February 25, 2007

The Sunday Message

By Pastor Kok III

 

 

Good morning from Coachella Valley, California ! I’m at a Starbucks in Indio at the moment (6:19 a.m. on Sunday, February 25, 2007) and I spent the day yesterday, in part, at the National Date Festival—an annual festival here in Indio to celebrate their lucrative crop—the date. No, this is not a festival celebrating “hot dates” –nor a singles convention—it’s about the fruit called the “date.” And it’s a “Biblical fruit”

 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.       1 Chron 16:3

 

 And as some of you know—Coachella Valley is where my formal education career began—no not where I attended school—but where I taught school. It was one of the most intense experiences of my life—sometimes frustrating, sometimes fulfilling, always unpredictable. It was an interaction with a combination of politics, a cultural/ethnic/immigrant  hot spot, ignorance (in some places), and greed & fear  (on the part of some), among other things.

 

Most recently, just after Christmas I was here in CV to pay my last respects to our former president, Gerald Ford ( a fellow Grand Rapidian where I also grew up).

 

Coachella Valley is hard to generalize (but for more about it in general see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coachella_Valley) . I knew nothing about it when I first came here in 1994 at the invitation of an associate, the late Jim Zoetewey, who was already teaching here at the time. I was in Jackson, Wyoming at the time—having just completed the requirements for my teaching degree—and staying at my Aunt Martha’s house for the summer at her invitation(and working at the Old Time Photo Studio as well as for a local Hot Air Balloon company).

 

In fact back in the summer of 1994 I was on the verge of accepting a church teaching position at a“University” in Hungary affiliated with our denomination, the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). That was a volunteer position—albeit required credentials—and you had to raise funds –contributions from church members—like being a missionary.

 

But when Jim Zoetewey called from CV and said there was a position open at CV High I decided to check it out. I drove out to Indio and talked to the then-principal, Bill Connell, a former Air Force commander-turned-principal who, as it turned out unbeknownst to me, was retiring within the next few days. He offered me a job—and a few days later I accepted. When I arrived to start teaching in September, however, there was a new principal.

 

 Now some of you may know –it’s not a good thing to be working for somebody you weren’t originally hired by—and  such was the case. The new principal, Alex Franco—a former graduate of the school—and a Latino man—had his own ideas about what the school needed—and it did not include needing “white boys” as is the common prejudice or stereotype by some Latinos towards some Anglo teachers or persons in general.

 

So here I was, a “white boy” with a  fair amount of  education (BA/BA) at the time trying to be a teacher but  being treated like nothing more than a “white boy” by the new principal. It was a shame because my education was perfect for this setting—including a semester in Spain learning Spanish (all A’s). It was a lesson in ignorance (on the part of others, not just Mr. Franco who may have also been misled by conniving others). By the way, after I left in the summer of ’96

Mr Franco was fired and I have never been able to find him since then. He just disappeared. Likewise, my associate, Jim Zoetewey, died in July of 1996—in a car accident on the way to a youth pastor convention.

 

It was like “poof’—two years gone up in smoke. Jim had already been fired (without cause, which they can do at any time during the first two years)  by Alex Franco after his second year there (my first year) and remained living in the area while I was teaching there for a second year. Jim never found another teaching job—although he hadn’t searched that hard either. Meanwhile, I found a new place to live that second year—in a little trailer on the edge of an estate in Indio. It was more of a place to store my things than to “live.”

 

 I remained mobile for that entire second year—using every free opportunity to travel—including going to Macchu Picchu in Peru and to Belize & Tikal in Guatemala, and to Tahiti (Bora Bora) and finally to Africa in June of ’96 (see my website, www.mustardseedfaith.org ). And not just for kicks or to relax ( I can assure you there was not too much relaxation) but for the sake of expanding my horizons as well as pre-evangelism.

 

So it was upon the return from Africa that I found out all this new information—that Jim had died and Franco had been fired. By the way—I mention Jim because he was an associate from my parents’ home community of Bellflower, CA. I knew Jim from my home church  at the time (Bethany CRC in Bellflower) and also from a few years at Calvin College. He was from the Dutch CRC community of Bellflower and had attended the Christian school founded by my grandfather—Valley Christian Schools. For those of you with sleazy minds—no, Jim was not a homosexual friend. Neither I nor Jim are/were homosexual— I LIKE GIRLS ! JUST NOT MARRIED (YET). Sorry to be so blunt but there are some people out there with blunt minds who need blunt answers.

 

But before I go on with the PREAMBLE let’s start today’s worship service (and please remember that is what this is supposed to be) with a few songs and a prayer.

 

Prayer: Dear God, here I am in Coachella Valley, CA—and I ask for Your presence—and Your continued blessings. You are the Lord of lords—the one and only True God—the three-in-one, the Father-Son-and Holy Spirit ! You are the Alpha & Omega and we are here to do YOUR WILL, not ours. Let this message be edifying to others—instructional, educational, and maybe even entertaining to a certain extent. We praise Your holy Name—in the name of Jesus Christ we pray ! Amen

 

Song: Near to the Heart of God !

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/e/neartoth.htm

 

Song: No King but Christ !

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/o/nokingbc.htm

 

And so I stayed here for two years teaching my heart out—putting everything I had into helping the kids here, culminating in great portfolios that they could proudly (some of them, not all)  show their parents, other teachers, and even potential employers. The reading levels in my classes ranged from 2^nd grade all the way up to grade level—some were recent immigrants who barely knew English—and shouldn’t have even been in my class—I wasn’t teaching ESL (English as Second Language)—I was teaching regular English—but that’s the way it was at CV High.

 

What really bothered me, however, is that Alex Franco wouldn’t hire me to coach any sports. He hired his local friends—people he remembered from growing up here—Not exactly fair—and according to the contract he was supposed to hire  available teachers from within prior to hiring outside the school—just another contract violation—and another grievance in the making.

 

The only problem is that I knew nothing about contracts, grievances, school politics, etc. coming in—although now I know a lot in retrospect. I grew up in Christian schools where teachers teach as a “calling” from God. They are like school pastors to a certain extent—and include prayer at the beginning of every class. Of course you can’t pray out loud in public schools nor impose Christian standards on the kids—although profanity is a violation by law. You have to invoke the Spirit in other, more subtle ways. And that was something I had yet to learn. I knew only the actual verbalization of God’s name—and standards of living according to God’s Word. I didn’t know subtlety and nuance nor politics and innuendo. I’ve learned.

 

Anyways, that’s probably why I spent most of my free time away from the school. I would go to the Salton Sea, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, or even, occasionally, Las Vegas (not for the tourist attractions but to study the area—the history, the geography, etc). I didn’t call it pre-evangelism then, but in fact that was what I was doing. And it’s beginning to pay off now—over ten years later. Sometimes living the Christian life is a matter of WAITING ON THE LORD—a practice in patience. (for another good website about CV see  http://www.answers.com/topic/coachella-valley ).

 

I would also go back towards Los Angeles and San Diego. It was during these two years that I started thinking about the future again—with a growing realization that my future was not, permanently, in CV. I drove through Pasadena and “staked out” Fuller Seminary—thinking maybe that’s where I would be some day. And eventually I was—for several years—completing the academic requirements for the M.Div there after a year at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids.

 

And now I’ve also resumed communications with some of the CVUSD employees—regularly delivering a Christmas gift to some of them, including Foch Pensis (now the superintendent—then the assistant superintendent—and one of the more antagonistic persons towards me while I was there) as well as Kent Braithwaite (a teacher who pretended to be on my side, but wasn’t) and Marco Rojo (another teacher—more congenial towards me).

 

I’m practicing presence evangelismin  CV ! It’s really all I know. I know English. I know how to teach English. But if I can’t get beyond the perception of being a “white boy’ by ignorant and prejudice others—I can’t teach here. Another example of ignorance is Alex Franco asking me if “Christian Reformed” was some sort of “reform school.”

 

 It was sometimes frustrating—having grown up in a respected Christian, private, system—a system known by most in academia as respectable—to be treated by non-Christians or even recent immigrants—as a “white boy.” It gave me a lot more empathy towards those who are or have been at the brunt end of discrimination—such as black people in some communities.

 

And being here was also a lesson in the problem of TOO MUCH FAMILY AFFILIATION . Most of us think of Christian ministry as supporting strong family ties. Many churches advertise themselves as “family” ministries—the reason why being obvious—because there are a lot of distractions and temptations that wrongly tear families apart.

 

But at the same time there are times when family ties become so strong that corruption creeps in. Wrong & right becomes secondary to family unity. Therefore a son or daughter might do something wrong to others—but the family’s criteria for “right and wrong” is whether it helps the family or not. Therefore, a son might steal—and the parents’ only question is whether or not it helps them as a family. If so, the son is rewarded. But sometimes it’s not such an obvious thing such as stealing—it may be something more subtle such as sabotaging a teacher’s classroom for the sake of “territory.”

 

Gangs tend to maintain unity based on “territory.” And kids in schools will defend their “turf” accordingly—thinking this school or this community is theirs—and it is their job to keep certain  others out—the only problem is that they don’t have enough understanding or education to realize that sometimes they are keeping the wrong people out. And those already “in” disseminate “misinformation” to these ignorant “underlings”  who unknowingly end up harming their own position and push those who are working for their own best interests out.

 

 

 Of course in an immigrant community such as the east end of the Coachella Valley—that tendency will be greater because the feeling  (probably wrongly) among many of the immigrants is that they have nowhere to go from where they are. Their initial feeling is happiness to have made it to America, but once they start living here—they also start WANTING MORE, but sometimes don’t have the education, financial means, language, or gumption to go on and legitimately get more.

 

So they become passive-aggressive—rationalizing that they are where they are because the system is unfair towards people such as them. And with that feeling of self-pity comes the justification for hurting others. I had a few kids who thought this way in some of my classes—and they (especially one in particular) went out of his way to sabotage my class—which is a big pain if you can’t get such a student out of the classroom (which I couldn’t). It’s a whole year with a “mosquito” buzzing around your head, so to speak. And the families of such kids sometimes encourage their behavior. IN my case I was considered the “new kid” and even worse “the white boy” to “defeat.”

 

Families sometimes make each other worse rather than better. That’s why we must put GOD FIRST ! And Jesus was fairly clear about that even while, at the same time, saying “honor” one’s parents and do not exasperate one’s children. It’s not either-or it’s both-and ! Sometimes we are honoring our parents by leaving them or confronting them or challenging them. Likewise the parents must sometimes confront or challenge their children. And the only way to truly do so in an integral manner is to PUT GOD FIRST ! AND to make “family” out of those who truly FOLLOW GOD  above all else.

 

Scripture: Matt 10:37-39

 

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not  worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 

Matt 12:48-50

 He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"   Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." 

 

Matt 19:18-19

Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" 

 

Matt 19:29

 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

 

Latino families in America are, in general, very family-oriented. And this is good & bad. As I was saying, especially in new-immigrant communities—the tendency to think of each other as family is very strong—but if it is NOT GUIDED BY A GOD-CONSCIENCE it can lead to corruption.

 

The police call certain types of characters “home boys” and target them as gang members because they tend to stay at or near home even into adulthood—and tend to affiliate with like others—as they try to prevent their neighborhood from changing especially by making newcomers uncomfortable. That was my primary experience at CV High.

 

I mentioned Jim Zoetewey above and return to him because there was a major difference between him and I—which was not recognized by some people at CV High. Zoetewey grew up in Bellflower. I didn’t.Zoetewey stayed around home going to nearby Cerritos Community College after a year at Calvin (later returning to Calvin for his teaching degree). My parents were in California while I was going through college in Michigan. IN fact, I was out of the home before my senior year of high school began—living with a friend for a semester and then an uncle for the 2^nd semester—back in Michigan.

 

I would tend to think of Jim Z as much more family-oriented and intertwined—not all of such is bad but some of it can be—and can cause conflicts. I think Jim made a good leap by leaving Bellflower for Calvin College (the second time around) and another good leap by coming to CV High—but I think he was still having a difficult time completely breaking away from being “in” around Bellflower. He was the “BMOC”  (i.e. ‘big man on campus”) so to speak around Bellflower  He had been around there for so long—played football there—supported the Christian schools—was known and generally liked there—but had he become a “home boy” in the negative sense?

 

He was very involved with the church—meaning evangelical—so I did not see any form of  negative “homeboy” in him—i.e. trying to make others uncomfortable. I think he was more of a “homeboy” for Christ—than a bad homeboy. And he seemed to be in good relationship with his parents. & He had owned and lived in his own house for several years prior to returning to Calvin College for education.  Then, in Coachella he had bought a brand new house—and was making payments on it –until his untimely death.

 

That seemed to be what Officer Mahoney was probing  about me when he approached me on the day of the soldier funeral. I’ve discussed Irvine Police Officer Mahoney previously—and how I initially met him while doing windshield evangelism at Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre (formerly Irvine Meadows).

 

He came up to my car on the day of the funeral in Irvine several weeks ago—and we had a bit of an antagonistic interaction for a few moments before he backed off—the climax of the discussion came when he jeered at me saying, “Tell me the truth, do you live with your parents?” The jeer or sneer in his voice was  telling as to his intent. I paused for a moment and said “It is a  base for me” without elaborating.

 

The problem with face-to-face challenges and attempts to summarily describe a complicated lifeis that you can’t do it all in  a sentence or two—but that’s all that Officer Mahoney will remember. Therefore, later, I composed a letter to send to him—which I will also send to his supervisor—in a few days.

 

Mahoney overstepped his boundaries in approaching methe way he did. The interaction ended respectfully—they backed off (another officer arrived during the interaction). But he didn’t have a need or right to “pat me down’ for weapons. That’s Irvine P.D. for you—they can be a little abrasive and condescending sometimes—there’s an arrogance in some of them (here’s another example—neither of them (the two police officers) even know who the funeral was for).

 

Nonetheless,  apart from some intrusions on the part of the Irvine P.D. there is a legitimate concern about people being ‘home boys” (or girls).  However, they were wrong in my case—and it was not taken lightly by me. But it raises the question: What is the theological answer for being an adult and interacting with family—especially parents—as we all age? How should Christians live with family as adults? And when I say “with” I don’t mean in the same house—but whether you are on the opposite coast or living right down the street from one’s parents you are still in “relationship” with them.

 

WE NEED TO BE ‘HOMEBOYS’ AND ‘HOMEGIRLS’ FOR CHRIST !  That means we can stay in relationship with family and parents but there must integrity at the heart of it. We must be honest with ourselves and each other in the parent/child relationship as well as the sibling/sibling relationship, not to mention the husband-wife category.

 

I don’t usually cite from the book of Proverbs but in some cases it is appropriate:

 

 Honest weights and scales are the LORD's;

All the weights in the bag are His work.

 Prov 16:11

 

The opposite problem of being a “homeboy” is never being home at all. Maybe some of these police officers who pride themselves on being “rugged individualists” need to think about that as well. I talked last week about caring for the elderly—and that includes my own parents—who are very spirited and do not think of themselves as elderly or in need of care—but that day will come. But beyond caring for them when they are unable to take care of basic needs for themselves—there’s the form of “care” before they become senile—and that’s simply in terms of “relationship.”

 

Trying to maintain a healthy adult relationship with one’s parents is a practice, likewise, in maintaining a healthy, positive, relationship with God. It’s not a one-way street. Our relationship with God will sometimes define our relationship with parents. But if the parents are willfully defying meaningful relationship at a sophisticated level—then it is difficult. I happen to be in “relationship” with family who are very educated and sophisticated –and carried over a lot of baggage all the way from Grand Rapids, Michigan to southern California—and some of them ended up at Fuller Seminary. I’m not speaking solely of my parents here—neither whom  are at Fuller Seminary.

 

The “family” of which I speak when I think of my extended spiritual family is my church family growing up –beginning at 1^st CRC—where Rich Mouw & Peter Harkema attended while beginning their careers at Calvin College. At least I thought of them as “family” then—and that was the notion fostered

 in us then and there. What we didn’t realize is that some of them were not thinking of the church as “family” at all.

 

They were required to attend a Christian Reformed church if they worked for Calvin College and, sad to say,  that may have been the only reason they went. They  may have chosen  1^st CRC because it seemed “easy” there. It’s called “slumming.”  Did they have any real notion of loyalty, devotion, or concern for some of the people at the church? Or did they think of some of us as “chumps?”  Was 1^st CRC  just another stepping stone in their career? It leaves you with a feeling of having been “used.”

 

We need to pray for these career ministry professionalswho, in some cases, have turned  what should be a matter of charisma and inspiration as the criteria for leadership ( as much as education and longevity) into a matter of just doing a job.

 

What does God want? Back to the topic of living for God—what does He want for us? What is God’s will? He wants us to live healthy lives—in all aspects: spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, & cognitive, among other things. All of these components of our being are summed up in the “fruits of the Spirit.”

 

And in many, but not all, cases God wants us to leave home and cleave to a husband or wife. Or, even without a husband or wife to have the courage to lean on God entirely ! And when we do we take risks. We meet other believers and we encourage each other to live boldly for Christ !

 

 

 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

                                                         Gen 2:24-3:1

 

Or in the alternative, if you are not married and remain unmarried the imperative is to “cleave” unto God.

But cleave unto the LORD your God,

 as ye have done unto this day. Josh 23:8

 

Jesus Christ becomes one’s spouse in a much stronger way. The Body of Christ at large becomes one’s spouse. That may be why Paul suggested at one point that it is advantageous to remain unmarried.

 

 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 1 Cor 7:8-9

 

 

One of my commentaries says the following about the subject:

 

I. That it was good, in that juncture of time at least, to abstain from marriage altogether: It is good for a man not to touch a woman (not to take her to wife), by good here not understanding what is so conformable to the mind and will of God as if to do otherwise were sin, an extreme into which many of the ancients have run in favour of celibacy and virginity. Should the apostle be understood in this sense, he would contradict much of the rest of his discourse. But it is good, that is, either abstracting from circumstances there are many things in which the state of celibacy has the advantage above the marriage state; or else at this juncture, by reason of the distress of the Christian church, it would be a convenience for Christians to keep themselves single, provided they have the gift of continency, and at the same time can keep themselves chaste.

(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

 

Notice the above  emphasis on context (then and there)  and the constant question about how it applies specifically to today (here and now).

 

              Problem at Starbucks  

"Aren't His Glasses Cute?"     

   She Said.     And she was not being sincerely affectionate.

     When Women Try to Emasculate Men

 

 (see http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=emasculate

 

This was on Saturday morning at a Starbucks on Varner Road in Palm Desert. The gal who said it was Latino. I had just woken up. It was around 6 a.m. I ordered a coffee and suddenly she shouted, "Oh your glasses are so cute?" It caught me by surprise--and for a moment I didn't know what to say. Quickly, with wit,  I recovered and said, "I've heard rugged and handsome but not cute." But then she went even further and called attention to my glasses to her fellow employees saying, "Aren't his glasses cute?!" (with the emphasis obviously on the word “cute.”)

 

 It was very inappropriate for her to call attention to a part of my clothing and especially to call a grown man "cute." It appeared intentional, not merely a social blunder. And that is a perfect example of how the Latino culture in some places attempts to marginalize and emasculate the white man or whom they call or think of as "white boy" (no matter how old or young you are). Later, I called the store and voiced my complaint and on Monday will also call Starbucks corporate headquarters  which takes complaints more seriously. I will probably also write a letter about it.

 

In some parts of Latino culture virility and manhood is defined by sexuality---and the number of children one fathers is considered a symbol of worthiness and respect. If there is any Biblical parallel to this it is definitely Old Testament, but does not necessarily reflect the new emphasis given in the Gospel. And often those persons propagating such a worldview can be crude, rude, & even sometimes lewd. Self-control and delaying gratification is not highly regarded by such persons; or perhaps I should say that they are, in some cases, apparently insecure or even ashamed about their own lack of self-control and therefore lash out at those who seem secure. 

 

Ironically, I must add—you can’t generalize about any culture—just Friday I was a guest teacher for a music class and the student teacher, Mr. Gamboa was a very gentle person—and very gifted music teacher---no extreme machismo at all, but not passive either. It takes a lot of self-confidence to be as gentle as this young man was.

 

 

Man made in the Imago Deo (Image of God)

 is Strong, not Cute:

 

      The LORD is my strength and song,

       And He has become my salvation;

      He is my God, and I will praise Him;

      My father's God, and I will exalt Him.

                                                            Ex 15:2

 

 

And our strength as Christians is perfected in weakness,which, nonetheless, still has strength--especially spiritual. While we turn the other cheek we must also assertively (not aggressively) address slights and insults to our God given dignity:

 

And He said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  2 Cor 12:9

 

 

              Do you understand what this means for us?

 

This does not mean some sort of limp-wristed extreme passiveness. Turning “belly up” is not the same as “turning the other cheek.” The weakness Paul is talking about here is whatever makes us realize that we are utterly dependent upon God. Therefore, Paul says sometimes infirmities and challenges are a blessing. But at the same time you see that Paul writes at length—and in so doing---is defending the Gospel and the Imago Deo of man.

 

 At the heart of this is a certain form of self-defense (as well as a defense of others, especially the weak and feebleminded)—albeit ultimately FOR THE GLORY OF GOD ! When we get wrongly insulted we should not always “just accept it” as Jesus did when they were taunting Him on the cross. That was a one time scene meant to be—most of the other times Jesus is actively & assertively defending God—not with violence –but with the Word itself  !

 

 

Ultimately, the only real star is God: The Father-Son-and-Holy Spirit ! We just bask in the reflection of His light sometimes when we deliver the message He has given to us !

 

 

How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.   You know these things... " John 13:16-17

 

 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star .                                                                                                          Rev 22:16

 

Just remember, some churches and some denominations have put too much emphasis on our need to be humble servants of God, at the skewed expense of healthy self-esteem and treating ourselves and others with dignity and respect. They forget that we, the believers & the Body of Christ, do reflect God’s glory and therefore do “shine” sometimes and therefore we can proudly  accept secondary praise for our efforts while ultimately giving the glory to God ! In fact it is the giving of the Glory to God that makes us shine all the more !

 

And that’s all for now.

 

Pastor Kok III

 

                  Pastor Kok III

 

                 I'm Seeing Stars !

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Above: 1-2) As I was saying, not all Latinos exhibit extreme machismo. Mr. Gamboa, a student teacher for Mr. Robinson at Hamilton High, is a good example of a gentle person with good self-esteem and confidence.He teaches music as a student teacher and does  a very good job.

Pray for him. It's a lot of work doing student teaching.

He's a  star for devoting himself to helping others develop their gifts & talents ! 3) Hey, here's a celebrity next to a tiny Oscar !

               

Above: 1) The star of the late rocker, Jimi Hendrix;

2) I'm surrounded by stars ! Here's an Academy Award Winning Pastor/Evangelist/Teacher ! Ha ha ! But seriously folks-- that is me and that is a real Oscar in my hand--from last year--when they allowed the general public to come in and hold an Oscar in their hand. My 30 seconds of fame. 

3) Jerry Lewis has a star !

               

 

Ultimately, the only real star is God: The Father-Son-and-Holy Spirit ! We just bask in the reflection of His light sometimes when we deliver the message He has given to us !

 

 

"How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.   You know these things... "
                                                                                                         John 13:16-17

 

 

 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style="width:13.5pt; height:13.5pt"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.gif" o:href="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/01.gif"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->.
                                                                                                          Rev 22:16

                                     As Close as I Can Get at
          The Academy Awards, 2007 !

                   Lots of People. Lots of Stars.

                      But Only One Evangelist

                    Pastor Kok III

                      (Maybe the Only One)

 

 

   From where I was I could  see the cars arriving from about a block away.

           Unless you have a ticket you can't get any closer.

          

= 

Above: 1) But you can enjoy the walk of fame. Here's Ritchie Valens star; 2) And you can watch the sideshow attractions. Here's a war protestor and obviously not a fan of our current president; 3) And here's a man with a live  Boa Constrictor

 

Above: 1) The blimp is circling; 2) Lots of police;

3) And not all attendees  arrive in limousines; but every car gets inspected prior to entry.

 

Above: 1) But, yes,  a lot of them do arrive in limousines;

2) Here's Norman Lear's star.

 "But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then". Matt 19:30  (New Living Translation)

 

 

Does this verse apply? Or should we let the "stars" have their moment of glory without preaching?Can "stars" be Christians? Or should I say can Christians be stars? What seems to be the real question is whether or not Christians should be involved in cinema? Should Christians be actors? Telling stories, including parables,is part of telling the Gospel. So the ultimate question may be what kind of acting or story-telling are you doing? Does it have a Higher Purpose? Is it edifying? Constructive? Meaningful?

                                                                   February 25, 2007

                                                        Pastor Kok III

                                                   

                                                   Problem at Starbucks

 

              "Aren't His Glasses Cute?"

                           She Said.

               And she was not being sincerely affectionate

 

              When Women Try to Emasculate Men

  (see http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=emasculate)

 

This was on Saturday morning at a Starbucks on Varner Road in Palm Desert. The gal who said it was Latino, sort of a "tough girl" type,  and can be seen going around the counter in the third picture. I had just woken up. It was around 6 a.m. I ordered a coffee and suddenly she shouted, "Oh your glasses are so cute?" And then called attention to my glasses to her fellow employees saying, "Aren't his glasses cute?!" It caught me by surprise--and for a moment I didn't know what to say. Quickly , I recovered and said, "I've heard rugged and handsome but not cute." That made her yell "cute" even louder--saying to her colleagues once again, "Aren't his glasses cute". She put so much emphasis on the word "cute" it became quickly apparent that this was not sincerely affectionate behavior.

 

It was very inappropriate for her to call attention to a part of my clothing and especially to call a grown man "cute." It appeared intentional, not merely a social blunder. And that is a perfect example of how the Latino culture in some places attempts to marginalize and emasculate the white man or whom they call the "white boy" (no matter how old or young you are). Later, I called the store and voiced my complaint and will also call Starbucks corporate headquarters which takes complaints more seriously. I will probably also write a letter about it. And for more about my thoughts on this matter--see the written message above.

 

Man made in the Imago Deo (Image of God) is Strong, not Cute:

      The LORD is my strength and song,
       And He has become my salvation;
      He is my God, and I will praise Him;
      My father's God, and I will exalt Him. 
                                                                                                         Ex 15:2

 

And our strength as Christians is perfected in weakness, which, nonetheless, still has strength--especially spiritual. while we turn the other cheek we must also assertively address slights and insults to our God given dignity:

 

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  2 Cor 12:9

 

 

              Do you understand what this means for us?

                                                   Pastor Kok III
                                      Jumping for Jesus !
        Maybe these Guys Aren't But We Should Be !

        The Air Extreme Show was Fairly Impressive.

        The Motorcycle is an Extension of their Body

                     Click to Get a Better View

      

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
                                                                                                                1 Thess 4:17

 

                                                         February 25, 2007

                      Pastor Kok III

        Practicing Presence Evangelism

                                                     at the

               National Date Festival

                         Indio, CA

 

 

Above: 1)Everybody loves old time photos. I know--I used to work at one in Jackson, WY--just ask Rachel Sytsma Reed if you don't believe me. 2) These two fellows were playing music to promote joining the army. One of them was on an electric violin; 3) Entrance to the Festival is not Free

 

Above: 1) I took a break from the festival around noon and went over to Shields Date Cafe & Store, and let Lola rest under the shade of a grapefruit tree for a while; 2) This was one of the sales gals at Shields Dates. They have a lot of free samples of all the different types of dates they grow in the valley; 3) Ride em little cowboy! An electronic  bucking bronco.

 

 

Above: 1-2) Lots of Meat Cooking at the Fair. This fellow didn't want to smile for some reason.

 

 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."Matt 28:18-19<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style="width:13.5pt;height:13.5pt"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.gif" o:href="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/01.gif"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

                                                               February 25, 2007

                        Pastor Kok III

                                                      at the

                  National Date Festival

          The Power of Presence Evangelism !

 

 

 

 

 

Above:1) At the stunt show the man rode a motorcycle on a trapeze (with restraints, albeit still dangerous);  2) And they rode a motorcycle in what they call the "Thunder Barrel"

3) Some of the former festival queens chased loose Emu's. 

Above: 1) Look at the hula hoop girl ! Wow !  2) Kids have fun on the super slide; 3) a Picture of Jesus in the fine arts exhibit 

Last week I talked about pre-evangelism. Now I want to introduce "presence evangelism"--meaning we just go and STAND IN THE MIDST of the world--not necessarily always verbalizing our faith--but sometimes JUST BEING THERE. If we are IN THE SPIRIT our presence makes a difference.

 

 

 And He said,"My Presence will go with you,

               and I will give you rest."
                                                                                                                   Ex 33:14

                            Pastor Kok III

 

      Is This Frivolous Entertainment? 

                                  Or Cheap TranscendenceAbove: 1-3) The first thing I saw were the pig races. On a little oval track they put four or five pigs and let them go race towards the finish line--the reward was an Oreo cookie at the end ! Is this frivolous entertainment--meaningless and a waste of time? Or is it cheap temporary transcendence for a culture bogged down in cultural, social,   & educational limitations. That's one of the things I will discuss above in today's written message?

             

Above: 1) There go the pigs--racing for the cookie!

2-3) They also have ostrich races at the National Date Fair in Indio. Sometimes they ride in "saddles" on the backs of the ostriches; other times they use chariots