Matt W Cook

I’m reading through The Eye of the World with my wife. It’s a lot of fun curling up on the couch, turning all the screens and speakers off and reading out loud together.

The series is all about the rise of the prophesied Dragon Reborn who is destined to fight against the dark one and save the people of the world. It’s wild. I’ve talked about it before.

It starts off in a tiny village. Everyone has heard the prophecies of the Dragon. In fact, there have been many false Dragons rising up and proclaiming themselves. Many more than usual. In a time when there are false Dragons in almost every country, who would take another claimant seriously? But it is in this setting that the real Dragon is actually reborn.

Someone would be tempted to say, “Hey, there are false Dragons all over the place. Why should I think that this guy is the real one?”

That sounds like what people say today when they talk about faith. “There are so many religions today, how can I know which one is right? Maybe none are!”

But truth, like the Dragon, comes with signs. In the book, the Dragon has a set of prophecies that prove him. Only the true Dragon can touch the mystic sword Callandor. Only the Dragon can unite the warring Aiel clans. Only the Dragon’s blood will free mankind from the Shadow. In the midst of countless false Dragons, the true Dragon will stand out. He must stand out.

Truth has marks as well. And in a world filled with false Truths, it will stand out.

What are the marks of spiritual Truth? Can you recognize them?
– Truth is true all the time.
– Truth changes a person.
– Truth agrees with other truths.
– Truth has complex depth.
– Truth has peaceful simplicity.

What are other marks of Truth?

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H1N1

It’s a much better name than Swine Flu, eh? I think it captures a more serious and mysterious feeling. You’re more likely to be afraid of a deadly virus known only as H1N1 than you are of a disease called Swine Flu. Seriously, it just sounds silly.

According to Wikipedia a whopping 6,508 people have been killed because of H1N1 this year. Wow. A lot, eh? Good thing there’s a lot of public awareness on this.

Do you know how many people die a year from hunger? A little more than 30 million.

H1N1: 6,508
Hunger: 30,000,000+

You wanna see a scary graphic?

That scares the crap out of me.

I know you’ve heard this all before. I know it’s very fashionable to talk about solving world hunger as we reach for the nearest bean burrito. I realize that I’m just playing to a fad. But seriously, hunger? HUNGER?! 30 million people died because they couldn’t get their hands on a freakin’ piece of bread? There is something seriously wrong with that.

And this is the part where I’m supposed to encourage you all to be thankful, maybe support a kid from Compassion Canada and eat all your vegetables. What are some ways that we can help solve this insane (and completely preventable) problem of world hunger?
1) Give food to someone who doesn’t have food.
2) Get involved in your government and push them to spend more money on aid to developing countries.
3) Live simply.
4) Go to Asia and open a school / orphanage / food bank.
5) Support someone who wants to go to Asia and open a school / orphanage / food bank.

We live in a global village, right? So the starving folks in Asia are your neighbours, right? And whatever you do to your neighbors you do to Jesus, right?

I think Jesus is hungry.

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I was digging around in my computer again and I found a neat little thing I wrote a couple years ago.  I was preaching in Romans in Pakistan at the time and when I arrived at chapter 12 I realized that the passage could be adapted to make a great family code.  So I codified it and here is the result: The Cook Family Code:

October 5, 2007

Cook Family Code:
Based on Romans 12:9-121

01.    Love genuinely.  Verses 9 & 10
    Love God with all your heart.  Love each other with brotherly affection.

02.    Hold tightly.  Verse 9
    Hold on tight to what is good, but hate what is evil.

03.    Rejoice continually.  Verse 12
    Rejoice in the hope God gives us.

04.    Live fervently.  Verse 11
    Don’t be lazy in zeal, but be fervent in the Spirit.

05.    Serve gladly.  Verses 11 & 16
    Serve the Lord and others.  Give yourself to humble tasks.  Be humble.

06.    Overcome patiently.  Verses 12, 14, 17 & 21
    Be patient in trouble.  Never take revenge.  Don’t let yourself be overcome by evil, rather overcome evil with good.

07.    Give compassionately.  Verses 10 & 13
    Give to the needs of others.  Outdo one another in showing honor.

08.    Entertain indiscriminately.  Verses 13 & 16
    Always be hospitable.  Associate with the ‘lowly’.

09.    Dwell harmoniously.  Verses 15 & 18
    As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Rejoice with all who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

10.    Pray hard.
    Pray always, even for the people who give you trouble.

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I went to the ROM twice last week. I feel like I could go a half dozen more times. If you’ve never gone I highly recommend it. On Friday evenings you can go for half price. And the crowds are really low at that time, too.

I wish I could go into detail about the amazing things I saw there. We started at the Dead Sea Scrolls. One of the scrolls on display was Psalm 121. Right beside the display there was a hidden speaker softly playing the voice of a Hebrew girl chanting the Psalm. After that went around to all the exhibits from the nations. We gazed at ancient wall-art from Egypt. We saw the magnificent statues of the Romans. We saw the art and beauty from the mightiest kingdoms of men; Japan, China, Persia, Africa, Europe and all other places where we dwell. And then we toured the Natural History section.

And we almost forgot about the art of Man.

Gazing at the ancient bones and fossils we felt awe. The marvelous gemstones took our breath away. What creativity! What beauty!

As we left we passed the hall that used to be the main entrance to the museum. Looking up at the ceiling we saw a beautiful mosaic with the words from Job 37:7 – That All Men May Know His Work.

Why do we have museums? Why do we glory in the natural and man-made marvels of the earth? So that all men may know his work.

I wonder if it’s possible to attach that slogan to all we do?

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Last year, on October 17, Devraj Joseph was promoted. His body crumbled and his spirit soared, being loosed from the chains of death that had been pulling on him all his life.

In Pakistan we celebrate a loved one’s death anniversary the year after they die. So we’ve been thinking a lot about him and the impact he had on our lives.

He was a songwriter and singer. So in honor of his promotion I’ve decided to give out three of his songs. Download them!

Raja Yesu
This is probably my favorite song by him. It was originally written in Urdu, I think, but Devraj sings it here in Sindhi. The song goes, “King Jesus came / King Jesus came / In order to give utter peace / King Jesus came.”

Budho Sundayso

Hear the Message
Come into the presence of Jesus
To be rid of sin.

No salvation without him,
He will give you the water of life.
Drink! And quench your thirst.

He has the Bread of Life
Eat and kill the hunger.

Chaddo Jag Ji Mayo

Leave the world’s riches, wealth and possessions
There’s no peace found here.

Don’t trust in this world
Because this world is deceitful and small.

Yay for my father-in-law. Yay for Jesus

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This is second-hand unless you’re reading it at http://www.theilliteratescribe.com