In the beginning...

was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

This verse from John 1:1 baffles me. The Word is Jesus? It is true, I find it throughout scripture all over the place.
Proverbs 8:22, when speaking of Wisdom (Jesus) - "The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old."

Colossians 1:16-17, speaking of Christ - "For by him all things werre created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whetherr thrones or domininions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Recently I read an exerpt about a local radio announcer that was bad mouthing a new creation museum that is opening up near Cincinnati, Ohio. The museum uses science to prove that God made the world as Genesis 1 and 2 proclaim. Many athiests and "Christians" alike do not like what the museum stands for. To them it stands for a close minded Religious thought that is in no way scientific. Many Christians believe in a type of creation in which God started the process and the process began to flurish on its own. It kept getting better and better until dust particles became fully intelligent humans.
I cannot wait...This betterment will someday be perfect. We must keep evolving in order for that to happen.

Last night I went down to the projects to talk to a few guys. In the conversation I learned that a guy nicknamed Wimpy was shot and killed. He asked me about a year ago if He could be made new. If he could start over. If he could be baptized. He wanted to be made new, but never believed that the "Word", aka Jesus, could do that.
Much like most Americans. God through Jesus could never speak and create the world in 7 days. That would be unscientific!
May you be made new today by our creator. It was since the beginning...When God spoke, it happened.

Mission Excitement

I have often wondered why people get excited about doing missions overseas. I am one who loves to do oversea missions. I am unable to place my finger on the reason why oversea missions is so addicting. Is it the excitement, the fear, the learning curve, seeing things you don't usually see? Is it about letting others know about Christ and eventually through that work they come into beleiving in Jesus as their Savior?
What is it?

I ask the question ultimately because my experience in overseas trips have been both positive and negative. Positive in that others around me become excited about being a part of the Lord's mission and negative in that I am perplexed that it takes $1,500.00 to $5,000.00 spent before we as Christians get excited about doing something missional.
I have recently become perplexed because this overseas experience is in my own backyard. Zion Lutheran Church, East 30th, Cleveland, Ohio.

Recently I went to Haiti and had great experience all to come back to the boring inner city mission at my church. It is a matter of perspective I suppose.
The difference between Haiti and our backyard is nothing. People are Lost.
They are lost in the middle of the Carribean and they are lost in the middle of America.
Maybe mission trips are ultimately about us and who we are after such an experience.