Back in the Saddle Again....

Hey Folks - did you miss me? After much delay, I've decided to get back to writing this blog. It's really not that I have so many interesting things to say, but that I have been asked to say them. That's right - if any of you should be looking for the person/persons to blame for my return - look at those out there next to you in cyberspace - I can honestly say I'm 'back by popular demand'. I'm going to pick up where I left off, sharing thoughts and things that are happening in life. Some, as before, will be funny - some I hope will be thought-provoking, I hope some will help you in your journey towards Truth. I'm still serving God in Poland - still looking for those who are looking for Him. I'm started anew on a journey to lose 100lbs. again, too. It's going to be something I'll try to stay on top of with the help of this blog. I'd like to figure out how to put a table somewhere on the blog page that I can fill in when I weigh-in each day. That way, you all can be my accountability to get the goal accomplished! If anyone has a cool way of doing that, please let me know. That's all for now - hope you all are happy to have me back! If you want to catch up on what's been happening over the last three years or so, shoot me a line, or check out my Facebook page.

Difficult to watch...

Today was one of those days when the good and bad come running together.

We work with alcoholics here, many of them homeless. I spent my time today split between praying for the men and women we work with, going to the city offices of social services to get support for a project we're working on related to Christmas and these men and...calling the police.

It's been while since I've this deeply felt so sorry for the men we work with. Two older gentlemen, one a real polish dziadek (grandpa) have been living in the apartment of another of the men we work with. The owner of the apartment has now gone to the hospital, blinded by cataracts and with a completely destroyed liver that has really ceased to function.

That man asked Piotr and I to get the other guys out of his apartment and change the lock. Piotr when over and changed the lock once the other guys had left, but they came back to quickly and setup shop again. Piotr called me to come help him get them out. I'm not a little guy, but I'm also not a violent one. We obviously, and for good reason, decided to let the Police handle the situation.

But that's the moment when I feel worst. Watching these older men have to be man-handled, threatened, and paraded to the police van is no fun. The Christ in them that's been there since the beginning (they look like their Dad to me), is screaming out that this is not the way a man should be. And I feel more than a little powerless to change the situation just then...as they're taken off to sober up in a holding cell.

These men have had pride in the past. They've had courage. They've done brave things. The older of the two today was actually in a special part of the army during the fight with the Germans. But you can't tell that now....now, with his pants down around his ankles, with his hat thrust on his head backwards - he looks buffoonish. And my heart breaks for him.

Pray with us for these men. We'll get a chance to sit and talk with all of them again soon. Pray that He'll work in their hearts to find change that will last all eternity.

cb

Where on the mountain?

I was thinking today about mountains. I remember hiking up one once. We camped at the very top of a completely bald mountain (picture smoky, not rocky). It was an awesome, if not frigid experience. The wind hit us from seemingly every direction. To get up in the middle of the night to take care of one's business was a real life decision. There were no trees, no bushes, just stars, darkness, wind and slopes downward into blackness. We were at the top of the mountain.

Isn't that where everyone wants to be? I mean, really - whether a missionary leading souls to salvation or a mechanic fixing cars for a living - doesn't every man want to be at the top of the mountain he lives on? Have more customers than he knows what to do with....have enough money to not think about the bills...have enough friends to never wonder who to call...have enough success in your profession to never ever have to feel shame when talking about it.

I'm not at the top of my mountain. I am torn, cause I don't know if I want to be. I want to do well for Him. He did perfectly well for me. However, I want to be satisfied.

Someone said "There are two kinds of wealth: One is to have everything we want. The other is to be satisfied with what we have." I've never been a man of ambition. But when the outcome is souls saved, shouldn't I be?

Just some thoughts to keep this blog moving...it'll get better soon - promise.

cb

Kick Start

How many times have I said that I'm coming back to blogging?  So, here's a kick-start to get me going again.  Here's to hoping the joy becomes a habit this time and that the habit will bear fruit that is good and that blesses someone out there.

I'll still be writing about my weight-loss journey - and missions life.  I'll be doing all my Life in Poland stuff here, too.

See you back here either today or tomorrow.

For now, I'll let someone else inspire you:

cb

More is less...

Might I share something truly cool with you?

I've come to absolutely enjoy this man and his show.  In this episode he brings his wit, his passion for cooking and his success at weight loss into an episode of his program Good Eats.  I know most of you in the states know this program well, but I came upon it for the first time while on furlough this year.  Now, it's a daily staple in the Booher home!

I can't make some of the stuff he does since the ingredients are so different than what we can get here.  But, some of the stuff he does is wonderfully easy, tasty, healthy and he does it with that one all-important ingredient that makes me want to watch - passion!

Off topic On target

How does she live with this for seventy five years?

Father didn't want her.
Mother didn't want her.
Her husband didn't want her.

They all wanted what the bottle had to give more than the love she had to offer.  Mom and dad would go off leaving her and her three brothers and sisters with nothing but a blanket to cover with.  No lock on the apartment door.  About sixty years ago.

We talked about rejection today - she cried - we prayed.  She's alone now.  She buried her mom, her dad, her husband...bottle took them all in the end.

We work where it matters most, I think.

'Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell,
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell'

G'night all.

A Good Book

Weighing in today at 114.2 kilo - so more or less still 250. I'm watching calories and fat, but the start on this weight loss is slower than I thought it'd be. Walked several miles yesterday pushing the stroller with BOTH boys in it :)

Want to recommend the book Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Of course, take it all with a grain of salt...the man is a vegetarian and puts forth a strong argument for the vegetarian way of life, or at least his take on it. I don't intend to go vegetarian for a couple reasons - first of all, my wife won't let me (more on that later).

Secondly, I just can't make that way of life mesh with Scripture. I'm sure it'd be different if God were to send me one day to a country where meat was scarce, but where He's put me now I just can't see a Biblical argument to choose not to eat meat.

Fuhrman's book, however, does give an amazing amount of detailed health and diet info, shedding a huge BATMAN-like spot light on the causes of so much of the sickness and obesity in the American diet. Great read - great info - and it's helping me.

Next post, I'll show you all my wife's favorite book on the subject. Also, she's reminded me that if this is to be a true blog on weight-loss (among other things), I should post some pics...so that's on its way as well.

No matter what your size or shape, remember that what He thinks of you doesn't depend upon outward appearances...it's about the heart. So, lose the weight, but base your self-esteem on His Word and what He thinks.

Blessings!

corey

Slightly Confused

Daily weigh-ins are confusing. I try to hit the scales after my morning...uh...business. No clothes - just me and the naked truth (cue rim shot).

Tuesday was 116 kilo (about 255 lbs.)...Wed 114 (250)...Thursday I weighed in at 113.9 kilo (about 250 still) and then Thurs night I went to the weight room for two hours. So, Friday morning, after three days of solid eating right and two hours of exercise - I weighed in this morning at 114.3!

So, where'd that extra .4 kilo come from?? I've read plenty of info, like the info posted here that says weight training together with diet is an awesome 1-2 punch for fast loss. So, I'm hoping the slight up-swing this morning has more to do with muscle gain than fat.

By the way, getting ALL the fat out of my diet seems an impossibility. I'm going down to zero pro cent almost everything...but even the wifey won't let me go totally without some fat.

Time to Lose

Hey peeps,

Long time, no post. Now, I want to take you with me as I try to lose weight and get in shape - and stay there. This won't be a diet. This is a lifestyle change. God knows it's needed and I know He's helping.

Today I weigh 250. I have a 47 waist size, I believe.

So, here we go.

I want to post pics, films, etc. I will TRY to take you with me though filming training exercises, food, etc... I'll try to post good diet plans I find or good recipes. Hopefully, it'll be fun and informative.

cb

The Fixer of Things

Imagine if you will an old grill. It's been a good grill. It's metal green dome-shaped top has held in the smoke of many a polish sausage. These sausages have brought joy to the heart and stomach of many a young man and woman in Poland.

This grill has seen better times. It is rusting in some spot, dented in others. The wheels shake, the legs quiver and all in all it would be considered past its prime if it were in use in any of my friend's houses in the States.

The other day, on the way down to the basement gym I had to pass closely by the grill which is being held in a kind of catch-all storage area. My oversized army pants pockets reached out from leg to apparently shake-hands, polish style, with the grill as I passed. Unfortunately, it seems the grill has caught a kind of leprosy.

The big wooden knob that is supposed to be a kind of handle by which you can grasp the rod which adjusts the height of the grilling surface fell off - into my pocket! I didn't notice it. So, later on I reached into my pocket to get my car keys (car hasn't worked for four days now, but that's a different story) and loe and behold - a wooden knob!

The knob is splitting down the middle. And here's my way of thinking at this moment: "Well, guess that does it - time to get a new grill!" My mind begins to wander as I dream of the kind of grill I'd buy if I were still working and living in the states. I don't dream about the kind of purchases missionaries usually make since we usually do everything to squeeze a nickel till the buffalo dies. But I allow myself to dream not of a coal grill that's 2x2.....but of a gas powered, 8x8 mobile grilling pit. Four separate burners. Two separate grilling surfaces. Two bottles of propane to power its meat grilling fuel.....automatic transmission for easy transport between grilling occasions!

And then The Fixer of Things arrives. He's my coworker and friend Piotr. Piotr has been a polish missionary to Poland for many years - he and his wife Gosia together have served the Lord here for over 10 years. They've learned to take nothing and make it something and to live off that something! He fixes everything.

He asked me to please give him the knob. I wondered what for. He looked and said "A little wood glue and I think I can make this as good as new. I wanted to fix the grill up anyways - put in new screws, tighten the nuts down, lube up the wheels."

And once again, after even 12 years of being a missionary, the cultures clash! I didn't disagree with him or tell him not to, of course. He loves fixing things. But I thought to myself - Why not just get a new one? That one is old. We could get a BETTER one....a BIGGER one.....

But somehow I know in my heart I need more of being a fixer of things, and not just a replacer of things. What about you all?

Small pleasures

Strawberries are in season here. In my home they're eaten daily, two kilo a day. We love em. And you can get a kilo here for five zloty, which at the moment isn't a whole two dollars.

This country is full of simple pleasures that would be considered luxury in the states. Cheese made at home in big blocks that tastes as smooth and as full as you could want. Strawberries as big as dollar pancakes and sweet as sugar.

Bakeries with fresh-baked breads, sweets, rolls, and more are common place here - more than one in each strip mall. I have two within 5 minutes of my home...kind of horrible now that I'm not eating carbs as much anymore. I used to love to get buttermilk rolls, hot from the bakery here, for about 20 cents a piece...and wolf em down before I got home.

Everyone here has a garden of their own. I don't, but that's more by choice than by chance. Just don't have the time to do all the work needed to keep it up. Maybe one day I'll be able to work a garden into a ministry plan - like give some guys something to do with their hands instead of drinking.

Since everyone has gardens, it means everyone has various kinds of fresh fruit - and even better - JAM. Just now I was at the church and met with a guy who turns 21 next week. He's helped us out around the soccer tournaments before. I told him I was going to buy some strawberries on the way home and he told me he didn't buy em since he grows them. Of course, I asked about jam. SOOO, he's bringing me a jar tomorrow to the soccer tournament! WOOT

I'd write more - but my wife and son are behind me in the kitchen burning through those strawberries at record pace - so I need to get some before they're gone!

Share with me your simple pleasures in the comments area!

Blessings!

Knowing the enemy

Never let anyone tell you that the devil plays fair. He doesn't. He starts when we're still young, and doesn't give up on his primary objectives till we're beyond his reach. He wants to steal, kill and destroy.

It dawned on me a while back as I was thinking over my youth, that from the start the devil had big plans to mess me up and make me all the less likely to search for a good God. Let me tell you a story that some of you will be familiar with and others will be hearing for the first time.

I was somewhere in that hazy journey between sixth and eighth grade, attending Silver Lakes Middle School. It was a normal middle school, right across the two-lane road from North Lauderdale Elementary where I had entered at third grade, having moved north from Fort Lauderdale, and just a 15 minute walk from home.

I was a 'band geek' following in the footsteps of my older brother and dad. I was not athletic, and had convinced myself that sports were one big ripoff the day a small dark haired kid ran straight up my chest and danced the chacha on my face in the goal during a team soccer match. I told the umpire what I thought of it and my coach told me what he thought of me. I quit that day. I was never an achiever of any kind in the Presidential Physical Fitness Day and was angry about it. I should probably have been forced back to the field so that I would have learned the value of sticking to it, but my mom and dad didn't like seeing their youngest son trampled on anymore than I enjoyed being trampled. And truthfully, I had to choose where they would put their limited resources - band or soccer...I chose the one where I was less likely to be run over.

I was kind of pudgy and had the kind of friendly face that is a blessing as a missionary now but to my way of thinking back then it was a curse cause none of the bad kids were scared of me and none of the pretty girls were interested. I wasn't a fighter or a lover. I was that guy in the corner with a comic book wishing he had laser beam vision so he could melt the teachers he didn't like and save the damsel in distress, wherever she might be.

One beautiful day I walked myself home from school. Just about when I got to the place where the sidewalk crossed the creek behind my subdivision I was stopped in my tracks. From the other direction I hadn't noticed a rather large black guy pedaling along with a smallish black guy with no shirt, on his handle bars. Just as they reached me, the little guy jumped off the handlebars and started punching me in the face like a MMA fighter doing a ground and pound, only I was still standing. I remember not really feeling pain when he hit me, just complete and total surprise.

He must have hit me three or four times when his taller friend, I thought he had to be a high schooler since he was so big, got off the bike and did what I believe the older generations call a 'haymaker'. Just wound back his big right and let her fly, and I didn't even try to duck. That hit hurt. I was on my butt and looking up at a star-filled sky in the middle of the day.

I remember to this day the girl who walked up and started collecting my stuff for me that had scattered all around the scene. She just kept asking me "Why didn't you fight? Why didn't you hit them? How come you didn't defend yourself?"

I didn't know why. I had never been in a fight before. I wasn't one of those kids who grew up in the midwest with five older brothers and a boxing ring in the barn. I wish I had been, but I wasn't. I was shell-shocked. I got myself up and headed home, listening to the guys laugh as they road off and to the other kids laughing, too.

Of course, I was a sight when I got home. I won't go into the rest of the story but I think one of the guys had to go to juvi and I don't remember what happened to the other.

But why am I telling you all about this? Let's go back to the title of the this entry "Knowing the Enemy."

You see, alot of people would say that the incident was just a random act of racially motivated violence. I was a little chubby white kid and they were older violent black guys looking to do harm. Others would say that it was a good example of the kind of racially-charged violence that was caused by years of mistreatment of the black population by whites - hens coming home to roost or something like that.

But I have come to understand the situation in a different way. I know the devil was trying to shape my life...trying to sew an early seed of hate, distrust and bitterness while the soil was still young. I know that for one reason or another, God let the devil do it. Let me share with you the immediate results of this event in my life.

Distrust.

I distrusted black guys from that moment on. Didn't matter if they were more intellectual, clean-cut intelligent black guys or shirtless, tatooed, too much gold wearing black guys. Didn't matter if I knew the guy personally or just saw him in passing at the mall where we hung out. I didn't trust any black guy younger than 40. As far as I was concerned, they were dangerous, mean and looking for a fight - every last one of them! I'd go to the store and pick the register where the white or latino person was working - or the black girl - never the black guy.

Anger.

I was mad. I was angry and didn't know how to express it. I got upset with my parents more often. I got upset with God and wanted an explanation. I for sure was imagining how I could get back at those black guys or just at all black guys in general. I thought up elaborate schemes how I could pay them back...scary stuff...mean stuff...not the kind of thing a young kid should be daydreaming about.

Ruined self-esteem.

I had already felt bad about the way I looked cause my few ventures into romance had been crash and burns before they got off the ground. The girls who had been the objects of my young heart's desire had always turned me down to be with 'jocks'. My few attempts at a sport of any kind had ended miserably. Now, I couldn't even defend myself...and I was alone. Let me make this picture pristinely clear for you all - whenever I went to the beach, I wore a shirt into the water. Seriously, I was messed up.

I hated the way I looked and I was upset with God for years for making me that way. I was jealous of the guys in good shape and wished I could do something to change the way I was - but instead of changing I would just watch movies...and tv...lots and lots of movies and tv. I would suffer with self-esteem issues for most of my life.

Now tell me, does this guy sound like an ideal candidate to be a conduit of God's love and acceptance to all? Hardly.

And that's just it. That's what the devil was after...he sought to take me out of the game before I even got warmed-up. Trust me, if I had let bitterness, resentment and hatred towards young black men remain in my heart and mind, it would have crippled me in any ministry and in my own relationship with God.

Thankfully, God had other plans.

You see, God had given me to believing parents. He had secured a faithful couple of youth leaders and youth group members around me. He had given me a couple believing friends (shout out to deb!!) who looked out for me in middle school. All the while, He was there.

Sometime near the end of high school and just after, God made these problems clear to me. I began to understand that I needed to confront my attitude towards black men. I had to get to the place where I could love them with the love of God and not let the devil hold me back.

If I were to ignore these wrong ways of thinking, how could I ever understand forgiveness, acceptance and unconditional love? And the devil knew these things would be necessary for me in the future...and was already working in the fifth grade to keep them from me!

Can you imagine that? You need to. If you're a parent you should make it a matter of daily prayer. God has promised to be our secure tower, our fortress, our defender. But as little children, our kids often do not think about things in that way. We need to help them know who they are as soon as possible. We need to put the weapon of proclaiming God's Word in their hands as soon as we can.

My son is only 18 months old. My second is on his way and will be here in two months. I'm already thinking about them and what will happen in their lives. I'm not able to be with them 24/7, but His word can be. His Spirit will be. My prayer is that God will show me what's happening in their lives spiritually as they encounter difficulties. I want to know when the devil is trying to sew seeds to reap a harvest of death in their lives...and get good seeds in there first.

Today, I am not aware of any hatred or bitterness in my heart for anyone. I asked God to forgive me for holding it in a long time ago. I asked God to give me some measure of His love for anyone I would meet in life - old, young, rich, poor, beautiful or ugly.

I'm 32 now. I can honestly say I'm often radical in the love I share with others, and go out of my way to express it. This is the fruit of His labor in my life. The devil still tries to get an inroad from time to time, but I'm convinced that He is keeping this field, and will continue to keep it till it's out of the devil's reach.

Blessings to you all!
corey

Life as a Roast Chicken

So, I have a problem with my back. Seems that years of moving furniture, lifting weights and then weight gain have caused some discs in my back to get messed up. I say 'messed up' cause I honestly am not sure what has really happened to them. All I know is they're not quite right, and that it hurts when I sneeze or cough. But this post isn't supposed to be about the problem, but the solution.

The doc wants to make sure the problem isn't something simple like a muscle spasm or something...I guess. So, he's put me on a anti-inflammatory pill and 10 visits at "rehab". I'm guessing rehab is supposed to be translated physical therapy, but I honestly think the idea that I'm in rehab seems somehow ironic, seeing as though part of my work is encouraging alcoholics to go to that very place.

I digress.

So, I walk into the clinic and sign up privately to get rehab. Turns out private is the way to go, cause if I were to go on the public health care system I'd get in in two months. It'd be way cheaper, but I'd have to live with the idea that I'm not getting better all that time.

The ladies in the clinic are very cordial and helpful - good sign! However, the equipment all looks EXACTLY like something out of a 1970's NASA training film. Grey boxes with simple large dials, diodes, over sized red and black buttons and each sporting one red light labeled "Alarm". Yeah.

The chiropractor didn't really have the time to explain to me the things he was signing me up for, so I was just along for the ride (so to speak). The nice lady told me to go down to stall number 5. The stalls were separated from each other by hanging sheets. In stall 5 was a chair, a table and something that looked like a tube space-heater. Turns out this would be the 'baker' as I have come to call it. The lady turned it on and it baked my upper back - she said if it got too hot to just move away from it.

How to explain what I was thinking that first day? I guess you could say I figured it's important to be tan when one is having back pain. After all, if you can't feel good, you most certainly can look good.

After about 15 minutes (or medium-well as they say in the medical field), I was 'done'. The nice lady told me to move up to stall 1.

Stall 1 is the home of the 'microwave', or at least to me it is. Apparently, when one has a disc problem, one must be certain that the back is not allowed to monopolize the pain allocated to the body at large for a given period of time. So, in order to avoid this, they smeared me up with gel, put something over the gel - sand bag on that - and turned on one of those amazing NASA devices.

The nice lady said (and this is a reliable translation) "You should feel something like ants crawling on you." I could feel them. I told her I felt them. She said "Let's turn it up." I no longer felt ants on me, but rather a legion of soccer playing centipedes in ice spike cleats playing an all out championship soccer match on my back. In other words, it hurt.

The nice lady could tell by the expression on my face that I was in pain, and with a whimsical 'I can finally make up for all the trouble the males of the world have caused me' smile, she said - and I quote "That's a good setting."

About 15 minutes later....or maybe it was 2 hours, an alarm sounded. I'm guessing that's how they know when you're no longer pink in the middle. She wiped the gel off and told me I could now go to the LASER.

I couldn't wait for the LASER. After all, a LASER is new technology! A LASER changes things! A LASER can take down huge enemy planes in midflight! Apparently, lasers also existed in the early 60's. Here's my meeting with the laser:

beep

beep

beep

beep

Ok, that's all for today sir - thank you for coming!

I have gone to the chicken farm 4 times so far, and according to the doctor have to go ten times before he'll see me for another exam. He said that if these things don't help, we'd do something more "serious" later.... I can't wait. I'm hoping it'll not include the sensation of elephants walking on my skin.

Hope you all have enjoyed this- leave feedback if you so desire - it always makes me smile.

corey

The Bible a time-bomb

God's ways to get things done are sometimes fascinating. We, as missionaries, are always on the look out for effective ways to bring the gospel to those who've not heard. Therefore, we pray and read and wait and try new things.

Some time last year, I was praying about what we could do in the neighborhood to bring in more fruit. God began speaking to me about the fact that almost every polish family sees itself as Catholic, and has a Bible in the home. The amazing thing is that the majority of these families will live their lives, the good times and the bad, never having opened the Word!

There began to germinate in me a desire to see people in the neighborhood open their Bibles, and fall in love with the Author of it. Of course, I could not imagine how I might encourage them to do so. So, the idea was put on the back burner, and from time to time I'd return to it in my heart and pray it over again.

At some point I ran across info about a group called the Bible League. I'm sure I should have known who they were and what they did long ago. But, I've always been sort of out of the loop in evangelical circles and have stuck to a few Heroes of the faith and a couple bible teachers, and not searched much outside those resources. Anyways, turns out they've been working in Poland for quite a while now and are doing a good work. And the main thrust of what they're doing? Getting people to read the Word!

So, we've invited them to come to our city and lead some training in doing Bible studies for nonbelievers. We see it as a wonderful opportunity to get people in the church involved in evangelism, while at the same time getting quality co work in that they will provide bibles and study materials free or charge.

I'm convinced that the people reading the Word is key to the bigger picture here. We don't have to convince them to take a Bible in - all of them already have one. But just as people in our Bible studies have so often mentioned before, the change comes when they begin to read for themselves, desiring to know Him and know what He's put in the Bible.

So, that's the direction for prayer for me for now concerning the neighborhood. I want those spiritual bombs to go off in every home and fill this town with the knowledge of Him!

Back in the Saddle Again

I probably owe anyone who has checked this blog for updates an apology. As it says in the heading, this blog is supposed to be updated almost daily. I promise a change for the better. I'm going to set my reminder in my mail program so that it'll keep me on task with this every other day or so!

Time for a Break

We will go to the mountains tomorrow, by way of Warsaw and Angelika's mom's house. It'll be a 6 hour train ride, thankfully with no transfers, to get to Warsaw. Then Monday we'll caravan on to a town in the south of Poland, up near where we had our honeymoon.

Going on a week's vacation to a rented house is new for me. We did this last year at this time, but to a rented place on a lake in the north of poland. We will split the costs with two other families of friends of ours from warsaw.

It's a needed break. I'm not used to taking a break without a movie theater very near by. But I'm thinking that we very much need the time to get away and pray. I also might start writing..something. There are several things on my heart to write and I need to start following His leading to write more. But more than anything, we'll relax, enjoy fellowship, and let Angelika smack us all down in Phase 10.

In case you all are wondering, yes Poland is a buzz with talk of Russia, Georgia and the Missle Shield. The times are changing...and He is in control.

Blessings till I return!

Teeth and a muffin

I try to be aware of the moments when I'm supposed to do something for someone. I say I try to be aware cause honestly, I'm one of those guys that can be walking down the street seemingly thinking about objects or people at hand, but really I'm deep in thought:

Man it would have been cool to be an actor in Band of Brothers.
I wonder what kind of character I'd play...
chaplain...yeah, that would have been cool
chaplain or maybe heavy machine gunner...either...
I wonder how heavy those machine guns actually are...hmmm, I'll have to look that up on wiki when i get home...

Yeah, that's the way it goes sometimes.

But recently, I've been blessed to be aware enough to see two moments to help. The first was when I heard that one of the young guys i've been taking on these trips broke a front tooth in half and had a dead molar. I decided to take him to a very reputable dentist, who just happens to be a friend from church. And in the meantime, I figured I'd bight the proverbial bullet and get a checkup myself.

I hate checkups at the dentist. I wouldn't hate them if they were always unfruitful. But sadly, they actually find something at these things and for me, that's bad! But I knew it's been about five years since my last checkup, so high time to get it done.

We spent the better part of a day together to get to the dentist office, get worked on a little, walk to the radiology place and get xrays, then bus and lengthy walk back home. And thankfully, this guy is more talkative than his buddies. We talked about alot of stuff, and each time I could share what God means in my life was just a joy.

The other time was today after bread hand-outs.

I went downstairs to get some more bread since we underbought. I heard alot of arguing come from the little store that's situated literally under the stairs. Actually, I just heard a guy cursing...alot. And I could tell immediatelly that he was under the influence. I had seen him around once or twice - a very normal, professional looking young man. But this was the first time I had seen him drunk. In his right hand - a full new bottle vodka. With his left he made a fist.

I waited to see what he'd do to the sales girl, who is either his sister or his wife, I'm not sure which. But I heard him say he'd hit her if she didn't give him something he wanted. I waited to see if he'd try, and had determined that a knee to the back of his, and an arm around his neck would most likely discourage him from carrying out his threats. But, I decided I'd wait till he actually tried to be physical to step in. Praise God he changed his mind when he saw me standing behind him, and staggered off away accross the street.

I went to the bakery, bought a muffin (my favorite thing to eat in poland, hehe) and brought it to the still visibly shaken lady. She smiled and I told her God loved her...just then her phone rang. I walked away, and made mental plans to go back with Angelika and talk to her and hopefully convince her to let us pray with her about the situation.

I will be going out to the many alcoholics that sit and stand, and too often lay face down, infront of the stores nearby. I want to make up some buisness card / tract type things to hand out to them and encourage them to talk to me.

God wants to bind up the broken hearted and those who break hearts... and we want Him to use us.... at the dentist, at the store, wherever He might.

G'night guys and gals.
corey

Tug of War

Happened again today.

I was on my way home with Daniel in the stroller. He's started teething and it has caused him to break out in fever. So, we've taken him to the doc, obtained the right meds and are just trying to help him be comfortable. So, after a whole day of being difficult, I decided Angelika needed a break and took him for a long long walk.

On the way back my path crossed with a rather heavy-set woman, pulling a smart wire cart. I had seen her earlier this morning on my way to the church to hand out bread. Then, she hadn't really caught my attention. But this afternoon, she sure did. I stopped and turned to watch as she walked away cause I could feel that familiar inner call of the Holy Spirit to stop, and pay attention to the one.

She stopped at the end of the low brick wall which was on my right, her left. She sat down on it. I was no more than 10 feet away, looking at her and feeling God massage my heart. And there I stood - interceeding. I didn't know quite what to do at that moment, which is weird for me. Again, I felt God pushing my heart to pray for ways to reach the "normal" people of the neighborhood.

I've been wanting to organize a support group to help overweight people lose weight here in the neighborhood. Something like this is a big deal - not easy for me to imagine how to organize, advertise and run something like that. But, having been a person who has struggled with excess pounds his whole life, I know it's a form of bondage that holds a person back from God's best.

So, I'll go to the sports college at the start of the new year and see what I can work out with some people there. I stood praying for that lady at the opposite end of the wall for some time. I didn't go up to her; I didn't think Daniel would let me since he had been out for more than two hours with me already and was starting to get antsy.

I love the times when He puts His heart into me, and lets me share just a fraction of the compassion He has for His children - both the lost and found. If you've never asked Him to give you compassion for someone, do it now. Just ask Him to let you in for a minute to show you how He feels about a particular person. It's amazing. It'll make you stand and look and pray.... and maybe organize a group!

images

He is about fourty. He is wearing a white short-sleeve polo with three buttons and a collar, faded blue jeans and converse shoes with those fat shoe laces. His skin is dark tan despite his slavik birth, because of long days under the summer sun (the weather today neared 100f).

His dark hair is neatly trimmed but matted from sweat and lack of care. About three steps behind him, I smell the smell that signifies an alcoholic.

Coming from the opposite direction is a woman who is rather tall, big boned with a light complexion and reddish hair. She's well groomed and has sunglasses on to block out the harsh summer sun. She's leading two little children by the hands.

I hear the man behind me now, call out to them.

My instinct kicks in and i stop, turn and wait to see what will happen. I am ready to go and break up any problems he might start for this happy group of mother and children. I'm certain he's mistaken them for someone else or perhaps knows them as neighbors. Either way, I'm pretty sure I might need to step in to help the lady keep her kids safe.

But much to my surprise and much more to my dismay, the little boy reaches up and takes dad by the hand. Dad has that half drunk, half happy, half 'yeah I got a little boy so be proud of me' look on his face.

I turn and walk away and as I do I ask God to let me step in and help. I ask Him to give me the chance to 'step in to help the lady keep her kids safe' but in a more permanent way. I want to help her get the man she married back. I want to show them all that God loves them too much to ignore them. But for now I just pray...and wait...and listen.

Echoes of home

My best friend Bartek works at a movie theater. It's a wonderful movie theater (let me take a moment to explain that I unashamedly, unabashedly, unequivocally love movies. I'm a movie goer from way back when my dad used to take me to a double-feature for 99 cents at the Margate Twin Cinema)

So, when my best friend was seeking God's will about taking a part time job to help himself through college, I was johnny on the spot with a word. Not necessarily a word from God, mind you, but a word from yours truly. And that word was "FREE PASSES". Those are two words, but you can say anything fast enough and enthusiastically enough for it to come out as one.

Anyhow, today Bartek took me to see Wall-E. Just for those traditional types who'd say a missionary isn't supposed to see movies but work - I went after nine at night, when all the sinners are asleep anyways. Also, I got the medium coke, not the large - thus saving more money to be used to buy flour and sugar for when the bombing starts again. So, we're good. And, incase I forgot to mention it - the ticket was free! (ok, think i might have covered all objections, hehe)

Let me tell you what I came away from that movie with; a real sense of needing to lose weight. Now, if you've not seen the movie, please - go. Especially if you're living in the states, you owe it to yourself to see this flick. You can take your kids - it's completely safe. But, let me warn you, when the kids come out they'll be just happy having seen a sweet romantic animated comedy ----but you dear reader - if you're even a little on the lazy side, you will be throwing your popcorn in the trash halfway through the film.

So, I will again lace up the running shoes and go pound the pavement tomorrow morning. I have been doing fast walking up hill lately in the morning since running on asphalt is supposed to be bad for you knees...tomorrow maybe I'll wear a backpack with rocks in it!

One more thing about the movie theater... whether this is a positive or negative, the movie theater will always remain a place that reminds me of family. I'm a very nostalgic person and I enjoy being moved. So, there are times when I go to the movie early - sit in the dark theater - and just remember what it used to be like to sit next to dad and swap candy that neither of us were supposed to have and both of us had sworn to keep a secret from mom. There is no more Margate Twin... and dad and I don't have weekend rituals anymore...but I have a son now, and a best friend with free passes.

G'night all.
Love ya dad.

corey