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Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

There it was, a gruesome, troubling image, appearing in various places on Facebook. The image is troubling, but the reality behind it is even more so.  And there is a need to make people think.  So I downloaded it, opened it in GIMP, added a black frame and the title.  Because “choice” is but a word.  It can be whitewashed and used anyway the people choose to use it.  But linked to an image, an image that shows the consequences of people making the wrong choice, perhaps it will give someone, somewhere, a reason to choose life. Already this picture has impacted people.  One acquaintance threatened to “unfriend” me over it (and the fact that I’m vocal in my beliefs, something that makes fence riders uncomfortable). Yes, the image is disturbing, but what SHOULD disturb us is the fact that thousands more such children are destroyed each day. This image is repeated, in even worse forms, time after time after time.  And we call ourselves “civilized”.

Far too many Christians are like “johns” seeking a hooker to fulfill their fantasy, give them an experience and excite their desires. They have no interest in commitment to the individual congregation, they are not interested in seeing it become in all things the bride of Christ. All they are looking for is a congregation that will fulfill their own desires and give them some transitory experience and fleeting pleasure.

On the other hand, there are far too many congregations who act like hookers. They offer pleasure and titillation with a soothing mix of “worship” and “praise”, but NEVER demanding commitment. Their main interest is pecuniary. As long as a person tithes or gives offerings then the leadership is happy. The spiritual growth and well being of the person in question is of no interest, as long as each party gets what they want.  Titillation on one side, pecuniary reward on the other.

To ask a person to make not only a statement of faith but to make a commitment to the local congregation is anathema in much of today’s culture. After all, if they toss something into the offering plate, is that not enough? One of the oddest things I’ve observed in churches in Latin America is the custom of asking “all baptized believers” to stand up to receive Communion. But at the time of the offering they pass the plate or other receptacle in front of ALL the folks present. And never have I heard anyone teach the Biblical truth that God expects us to put our personal relationships in order before we bring an offering to Him.

So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

The 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919 and went into effect on January 17, 1920.  This law was designed to put an end to the abuse of alcoholic beverages and to usher in an age of sobriety to the United States of America.  What really happened, however, was that the ratification of the amendment ushered in “The Roaring Twenties“, which were characterized in part by a disregard for the afore mentioned constitutional amendment, a proliferation of “speakeasies” and the rise of bootlegging and violent criminals willing to do what ever was necessary to provide alcohol to those who wished to imbibe in spite of the illegality of such an act.  The fortunes to be made by the relatively simple process of fermentation and distillation drove many to extraordinary lengths to provide that which was prohibited, with utter disregard for the law.  The “Nobel Experiment” came to an end with the ratification of the 21st Amendment  on December 5, 1933. Read the rest of this entry »

Reading has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember.  My earliest memories include that special time in the evening when my parents would put my sister and I to bed, tuck us in and then read stories from the “Little Brown Coco” series.  Those simple stories put Biblical truths on a level that even a toddler could appreciate and we loved to hear about God and the people who love Him and do their best to walk in His ways.  Later I went to school and learned to read on my own, opening boundless frontiers to an inquisitive mind.  Read the rest of this entry »

It was almost time for bed and I was getting ready to shutdown my computer for the night when the news started to pop up on Facebook™ as various friends posted in various ways the latest news flash – “Osama bin Laden has been killed.”   I walked in to where my wife was watching the news and asked her to put on one of the international channels.  They were reporting what little they knew on the subject and droned on and on ad infinitum ad nauseum as they awaited the pleasure of the president of the United States to make his official statement.  Read the rest of this entry »

The sun was still high as I climbed into my hammock.  It was near four o’clock and I’d slung my hammock about three meters in the air in the branches of a berry tree.  It was hot and still with only an occasional breath of breeze moving the dusty foliage.  It was early August, the dry season had begun two months before and now the animal citizens of the sertão were feeding on blossoms and berries under the great trees at night.  This was to be my first attempt at the espera, that most typical of hunting styles in Brazil’s great north-east. Read the rest of this entry »

Baking ANYTHING is very low on the typical Colombian list of home made culinary activities.  Yes, there are a huge number of bakeries, 99.99% of which specialize in what I call “SENA bread” – they all use the same recipes that their baker learned at SENA.  A “pan de leche” or “chicharón” or “roscón” is about the same no matter WHERE you buy it.

Here in Pereira recently there has been a huge outbreak in the number of bakeries – they all look about the same and they all were built in the past few months.  I suspect that one of these days we’ll see a number of them sealed by the government due to money laundering charges.  Either that or the population will explode – in size, not numbers.

Getting back to typical Colombian home cooking.  It’s mostly stove top based.  Read the rest of this entry »

A comment on the Colombia Experts e-mail list got my thinker to thinking about bikes and riding in Colombia.  So here’s my response to the post, just in case anyone might be remotely interested in what I think about the matter.

At those prices you’re looking at the AKT brand.  They are actually a fairly decent little bike, getting around 10hp from their four stroke engine.  The vest is only required from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. now and is a good idea from the visibility viewpoint.  I still can’t understand why anyone would want to wear a black rain slicker on a bike with tiny LED’s replacing the tail light through the rain on a dark night – but they do.
Read the rest of this entry »

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

A long standing gripe of mine is the current religious culture that glorifies those who are “real worshippers” (ie – can move audiences with their vocal or musical talents) all the while ignoring what real worship IS.  In the passage above we are told to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice” and are told “this is your spiritual act of worship”.  For some reason I tend to prefer the teaching of the Apostles who REALLY knew Jesus and His teaching  to the current crop of religious folk who filter the Word through centuries of tradition and current fads. Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you to my brother Benjamin Rees for providing the search words that dug up the following information.  I had looked online but am one of the world’s worst googlers ever, can’t seem to put the search words together in the right way to find the info sought sometimes.  Anyway, below is a follow up to yesterday’s article, starting with the reply by brother Rees. Read the rest of this entry »