...and other Middle East musings...
Happy 5th Birthday to the iPhone; though we do not (yet) have one of these amazing little critters, they are ever intriguing and awe-creating when I see someone else interact with one. I remember my first mobile phone call from a car in 1985. My friend's dad had a mobile phone installed in their car for business and it so intrigued me that he allowed me to call my mom while we were on the way to a school dance. It was huge--a wired handset with glow in the dark buttons that went to a half-briefcase style box mounted beside the center console--the special mini-cb antennae (and it's sad that most of you won't know what a "cb" was) was mounted outside on the roof of the car. At the time, I thought this must be the pinacle of cool and importance; how else would you explain the need to be in contact with someone while you drove?
Somehow, most of my generation survived not only going through High School without cell phones, we also went through most (if not all) of college without a cell phone. Keli and I got our first cell phone, a clunky-nokia in 1998 once Grace was born so that babysitters could reach us whenever we were out--i bought a pager before we stretched the budget a few years later to have 2 cell phones--and all they did was make calls (still an important, though overlooked feature), store numbers, and have 1 simple pong-style game. A few laters, I got my first smartphone--not sure why, because they really did poor email at that time, but it had a good calendar program and this was helpful to merge my palm data and reduce my need for two devices.
At this point, having an iPod was a luxury we couldn't afford, so when Apple CEO Steve Jobs made the now famous "a phone, an iPod, an internet communicator" presentation, we couldn't conceive of how that pitch was to change and create the communications/tech-junkie world in which we now live. In 5 years time, iPhones (or a similarly styled and capable devices) are as common as cigarrettes in the hands of many Egyptians on the streets -- what was previously conceived of as cool and elite has become common, and yet still cool and desirable. 5 years ago, many were still figuring out how to OMG their BFF while ROFL--today, you can simply video chat through your phone.
Speaking of Birthdays, today's a big one for the recipient of my first mobile call--my mom. Happy Birthday to my mom. Yesterday, our family took turns speaking to her on her cell phone in Alabama while she shopped and drove home, while we called from our internet-connected "magic jack" phone here in Cairo. Mom still looks like she's my age and acts half-my age ;) She and dad will spend the day getting ready and leaving for a VA hospital in Georgia where Dad will have prostate surgery this week due to recently diagnosed cancer. Say a prayer for my mom and dad this week.
I love my parents and I am honored by who they are and what they have done in my lifetime--they are clearly "Giants on My Path".
While we're surrounded by millions of Islamists who regularly pray facing Mecca several times a day, we represent a church group that has a different kind of "mecca"--our "holy city" is Anderson, Indiana. Not because I was born there, and not because the church movement started there, but because that's where the printing press, Bible college, and eventually national offices came to be established. Along the way, annual "Campmeetings" were held on those grounds and the tradition, oh the tradition, continues today in what is now called the North American Convention of the Church of God. That event took place last week, and thousands made the "annual pilgrimage" for a day or more of meetings, fellowship, worship, inspiration or frustration depending on what they attended :) During that time, our friends the Langfords and the Kihms were commissioned to serve the international Church in the U.K. and Holland respectively; our fearless 3W leader shared about doing ministry and missions differently in through the 3W paradigm. And, the concluding Wednesday night service saw it's trational campmeeting itinerary scrapped for a different style of service. The link to watch the nearly 3 hours of service is here (there's about 8-10 minutes of filming before the service begins); if you can, I encourage you to take sometime to sit through the opening with Jim and Chuck, listen to some of the dramatic-recreation of a DS Warner sermon, and get to the part with Gretchen Olsen and Bob Marvel (the service goes at least another hour and half after them). Gretchen is now one of the Junior High pastors at WillowCreek Church in Illinois, and she gives a good testimony of her calling and growth to that place of leadership, speaking of "giants" who helped her to that, including Bob. Bob comes out and speaks of a divine-spin on chaos theory that is just great.
"Giants on My Path" was a book title from a leading ChoG pastor/hymn-writer, Dale Oldham (no close relation). The whole service was an opportunity to reflect and inspire on those who have helped to shape us while encouraging us to be that type of person for someone else. My parents aand my grandparents, all each and uniquely for different reasons, have been giants on my path. There were several others who have had key rolls in my development, but the roll of my family is special to me in these days now as we serve in the Middle East.
Speaking of the Middle East, the political world continues to turn here. Newly elected President Mohammed Morsy had his first opportunity to straddle both sides of the fence--the young revolutionary movements were demanding that he take his official oath of office in Tahrir Square--many cited that he would not/could not do that because of security concerns, not to mention the tradition of the oath being taken at the Supreme Constitutional Court. The revolutionary movements wanted not only a symbolic connection to the scene of the revolution, but also a simultaneous rejection of the SCC and their role in not condemning Mubarak to death, absovling several key Mubarak leaders, dissolving Parliament, and (in their view) strengthening the hold of the military on the country. Meanwhile, the tradition of taking the oath before the judges and the SCC to uphold its place within the government and its legitimacy was necessary. Morsy managed to appease many with a Friday evening speech (in which he steps out from the podium and opens his jacket to reveal he's not afraid and not wearing a bullet-proof vest), and then on Saturday having his oath taken in the SCC. As I said, this appeased many, but there were reports of doubters and skeptics, not just from the revolutionary movements, but from the ordinary working class. He has a huge road ahead of him.
Many continue to camp out in Tahrir, for various reasons and hopes. I was able to step into the Square earlier in the week (and hope to add a couple pics later)--it's a mess, not just from the debris and remains of thousands of people coming in and out, but the mood is anxious and a bit depressing. There are high hopes throughout this city and country, but their seems to be an even deeper despair.
Last week's gathering and Presidential announcement kept us from getting downtown for worship, but we'll be back at it tonight. The kids are out of school, and are starting to get a bit of cabin fever here at the villas, so it will be good to get them out and about. We have a car purchase about to finalize, so we hope that will also give us the wheels to get around and about a little more easily--more on that once the deal is done.
Happy 5th Birthday to the iPhone; though we do not (yet) have one of these amazing little critters, they are ever intriguing and awe-creating when I see someone else interact with one. I remember my first mobile phone call from a car in 1985. My friend's dad had a mobile phone installed in their car for business and it so intrigued me that he allowed me to call my mom while we were on the way to a school dance. It was huge--a wired handset with glow in the dark buttons that went to a half-briefcase style box mounted beside the center console--the special mini-cb antennae (and it's sad that most of you won't know what a "cb" was) was mounted outside on the roof of the car. At the time, I thought this must be the pinacle of cool and importance; how else would you explain the need to be in contact with someone while you drove?Somehow, most of my generation survived not only going through High School without cell phones, we also went through most (if not all) of college without a cell phone. Keli and I got our first cell phone, a clunky-nokia in 1998 once Grace was born so that babysitters could reach us whenever we were out--i bought a pager before we stretched the budget a few years later to have 2 cell phones--and all they did was make calls (still an important, though overlooked feature), store numbers, and have 1 simple pong-style game. A few laters, I got my first smartphone--not sure why, because they really did poor email at that time, but it had a good calendar program and this was helpful to merge my palm data and reduce my need for two devices.
At this point, having an iPod was a luxury we couldn't afford, so when Apple CEO Steve Jobs made the now famous "a phone, an iPod, an internet communicator" presentation, we couldn't conceive of how that pitch was to change and create the communications/tech-junkie world in which we now live. In 5 years time, iPhones (or a similarly styled and capable devices) are as common as cigarrettes in the hands of many Egyptians on the streets -- what was previously conceived of as cool and elite has become common, and yet still cool and desirable. 5 years ago, many were still figuring out how to OMG their BFF while ROFL--today, you can simply video chat through your phone.
Speaking of Birthdays, today's a big one for the recipient of my first mobile call--my mom. Happy Birthday to my mom. Yesterday, our family took turns speaking to her on her cell phone in Alabama while she shopped and drove home, while we called from our internet-connected "magic jack" phone here in Cairo. Mom still looks like she's my age and acts half-my age ;) She and dad will spend the day getting ready and leaving for a VA hospital in Georgia where Dad will have prostate surgery this week due to recently diagnosed cancer. Say a prayer for my mom and dad this week.I love my parents and I am honored by who they are and what they have done in my lifetime--they are clearly "Giants on My Path".
While we're surrounded by millions of Islamists who regularly pray facing Mecca several times a day, we represent a church group that has a different kind of "mecca"--our "holy city" is Anderson, Indiana. Not because I was born there, and not because the church movement started there, but because that's where the printing press, Bible college, and eventually national offices came to be established. Along the way, annual "Campmeetings" were held on those grounds and the tradition, oh the tradition, continues today in what is now called the North American Convention of the Church of God. That event took place last week, and thousands made the "annual pilgrimage" for a day or more of meetings, fellowship, worship, inspiration or frustration depending on what they attended :) During that time, our friends the Langfords and the Kihms were commissioned to serve the international Church in the U.K. and Holland respectively; our fearless 3W leader shared about doing ministry and missions differently in through the 3W paradigm. And, the concluding Wednesday night service saw it's trational campmeeting itinerary scrapped for a different style of service. The link to watch the nearly 3 hours of service is here (there's about 8-10 minutes of filming before the service begins); if you can, I encourage you to take sometime to sit through the opening with Jim and Chuck, listen to some of the dramatic-recreation of a DS Warner sermon, and get to the part with Gretchen Olsen and Bob Marvel (the service goes at least another hour and half after them). Gretchen is now one of the Junior High pastors at WillowCreek Church in Illinois, and she gives a good testimony of her calling and growth to that place of leadership, speaking of "giants" who helped her to that, including Bob. Bob comes out and speaks of a divine-spin on chaos theory that is just great.
"Giants on My Path" was a book title from a leading ChoG pastor/hymn-writer, Dale Oldham (no close relation). The whole service was an opportunity to reflect and inspire on those who have helped to shape us while encouraging us to be that type of person for someone else. My parents aand my grandparents, all each and uniquely for different reasons, have been giants on my path. There were several others who have had key rolls in my development, but the roll of my family is special to me in these days now as we serve in the Middle East.
Speaking of the Middle East, the political world continues to turn here. Newly elected President Mohammed Morsy had his first opportunity to straddle both sides of the fence--the young revolutionary movements were demanding that he take his official oath of office in Tahrir Square--many cited that he would not/could not do that because of security concerns, not to mention the tradition of the oath being taken at the Supreme Constitutional Court. The revolutionary movements wanted not only a symbolic connection to the scene of the revolution, but also a simultaneous rejection of the SCC and their role in not condemning Mubarak to death, absovling several key Mubarak leaders, dissolving Parliament, and (in their view) strengthening the hold of the military on the country. Meanwhile, the tradition of taking the oath before the judges and the SCC to uphold its place within the government and its legitimacy was necessary. Morsy managed to appease many with a Friday evening speech (in which he steps out from the podium and opens his jacket to reveal he's not afraid and not wearing a bullet-proof vest), and then on Saturday having his oath taken in the SCC. As I said, this appeased many, but there were reports of doubters and skeptics, not just from the revolutionary movements, but from the ordinary working class. He has a huge road ahead of him.Many continue to camp out in Tahrir, for various reasons and hopes. I was able to step into the Square earlier in the week (and hope to add a couple pics later)--it's a mess, not just from the debris and remains of thousands of people coming in and out, but the mood is anxious and a bit depressing. There are high hopes throughout this city and country, but their seems to be an even deeper despair.
Last week's gathering and Presidential announcement kept us from getting downtown for worship, but we'll be back at it tonight. The kids are out of school, and are starting to get a bit of cabin fever here at the villas, so it will be good to get them out and about. We have a car purchase about to finalize, so we hope that will also give us the wheels to get around and about a little more easily--more on that once the deal is done.
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