The Mystery

Here in Cotonou it is always an interesting experience. It is almost a culture shock going from Natitingou to Cotonou. Nati is a city fo 55 to 60 thousand but Cotonou is the big city comparitively several million, and a city not like our somewhat organized and clean western cities. The funniest part is people's reaction to me. I don't always like to take moto taxis, walking can be good for your health. So when I ask for directions even if my destination is only five or ten minute walk away, the answer will usually not be given until I convince them to give me the directions and not to a zemi (moto taxi). People say, "with just a hundred franks you'll be there! (twenty five cents) True but i could save even that little bit and walk. I try not to angry, people just think I am light skinned I should have the money, and I do but I can walk and there's supporting too pollution, but that's another story. So I am a bit of mystery to the people of Cotonou, but I find it amusing to my day!

A farewell to another chapter of my life

Well now I am here in Cotonou. Natitingou has been left several hundred kilometers behind and the time is soon coming to say au revoir to all of Benin. Certainly comes with mixed feelings. A question people ask me is am I ready? I find that like asking if you are ready to take the hardest math test in the history of the world. You'll never really feel like you're ready but you will have decide that you are. This has been a growing and fruitful experience and I am glad to have embarked on the adventure. But it is true that I can't stay terminally, there is school and I just simply have to move on. But assuredly what I won't move from is the lessons I've learned and the inspiration I have been given to give my life to missions work wherever God sees fit.

How to say goodbye in Africa part 2

Well the first part was just to give you an idea that I still really don’t have much of an idea, but I am learning. I don’t think there ever will be a time, anywhere in the world where saying adieu will be a piece of cake or pie or truffle, well you get the idea. I have been trying to squeeze all my last visits with friends since last Friday, and it has been a bit challenging. I have learned that if you don’t tell people in advance that you are coming to say goodbye, then you have to set up a formal time to meet again, to really say au revior. Which in my scheduling to the limit can be complicated. But I have appreciated the kindness and genuine sadness people have shown. It encourages me to know that they will miss me. I surely will them! This is another reason to thank God for prayer, because it fits as a fitting and wonderful way to say goodbye. And why not, God is what brought us together, let Him be the one to watch over our separation.

How to say goodbye part in Africa part 1

Uhhhhhh. Ummmmm.

Babylon is Fallen

I have wanted to write about this for quite some time. And this week I have particularly inspired as the church is doing their week of prayer for 2009. It is by Karl Haffner and talks about our mission as Adventists, a message of hope. The base is the three Angels’ messages. I often pass by the big mosque in town on my way to the market from my house. I am reminded of the second angel who says, “Babylon is fallen…” Simply because of unique visual aspect. The mosque has two great spires and each one had (well used to have) a sort of large crucifix except they were the Muslim symbol of a crescent moon with a star inside. Well one is completely gone (hope no one was standing there at the time!) and the other is hanging on by, I suppose, the rebar used to fix the concrete in place. Though I know many great Muslim people, I cannot say that they are following the right way. It is something I hear among many people here, Catholic, Muslim, whatever else, even the Fetisheurs, we all serve the same God, one supreme God. Well sometimes I’ve touted the company line, skirted the truth, but reality is no. I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the three in one, all knowing, all loving, God. A God who bought me before I asked, and is waiting to come get me and all His faithful (which I hope will grow always). So yes Babylon has fallen, now we must call people out! I will note that I don’t tell people this to their faces, God didn’t say to insult people, but to point them to Jesus.

Leadership, only a farm away!

Indeed some time has past since my last entry. And though I am sorry to not have written last week, I can’t say that I missed it too much. That is I really enjoyed being out in the bush a bit, missing all the regular, mundane things of living with media and such. Well sometimes not very mundane more like obnoxious. So yes I was out with the Murdocks, Matt, Sarah, Riley, Duncan, and Bridget. Matt and Sarah are missionaries with “Ministry of Jesus” and have a bible and agricultural school about an hour and half north of Natitingou. It was real nice to spend five days there. It was quite eventful. I went to do some leadership training for the students at the school. I had the privilege of setting up a low ropes challenge course, as well as doing an intensive training time, call the Gauntlet or translating into French, called the Rolling Fire (that’s the closest wording). It is to push each one to their limits both physically and mentally, and to train how to be a good leader in all situations and scenarios (well as many as possible). Most of them told me after that at the beginning they thought the whole thing was crazy, not very useful, but by the end at our concluding debriefing, they all admitted how much it helped them, for that I thank God.

The trap is set

It seems as an Adventist church we stick close to doctrines like the Sabbath, adultery, things that are laid real clearly in the Word, and that’s great. It’s easy to see all the Sunday keepers and say man I’m glad to have the Sabbath. But the second commandment has slipped on our radar, I’m afraid. We know not to worship other gods like the first commandment says, but we haven’t completely understood the second commandment, to not worship God the wrong way. So I’d say the problem is music but it’s deeper, it’s about worship. I really couldn’t go over all of it now. I had a room the last semester I was at school, who had been recently converted to Adventism. He had had some dark episodes on the other side and we spent much time talking about issues facing us personally and the church, especially about music. I can’t remember why, but one day Sunday morning that semester, I was really feeling convicted on this, I think it was the weekend where Ron Du Preez came to share at our school. I knew I didn’t listen to non Christian music, but even within my Christian music library I had a lot that did honor God, worship is a lifestyle I believe, so I just couldn’t seem to start that day without getting rid of what was pulling me down. I chose those CD’s that were real bad you could say, heavy rock beats, rap, hip hop and shattered them. I didn’t get some mighty euphoria, a quiet peace and I continued the day. I still had some contemporary music that I liked and felt still brought me close to God. My roommate did lend me a book by Karl Tsatalbasidis called “’Rock, Drums, and Worship”, but I knew that it condemned the drum set, which I thought was just exaggeration so I didn’t really take it seriously. Until now that is. I guess sometimes the spoken word has more grip. I’ve been listening to sermons from GYC 2008 and one was a series by Pastor Karl. Now I was hungry to learn what God said about music. I



know out here music is a big issue, what rhythms are right, can we play the bongo in church, or just in social church events, is certain dancing alright? In reality all of it is universal, though in different forms. Our church has somehow not looked at the Biblical perspective for music. They do have Biblical guidelines in the church manual, but there just seemed to be any basic Biblical foundation to follow. I can’t lay it all out here, listen to the series (http://www.audioverse.org/people/231/karl-tsatalbasidis.html) or read the book mentioned and it will be clear. For me it has been liberating, I’ve felt like I have been on the fence (which is impossible actually) with this issue for a long time. The standard of the Bible is music that promotes melody and harmony, is rhythm forbidden, no, you can’t have music without rhythm, but when it drives a song, that is a problem.
Here’s a question: can you use a gun for anything else but shooting things? Well the smart alecks like me might say, yes for a doorstop or perhaps as a baseball bat. If a police man came by while you were using a semi-automatic rifle for little league baseball practice would he think it was a good idea, would anyone? The point is you cannot play the trap set or drum set without playing rock, jazz or one of their derivatives. It was invented to convey the music of spirit worship from Africa by slaves in the Caribbean and The USA and that’s all it can do. Every beat from it is rock or jazz, if you’d like to change that then you’d better perfect time travel and go back and invent it for a different purpose. And this is what historians, non-Christian musicians, music researchers, all say, its not the idea of someone who has a bone to pick religiously, as Pastor Karl would say. Can you play rock without the trap set, yes. A gun is always for shooting, but a knife, well that’s been around a long time, and it can be used to cut fruit, carve a relief, severe rope, perform surgery, and the list goes on. Unfortunately it can also be used to harm people and damage property. You see a piano, guitar, etc. is meant for good, but can be used for bad. The drum set was meant for bad and cannot be used for good. I am really just presenting the skimmings of an entire Biblical study. What does it mean, well I’ve gotten rid of anything that has a drum set in it. That’s nut, I thought at first, but we agree that we can keep the Sabbath when most everyone else keeps Sunday, why can’t we agree that something that it seems everyone uses for music might be unholy too? I am really glad God has convicted me fully on this now. A little while ago if I had been doing this my motive probably would have been to save my soul. Now, though it is still tempting to think that, I really want to just rid my life of what can ensnare and prevent me from have a clear relationship with Jesus.
The drum set is only one part, the issue is how we are worshiping. Pastor Karl uses the Bible to show that the sanctuary is not just articles in a temple that represent Jesus, it is an intricate philosophical and theological foundation for doctrine, especially worship forms. When we are so united on the music front with many denominations then we begin to think that we are not so different doctrinally after all, and it all starts when we don’t build our worship form foundation on the Bible and it can be done. This I will say is preaching for the choir, that is for those grounded in their Adventist faith. The music issue does need to be a part of an evangelistic series, bringing people to Jesus is first and foremost, these things like music will go as a person comes closer to Jesus. But for us who are members, who have understanding in the Word, we need to study it out, we need to follow God’s word to the letter. Is there room for creativity, well yes, room for different music styles and instruments, hallelujah yes! But if that creativity doesn’t have guidance from the Bible, the devil will be happy to give it. I hope we can all be blessed together by a refreshed look at music today.

P.S. Did you catch the title word play now, the trap is set? Take out the is, and what happens.