouth is" and prophetically act out the scene in which they are describing.

It is one thing to go to a three day conference on social justice issues, but it is an all together separate thing to take the much more costly path of voluntarily re-locating oneself to live among the poor (who were without a doubt being discussed at the conference) in inner-city America (or elsewhere in the world) for the next five, ten, fifteen or forty years.

It is one thing to verbally speak out against the inequalities that the poor face in regards to education and health care but it is an all together separate thing to give up a higher paying and more prestigious job to go and teach in a run-down under-funded inner-city public school, or to start and operate a health care clinic for the poor when you could be making six figures as a doctor in nice suburban hospital.

I have some friends who most people would label "raging liberals," and although I agree with them on several issues that revolve around fighting poverty, social injustices, etc., I do find myself sometimes getting annoyed by the apparent lack of action that these let's fight social injustice types seem to be willing to put forth.

It seems that nowadays many people are game for advocacy work, but few are game for taking the much more costly paths. In my opinion a reason for this is because of how trendy it has become to wear a T-shirt with an icon of Che Guevara's face on it, go to a rally, write some letters to Senators and then return back home until the next one roles around in six months. If you are going to do that, I would encourage you to at least go out and buy a good book (and read it!) on Ernesto "Che" Guevara so you actually know a bit about his life and who he was instead of just thinking that he was some cool countercultural dude who was fighting against - you know man - against like, like, stuff...

In the Faces of the Laughing, Crying and Dying

2005-10-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past few days with a contemporary Christian musician, his family and his band. I became friends with him and his family several years ago, and was able to connect and hang out with them all this past Thursday and Friday while they were in Paris to perform a show as part of their European tour. I went and met them Thursday evening before the concert and then spent the day with them on Friday. Friday happened to be this mans’ birthday, so we all went to a nice little café next to Notre Dame Cathedral for a birthday lunch, and then afterwards spent some time seeing the sights in Paris. It was great to spend the day catching up with them, as it had been a few years since I saw them last.

However, there is something that came up during the concert that I’m battling with. He sings a song (which was actually written by the late Rich Mullins) entitled “I See You,” and in this song the lyrics to the chorus say “Everywhere I go I see You.” After the song was finished, he told the audience how when he had been driving through the Swiss Alps the day before he had seen God in the scenery. He said that when he crossed over the border from Switzerland to France earlier that day he had seen God. He talked about how he could see God in the faces of many of the thousands of French Christians who were at the show, while they were worshiping the Creator of the universe. I do not doubt these things at all, as I also can see God in these types of people and places.

But there are many times when I can’t see God.

I often times can’t see Him in the face of a young child that is dying from an easily preventable disease, simply because his family can’t afford to purchase the medicine. I often times can’t see Him in the faces of two little girls I know that were raped by a man with AIDS, who they trusted and called “daddy.” I often times can’t see Him in the hungry bodies of malnourished children who I have lived next door to in a refugee camp in Northeastern Africa. I often times can’t see Him in the tears of a woman who is crying because she never had the chance to learn how to read and write, simply because of her sex.

Yes, there are many times when I can’t see God.

However in these horrible situations I have learned that I must trust God is there, and trust in His ultimate sovereignty, for I know that a God small enough to completely understand isn’t big enough to worship. I have peace in knowing that I will never fully be able to understand why so many things are the way they are in this world, and why God allows so much suffering to continue. I have realized that I must choose to continue to follow God and to trust in Him even when I can’t see Him, feel Him, touch Him or hear Him. I am called to trust in His peace, love, goodness and kindness even when I can’t see these things with my earthly eyes. And I strive to do this, although I often times fail.

But with that said, this song still upsets me a bit.

I believe this Christian musician is a very integrous man. I believe that when he stands on a stage in front of 40,000 fans and sings the words “everywhere I go I see You” that he truly means it. This man is one of the all time most popular contemporary Christian musicians, and I do not think that he would sing words to a song that were not true for him in his life. And so I am upset because I can’t say that this is always true in my life, and I desire for it to be.

I long to be able to honestly say to God, everywhere I go I see You.

God help me to have the revelation that my worshiping friend has had, so that I can look into the eyes of the dying and see You, so that I can look into the eyes of the suffering and see You, and so that I can look at that which could possibly even lead me to question Your very existence, and say that I can see You.

Peace,

Matthew Pascal

Materialism, and my own idolatry.

2005-09-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is something that I wrote a few months back that I want to post as a sort of addition to my last post - it continues to ring true.

First off I would like to state that this is NOT in any way an attack against those of you who use Apple products, as I myself own and use them. I would much prefer to use certain clothing companies (like Abercrombie & Fitch) for my example here, but I was not lucky enough to come across an article written about them (or there absolutely disgusting marketing techniques).

I came across a news piece on BBC.com that I would like to comment on. I get most of my world news from BBC.com, and for the most part find their reporting to be fairly decent. Good reporting seems extremely difficult to come by these days, and it takes much wisdom and discernment (two things in which I am often times lacking) to actually decipher through what is being reported to us, and find that bit of truth. With that said, now on to the news.

There was an article on BBC.com talking about the business (and possibly cultural?) phenomenon of Apple products. The piece focused mainly on the iPod, which is Apples MP3 player. The article begins with:

"To enter the Apple store in Manhattan is to enter a temple. Beneath its high vault, swish thin young men and women dressed from head to foot in black. They hold objects in their hands, strange white and silver objects, objects of devotion which they present to lay visitors, to the uninitiated who wander in from Prince Street seeking retail solace. At the top of a set of broad stairs in the sunlit store is an auditorium, a circle of seats much like those in a chapel, where one of the black-clad priests stands and delivers an encomium to the objects. There is reverence and a sense of being part of a movement."

The article then goes on to discuss other things, ending with this:

"To watch the throng at the Apple store in Manhattan is to witness an amazing business phenomenon. A company has managed to turn its product into an object of adoration, into something people want to buy whether they need it or not, something they want to buy as something that defines themselves. And that is very good business indeed."

I was sickened in my stomach (and also in my heart) when reading this article, which can be found in its entirety at the following link : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4464735.stm.
I began to wonder how this could be.

How can it be that we as a society have moved so far away from the teachings of Jesus that we allow ourselves to literally worship objects? There is an enormous amount of truth in the final paragraph of the BBC.com article. We often times allow ourselves to worship and be defined by mere objects. How many people do you know who will spend incredible amounts of money in order to wear Abercrombie & Fitch clothing, because it "defines" them? How many people will spend money that they don't have in order to buy products that they really don't need, simply because these products "define" them? So many of us will buy these types of clothes and products not because we actually need them, but because of the image that is associated with those who own, use and wear them.

The things we do to portray ourselves in a certain way and as having a certain image has gone so far. Our materialism, consumerism, and the coveting, adoring and worshiping of objects, seemingly know no limits! Where has this come from?

I refuse to believe that this is simply a product of social conditioning. If I accept that this all stems from social conditioning then I am accepting that the Church no longer has any influence in our society and culture. I am accepting that the Church no longer is a transforming agent of society. I am accepting that the Church no longer produces men and women with a Biblical worldview. If I accept that this is simply a product of social conditioning then I must ask, where is the Church? I do not want to believe that this is simply a product of social conditioning, because I still have faith that the Church can be a transforming agent in our society, our culture, our nation and our world.

So where is this coming from, and why do we allow it to not only continue but to flourish?

Or have we as believers become so desensitized to the sins of our culture and society that we no longer view these as evils?

This is not about whether or not it is OK to own and use these types of products - of course it is. This is about understanding that at the very moment we allow ourselves to turn any object into an object of adoration and worship, an object that "defines" us - in that moment we have strayed from the teachings of Jesus. In that moment we are not allowing the teachings of Jesus to influence us or our lifestyles any longer, and we have become idolatrous people.

As I write this I am wondering what objects I have done this with in the past, and am doing this with now. For me it could be nearly anything, even the very ministry I am involved with. Oh God, how often I must hurt You, as my own hypocrisy knows no limits!

There are billions of people living in absolute poverty all around the world. There are millions of people living in extreme poverty in America. There are thousands of people living in poverty in my hometown in East Tennessee. As believers we each have a responsibility to seek justice for the poor and oppressed. We are called to not only live evangelistically, but to also be Christians who take our social responsibility seriously. Yes evangelism is very important, but seeking justice for the poor and oppressed is also important - these two things can never be separated. If we allow ourselves to live materialistically and to covet, worship and adore mere objects, we are not seeking justice for the poor. We are not caring for the poor. We are not loving the poor. Jesus said that He came to preach the Good News to the poor, and His lifestyle represented this in words as well as in deeds. Let us all strive together to do the same!

Lord make us a people who seek to live our lives as an offering to You. Help us to live sacrificially so that others may know Your goodness, Your mercy, Your grace, and Your intense concern for the poor among us. Help us Jesus to be more like You.

With love to you all,

M. Pascal

Corduroy Pants

2005-09-25T04:45:00.000-07:00

I had an enlightening experience a few nights ago. I went to a straight-up 100% East Tennessee style pig-pickin’ right here in Paris, France. I always knew that the French considered themselves to be highly cultured people, but it was not until I participated in this Parisian pig-pickin’ that I actually accepted the reality of this profound truth in its entirety. I have truly been enlightened!

The evening did lead me into spending a bit of time reflecting on some things. Let me explain.

I love pig-pickin’s and this one pair of corduroy pants that I have. I have been going to pig-pickin’s for as long as I can remember, and have had this pair of pants since high school (I graduated high school in 1997, if any of you are wondering.). They were green when I bought them, but now they are somewhere between green and grey. They are all ripped up at the bottom from where they have been dragging on the ground for over eight years. The section of pants that covers the gluteus maximus area is extremely thin and every time I wear them or wash them I think to myself, “this could be it for my somewhere between green and grey corduroy pants.”

I was wearing them while feasting on the wonderfully seasoned and perfectly cooked pork, in a beautiful garden at a home in a suburb a bit south of downtown Paris last Thursday evening. After we finished eating, we were all sitting around the fire and as I got up to help bring some more logs over I heard something rip – I thought it was my pants. I tried to find the tear, but couldn’t. It was pretty dark outside and I figured that it must not have been a very big rip seeing how I could not even locate it.

I stayed for another hour or so before leaving and during this time I found my thoughts wandering between the here-and-now conversations that were taking place and my corduroy pants that I thought I had ripped, again. I found myself thinking how sad I would be if the rip was too large to patch up. Of course I knew a day would come when the pants would be completely worn out and I would not be able to continue wearing them, but I wasn’t prepared for that to happen last Thursday evening. I do like these somewhere between green and grey corduroy pants an awful lot.

It was then that I began to think how difficult it is for the man or woman who finds comfort in worldly attachments to admit his or her complete and absolute need for God. How difficult it is for the person who places his or her trust in worldly treasures to store up treasures in Heaven. How difficult it is for the person who finds his or her identity in clothes, cars, computers, etc. to find their true identity in God.

Let us each seek to give up whatever sort of attachments we may have with worldly things that distract us from relying solely on Him. Let us each seek to be more eternally orientated, not filling our storage sheds on earth with meaningless toys, but storing up treasures in Heaven. Let us each seek to never find our identity in the clothes we wear or the things we use and buy but to only find our true identity in God and in God alone. Let us each as God to search our hearts in these matters.

I ask Him to search mine first.

Learning to be Content

2005-09-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a bit lately about what it means to be content in all circumstances. The Apostle Paul said:

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Philippians 4:11-12

Paul says he has learned that in whatever situation (and I tend to believe he has the authority and experience to truly speak about all circumstances), he is to be content. He did not say that he is to be content only in some or most situations, but in all situations. I am under the opinion, that we are called to the same.

Oh how far I have to go in this regard.

And so here I am, writing this from Paris, a city often times regarded as the most beautiful in the world. Not to sound overly black and white in my thinking and speaking (writing), but I believe this to be true.

I spent the entire month of August walking past Notre Dame Cathedral and through the Luxembourg Gardens each morning and afternoon on my way to and from class - to and from class at one of the "most prestigious private universities in France."

I have been eating wonderful French cheeses and drinking incredible French wines. I have had meals that consist of gourmet delicacies including caviar and escargot. I have gone for evening strolls along the Seine, and down the Champs Elysees.

I truly am in the most beautiful city in the world.

And yet I find myself longing to be back in North Africa, living among the poor.

Several people have told me that I need to "lighten up a bit" and "enjoy this opportunity that God has given and blessed me with." They probably are correct.

However the point I am seeking to make (mainly to myself, but also for others) is that we often times find ourselves places in which we normally would not choose to be, and yet God not only desires for us, but also calls us to be content in these circumstances.

There are people who due to health, family, financial and various other reasons, have had to leave the ministry in which they felt that God had called them. I have met some of these people and have found them to be content in their present circumstances.

There are those who desperately desire to go overseas and serve, and for some reason God is asking them to stay, or to wait. I have met some of these people and have found them to be content in their present circumstances.

There are believers all around the world being beaten and tortured in prisons simply because of their faith in Christ. I have also met some of these blessed people, and have found them to be truly content in their present circumstances.

Each of these people has ministered to and taught me about being content in all circumstances.

And yet I still must cry out and say…

Oh how far I have to go in learning to be content in all circumstances! When I am hungry and when I am filled. When I am rich and when I am poor. When I am accepted and when I am rejected. When I am understood and when I am gravely misunderstood. When I have community and when I am all alone. When I can sense that God is with me and when I feel completely abandoned by Him.

Yes, I have a long ways to go.

Peace,

Matthew Pascal

The Rich Poor Man

2005-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Something happened at the grocery store today that caught my attention and made me think.

As I got in line to pay for my groceries, I found myself standing behind two patrons from very different worlds. More then likely they came into the store with very different ideas of what they would purchase, very different economic means of doing so, and very different places they would return to after their shopping was complete.

The man directly in front of me was obviously homeless, probably an alcoholic and/or drug attic, and possibly mentally ill in some way. He was dressed in very worn and tattered clothes, and probably hadn’t bathed in months. He had one bottle of cheap wine and two beers in his basket to purchase.

The lady in front of him was a very elegantly dressed upper-class French woman. She probably had over $150 worth of items to purchase.

While the cashier was scanning her many items I watched her continually stare at the homeless man behind her. It seemed as though she was scared of becoming dirty or somehow infected with something herself, simply by being in close proximity with this homeless man. I could only imagine what awful thoughts must have been going through her mind.

After all of her items had been scanned she handed her credit card to the cashier, only for it to be rejected. She did not have enough cash to pay for the items and so she asked the cashier to try her credit card again. The cashier called the manager who took the card into his office to possibly (my assumption) call the credit card company to check on the cards status.

While this was happening the cashier went ahead and scanned the homeless mans bottle of cheap wine and his two beers. He paid for it with the change that he had in his hand and left.

The elegantly dressed upper-class French woman watched this man leave the store and mumbled something as he left. A look of relief came across her face, for what I assume was the fact that she no longer had to be standing so close to an unclean person. Seconds later the store manager returned to let her know that he could not accept her credit card. The very elegantly dressed woman left the store with nothing.

It was then that I began to think…

How difficult it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God, but how simple it is for the poor to walk through the pearly gates.

How difficult it is for the saint who considers himself or herself to be a decent and Godly person to acknowledge his or her very real need for God’s grace and guidance in his or her life, but how very simple it is for the broken-down, beaten up and downtrodden sinner to cling to God, for he or she knows no other way.

Where does God dwell? Who is He near? In what types of people and what sorts of places will we find God if we are to truly search?

I tend to believe that He is often times found in the people and places in which we see in passing, but then very quickly turn a blind eye towards.

I noticed the homeless man for the first time when he was standing at the other end of the aisle I was on, in front of the alcohol, counting his change.

I gave him a glance, turned, and walked the other way…

Matthew Pascal

Trying to remember that His name is always Blessed.

2005-08-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

I find it quite easy to be excited about serving God, following Him, giving my life to Him, etc. while attending a nice Christian conference or retreat, and having one of those mountaintop experiences that we all seem to love. I also find it easy and joyful to follow Him when things are going the way that I (admittedly in my fallen state) would choose for them to go. When my personal life, financially stability, love life, etc. are all going according to my liking and choosing, I find it easy to excitedly follow God.

It is in these times that I begin to wonder if that small, light colored, #1 New York Times bestseller book that talks about “enlarging our territories” might actually be saying some things that I agree with.

But what about when it seems like nothing is going according to my plan? What about the times when I am watching my mom die, or loosing a friend to an early death? What about the times when I am not in a carefree place financially? What about in the times when “ministry” is seemingly not moving forward? What about in the times when I’m hurt because a romantic relationship isn’t working out and I’m having to watch another guy get the girl I like? In these times will I still choose to say, as Job did, “blessed be the name of the LORD?”

Will the young mother who has just lost her child to a preventable disease, simply because she didn’t have the money needed to purchase medicine say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the single woman on the mission field, who seemingly has no prospects of a husband say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the teenage children of a mother who died from a brain tumor say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the parents of a child who committed suicide say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the wife of a husband who was unfaithful to her say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?”

Will I choose to say this today in the midst of hurt and pain that arise from personal circumstances? Will I choose to say this knowing that in my own life “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away?”

Father, help me to say and believe that Your name is blessed in the midst of painful and trying situations. Help me to believe and to trust in Your ultimate sovereignty. Help each of us to follow You when life does not seem fair, when we don’t understand why things are happening the way they are happening and when the walls seem to be tumbling down all around us.

Help me, and help each of us, to remember and say as Job did, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

Peace,

Me

Committment

2005-08-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking lately about the amount of (or lack thereof) commitment that most young people are willing to make these days as they consider going into overseas missions work. I have noticed this as I have been in the process of trying to build a team to work among the Arab Muslim poor in the slums of North Africa for the past few years. Thus far I have been joined by no one.

As I have been meeting with various young people, and have come into contact with many young people who are serving on the missions field, I have noticed that the most common response that they make as to why they are only going to serve for two-to-five years, is because that is all they feel God is calling them to.

Why is this? Does God no longer call people to give their entire lives for His service? Does He not ask us to take up the cross and follow Him for the rest of the time that we have to spend on this earth?

Sometimes it seems as people only think that He asks us to follow Him for a few years, and then we can go back to doing whatever it is that we think we would like to do.

I have begun to wonder lately if when young people choose to go overseas to serve in missions work for only two-to-five years, if they are doing it only for their own self-gratification. I say this because I honestly do not think that we can expect to see the transformation of communities (especially slum communities in the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist world) in such a short amount of time. And if this is true, then shouldn’t we be willing to give the next 20 years of our lives to the task that is before us?

I have met so many young people on the missions field who tell me that they are there for two or three years, and then after that they will see where “God is leading them next.” To me, this honestly seems like a very selfish way of going into it. It seems like the two years of service are actually nothing more then two years of adventure. Two years of learning another language, experiencing another culture, eating unusual foods, wearing different clothes, etc. It does not seem like it is anything more then going for what they can get out of it.

God however asks for our lives. I believe that He is calling young people to go into overseas missions work with the intention of making it their lifelong work. Not a two-year cross-cultural adventure. That is what graduate students in Anthropology do. Not followers of the One who gave up His rightful place in Heaven to come and live among us on earth, in poverty, only to eventually end up being rejected, beaten, spat upon, and brutally murdered by the very ones He came to save.

He gave His everything and if we are to be His disciples we must do the same.

Let the graduate student in Anthropology take the adventures for a short period of time and then return home to his or her comforts, but let the follower of Christ who is called into overseas missions work go into it with the intention of spending his or her entire life serving those least among us…

Peace,

Matthew Pascal

Thoughts Regarding Community

2005-08-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years, I have increasingly become more aware of the importance of Christian community. I see how my personal walk with God suffered due to the lack of community I had. It was a difficult road that I travelled, but through it God was able to teach me, in my stubbornness, the importance and value of living a life together.

Two years ago when I began the journey of trying to live and work among the poor in North Africa, I went in with the idea that community and team where actually hindrances to the work that I wanted to accomplish. I viewed a team as an unnecessary hindrance to ministry due to the fact that it is something that takes a lot of effort and work to keep in smooth operation. I felt like it would be more simple (and effective) to not have to deal with that, and to devote myself in totality to the "ministry."

However, I now see the absolute necessity of being in community with others. I have grown to view Christian community as an extremely important and essential aspect of living the Christian life. Due to this change of heart, I now am willing to put forth the effort and make the sacrifices that are necessary to live and work with others in a healthy way.

If the minister of the Gospel is not living in right communion with God then the ministry is nothing but a futile attempt that will bear no fruit. The minister of the Gospel must make his or her first priority that of being in right relationship with the God who has called him or her into ministry. However, I am increasingly convinced that it is impossible to remain in right relationship with God for a prolonged period of time all on ones own. We must live in community with other brothers and sisters in Christ. We must live a life together.

Christian community however is not a right that we as believers have - it is a privilege. Furthermore it is a privilege that God does not grant to all believers. Throughout the history of the Church we have examples of many a man and woman that have had to live out their faith in seclusion, without the benefit and privilege of Christian community. For those of us from the western world, I believe that we often times view community as a right, which leads to attitudes that are not conducive in us putting forth the effort that is necessary to live a life together.

We need others. I need others. A life lived alone is a perfect way to fall into sinful habits, therefore making our ministry nothing more than an attempt at self glorification.

Peace,

Matthew Pascal