vulnerability

Well, happy leap year to everyone! I had some thoughts about vulnerability, and wanted to share them. These thoughts have been largely shaped and reformed during my time thus far in Argentina. So...

In weakness, there can be much strength.

Vulnerability is not an easy thing to practice. However, it seems it is easier to practice as the relationship gets more personal. It seems it would be easier being more fully vulnerable with a wife than with a neighbor you exchange pleasantries with, or being more vulnerable with your parents than with office co-workers. Or maybe altogether no. It is true that anonymity and distance can offer a comfort where vulnerability would be easier to practice.

So why all this talk about vulnerability? I think its something that should be practiced and done more often, because it is an avenue or a means to a great end. Vulnerability allows individuals in relationships to arrive to a stronger, more united relationship. Relationships where there is greater love. Unity through love gels strong bonds. We all were created to be in community with others, and vulnerability is a way to usher in a stronger sense of the identity of community and the strength that comes in community. But vulnerability for vulnerabilities' sake is vanity -- it should be practiced with an intentional purpose for a greater end. There is of course, vulnerability that leads to destruction. But vulnerability practiced correctly leads to a more solid, less anxious, purpose filled sense of the relationship.

I think Jesus lived the greatest example of vulnerability throughout His life. He was perfectly vulnerable, in each situation or relationship He faced. In public, before hostilities and with many eyes on Him, Jesus did not respond to accusations and threats with the same. I think that's a lesson for us. You are more vulnerable, the destructive vulnerability, when you play the vengeance, threat throw down, respond-with-a-bigger, greater threat game. It's a more likely tendency in a world filled with selfish desires and ambitions, hate, and a focus on self-validation.

With His disciples, His intimate friends, it was a different story. Jesus was often vulnerable, although He was hurt by His friends in various ways, many times. Jesus knew they were trying hard to love Him, despite their sinful natures being a stumbling block. Jesus saw their intent was in a good place, and wasn't hesitant to continue His vulnerability with them. We see this vulnerability, this constructive vulnerability, especially when He washes the disciples feet. To begin, the Scripture says that Christ put himself into a physically vulnerable position (John 13:4). Then He proceeded to become vulnerable in relationship with His closest friends. Foot washing was the reserved task for the most menial servant of the household. The lowest ranking member on the hierarchy gets to wash the dirt and filth. This event is Master who becomes most humble servant. The hierarchy is flipped upside down.

Christ was so secure in His relationship with His father and the knowledge of the glory of the Kingdom, that He could "lower" himself to a "filthy" task. The world sees things " " in a limited manner. Is it any wonder the disciples were humbled in Christ's humility? How could this act not grow greater love in all of their relationships? Not only directly with Christ, as a servant, on an individual level directly to them, but to each other as well. Each disciple could share with each other in the fact that the Lord of the universe had washed their feet. That is a very unique something-in-common to share with someone.

Jesus sets THE example. If we desire to strengthen our communities, our individual relationships that collectively make up the entire body of saints, Christ has given us an excellent example to follow. In marriages, friendships, within the church, we can practice, and practice often, the constructive vulnerability that is not easy to do, done through pride-diminishing and a reliance on a greater source of strength than our own selves. It's weak to the world, but strength in the Kingdom.

In weakness, there can be much strength.

Korean Bible excitement

Today, Samuel, one of my first graders, brought a Korean/English NIV Bible to class. He said, "Mr. Schimpff, now I can understand more."

It was really cool. I showed him our memorization verse of the week, where it was at least, and he read it in Korean. So he now gets to memorize it in Korean and can tell it to our older high school Korean students. I was pumped because Samuel had a new dimension of excitement to him for reading the Bible.

Samuel made very clear a good point I had realized with Spanish. Scriptural understanding is much more clear and meaningful in one's native language.

worship

A good answer to the question: "why do we worship and for whom?"

86-73

It not only makes me happy when we beat a top-ranked (#2 in the country) opponent, but it's triple excitement time when it's Duke. If Duke were ranked 2,3049 million thousand in the country and we still beat them, I would be as pleased as I am this morning. You see, Duke and Mike Krzyzewski's team are so antagonistic and annoying that it's just plain vanilla great to beat them on the basketball court. They play like dirty mafia hitmen but are thought of by most people in the country as saints. Just go and sit near the Duke bench one game and listen to how Mike K. (I don't want to write out his last name again) cusses worse than a sailor.

Way to go DEACS!!!

HDR from my trip

As I get these HDR photos processed I'll be posting them. I'm still a complete amateur at this HDR photo stuff, but I'm trying. Here are 2:

umm, not ok

As BAICA's webmaster, I receive a lot of emails for the school to forward to the correct people. 96% of the emails I receive are spam. I felt this one was horrible. It's written by a non-native English speaker, obviously, and is a fishing scam email. This person must have no conscience. I would be fearful if I wrote an email like this:

Dearest,
I am Mrs. Jennifer Walter, a widow to Late Richard Walter from U.S.A . I am 59 years old; I am now a new Christian convert, suffering from long time cancer of the breast. From all indications, my condition is really deteriorating and is quite obvious that I may not live more than 2 months, because the cancer stage has gotten to a very severe stage.

My late husband was killed during the Gulf war, and during the period of our marriage we had a son who was also killed in a cold blood during the Gulf war. My late husband was very wealthy when he was alive, my personal physician told me that I may not live for more than 2 months and I am so scared about this. So, I now decided to divide part of this wealth, by contributing to the development of charity homes like to the motherless baby homes, needy, poor, charity homes and widows through your name?.

I selected you after visiting the website for this purpose and prayed over it, I am willing to donate the sum of USD$5Million, Five Million United States dollars to the motherless baby homes, needy, poor, charity homes and widows too. Please note that, this fund is lying with the First City Monumental Bank ( F.C.M.B.) all I need from you is your trust, sincerity, love, peace and your contact information's?.

Lastly, I want you to be praying for me as regards my entire life and my health because I have come to find out since my spiritual birth lately that wealth acquisition without Jesus Christ in one's life is vanity upon vanity I also found out that a day with peace in the lord is like thousand years in paradise. If you have to die says the Lord, keep fit and I will give you the crown of life. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you as I wait for your kind hearted reply, .
Thanks and God bless
Mrs. Jennifer Walter

fanny-pack proud

I'm proud of the fanny pack I wear. It's not that common for our generation. It was cool during the 80s (so I fit in clearly here in Argentina), and then it seems like some kind of fanny-pack phobia developed in the 90s that effectively did away with the fanny pack. Well, maybe my fanny pack usage will help bring it back. I like it because:
1. It hides your wallet and phone better in at-risk crime places like Buenos Aires.
2. It's not as big and as bulky as a backpack, so I sweat much less when I'm riding with my fanny pack on my bike.
3. Running with one is great, I can carry keys and one fanny pack I have has water bottle slots (yes I have more than 1, I have 3).
4. You don't have to take a backpack or purse off to reach inside and get something, it's already right there!

I was curious to see if there were other fanny pack afficionados out there. There are. I wish I could join these guys, singing about fanny packs. I'll let you enjoy:

blueberries!

So BAICA's PTF mom, Lori, is really awesome. She provides food (including wonderful poundcakes) to BAICA teachers, and in general is all about helping our school. She really does a lot and doesn't get enough credit for all she does. One really cool thing is that she likes blueberries. A LOT. Just like me. It is my favorite fruit. Probably 4th favorite food. Just kidding. I don't rank my foods in order of best-liked. I'm not that big of a dork.

Anyways, Lori and I figured out we share this common interest in blueberries. The ironic thing about Argentina, well one of them at least, is that they grow tons and tons of blueberries, but you can never find them in stores here. They export nearly their entire crop. So after I did some google searching, it is a powerful tool that really benefited in this case, I found a local phone number of a blueberry exporter, and their warehouse happened to be really close to where we live. I called, got in touch with a friendly Argentine (which can be rare around BA), explained my situation of how we really liked blueberries, but could never find any, and could we try and buy some directly from her. After she checked into the matter, and us trading a few phone calls, she said she had a box of blueberries for us that had just been harvested in Tucuman. They were on their way out of the country, but she pulled a box off the shipment for us. Lori went to pick the box up.

And get this, in the box, 15 kilos of blueberries, for $0 pesos! I'll translate. 33 pounds of blueberries, and the lady would not take anything for all of these blueberries. Zilch! Incredible! Being the first free thing I've received in this country, it was a great first! And Lori continued to be really cool. She made her famous pound cake, this time adding blueberries, I mean after all, we've got 33 pounds to go around, and then gave me half of it!

Así que estoy re-contento con los arándanos tan ricos que tengo!!

A lot of rocks to choose from...

I thought of this devotion when I was out traveling around Argentina recently:

(Isaiah 28:16)
Do you know how many rocks are on earth? I have on idea. I even think it's a number beyond a good or accurate mathematical estimate. But there are a lot. Just look outside. Or go out to a mountaneous or hilly area and look at all the rocks thrown about. Big and small alike.

Out of all those rocks to choose from, God chose a unique favorite. His own son, Jesus, to be the rock on which to build His church. The church being the community of saints dedicated towards honoring the Lord and doing His work. The end of verse 28:16 (NIV): "The one who trusts will never be dismayed..." Later on, Jesus' own words sound quite similar: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on THE rock." (Matt 7:24). Not a "big" rock, not a "shiny" rock, not a "rare, you're-going-to-be-a-diamond bling-bling" rock, but THE rock.

There's only one choice. There are a lot of rocks out there, but God chose the only one worthy to build our lives upon, His most precious stone: Jesus.