Archive for the ‘Ministry Related’ Category
Posted on April 13, 2010 - by admin
French medical students come to Romania to study.
It’s not as good as the title might betray. Read the condensed article below and see what’s happening…even in our own town of Cluj. I have made comments in the article in bold italics.
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Debate in the French press: Medicine students who fail exams in France go to “masquerade” studies in Romania
Vineri, 26 martie 2010, 19:22 English | Top News
Young French are ready to do anything to become physicians. Some have failed the main exam at the end of their first university year in France, but they went to train in Romania; the rescue comes from Romania. The premises of the discussion are the following: the University from Cluj (Central-West) has opened a francophone medical, pharmaceutical and dental surgery branch in 2000. The diplomas the French get here allow them to work later in France, due to the European Union agreements.
The expatriation of students who failed in France
“This expatriation of the students who have failed in France is unacceptable and creates discrimination against the French students”, French Dr. Xavier Deau claims. He accuses “masquerade studies”. Even more so since the travelling game will start again at the end of the sixth year of studies. The reason: “Paradoxically, it is more difficult in Romania than in France to find a work place immediately after graduation”, Le Point notes. They will graduate here, but then return to France to work – bringing no benefit to Romania in the end.
What attracts the French to Cluj: money and a “relaxed” educational system
To be accepted by the University in Cluj, Romanians need to pass an exam after the Baccalaureate. “But the French have only to submit their file, based on unclear criteria, after paying up their entrance fees”. Costs range between 2,500 and 5,000 euros and it is not to neglect criterion, even if the cost of living is relatively high for the French there. “Everything is more expensive for the French and it is very difficult to negotiate prices if you are not Romanian”, claims a French student, who pays for a studio flat in Cluj 400 euros ($600 US) worth of monthly rent. “This is more than double compared to the rents Romanians pay.” While the cost of school is likely to be less in Romania for the French, the fact that the cost of living is higher is true, but hard to believe. This is a sad fact that almost everything in Eastern Europe costs more than it does in Western Europe or the U.S.
Officially, the francophone department is limited to 80 places. According to the people in charge, there are currently 208 French students.
French studies are too elitist vs. No French was left to fail
Most students who repeat the first year of studies in France are drawn to these parallel courses. But lately, more and more high school graduates are attracted by Eastern Europe, “as to not waste time”. And no French has ever failed to graduate in Cluj, the publication underlines.
Posted on February 25, 2010 - by admin
Hymn
The Fight Is On
C.H. Morris
The fight is on, the trumpet sound is ringing
The cry to arms is heard afar and near.
The Lord of hosts is marching on to victory
The triumph of the Christ shall soon appear.
The fight is on, arouse ye soldiers brave and true.
Jehovah leads and victory will assure;
Go, buckle on the armor God has given you,
And in His strength unto the end endure.
The Lord is leading on to certain victory,
The bow of promise spans the eastern sky;
His glorious name in every land shall honored be;
The morn will break, the dawn of peace is nigh
The fight is on, O Christian soldier, and face to face in stern array,
With armor gleaming, and colors streaming, the right and wrong engage today!
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That last line (the chorus) is reeeeeeal nice. Sounds more like the theme song to the Ultimate Fighting Channel than the songs we sing in church today. How dare we mention right and wrong anymore, nevertheless sing about it in a song with the words “fight”, “armor”, and “cry to arms”. Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT advocating any sort of Christian jihad. That’s crazy. Neither am I talking about barricading ourselves in, ala “Waco Style” with uzi’s and grenades. I’m talking about fighting for people, and fighting for character, and fighting for doctrine, and fighting for morality, transparency, justice, and at times, when necessary, freedom. But its much easier to sit and sing songs in church that sound more like Stuart Smalley’s Daily Affirmations (I deserve good things. I am entitled to my share of happiness. I refuse to beat myself up. I am attractive person. I am fun to be with…because Jesus is always with me). I added that last part, but the rest is from Stuart.
I know I am a whiner. I just like these songs. If you’ve read, or heard about, many of the popular books (I won’t list any names) written for Christian men in the past decade, you know that while some are a bit over the top (at least for me) the central message is true. Men need a fight in life to be happy. And they will search for it, even if it means finding a battle with the weeds in the garden. That’s why we are attracted in general to sports, war movies, and people beating the crap out of each other on TV. So, maybe the feminized Jesus in so many of our churches is one reason why guys are reluctant to show up, and women (single and married sometimes dragging kids with them alone) outnumber men in church. And, I hate to admit it…but 10,000 years of history back me up on this…to keep a society moving and functioning, you need…….drum roll please…………women. You thought I was going to say men. Nope. You need men to win battles, and start revolutions, and protect the women and children. You need women to keep things sane. You need men to keep things safe. You need women to keep things right. You need men to make things right. If the church does not attract strong men, it will die. Why, because women are weak. Come on, we all know that’s not true. It’s because what is needed to keep the church alive is fighting. Not maintenance. The gospel is bloody work, and it’s not suited to women…at least not on any sort of long-term, historical basis. The church needs women desperately; let me restate that so that I stay out of trouble. But, at this point in history, the church needs men more “desperatelyer”, ie, really bad.
Maybe if we gave any inclination that church life, and the Christian life, was a war, more men would start snooping around. It would be nice to invite a guy friend to church by saying, “hey, wanna go talk about fighting, war strategy, and defending our familys, nation, and soul with the truth?” Yeah, that would be nice. But, only so long as when he gets to church it’s not a mix of Oprah, Stuart Smalley, and Queer Eye for Straight Guy. I guess that’s a show…never seen it.
Posted on February 19, 2010 - by admin
Pope Condemns Abortion in Romania
I came across this article yesterday. May be of interest.
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Pope Condemns Abortion in Romania
By Cindy Wooden – Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – Even Catholic families in Romania…are falling victim “to the plagues of abortion…as well as birth control using methods contrary to the dignity of the human person,” Pope Benedict XVI said.
Meeting the bishops of Romania and Moldova Feb. 12 at the end of their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican, the pope said the bishops must help their people understand that the faith that gave them strength under communism must continue to guide their lives.
Pope Benedict suggested the bishops develop and train a network of parish-based educators who would prepare young couples for marriage, work with families and coordinate youth ministry.
“What is needed most of all is a decisive commitment to promoting the presence of Christian values in society, developing formation centers where the young can learn authentic values, enriched by the genius of your countries’ cultures, so they can give witness to them,” the pope said.
The transformation to market economies, the current economic crisis and the longstanding emigration of workers to Western Europe are undermining traditional values, he said.
Catholic minorities in Romania and Moldova should work with their countries’ Orthodox majorities to “defend the Christian roots of Europe and Christian values and give a joint witness on themes such as the family, bioethics, human rights, honesty in public life and ecology,” he said.
At the same time, the church must face “a society in which the number of families marked by separation and divorce is high, a society in which materialism has led some to consider abortion to be a method of family planning, a society in which poverty has produced the phenomenon of the abandonment of children,” the archbishop [of Romania] said.
Posted on February 15, 2010 - by admin
I visited a Church
Last night I visited a church here in Cluj, pictured above. It’s a Lutheran Church and the service I attended was in the evening. It’s a service directed by 2 Americans who are here attempting to reach out to the English speaking community. Whether that be locals who speak English, foreigners who speak English, working here who do not know Christ, and also those who are Lutheran but who are far from home.
I have been to Lutheran services before, but it has been a while. It’s very different that what I am used to on a weekly basis, but there were some things I really appreciate it about it. For one, I appreciate the format and structure of the liturgy. That might have something to do with my personality, but the fact is that we new-protestants have our own liturgy, it just looks loosey-goosey. But, vary from it too far and see if the pastor doesn’t get any letters!
Within the liturgy, I appreciate the fact that theology is communicated; in the readings, the creed, and the public reading of scripture, and of course in the hymns that are sung. I think we would do well to consider implementing some aspects of a liturgical service into our Sunday Morning meetings. Having a common format, public readings and public prayers where the topic and reader/prayer has been selected before hand.
One more thing I appreciate is the way communion is taken. Together, in the front, kneeling and praying. I think it removes some of the casualness with which it is often taken in the newer churches.
Of course there does appear to be some drawbacks to a liturgical service as well. For one, the sermon and the teaching of the Word of God does not seem to be center stage. It seems that this would be the case not because of the particular preacher who may happen to be giving the sermon, but rather because of the nature of the structure of the service. The sermon blends in somewhere between readings and praying, which in it self is not bad. But, I think in today’s world, where the scripture is generally often poorly taught even where it is being taught, we have to take special measures and aims to send the strong message that we are gathered because of what is contained in this Book. Anything that aids in hiding or obscuring the Book should be set aside. Or at least ways to make the Book central, and the teaching thereof, need to be emphasized at all measures.
Having said that, I think if properly done, there is actually a BETTER chance of that happening in a liturgical service than in a more relaxed one. You can create special ceremonies or practices that help to visually and practically elevate the importance of the Bible in the service. And, as long as it is followed by solid exposition and instruction, doing so will only help to drive home the message that what is contained in the Book is what we are after, not simply adoring the binding and the size of the Book.
I enjoyed the service. I would like to take the girls back one day so that they can experience it too.
Posted on November 3, 2009 - by admin
Ultrasound changes minds
Here’s a story I saw today in the news that has a direct connection to what we are doing here. The story is about a worker at an abortion center who had a complete change of mind and heart through the technology of ultrasound. Earlier this year, the ministry received an ultrasound from Focus on the Family to be used in the Bucuresti center. While we are having some struggles to make the machine as effective as it could be, the power of the visual image is clear.
Posted on September 7, 2009 - by admin
Abortion = Irresponsible women’s healthcare
Abortion is not just a moral/spiritual issue. It’s also a health issue, a social issue, a psychological issue, a gender, and a race issue. I don’t have time to explain each of those right now, although perhaps I should in subsequent posts. But, I want to give one small example of why abortion is a health care issue. Regardless of where you might fall on the spectrum of pro-life or pro-choice, there is one thing that we should all be able to agree on: pursuing abortion as a primary or even a significant method of “birth-control” is poor womens health-care.
FACT 1 – Romania has the highest level of cervical cancer in Europe (and it’s rapidly rising).
FACT 2 – Romania has the highest level of breast cancer in Europe (and it’s rapidly rising).
FACT 3 – Romania has the highest level of abortion in Europe (and #2 in the world).
Is there a link between the high rates of abortion and the rates of female specific cancers? Many unbiased medical researchers believe there is. There are many other health dangers associated with abortion that I am completely unqualified to address, but there is information available about them. Of course they rarely make it into the major publications because there is generally little money provided for people who would demonstrate any negative issues related to abortion, and when the results do show correlations, they are generally ignored by the mainstream. I’m not saying it’s a conspiracy…it’s just true.
Posted on August 26, 2009 - by admin
Mormons
Today I was leaving a building and saw two Mormon missionaries coming right at me. They were two young American guys from Salt Lake City. They look exactly like the ones in your neighborhood (same shirt, same name-tag, etc), minus the bikes because they are too dangerous in a city where drivers respect no one except those moving faster then them.
I must have had a target on my shirt because these two guys zoned right in on me and asked me if I had a minute to talk (in Romanian of course). I said, “Sure, I’m American too.” We started a little dialogue about the Book of Mormon and made some small talk. After a few minutes they asked me what I thought about the Book of Mormon and the whole idea of Mormonism. “Do you really want to know what I think?” I asked. “Yeah.” they responded, “of course.” “Nah,” I said, “I shouldn’t tell you, don’t worry about it.” But they pressed me. So I told them this: I think the book of Mormon is heresy and I think the Mormon religion is a religion based on sexual perversion and Joseph Smiths secret desires to justify his own sexual promiscuity. As you might imagine…that opened up a can of worms.
In the end, they really appreciated my frankness, and we ended up talking on the street corner for almost 1 hour, and in the end we had a really good conversation, and I think they were refreshed to actually have an “evangelical meeting” with a native English speaker. These guys have good hearts, and in the end they admitted that they are resting on Christ and His blood alone for their salvation. If only more of us were as passionate about the truth as these young men are about their misled beliefs.
I learned something from them. They believe there are 3 classes of people basically. Those who will go to heaven and be with God (the Mormons). Those who will go to heaven but will not be with God (all other people of sincere faith and heart). And those who will simply cease to exist (the wicked). Wrong, but interesting.
Speaking of Mormons…if you have not seen the movie “Sons of Provo” and you are under the age of 40 (with some exceptions perhaps) you should check it out. Trust my on my age limit. It’s quite a generation-specific movie.
Posted on July 26, 2009 - by admin
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Posted on July 17, 2009 - by admin
Sandbox part 5 – Culture
Dear family, don’t close this one just because there are no kid pictures…I promise they are coming soon.
The fourth and final side of the sandbox is culture. I will spare you from the video post today…anyway, I don’t want to use up all my camera charm in one shot!
Culture refers to how we must be in order to remain in the sandbox and in shape to play. The culture I wish to create for myself is: HEALTH.
Health in my…
spiritual walk – through spiritual disciplines and continued growth in my relationship with God
marriage and family – through time well spent with my wife and kids, and learning to treat them the way I should
body – through healthy choices related to food and activity
ministry relationships – networking and using the strengths of others to complement my weaknesses
finances – through wise decision making, saving, integrity and fiscal responsibility, and adequate communication with our support network.
So, with this all 4 sides of the sandbox are complete: 1) the mission, 2) the central ministry focus, 3) the guiding principles, and 4) the desired culture. When these 4 things are identified it can help bring tremendous clarity to our work. Even though we are probably operating by accident in many of these ways, simply because of who we are, taking time to think about them, and intentionally implement them can help them converge in a whole new way. You see, developing the culture we know we need, helps us stick to and live by our guiding principles, which then free us up to focus on our central ministry focus, which then, when done consistently, typically leads to the fulfilling of the mission we set out to do.
Of course, as with all things in life. Defining is easy….implementing is a whole ‘nother story.
Posted on July 16, 2009 - by admin
Sandbox part 4 – Guiding Principles
This post does not warrant a video, because of the detail I put under each principle.
The 3rd side of the sandbox is GUIDING PRINCIPLES. These are the rules that you agree to play by, or the things that guide your decision making about who to play with, when, and how.
MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES – listed right here in short form, with more detail further below if you are interested in my explanations.
Sustainability& Indigenity
Integrity
Foundational & Long-Term Thinking
Consultative Approach
Humility & Dependency on God
Constant Learning & Best Practices
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Sustainability and Indigenity
Any project/ministry I engage in must be willing and able to pursue their ambitious goals regardless of my involvement or not. I value organizations that survive on local and creative resources rather than distant and non-sacrificial tactics. Local leaders must be granted and retain both the control and the responsibility over the work. My role is simply one of support and is temporary in nature.
Integrity
Honesty and transparency is required in all I do. Funds and how they are spent will never be hidden or altered in ways that do not accurately reflect reality. I will not attempt to play both sides of the fence in either financial or relational issues.
Foundational and Long-Term Thinking
I will focus on the foundational issues to create ministries/organizations/projects that have the proper systems in place to accomplish their mission. This means working with leaders, working on structure, and working on issues of mission and vision. It does not mean managing personnel or doing the daily administrative tasks of the organization. My focus must always be on the long-term goals and health of the ministry. Short-term results can be helpful, but also deceptive. I will not be discouraged because I know that when aiming at long-term health, results are often slow to come. The true measure of success cannot be taken until down the road. God is my final judge and my work is only accurately evaluated by Him.
Consultative
All work is to be consultative in nature, respecting the final autonomy of local leaders. This requires due diligence and honest reflection, always sharing and advising with the best intentions for the organization in mind. I do not dictate or control, but rather attempt to influence in the direction of health.
Humility and Dependency on God
I recognize that within Biblical guidelines, there are many approaches and ways of doing things that can be effective and healthy. I do not own the corner on any idea or approach. Everything I do and know is borrowed in some way from someone who is either smarter than me, or has gone before me. My role is not that of a “know it all”, but rather as an innovative conduit. Nothing good comes out of me except that which is produced by the Spirit of God. This dependency on Him is maintained though the disciplines of Scripture study, prayer, confession, and fellowship.
Constant Learning and Best Practices
I am always learning and improving myself in the areas where I need help. There is always more to learn about any given issue. Good is not good enough; I am committed to continually seeking more tried and true methods (best practices) for any issue I am facing, and to implementing those methods in a culturally applicable way.
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