Core Values

I've been thinking... not very much because this week I was too sick to do anything much but sleep. But I did think a little and I always end up back here. I guess I'm glad I didn't do all that stuff we did last week any earlier because I might have gotten too busy "succeeding" to notice what was really important.

This was really important. This was way more important than "success". This was success.

When I look over what I wrote down for core values a couple of months ago, I don't see much I want to change besides grammar...

• Biblical world view - without this Christianity is shallow, maybe just a façade
• critical thinking - when Christians don't exercise this they miss the point
• well-read
• limited media input - no TV - TV is an anesthetizing agent
• train children - this is central
• family devotions - this sets the tone although its not very effective without a Deuteronomy 6:4-8 lifestyle

I should add one more - PERSEVERANCE. This one is so foundational in my thinking that I didn't even think of it when I made my list. Its a given. But in this world I live in, its not a given for most people.

In all fairness, it wasn't part of my thinking, either, when I started this journey.

I was almost angry when John (my fiancé) wrote these verses in my Bible before he went off to France for the summer, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

Maturity.... perseverance...

I suppose I would have really freaked out if he had given me Romans 5:3-5 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Suffering wasn't on my map at all!

Back to what's really important... to have planted a bigger church but of shallow Christians would be to leave behind a sorry legacy indeed. I want to leave behind a legacy of "real" Christians.... people who think, who love God with their minds, ...people who will endure to the end.

Project Timothy: Why couldn't we have done this years ago?!

Tonight we take the night bus home from Chiba. Maybe next week I will finally be able to process it all a little, but right now I feel pretty much like I felt when we took the first session last fall: "Why couldn't this have happened years ago?!"

Altogether it has been really good. We've done a lot of studying.



Laurie Studying Hard


We've also spent a lot of time just plain talking with friends, old and new. And that's been pretty valuable, too.


Valentine Dinner on Monday Night


Today I'm publishing John's Core Values assignment. Mine is still to come. (This is a PowerPoint Presentation so you will need a high speed connection and you need to click to turn the pages.)

Core Values

What is my mission?

It's not like I've never thought about his question before. I've thought about it long and hard. But last night we had to get concrete about it for the Leadership Training sessions we are attending this week. We both made up powerpoint presentations - I wonder why its easier to think on powerpoint?

Anyway, I wondered if it was possible to post them here. ...and it was! (But don't you try to look at them, Mom. They will NOT download fast enough for anyone with a slow connection.)

So if you want to know what we've been thinking about the last couple of days, take a look at:

Vision for Ajigasawa Church

John's Vision

Laurie's Vision

Mendelssohn's "Elijah"

Ever since Abby brought back "Elijah" for us, I've been trying to figure out how to REALLY listen to it. Sarah and I have been playing it in the car but with the roads at their most boneshaking at this time of year its kind of hard to hear. And Mendelssohn (like Tchaikowski) doesn't really seem to work for background music in the house - too dramatic.

So I planned a music evening. Sarah went off to Hokkaido yesterday and so I planned a candlelight dinner for John and me. I got out all the candles I could find - Sarah, our pyro, could have found more I'm sure! - and John brought me roses (and a Rummy bar.)

I had made programs with the text of the music and after dinner we listened to all 2 1/4 hours of it. We had tea with strawberries and cream during Part One, an intermission, and then pop corn and hot chocolate during Part Two. John naturally dozed for part of it, but that's okay. I think the music goes deeper when you float on it.


John Listening to Elijah

Altogether it was a splendid evening. But it took a little work - it was snowing and I could so easily have continued the writing I was doing instead of going out shopping and getting the dinner ready. I thought of that at supper when John talked about analog versus digital learning and went off into a tangent about that illustration on the back of the November 2003 Reader's Digest. (I may eventually scan the illustration and post it for reference - but Luke has pinched the scanner and I can't scan magazine covers with Travel Scan.) When you short circuit process something is lost. But since John's going to talk about that on his blog sometime, I won't steal his thunder.

As for "Elijah" - it was magnificent. I think my favorite is the # 8 Air and Recitive that starts with "I water my couch with tears." and ends with "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, love Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might."

I repeat it was a splendid evening.

As I was...

I think I need some technical help. (Please help me, Luke!) ...

But anyway, in answer to the request for old photos, I have posted a photo of the me that was Laurie Mannhardt in 1972. This was post Catcher in the Rye (scary questions but no answers) , Magnificent Obessession (idealistic but not very biblical), In His Steps (RADICAL) but pre The God Who is There (why didn't somebody introduce me to this book sooner?!) and He is There but He is Not Silent.

Lately I've been looking over my notebook trying to crystalize my goals for the year and was drawn back to my verse for 2002 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn." (Isaiah 51:1) That phrase "look to the rock from which you were cut" really touched a chord and I went through my old high school diaries looking for the books that formed my thinking, especially about God.

I wish there was a good English library. Of course I have a lot of the books, but some of the books I want to reread I don't have and I'm not sure I want to put money down for them yet... Inn of the 6th Happiness, The Greatest Thing in the World, Mrs. Mike, While Still We Live, God Bless You, Mr.Rosewater.

Loving God with the Mind

The other day Sarah asked me why the Old Testament said to love God with all your heart and soul and strength whereas the New Testament always said to love God with all your heart and soul and MIND. I looked it up. She's right. In all three Gospel accounts it says to love God with your mind.

Why does Jesus switch might for mind?

Is it because the strength of our love is determined by what we think?

I suppose that for me, loving God with my mind has always been very important concept. I find the idea of switching off my brain in order to practice my faith decidedly unattractive. Besides, I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s when New England was known as "the preacher's graveyard" and in that hostile environment it took more than a few warm fuzzies at church to carry me through the week. It had to be true or it wasn't worth it. And if it was true it couldn't be ignored.

But how do we love God with our minds? And what is a Christian mind?