daiki-kun and haircuts

I recently chopped of all of my hair. I even shaved my beard off and left only a remnant known as the goatee. My inspiration for destroying the afro in its prime was this man, Daiki Ikeda. Every year I tend to go through this ritual of cutting off my hair in some dramatic way, sort of. People are always shocked even though it happens year after year. There really is no rhyme or reason to the shedding of the 'fro. I suppose its a fresh beginning. At any rate, I just wanted to put a picture up of my good friend, Daiki. He is leaving the States to return to Japan shortly. I pray our friendship continue into the wee hours of the future.
  

financial wisdom?

I just got done visiting with a good friend about student loans. It seems that many young, aspiring missionary types such as Maris and I desire to pay off student loans quickly. Is this financially wise? That is my question today. If I'm paying off student loans over 10 years with an interest rate of 2.46% for example, why would I want to pay them off quicker than that? Especially when I could invest the extra money I would pay in a high interest savings account or CD or something at 4% interest. I'm just trying to think through some of the issues of stewardship surrounding the young couples of God in our society. I know that the Proverbs speak to money quite a bit as does Christ Himself. What does wisdom look like in our society? How are we to operate? Take this other example, Maris and I owe on a vehicle. We have 0% APR. It seems to me that it would be foolish to pay this off quickly even though we are in debt to Chrysler. If anyone has some insights into the financial world of the believer, please let me know. I don't want to be foolish with finances thinking I'm operating out of some sort of principle that isn't necessarily Biblical. Thoughts anyone?

agape - charis - love

I looked this word up in my little New Testament Word Study (by Spiros Zodhiates...I recommend it) and I became somewhat enthralled with this entry (#26 agape). Let me replicate the definition for you:
Agape; love, a word found only in revealed religion. Translated charity (1 Cor. 13:1) meaning benevolent love. Its benevolence, however, is not shown by doing what the person loved desires but what the one who loves deems as needed by the one loved; (e.g. For God so loved the world that He gave ...John 3:16). He gave not what man wanted, but what man needed as God perceived his need, namely His Son who brought forgiveness to man. God's love for man is His doing what He thinks best for man and not what man desires. It is God's willful direction toward man. But for man to show love to God, he must first appropriate God's agape, for only God has such an unselfish love.

I pray that God allow me to love those around me with this sort of love. Love that really looks to their best interests and not my own interests. I don't want to love people to the end that their relationship serves me and my purposes. I want to love people to the end that they know God and become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. That would in turn serve my longer-term purposes of being in fellowship with fellow Christ-followers and with Christ Himself. I want to love like this. I want you to love like this. I want to help others love like this. I want you to help others love like this. May God pour out His mercy that we be men and women like this. Thanks for reading.

beautiful feet and a tibetan monk

 
Here's a Tibetan monk I met at the KSU Union. He spoke of Buddhisim and all it has to offer those who practice it. He spoke of His people that are persecuted by the Chinese government. He spoke of peace on earth. He had little to say about the afterlife. I had so much to say but had to go "minister" to someone else. How can the "distractions" of life become opportunities? How did Jesus do it? He seemed to have time for people. What do beautiful feet look like in this setting? I pray that God gives me time for people, time with people. I pray that God gives me beautiful feet. 

Beautiful Feet

This Thursday I'm speaking at Navigators about beautiful feet. Here's a picture of my feet with shoes on them. Are they beautiful? If so, what makes them beautiful? Check out Isaiah 52:7 and let me know some thoughts about my feet or your own feet. For some reason I've been in the mood to talk about feet recently, not to smell them but to see them, beautiful ones in particular.