Live to the Hilt

I flipped through Passion and Purity last night to find a couple bits to read to my MET girls, and came upon something Jim Elliot wrote to Elisabeth:

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

That statement struck me as I began to ponder it. Do I do this? What impact are my hopes or expecations for future things having on situations right now that God has placed in my life? I believe that all the days fashioned for me were written before there was yet one of them (Ps 139:16) and that I can't be outside of God's will. So I believe every situation in my life is the will of God, and I am challenged to consider whether I live those "to the hilt".

My handy online dictionary says: to the hilt : to the very limit : COMPLETELY

Meet Asher

We've gone over to my parents' a few times to play with Asher in the last week or so, and he's quite fun to play with and hilarious to watch. A smart dog he is. Micah is adjusting and letting Asher play with him and his toys.

Scattered Thoughts about Islam

James Faris and Jared have posted recently about Islam in light of the cartoon fury in Europe. Below are some scattered thoughts that I have been brooding over for some time.

1. Society is quick to assign responsibility for violent messages and acts to the "extremist" Muslims, but I have often wondered why non-extremist Muslims appear to ignore commands in the Koran, such as commands to kill the infidel (unbeliever) or where their outcry is against the extremists. The most obvious goal of Islam, to me, is to conquer and kill non-Muslims. Are the extremists really extremists or are they really "moderates" with regard to their faith and just more outspoken?

2. James commented on the seeming difference that people claim exists between moderate and radical Muslims, that the clash of Islam is a clash within the religion and not between civilizations. However, James stated, "Muslims, whether moderate or radical are all monotheistic, and they have the same goal. It’s just that some are in first gear and some are in fourth gear. The moderates are more than willing to take their time in Western nations to gain influence quietly." I agree completely, and it addresses what I said above about whether the extremists are really extremists, etc. While I do realize the danger from the "extremists", I also, like James, see cause for much concern over the "moderate" Muslims, those who are seeking to infiltrate various societies by living among them and bearing more children (4.4 avg. in 1996) than the average Asian, European or American. "Muslim countries are among the champions of demographic growth" (source). How long will it take until the majority of different nations are Muslim? That is a scary thought to me.

Thoughts?

There are two other things I am thinking about but will save those for another day.

End of the Spear review

"Waodani children grew up understanding they would spear and live or be speared and die."

The cycle of "revenge spearing" in this tribe was a cycle that didn't easily end. It was understood that a child would avenge his father's death when he grew up. Nate Saint's killer fully expected Nate's son to kill him. Why didn't he?

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I thought this was a very good movie. It was impressive as an independent film and was not "glamorized" as other movies have been. I was able to see the struggles of the main Waodani character as he sought to understand the ways of the Christian men he helped kill, and later on, the wives and children of the slain men. I was able to understand the history of killings within the Waodani tribe and realize what a work of God's grace it was to change the tribe from being killers to peacemakers. The presence of forgiveness in the main characters is also very great. "

A complaint I had was that Jim Elliot was portrayed in a way that seemd quite inconsistent with my knowledge of him from reading books such as Shadow of the Almighty and Passion and Purity. I always thought of him as being passionate about serving the Lord and passionate about reaching tribes for Christ and submitting every area of his life to God. However, in the movie, he seemed to be less mature than the main character, Nate Saint, and less serious about reaching the Waodani people (a friend later reminded me that Jim was a comic and was a goof-off in addition to being passionate about the gospel). At the same time, Nate Saint was the main character, and it followed his life (and his son's), not Jim's. As a result, the four men besides Nate were minor characters and less developed in the movie.

I was hoping for more references to the gospel or to the reason the missionaries were willing to reach out to this violent tribe. Maybe I should read Jared's posts about Christ and the Arts more carefully and apply some principles there to this film.

I'm curious to know what a non-Christian viewing this movie would think. Would they understand? I can't help but think that I, as a Christian, understand a deeper element to the movie that is foreign to an unbeliever.

Sheltie #2

My parents are purchasing a second sheltie this coming weekend (left). I went along to visit the litter a couple of weeks ago and assisted in choosing which of two puppies would become theirs. My parents currently have a sable colored sheltie, Micah. He is on his way to excelling in agility after mastering the "wonderful pet" competition. The new sheltie is blue merle colored, and his name is Asher (meaning, "happy"). He appears to have a fun personality, similar to Micah's. Asher is playing on the "teeter" in these pictures from the breeder, to get used to agility equipment.

The breeder also has a bit about Asher as well if you visit this site. There are also pictures of the other four puppies in the litter and a picture of the parents. They are very nice looking dogs.

It was also discovered that all the "boys" in our immediate family have biblical names (Thomas, Andrew, Zachary, Adam, Micah & Asher), and all the "girls" have non-biblical names (Alicia, Charlotte, & Erin).

And if you can imagine this, the night we visited the litter, we also saw a second litter. So we played with 10 puppies that night! They are very fun and hilarious to watch. The litter that Asher belongs to is from Ohio, so the breeder came to Pittsburgh. We met up with her at another breeder's house to see the puppies, and this second breeder also owns a new litter. Confusing, I know, but I sure had fun! I can't wait until Saturday!

Narnia #2

According to one source, Prince Caspian, of The Chronicles of Narnia, is in the works for a theatrical release in 2007.

Cooking Poll

If you like to cook, what are your top 10 (or top 5) cooking ingredients? Mine are as follows:

1. Balsamic vinegar
2. Limes/Lemons
3. Onions/Shallots
4. Kosher salt
5. Garlic
6. Parmesan Cheese
7. Cilantro
8. Butter
9. Chocolate
10. Coffee

They all rank pretty equally for me.

News

Thanks to the Lord and congratulations to my friends, Maureen and Alastair, on the birth of their firstborn son on Tuesday! Maureen was a bridesmaid in our wedding. He was born three weeks early and weighed in at 4lbs 15 oz, but it sounds like he is doing just fine.