Parables and Playlists

Live and Let Die

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:04:00 +0000

I read a biography of Jim Elliott today. It was deeply encouraging. I was struck by the wisdom of these words, "The enemy specializes in three things: hurry, noise and crowds." I wonder if we surround ourselves with such things as a distraction from the sobering truth of our mortality.

I was struck by Elliott's tendency to finish things that he started. I on the other hand, am a great starter of things, a great dreamer of dreams, a first-rate idea man but a poor finisher. I pray that God will grant me discipline and endurance to amend this.

I recommend "In the Shadow of The Almighty" heartily and without reservation.

Guided by Voices

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:06:00 +0000

I'm back to the blog. Everything I know about blogging suggests that a two week hiatus is a bad idea. -- starting a fight with Chuck Norris bad. But, what's done is done. In the two weeks since I wrote last, I've done some yardwork, read some books, and done a bit of jourrnalism. I've also played a prodigious amount of guitar. But all of this pales in comparison to the meeting of a man who claims to hear the audible voice of God. I thought I'd seen everything. This man is not some unfortunate homeless man; he has a job and a college education. He is not obviously mentally ill, yet he claims God speaks audibly to him about specific life decisions.

The theologian in me wonders about what the practical implications of audible, personalized revelation from God would be. How does church work if God speaks privately to everyone? How does church discipline work if the clear revelation of God in Scripture is supplanted by that of this audible voice? How does one know that God has spoken? What's to keep us from doing what we want and claiming that God has spoken and He justifies our behavior? Would we employ some sort of honor system? Perhaps we'd meet together and promise not to lie about what God has told us.

I don't wish to be caustic or unduly sarcastic in my attempt to discredit this bizarre notion. This series of rhetorical questions is not designed to castigate this poor guy. His position is regrettable and very nearly hopeless in that he has chosen to attempt to follow Christ without making proper use of two of His greatest gifts to us: Scripture-God's revelation of himself to us, and the church-God's instrument for reaching the world for his honor and praise.

My church is a huge safeguard for me. We've all agreed that Scripture is authoritative for us in our daily lives. When I don't live that way, there are people in my church who point me to the Scripture in love and expect to see change. There's a whole protocol for that established by Jesus in Matthew 18. I'm grateful that God continues to provide people in my life who aren't afraid to call my sin what it is. I shudder to think who I would be without the grace of God and thee protection he offers through other Christians.

I'm glad indeed that I'm not guided by voices(There's the obligatory pop culture reference).

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:46:00 +0000

I've been neglecting this blog. I was on vacation last week in thee majestic vegas of the Ozarks--Branson Missouri. Expect a longer post tomorrow

This American Life

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:26:00 +0000

I love This American Life. I am conservative and evangelical, so in theory, I have no business listening to NPR, but I love TAL. Week in and week out Ira Glass and company present compelling stories about extraordinary people. Obviously, it's important to listen critically and realize that every contributor brings a set of preconceived notions to every story. With that understanding in place, the show is a valuable storytelling tool.

TAL is a constant reminder that everyone has a story to tell. It could be for example that your neighbor was Noriega's pen pal when she was a schoolgirl in the '70s. It could be that the man sitting next to you on your last flight was originally from a small town on the coast of Alabama in which, once a year, thousands of fish and shrimp wash up on shore only to be collected by hungry townspeople armed with buckets. They call this bizarre event a "Jubilee".

Both examples are true and taken from TAL episodes. Everyone has a story. The storyteller's job is to find it.

Memorial Day Post

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:24:00 +0000

So sorry for the delay between posts. I was on vacation. In any event, I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to the men and women of our armed services. We have asked much of you. We've asked you to kill and to die far away from your families. To add to this heavy burden, we've asked you to be ambassadors for us to the civilians around you, to display all of our best qualities amidst the horrors of war.

Somehow, every day thousands of you manage to fulfill the monumental task set before you. The truth is that I can only speculate about what a soldier's life is really like, and despite my best effort, this post is surely an inadequate description of the difficulties thereof. With that said, I am grateful.

Thank you all. My prayers are with you.

Protestant Monks?

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:30:00 +0000

Yes, there are protestant monks. On some level the thought of eating protestant gruel and wearing protestant robes, checking out of this messed-up world and dedicating my life to serving God in peace, quiet and contemplation is very appealing, but I don't think that we get that option.

I don't think we have a choice but to live in the real world. That doesn't mean that it is our Christian duty to have a subscription to Us or Cosmo( If you must read Cosmo, just one will suffice. They're all the same.) It does mean being in the world that we are not of.

I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light" -- John Keith Falconer

Christian Fiction?

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:10:00 +0000

I think God cares about quality. This is part of the reason I generally avoid Christian fiction. I'm not sure God is glorified by a shout-out in a mediocre historical romance or the presence of angels in a mediocre supernatural thriller in which the protagonist is a deacon at his church.

I think that God is glorified in excellence-- in using the talent he has given to the utmost. God is glorified when our artistic work reflects his nature: his holiness, his justice, his strength, his love and concern for the weak and poor and oppressed.

I am not saying that there is no place for fiction for and about Christians. However, there is no place whatever for bad Christian fiction. There is no place whatever for stilted dialogue, ridiculous plotting and bad pacing. It is not enough, brothers and sisters, to write inoffensive novels. It is not enough to create one-dimensional characters with ridiculous problems who happen to be Christians.

It is enough to become "poured out as a drink offering"--to offer every iota of skill and talent. It is enough to offer every work of art as an act of worship to the living God.

God is worthy of the best art that we can create, and I confess that in my case, he doesn't always get it. I will remedy this henceforth with his help.

Every Blog Needs A Gimmick

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:32:00 +0000

It's just true. These gimmicks are wildly variable. Some are cool; most are uninteresting, and some are straight-up scary. Some blogs are of the "I did x for some period of time and blogged about it" variety (i.e. I watched a silent movie every Tuesday for a year, I became vegan for a year for no particular reason, I lived for a year as a hermit.)

Some blogs are of the "I traveled across some country for some period of time using nonstandard means of transportation" variety (i. e. I walked across America barefoot)

Some blogs are of the "I'm a fish out of water variety" (i.e. I'm an opera singer who has recently joined a thrash metal band making its way across the Midwest)

I think a good blog gimmick is rare indeed. Do you know of any?

The Zombieland Rule

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:24:00 +0000

We Christians have something of an uneasy relationship with pop culture. Some of us pretend that nothing has happened culturally since 1957. Seriously, a man I know made a Keystone Cops reference the other day. I had to Google it. Some of us run for the hills whenever a song that isn't from a hymnal starts playing, and some of us try to emulate what's going on in the secular world only we leave out the curse words and partial nudity, and as a general rule, the artistic merit. Contemporary Christian Music has been especially bad in this area in recent years. I can only imagine a world without MercyMe's "I Can Only Imagine"--it's a wondrous place; we have hovercars (If you haven't heard it, hit up youtube. I'll wait.).

Most of us, however, make our way in the world consuming pop culture as conscience allows. And there's the rub-our consciences allow different things. These disputable matters are addressed at length in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8.

The short version is: if doing something causes you to sin, whether the action in question is inherently sinful or not, don't do it. Similarly, don't do anything that causes other people to sin--ever.

The best Christian-ish film of the year, Zombieland (yeah, you thought I was going to say Fireproof didn't you?) demonstrates this very well. In the first half an hour of the movie, Jesse Eisenberg enumerates various rules that he has made for himself in the hope of surviving the hordes of walking dead (i.e. Beware of bathrooms, Stay in Shape et cetera). These are not universal laws applicable to everyone. These are rules designed to survive among the walking dead--an enemy that Jesse Eisenberg's character knew well.

Well on some level, we as Christians are in a desperate battle against the walking dead. Galatians 2:20 reminds us:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me.

Our flesh is dead, but it's walking dead. Every day we fight that flesh and its desires as we strive to be obedient to Christ. This is where the analogy breaks down. We're all fighting our flesh, dead as it may be, but the nature of that fight can vary wildly among believers. On some level, we all live in our own personal Zombieland, and we know the zombies well. We know our weaknesses--those stubborn sins and old habits, and we know the rules we need to put in place to survive. Every one of us should make media consumption choices based on what we know of our weak spots. Someone who is trying to stop cursing should not watch Boondock Saints for example while people who never curse might watch Boondock Saints in clear conscience.

We're all in this together, and if making it through Zombieland for you means watching PG movies and listening to MercyMe, go in peace. I'll bring popcorn...and earplugs.

Parables and Playlists is live.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:11:00 +0000

Welcome to Parables and Playlists, formerly Adverbs, Adventures and Amusements. This is a new home for an old concept. I am a Christian, and I love stories and storytelling--Jesus did too. Hence the parable part. It is my hope that the story of my life as related on this blog will encourage you and point you to God.

The second part of the name of this blog, playlists, refers most directly to music. I love music. It remains one of God's greatest gifts to us. I love everything from old-school folk to indie pop. I've even developed a taste for classic soul thanks to my friend Amen Holman.

This blog will engage with pop culture as a whole: books, movies, television and music from a Christian perspective. This is, after a fashion, a Christian blog in that I am a Christian, so theoretically, my love for Christ should be apparent in my artistic endeavors.

This blog is not a place to come find out the number of curses in the latest Coen Brothers movie. Such a place already exists, and frankly, I'm not interested in movie criticism via spreadsheet. Nor is this blog, necessarily about finding some sort of "Christian" meaning or message in every cultural artifact.

If you want to discuss the soteriological implications of the work of Lou Reed, this is probably not the place for you. If, however, you're interested in a chronicle of an honest attempt to be "in the world but not of the world" then, you're in the right place.

Glee:nobody burst into song in my high school either

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:13:00 +0000

And that doesn't matter. People who say that they can't watch musicals because no sizable group of people anywhere at anytime has spontaneously burst into song are entirely mistaken about what stories are and how stories work and why stories matter.

These people have confused the vehicle for story delivery with the story itself. If you happen to be one of those crazy people who doesn't like musicals, go in peace. Know this, however, people who write musicals know that nobody just starts singing to advance the plot of their life, I promise.

Similarly, writers know that very few people create elaborate pregnancy scams in misguided attempts to save their marriage. But people lie in small ways every day to grease the marital wheels as it were. The insane, over-the-top nature of Glee is the only reason that anyone who's ever been to high school watches it. By and large, high school was awkward, degrading, cliqueish and boring. In my case, it had its bright spots, and a number of great friends and gifted educators made parts of it fun and meaningful, but an exact representation of high school would make horrible television--worse even than Joey. Yea, I said it. It is theoretically possible to make a show that's worse than Joey.

Aristotle wrote about truth in art at length. I read Poetics; I know. I don't remeber what it said. I can, however, do most of the combos on Soul Callibur II. Yeah, if I had it to do over, I would have allocated my brain cells differently.

Truth in story is the authentic presentation of human existence. That's what Glee does really well. Everybody wants to be significant, to matter, and watching the Glee characters do that in their own big-budget, pop culture-saturated way is worthwhile. Father-son relationships are hard and complicated sometimes, and watching Kurt and his dad figure out all of that is worthwhile too. Glee speaks to real human problems and concerns in a way that isn't horribly depressing. Take that Recquiem for a Dream.

I love Glee, and frankly you should too. I might even be willing to sing about it if the price were right.

Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Fri, 21 May 2010 05:23:00 +0000

This post should be about Glee, but it's not. It's about another thing that starts with "G" and is awesome--the Great Commission. If you wanted a post about winsome musical comedies, sorry. I promise I'll get around to Glee eventually and soon. I have a music crush on the woman who plays Rachel Berry.

For now, I want to talk about the Great Commission as a way of understanding the world and the primary means of acquiring the adventure and significance that we so desire as humans. Many thanks to Joey Tombrella who helped me to crystallize this idea and to Jaimie Krycho who pointed out the inadequacies in my previous post.

In Joey's discussion of the Great Commission( that's Matthew 28:18-20 for those of you who speak Christian as a second language), he reminded us that God has provided a means to fulfill our desire to take a risk and do something that matters. We needn't manufacture adventure on our own; it can be found in being obedient to Christ and making disciples. I was deeply encouraged by the idea that true discipleship is not boring.

Obviously, actually fulfilling the Great Commission is no easy task, but perhaps, that's part of the appeal. I, Brian Burns-- occasional writer of small-town journalism and tutor of math students--could do something really important. I could contend for the glory of God and the souls of men. That's astounding. That's the second most astounding thing in the world after the cross, which creates difficulties.

The notion of actually making disciples, actually spending time with other people for the purpose of teaching them to know, love and obey the transcendent God of all things is difficult for us to comprehend. However, going to church once a month and inviting others to perhaps do the same is not. That we understand, and in some cases, that we do.

But that's not an adventure. There's no cosmic battle there. There's none of the gravity of grappling with sin in our own lives and offering true life to a dying world. That might be why so many Christians, myself included of late, are unfulfilled; we are not making use of God's means of fulfillment.

As for me, I want to be an adventurer again.

Test

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:12:00 +0000

This is a test of the new RSS feed

Alligators in the lake? Yes, please.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Wed, 19 May 2010 01:23:00 +0000

Today my editor proposed that I apply my journalistic skills to what is apparently a burning question. Namely, "Are there alligators in Lake Worth?" My own thoughts on the matter aside, the fact that people are asking this question is interesting in that it highlights a particular human trait. We, as a species, have an innate desire for something fantastic and unexpected. On some level, the thought that all the adventure has gone out of much of the world, that so many roads lead not to glory and adventure but to cul de sacs lined with houses full of people much like us is depressing.

Hence, legends of goatmen and needles contaminated with HIV left in darkened theaters by parties unknown. We live these days in so much sterile, fluorescent light that in some deep part of ourselves, we assume that what small shadows remain must be teeming with evil. Whether it's true or not, who can say, but it does keep things interesting.

(EDIT: We need something to fight. We need some sort of big and scary antagonist so that we can feel significant and fulfilled. Mere existence is not enough. We want to win, and for us to win, someone must lose. )

It's almost enough to make me buy a typewriter.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:38:00 +0000

I'm still trying to make this blog play nice with Facebook. I'm not sure what the problem is, but there has been some significant lag between publication here and publication on Facebook, so for testing purposes, I'm flooding your newsfeed. I'm sorry. Unless of course you have a farm or a mafia or an island or you just need help storming this one castle. I'm not very sorry in your case. In your case, I am an agent of justice, a righter of wrongs, a giver of comeuppance. Think about how tired you are of seeing me on your newsfeed and consider seriously if you wish to inflict such sadness on others in your zeal to find a home for that lost unicorn. I'll stop ranting now.

As for this blog, instead of waiting for the Facebook note, follow me on Blogger. It's like Facebook without Farmville or chain letters or any of those "If 1,000,000 people join this group, I'll do something outrageous" groups. Try it. It's great.

Thanks for reading.

That's Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:28:00 +0000

Yesterday, I wrote about the difficulties inherent in deciding what is blogworthy and what is not. In the midst of all that, I wrote a bit about movies as a way to understand the world and how much better life would be if there were a movie about seminary students. Today, I wanted to explore that idea a bit further. The paragraphs that follow are descriptions of what movies about seminary in general and Southwestern in particular by various directors would be like.

Michael Bay-I imagine that everyone would have a sports car. Everything would be explosive. People would engage in spectacular gun battles for no particular reason. I feel like people would do that action movie roll move--you know the one I'm talking about, on the way to class.

Hitchcock-At least one person would get murdered in a way that maximized tension and dramatic irony. Grace Kelly would be wandering around campus in some sort of danger. Jimmy Stewart would be there too, but more than likely he would be saddled with ridiculous lines. If you don't believe me, watch Rear Window again paying special attention to the scene in which Jimmy Stewart's character attempts to break up with Grace Kelly's character because she is too rich and beautiful.

Spielberg-Four words: Somebody is an alien.

M. Night Shyamalan-Everything is fine until the last five minutes in which it turns out we're all Buddhists.

Wes Anderson-For one thing, everything would be much more colorful. People would sit on the lawn singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese. Nobody would have actual problems. Instead, all our relationships would be broken for no particular reason . Bill Murray would be in it.

Who else could make a SWBTS movie, and what would it be like?

Honest to Blog

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:50:00 +0000

I don't know how to blog. I know how to write, but not how to blog. Blogging is not about writing, not really. Blogging is a game of redaction-pure and simple. It's all about what is written and what is not and why. In describing the past day and a half to you, should I include a paragraph or two of my recent musings about the dearth of portrayals of seminary students in popular culture?

Should I tell you that I would pay a princely sum for some sort of pop culture touchstone for this stage of life, some set of Hollywood assumptions to accept reject or modify? I'd love to be able to say, "You know, seminary is not like the movies", or to smile a bit when I see that in some small way, they got it right.

That might be too self-absorbed, so perhaps I should simply relay the events of the weekend. Like this:

I went to a college graduation for one of my best fiends in the world. We then went to see Clash of the Titans, which frankly clashed with my eyes. Then we ate chicken fingers. Today we went to a graduation party, and I tried to teach the young woman I tutor how to multiply matrices.

However, that might prove boring and unworthy of your time and attention. It seems like a blog is more than a mere record of events.

Similarly, this blog might not be the place for me to use the act of writing as a vehicle for dealing with my emotions. Do you want to read about the sorrows and joys I experience as I try to transition from college--something I understood--to post-college life, which I'm still figuring out? I worry that after a while my posts will begin to sound like Dashboard Confessional songs. In fact, as many times as I've listened to Swiss Army Romance, some of my posts might just be Dashboard Confessional songs, word for word (i. e. "This is a forgery This is a forgery. Every single line is plagiarized--copied twice and thrice inscribed.") People swear that accidental plagiarism is impossible, but I'm not so sure. I'm sorry in advance, Chris Carrabba.

I also would like to record things about God and my relationship with him here, but in a way that is profitable to you and devoid of misguided piety, pontification, self-aggrandizement, or self-flagellation.

Honest to blog, I don't know what to do here, so here's a bit of weird news.

Running the Race and assorted Miscellany

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Sat, 15 May 2010 03:51:00 +0000

I guess a writer who's not writing is just a guy who sleeps more than he should and shaves less, so my journey back to writing begins.

I saw Robin Hood tonight. I liked it. It helps that there's no historical Robin Hood to reinterpret, contextualize, mythologize or mangle. With that said, I remain partial to the Disney version with the fox.

Russell Crowe played the same character he played in Gladiator. It was a solid, but workmanlike performance. A bit of archery research would have been nice. Wet bowstrings are bad news bears, Ridley Scott. Please know this or hire someone who does.

On a personal level, my first semester at SWBTS is over. I have made some friends, survived taking two 8 AM classes, and been faced with the most significant academic challenges I have yet encountered.

I went for a run yesterday. After a few days of reading about running, googling running shoes (I overpronate if you wanted to know, and I have medium to low arches), and listening to the Chariots of Fire theme, I actually went running. It hurt. After two minutes, it felt like someone had strapped me down and set my left calf on fire. I could barely walk home.

It's easy to talk about running, to listen to songs made for running, to read about great runners; my legs don't mind that one bit. It is hard to run.

Perhaps, that's why Christianity is compared to a race. It is easy for me, to talk about Jesus, to read about him and people who have served him well, it's not hard to learn a few more theological words, but it is hard to run after Christ-to value his glory over my pleasure and to follow his laws rather than my own heart when the two are at odds.

I write now, not as a running coach or a world-class runner, but as that guy who ran hard for two minutes and then could barely walk home. But my encouragement to you and to me is that God well knows the difficulty of discipleship. This is from Hebrews 4:14-16

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are,yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Stay tuned. I plan to continue running in both the physical sense and spiritual one. As for physical running, I'm thinking about hiring bears to chase me. I think my legs would hold out a bit better if the stakes were higher.

My mishaps, misfires and misadventures will hopefully prove worth reading about.

Post the Fourteenth in which I solicit your help.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:13:00 +0000

What makes a good story? What makes a bad story? Discuss.

Post the Twelth in which I have an identity crisis

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:06:00 +0000

I wrote 800 words today. It's good to see the novel coming together. In the time I've been working on this novel, I've learned a lot about myself and a lot about novel writing. For a long time, I was afraid to finish the novel. After all, an unfinished novel can't be rejected by publishers. The unhappy truth, however, is that an unfinished novel is essentially useless.

So, I'm going to finish the novel. In my quest to conquer my fear of rejection and begin to trust God, I've been encouraged by these words from Paul's second epistle to Timothy:

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I am struck not only by the oft-quoted first phrase but by the second. The spirit God gives us is not a spirit of timidity but one of power and self-discipline.

Up until very recently, I allowed fear to keep me from sitting down at my keyboard every day in a disciplined way and writing this novel. I've been encouraged by Paul's letter to the Romans. He writes in Chapter 8:

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[l] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These words have changed my life. If I write a bad novel, I write a bad novel, but what does that say about my worth as a human being? It sounds like not so much. It would seem that whatever happens, God loves me. I am still learning to really let the truth of this verse affect my view of myself and to truly live in thee freedom God offers me. What a joy to serve a God who would write these things to us. I hope they have encouraged you as they have me.

Post the Eleventh in which my life becomes substantiaally less interesting.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:31:00 +0000

I went to the eye doctor today. I have mixed feelings about the whole eye doctor experience. As a person, my eye doctor is wonderful. Though we see each other once a year at best, she is always warm and friendly and seems to care about me and my life. The procedural side of a visit to the eye doctor, however, is a little bit troubling.
That glaucoma test with the puff of air is bizarre and uncomfortable and generally repugnant. There's nothing good about it except that it ostensibly screens for glaucoma.

There is good news. Both my eyes are still attached and in working order. Apparently diagnostic eye dilation will soon be a thing of the past. My eye doctor has this new digital retina camera that can take pictures of a whole retina without dilation. Sweet. Apparently, the human retina is located underneath all the blood vessels in the eye, so every minute of every day, you're looking through your own blood.

I'll leave you with that.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:08:00 +0000

We're back. We have Dr. Pepper, potable water, and ice once again. Most of us have spent substantial portions of the last 36 hours in our beds. I'm up now, however, and left with the unenviable task of summarizing a trip that changed 630 lives.

Some 600 people accepted Christ. Over the next 365 days, ~200 people will visit all of them at least 1 time. As for the 30 of us, in 12 days our lives were changed. Don't worry. I'm only 21. I can't even rent a car. I didn't set out to change the lives of those who read this blog or teach anyone anything about well...anything. I sought only to encourage those left behind and secure prayer for the team, and, I will admit, create some traffic for this blog. My objectives remain unchanged in my final Mission Brazil post.

I don't know what, if anything, God wanted you to learn from this trip, but I do know what he wanted to teach me. If you'll permit me I'll elaborate briefly. To begin with, let's turn to a very familiar passage from the book of Matthew chapter 28

19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age."

The command of Christ is relatively clear if you understand what makes someone a disciple. Jesus explains discipleship this way in Luke chapter nine:

23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

I'm still learning what this means. I think there are hints of what this looks like in Colossians 3, which I've referenced previously.

3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.b]">[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

In his book "A Man of God", which the men of Priority are studying, Dr. Jack Graham suggests that an important part of taking up the cross is acknowledging the death this verse speaks of. As believers, he says, we are dead men-men without time, money, or rights.

Time, money and rights, we may not have, but Christ is in us all-Brazillian and American alike, and we all must follow him. Our Brazilian brethren are now tasked with teaching 600 people what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Pleaase join us in praying for them and those who accepted Christ during the trip. What an encouragement to know that the whole law, which Jesus didn't abolish but fulfilled, rests on two things. As it is written in Matthew 22

35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Throughout this trip, God continued to remind me that it really does come down to loving God and loving people.

Post the Ninth in which we follow the advice of Robin Sparkles.

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Today is our day off. After a relaxing afternoon at the hotel, we plan to go to the mall in Maua to shop and eat at a chuhascaria. For the uninitiated, a chuhasceria is a magical place in which waiters swarm you with skewers of meat, and you use small tongs to grab piecs of whatever meat interests you. It's all you can eat.

Yesterday was a very full day. VBS continues, some 180 children are attending. Needless to say, the VBS team is working very hard at the church.

As we have in the past, the rest of us hit the streets of Maua to share Christ with those whom we met.

In the afternoon, a larger group of us returned to Casa Maua and 20-30 boys were saved. It was a joy to be with them; they were kind and well-behaved and had a surprisingly complete knowledge of the American rap and hip-hop scenes. Many of them were disappointed that we didn't know A&M.

This morning we sang for and shared with the whole hotel staff. Thirteen of them prayed to recieve Christ. It would have been terrible to neglectt these people who we have been around all week in our zeaal to share with those far away from uss in the houses and astreets of Maua.

Post the Eighth in which some of us go to jail

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Today the plan was for some of us to do vbs, some us to go to a correctional facility for young male offenders, and some of us to go to a school and talk with the children there, but here in Brazil, we are leaves upon the wind. We make plans, but we don't always do the things we planned to do.

Our school team was unable to speak in the school because he teachers there didn't get some sort of permission that they needed. As with many things here, in spite of the skill of our translators, the details were sketchy.

The Jail group had more success. After emptying their pockets of any and all possible weapons, leaving their cameras and bags on the bus, and submitting to a search by prison guards, they were able to speak with 20 boys aged 13-18 who were awaiting araignment for various crimes. Our team presented a skit, and afterwards, one of our team members gave a a more detailed gospel presentation. By Pastor Clausios' count, 13 boys were saved.

Throughout the afternoon, we made visits scheduled by church members. Wilfred Stewart and Mark Grubb led two different men on two different deathbeds to one saviour.

God is moving here. In home visits we are sharing with the husbands, wives, brothers, sons, mothers, daughters, and neighbors of our new friends at IBM. In many cases they have prayed and shared faithfully for a long time, but we have the privilege of leading their loved ones to the Lord. I am reminded of the words of Paul to the Corinthians:

5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you
came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed,
Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who
waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and
the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his
own labor.

It is a joy to reap the rewards of the faithful prayer and labor of our Brazilian brethren, and to be united with them in the service of our common Savior through whom we do everything.

As promised, a story from yesterday. Brittany Elkins shared the story of a blind girl who was about nine whom she had met. The girl told Brittany about a time when she had fallen on the bus, and nobody helped her up. Brittany said that it was a reminder to her that sometimes only God will help us when we fall. Praise him that he does. What a vivid picture of the sinfulness of our wounded world and the greatness of our God.

Some prayer requests:

1. Pray for strength and rest for our team as many of us are approaching the limits of our human strength

2. Pray for our translators who are working tirelessly with us. How taxing it must be too translate all day and walk the hills of Maua besides

3. pray that God would speak through Mark Grubb and Brother John who are preaching tomorrow and that many would come to know Christ.

I have no words to thank you adequately for your prayers. We feel them, and they strengthen us. I implore you: continue to lift us before the Father.

Post the Seventh in which we drive to Venezuela(almost)

noreply@blogger.com (B. Burns) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:08:00 +0000

As yet we have not had share time about the events of today, but all egoism aside, I would like to relay an experience that dad and I shared. Rest assured, a summary of tomorrow's share time that includes stories from today will be part of tomorrow's post. Our team meetings are in thee morning, and I post at night, so by and large, stories involving people other thaan me will be posted the day after they occurred. Please bear with me.

Today, our group had the morning off. A few of the braver of us swam, some went to the zoo, and many slept. We arrived at the church, IBM, at noon. The meal consisted of ravioli, pan fried chicken, and rice and beans. Most of us ate with gusto. Rice and beans are something of a staple here. Many here eat them without other foods though so far our host church has provided a variety of foods to accompany them.

After lunch, our VBS team practiced puppetry and most of the rest of us hit the streats of Maua with translators. Dad and I made a house visit with Aleksandro, a member of our host church.
The woman we visited had led a coven of witches until God miraculously delivered her from her former life one month ago. Aleksandro, pastor Clausius from IBM and perhaps pastor Valmir as well removed two carloads of altars, books of magic, and incense after she was saved.

To get to her house, we drove forty minutes in a red 1971 Fiat. It got us there, but it stalled at every redlight, and at various points, our feet brushed the tops of speedbumps. Seatbelts would have been nice.

From her front door a the top of an impressively long and steep flight of stairs, we arrived in her home. The walls were mostly bare concrete though a picture of the Corinthians, one of two professional soccer teams in a bitter rivalry here, hung on one wall. We shared the gospel with her husband and immediate family. Her husband and two others were converted. In her joy, she asked us to visit her sister as well. We did, and she and two of her daughters were converted.

The pictures attached show the view from the stairs and the two families we spoke to. Aleksandro is in both pictures. he is wearing a polo shirt with horizontal stripes.

Members of our team preached and worshipped at IBM and its mission. All told, ~42 were converted today. More to come tomorrow.

Edit: One picture didn't upolad. The family you see is the first we visited.