fighting against an apple-pie

There is an extract from the book we are currently reading "Hunger for God" by John Piper.

"Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for God.//

The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison, but apple pie. It's not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the
world. it's not the X-rated video, but he prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it's a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20) \\

One of the reasons for fasting is to know what is in us - just as Abraham showed what was in him (life of his son) . In fasting it will come out. You will see it. And you will have to deal with it or quickly smother it again. When midmorning comes and you want food so badly that the thought of lunch becomes as sweet as a summer vocation, then suddenly you realize, "Oh, I fogot, I made a commitment. I can't have that pleasure. I'm fasting for lunch too." Then what are you going to do with all the unhappiness inside? Formally, you blocked it out with the hope of a tasty lunch. The hope of food gave you the good feelings to balance out the bad feelings. But now the balance is off. You must find another way to deal with it.
At this point we really begin to discover what our spiritual resources are."

Valentyna

Ukrainian Basketball

More of Ukraine is coming to Arizona.

His name is Kyryl Natyazhko.

Val and I are hoping to get tickets and go to a game with a Ukrainian Flag.

Here is some more information...

http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/288423

What I miss

Being back in Arizona makes me miss a lot of parts of life in Eastern Europe and more specifically Ukraine/Latvia. I'll make a list for you to enjoy!

1. I miss public transportation. Having to drive for about 80 minutes everyday to work and back isn't as fun as riding a bus or marshrutka!

2. I miss the food. Puzata Hata. Narvessen Hot Dogs(LV). Felichita. Val's mom's cooking. Even the pizza at Tam Tam was good!


3. I miss the language. As hard as it was to function in Ukraine not knowing Ukrainian very well. I love hearing it, learning it, studying it, and being immersed in it


4. I miss having my own authentic Soviet apartment. Eventhough it had crappy old furniture, I miss the feeling of a small cozy place. Now that I have a wife, I yearn for it even more!

5. I miss the unpredictibility. Everything here in my home town is so predictable and boring. Being over there, it was new all the time. That may fade in the future, it may not last long, and if i moved to another state here in the US I may have the same thing, but I still miss that feeling.

6. I miss ministry. I realize this is one I can do here. But I miss it there more than here. Ministry outside of your culture has the most potential to be either a disaster (which I have seen) or a huge success(which I have seen). It seems this is less pronounced in your own culture. Ask me the same thing in 5 or 10 years and I may have a different opinion though

These are just a few I am sure. Hopefully I can come up with later the things I don't miss.

Michael

Church Planting

I get inspired by big ideas.

The idea of planting churches is a big idea.

Sometimes my mind wanders when I hear a big idea, and I imagine myself immersed in the thought of this big idea living itself out

I think sometimes in the past this was destructive. Other times it brought me to the point I am at today. I am still wrestling with God and the gifts he has given me to see if church planting is in my future. When I hear my pastor, other pastors, friends, books, blogs, sermons, etc talking about planting a church, a fire lights in me. But I can't tell or sift through whether this is God, or my own desires and pride seeking through.

With this year of pulling back from full time ministry going into its 4th month, I feel very restless. God has done a lot already in me as I work a "normal" job. I see more people that need Christ, and I see my own inadequacy in meeting their needs. I see the great need for prayer. I see how much having a family takes time, and that being a single guy in full-time ministry and a married guy is not the same.

I see my priorities changing. Only two things really matter to me anymore other than my relationship with Christ.
My wife and ministry.

It's good. It's what I always wanted, and here it is.

I also wanted to have more non-christians around me, and here I am.

Church Planting though... I want to know more of what God thinks about this in my life. I need to be praying some more

It's good.

Michael