Independence...almost? ...moving the ball forward, but not crossing the local goal line.

Today UN Special Representative Martti Ahtisaari presented his plan on the next status of Kosovo to Serbian and Albanian leaders.  The plan includes provisions for the future of the government, economic, constitutional and security framework for Kosovo.

It does not, however, mention the word that every (Albanian) one wants to hear...."independence."  While friends tell me that the military is ready for unrest, which I think is unlikely, the proposal does have some good points.  The document can apparently be read at South East Europe Online.  I say apparently because Bytycci didn't say where he got the information and I haven't yet seen it elsewhere in this form.

On of my major concerns for the future of Kosovo is not so much its independence, but its economic development.  At the end of the day I would rather see hungry people with food, and the jobless with work.  Toward that end the plan announces some pretty key provisions such as:

1.4 Kosovo shall have an open market economy with free competition.

1.5 Kosovo shall have the right to negotiate and conclude international agreements, including the right to seek membership in international organizations.

This would mean that the economic framework of the "vend" (place, country in this case) would be firmly established.  It would also mean that Kosovo could gain assistance from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the EU in new ways.

It would also change another major albatross around Kosovo's economic neck.  According to the document:

8.3 Immovable and movable property of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or the Republic of Serbia located within the territory of Kosovo at the time of this Settlement shall pass to Kosovo.

The agreement, should it be reached, will help settle the question of ownership of all the formerly "Socially-Owned" and "State-Owned" businesses of old Yugoslavia.  As I'm mentioned to many people, this has been a significant problem.  Once functional factories where shuttered at the end of the war as no one could ascertain who legally owned them and thus, their assets, liabilities, contracts, etc.  Most were closed until they began being sold off by the Kosovo Trust Agency several years ago.  This issue of ownership has been problematic for both foreign investment and economic development.

All in all this plan has a lot to commend it.  I'm interested to read the reactions of those much more knowledgeable than I in the coming days.  Interestingly, the Washington Post trivialized the agreement, saying the key obstacles were the identification of a national flag and anthem in their article, Almost independent, Kosovo seeks flag, anthem.  Most people under-state the issues that are bofore us.  At the same time, the UN seemed cautiously optimistic in their press release, "Kosovo to have right to govern itself, join international bodies under UN plan"

The greatest problem for Kosovar nationals, I believe, will be the issue of ultimate status, not the newly defined transitional status.  That's why I titled the post as I did.

The problem is that no one can unilaterally create an independent state from a smaller one; this violates the UN charter.  So the question the international community has before it is how to see a new state created without creating it.  I believe that this plan is designed to create the next set of criteria for a state, assuming that the following would happen:

1.  The local authorities will unilaterally announce their independence.

2.  Other nations would be invited to recognize that status.

3.  At some point a tipping point would be reached at which Kosovo would become a de jure independent state and not just the de facto  one that exists today.

We'll have to see where this goes and, as I said, see what more intelligent commentators have to say.

Today - International Day of Prayer and Fasting for Kosova

Today is the International Day of Prayer and Fasting for Kosova.  While I'm along way away from my adopted home, I want to ask that you join with us in prayer for Kosovo.  The following is reprinted from a mailing from the national church organization, KPEC.

January 31   

 International Day of Prayer and Fasting for Kosova

How did it begin?
Eight years ago when the circumstances in Kosova seemed anything but peaceful and safe, at that time of terrible atrocities, violence, killings and oppression, the tiny Church here managed to email many fellowships and church and political leaders asking them to make the 31^st of January a day to repent on behalf of this nation and to pray for God to intervene in the ongoing catastrophe that was taking place. Some of you many even have received this very first email and responded to the call.  We were so encouraged to see how Kosova had been laid on the hearts of so many faithful people who responded by interceding, and that prayers were not only lifted up to God at this time but also that through their first prayers God gave many a passion to continue in prayer for this land.  Although the war continued for months after the first Day of Prayer and Fasting we saw how God answered the many prayers that were lifted up to Him by miraculously protecting His Church.

Much has happened in Kosova during these past eight years, and we have seen how God has used the prayers of His people to effect change.  However, there is still an urgent need to continue as there is much in Kosova that is concerning for the Body of Christ here that we hope will be of concern for you too and will motivate many once more to  pray. 

This is why once again we would call you to focus your prayers on the 31^st of January which will be the International Day of Prayer and Fasting for Kosova as in previous years, and also to spread the word about this event amongst your friends, prayer groups and congregations. 

Current Situation:

In addition to the political uncertainly that surrounds us, Kosovar society is struggling under terrible economic conditions.  The economy going into 2007 is, if anything, in a worse state than in 2005-2006.  17% of Kosovars live in extreme poverty with 35% surviving on less than $1 per day.  The rate of unemployment stands at 70% which means that most people live on the money that their relatives abroad send home.  Crime and prostitution are flourishing under these conditions. 

Meanwhile, swathes of villages are being disconnected from the power grid for non-payment of bills, while even those who are able to  pay every bill find their electricity and water turned off for hours every day.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for peace in the hearts of men as well as in our communities and that this coming year will be marked by stability.
• Pray for salvation for Kosovars and ability to take a stand for Christ without fear.
• Pray that God will fill us continually with the hope of His assurance that His plans for Kosova are for a good future and not for harm.
• Please pray for both the national political leaders of Kosova, President Fatmir Sejdiu, Prime-Minister Agim Ceku and other key kosovar political leader, as well as for Joachim Rucker and other UN Leaders.
• Pray for the unity and a good cooperation of all the churches in Kosova. Remember KPEC ( Kosova Protestant Evangelical Church ) as a tool for bringing 39 of churches of Kosova together.

There are 39 churches or church plants around Kosova today.  As we pray for our nation we have to be reminded that from the Church should flow life that will influence society outside the Body of Christ.

The life, hope and faith must begin within us and flow out.  God has done so much within the Kosovar Church during the past eight years, growing us in maturity and number.  However, there is much still that we long to see – transformation and multiplication.  We long to see God sending rain upon the dry ground, to produce fruit by making the barren places fertile and to see cracks disappear as the ground soaks in the rain making it one.  

• Please pray for the Church to have a clear vision to see Kosova transformed from the inside of the Body out.

Thank you for partnering with us in praying for this nation. Please let us know if you are organizing a prayer event and would like any more information or resources.  Let’s together trust that God is and will be using our prayers on the 31^st January to do wonderful things here that we would not believe even if He told us!  We look forward to sharing more with you of what He is doing amongst us and hearing from you of anything that God shares with you for Kosova as you wait on Him to share His heart and direct your intercession.

Pray for peace in Kosovo

As the final status discussions and negotiations continue, internal political instability seems to be the order of the day.

Today an explosion took place at 6:15PM local time outside a political party office.  This particular party office, where a friend and I went to "ngushlloj" or offer condolences upon the death of President Rugova, is on the other side of town from where most of our team live.

At the same time, this is another in a series of explosions to hit Gjilan beginning last fell.  You can read more about this particular event here.

Please pray for peace and security for the Kosovar people and that the political situation would calm.

Finally warm in Palm Springs

I laughed when I was packing to tour Souther California, Arizona and New Mexico.  I knew the later two would likely be cold, but I expected SoCal to be much warmer.  Until yesterday and today, I'd been sadly disappointed.

I'm here with the folks at North Gate Community Church in Cathedral City (Palm Springs), CA.  As always, its been great getting to know the real people who make up the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  As an added bonus, the pastor of the church is and old friend my father's-in-law, which neither of us realized until last night.

After a great dinner at a Mexican restaurant last night, complete with live music we met at the church for a presentation on Kosovo.  Then this morning I met with the men's Bible Study group and had a fantastic breakfast.  In fact, I think this may have been the best men's breakfast I've ever attended.  Any time you can have eggs made to order it's a pretty good breakfast in my book.

This after noon I hung out with some of the youth of the church, hiking through the beautiful mountains that overlook Palm Springs.

I got to share with this gang what an awesome privilege it is to serve the Lord in Kosovo and challenged them to fully surrender their lives to the Master as the only path for their futures.

God's doing some good stuff in this historic church.  I learned from the pastor over dinner tonight that the building that the church once occupied was the oldest in the valley.  Originally built as a small chapel in 1817, it was significantly expanded in building projects in the 1920's and 1960's. 

That original building was sold several years ago and new construction will begin shortly on the church's new home.

Prescott AZ, Great people, busted lungs

I'm just about to speak to a group of AWANA "yungins" out here in Prescott, AT and am having a great time.  The Alliance Bible Church in Prescott is one of our stalwart ministry partners.  They want very much to engage with us in our ministry in Kosovo.  They want to pray, they want to love and support the missionaries, they want to give towards our support and they want to join us in ministry.

I had a great meal this afternoon with their "Missions Action Team,"
 which is their missions coordinating committee.  We had a great time discussing important issues like the pros-and-cons of Short-Term Teams, how their giving towards the Great Commission Fund affects us on the field and where we want to go in our future partnership.

I came back from lunch stuffed...it followed a 6AM prayer meeting and LARGE breakfast with the men of the church this morning.  One of my daily disciplines is to try to exercise, which I've singularly failed to do in recent days.  But today was the day.  I was going to take a long, aerobic walk or ride around my hosts home.

As I was anticipating all of this my host got home from work.  Ron is a great guy who loves the outdoors, loves bikes, horses and, in his words, "straddling anything he can get is legs around."  Let's go for a bike ride!!, says he.

Shortly thereafter I'm struggling to keep up with the young neighbor girl who's happily riding bareback through the Arizona high-desert.  Ron is sometimes in front of me, sometimes behind me having a great time.  This is a lot of fun, except that the sand keeps trying to swallow my mountain-bike tires and that my lungs are seriously laboring a 5,000 feet above sea-level.  Given that my home city of Raleigh, NC is a lofty 434 I'm hoping I can just die soon and get it over with.

Seriously though I had a blast being in the outdoors with Ron today.  On the other hand, I really, really miss my family today.  Tomorrow is my wife's birthday and I won't be there.  All things considered I'd rather be with them.  But if a guy has to be away from home, what more fun can he have than spitting his lungs up all over the desert.

Geek Disneyland and Rabbit Parts

 

Written on 1/18, posted on 1/23

 

One of the things I really enjoy about touring around the country is seeing places I've always dreamed of seeing but have never had the chance to see.  One of those places is Edwards Air Force base right outside of Rosamond, CA.  Or perhaps I should say Rosamond is right out side of Edwards, as the city is dwarfed by the sprawling base and not the other way around.

Edwards has been the site of almost every single advance in the US aerospace community in our history.  From its origins in the 1930s as an Army Air Force bombing range to today's test flights of the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Airborne Laser, Edwards has seen it all.

I was fortunate to visit the base courtesy of a Marine Master Sergeant and my friend Garold, mentioned in an earlier post.  Together we were able to visit the Marine Corps Air detachment at Edwards which hosts two squadrons of Marine helicopters.  Walking around and through these enormous helicopters gives one a keen appreciation for the lives that are daily on the line for the defense of our country.

Next door sits the Air Force Test Pilot School with its fleet of white T-38 trainers and F-16 fighters sitting on the flightline.  Driving around it's easy to see America's newest fighters sitting in their hangers; the unfamiliar shapes of F-22 Raptors and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters sitting in the desert cold waiting for their flights.

We also had the chance to visit an Air Force major who did his doctoral dissertation on nanotechnology and now devotes his talents to testing various systems for the Air Force.  From his building we could look across the flight line and see representatives of each bomber in the US inventory, the B-52, B-1 and the B-2 sitting on the asphalt.  Beyond them sat an enormous Boeing 747 that houses the Airborne Laser or ABL.  This aircraft serves as a testing platform for a laser weapon which is being designed to shoot down ballistic missiles shortly after their launch.

My father had raised me to be an engineer and my uncles are retired Navy & Air Force pilots.  I've loved airplanes since I was old enough to look up.  As a child I think I read every book on astronauts in my little town's public library.  For me, visiting Edwards was like visiting Disneyland, except everything is real.

Real too are the ever present swarms of  jackrabbits, familiar with the comings and goings of base personnel after so many years.  Looking around you can pick out little piles of fur spotting the fenced in portions of the base.  These fluttering little mounds are silent reminders of the ever present presence of airborne predators in the desert, desert owls playing their role in the ecosystem.  

It was hard to miss the similarity between those silent swift owls and all those warplanes on the flightline.

Back on the road in SoCal

I managed to begin my Spring tour in one of the worse cold snaps in quite some time.  The news this morning predicted that up to 75% of the citrus crop has been destroyed over the last couple of days as night time temperatures have plunged to around zero.

I arrived here Saturday afternoon after flying into Ontario, CA, a community right outside LA.  My flight was delayed for some time in Phoenix so I drove in the dark out to Rosamond, CA, the first stop on my Spring speaking tour.

I've enjoyed a warm reception from the folks at Wayside Chapel in Rosamond, CA.  Situated right next to Edwards Air Force base the city is home to huge numbers of military personnel and aerospace professionals.  After teaching in Sunday School and speaking at the morning worship service I had the privilege of having lunch with one of the men who worked on the avionics package for the F-22 Raptor, the most recent entry into the US air arsenal.

Last night I spoke again at a potluck dinner and then this morning at a Women's Bible Study.  The ladies were largely older, and largely the wives of men who worked in the aerospace industry.  It was fascinating listening to them talk about the aircraft that they or their husbands have worked on over the years.  One woman remembered quite vividly when "Captain Yeager" broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947.  It was fun to hear about some of the milestones in their lives.

We've been able to celebrate together some of the milestones in Kosovo as well.  We've been celebrating the visit that a few of the men from this church made to Kosovo a couple of years ago.  That visit caused on of those men to pursue the "ministerial studies program" in the CMA and has bitten the pastor with a bug for Kosovo that won't let go.

Yesterday I spent lunch and several hours with a family who are committed to missions and feel a strong sense of calling to work in Kosovo, serving the Lord however they might.

This church has a heart for Kosovo, largely driven by the vision of its pastor.  They want to come back and pursue a more intentional partnership with our team and our field.  I think as pastors in the Alliance continue to visit Alliance fields and connect with Alliance missions they can't help but feel part of something greater than themselves.  Honestly, I feel the same way as I visit Alliance churches around the country.  I too am part of something far greater than just ministry in Kosovo.  And, in truth, the CMA itself is just a small player in God's larger redemptive agenda for the world.

So far, cold weather, warm hearts and the celebration of important milestones have been hallmarks of this trip.  God's at work among his people!

Post-Conflict, post-apartheid countries

"Belgians and French and Dutch had been brought up in the war to believe that their patriotic duty was to cheat, to lie, to run a black market, to discredit and to defraud: these habits became ingrained after five years.

      -- Paul- Henri Spaak (Foreign Minister of Belgium)

I'm often intrigued by the attitudes of foreigners  regarding the ethics of contemporary Kosovar culture.  Few would argue that there isn't corruption in the system, that lying, theft and fraud aren't  systemic problems.

But I came across the quote above in Tony Judt's PostWar (p. 41) a couple of days ago and was struck.  I was struck mostly  because I have a good friend who is Dutch.  He's one of the most ethical and moral people I know.  His father grew up during the war and had still has memories of German troops marching through town.  The impact of five years of WWII was so profound that previously occupied countries were widely seen as morally decrepit. 

Most of us, myself included, only poorly understand  the dynamics of post-conflict countries.  Given that most Kosovar Albanians believe that the ninety percent population was under foreign occupation for decades (if not centuries) it's no supervise that there are parallels between the ethical situation of Kosovo and the occupied countries of post-WWII Europe.  Most of us just have really, really short memories.

Oh the difference a preposition makes

Google News sends me updates every day of news from Kosovo. I usually breeze through them pretty quickly, but today's headline caught my eye:

The headline is pretty striking.  A glance at the lead of the article tells a different story, as it includes the all-important preposition "at."  While this may be a typo, it is, unfortunately, not uncommon in headline writing in the Balkans.

By the way, the incident, in which 23 rounds were fired at the Serbian couple's residence, is a crime and should be punished.  Immediately after the war abandoned homes were occupied by Albanians.  In some cases this was simply a case of homeless people taking shelter, in others it was something like taking the spoils of war.

In any event, my understanding is that the law requires that the original occupants be allowed to take up residence in their pre-war homes. 

 

Technorati tags: Kosovo, Kosova

What is American evangelicalism like?

I’ve been a little surprised to hear this question asked in various forms in a number churches. It surprises me on two fronts. First, I’m a little surprised that a startling number of people may be aware that American evangelicalism has it’s own unique twist. On the other hand I’m, perhaps naively, surprised at how many people don’t. I’m often asked, “So what do you notice most about being back in America” or variations like “What do you notice about the church in America now that you’re back.” Those are a little tough to answer.

Christopher Little, writing in Evangelical Missions Quarterly (subscription only) gives some good insight into answering this. While Little is writing about a better way for American missionaries to think about their work, he makes some good observations about the American church. He opens by commenting:

…there is indeed a distinct variety of American evangelical Christianity which has booth strengths and weaknesses. It is tremendously creative, efficiently organized, strategically oriented, highly energized, incredibly diverse and endowed with seemingly boundless resources…Yet is also exhibits serious shortcomings.

That’s a pretty striking statement! In truth, there are up-sides and down-sides to the way Americans “do” church. Little offers five, which are listed below. The bold titles are his, the comments after are mine. I’ve also added a sixth to his list, just to add a little personal investment into the issue.

1. Americans have a systematized theological perspective. Our culture is deeply rooted in modernism, the scientific method and critical thought. Synthesis and analysis (making a whole of its parts and breaking down a whole into its parts) are a normal part of our everyday lives. As Americans we often want a degree of theological precision that sometimes isn’t supported by the Bible. Last week I was in a Sunday School class were we discussed the make-up of humanity: is humanity spirit-soul-body or body-soul/spirit, etc. It’s a good discussion to have, but this bit of analysis (again, breaking the whole down into its parts) is very typical of American Christianity. In college I, like most theological students, study “Systematic Theology” which breaks down theology into the study of God (theology proper) Soteriology (salvation), Christology (the study of Jesus Christ), etc. There’s nothing wrong with this, but we need to understand that this is a very Western approach for studying God. What’s the downside? The downside is that theological students believe that they “know God” because they’ve studied systematic theology. Theology is divorced from spiritual development and character development.

2. Although Americans did not invent the “professionalization of ministry,” they have taken it to new levels. We’re struggling with how to do leadership development in the Balkans. What defines a pastor? What kind of school should he have? Earlier in my career I served for six years in another denomination and couldn’t be titled “pastor” (even a youth pastor) until I’d graduated from seminary with my Masters, even though I had a BA from a gen-u-ine Bible college. The early church was essentially a lay-movement. We are educationally driven, degree driven. I’m all for education, and I’m all for pastors that can organize, manage and lead a church. But that’s our way of doing it. The downside is the people of deep character, deep communion with God tend to be overlooked and undervalued.

3. American Evangelical Christianity is extremely anthropocentric. This one is a little scary. I sat in a men’s Bible Study this morning watching a DVD of a very gifted speaker. The video happened to have been shot at Christmas time and I sat stunned as he said, “Jesus isn’t the reason for the season, WE are the reason for the season.” He went on to make a decent point Scripturally, but he also serves as a great example. In the West theology and practice begins and ends with us. As Little says, “…the American Gospel starts with humanity’s need and invites God to meet it.” In our individualistic culture God is all about us. God’s agenda is all about my self-actualization, my self-improvement, my climbing the ladder. Does God love every individual person on the earth? I believe he does; I also believe that the thing most important to God is God.

4. American-style Evangelicalism has been thoroughly McDonald-ized. Calling it “unrestrained pragmatism,” Little criticizes the American church for its emphasis on program, large staff, complex facilities and big budgets. In many ways he is right on. We live in, not just a consumer-oriented society, but a consumer-centered society; the business without customers dies. The church has to function within that culture and will naturally reflect it. At the same time, it is a uniquely American tendency to franchise the effective ministries of another church. Books are written, seminars are held to duplicate effective models of doing church. There are upsides to this tendency, the downside is that we place an emphasis on reproducible human dynamics and less on sovereign movements of the Spirit of God.

5. American Christian exhibits a dichotomistic world-view. Because of our analytical orientation on life we tend to see everything as contrasts between poles. Little gives the following examples: sacred/secular, church/state, church/parachurch, clergy/laity, faith/works, evangelism/social action, sovereignty/free will, natural/supernatural, literate/illiterate and form/meaning. We might add Calvinist/Arminian, hymns/praise-choruses and liberal/conservative. These constructs aren’t necessarily wrong, but they can be misleading. Few of us would be comfortable at either pole in the above list. We generally live somewhere on a continuum though we tend to think in dichotomies. People who both think and live on continuums don’t quite fit.

6. American Christians usually assume that bigger is better than smaller and faster is better than slower. The pastor of our national partner church made his first visit to America a few years ago. When he returned he commented on how everything is big in America. From cars to bathrooms to bathtubs things just keep getting bigger and bigger. As Americans we tend to assume that bigger and faster are inherently superior to smaller and slower. Interestingly, when I make this observation to fellow Americans I’m often met with a grin and a wink…yeah, isn’t it great. The pastor, however, didn't think it was inherently good. The further away we get from an agricultural basis of our culture the further we get away from a deep understanding of national processes that cannot be hurried or magnified.

All of the above characteristics have up-sides and down-sides. Every national church assumes some of the characteristics of its host culture. This is normal and has always been the case. This isn’t an attempt to criticize the American church, but to try and describe it for those who ask.

The clock is ticking...and it's about today.

Jason Womack. one of my favorite productivity bloggers, wrote about his visit to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. 

One thing I wanted to share via this blog today was this quite that is up on the walls of the facility, as well as on the business cards of everyone working there. Here it is:

"It's not every four years, it's every day."

And, the two athletes I met, as well as the dozens I watched that morning, seemed to exhibit this sentiment.

I took the tour, and along the way met a gymnast and skeet shooter. They were there, in residency, both preparing for China. What I find so impressive (and inspiring) is that EVERY day they practice, they are visualizing their upcoming events, half a world - and more than two years - away!

That visit last September changed me. I'm much more interested in making each day the best it can be. I've got today, and what happens today will ultimately manifest into what shows up in my life... I don't have a countdown like our Olympic athletes do, but I can use their motto. It's not just once a lifetime, it's every day of that lifetime... 

The thing that struck me when I saw this is that there really is a clock pruning.  It’s not a clock on the Olympics, or a performance clock in any usual sense of the word.  But the clock is ticking.  Jesus, the Christ, really is coming back…maybe not too far in the future.

If we had a countdown clock on his return, how would we live our lives differently?  To whom would we speak?  In what would we involve ourselves? This isn’t supposed to be a guilt thing, but the clock is running down.  It’s not just once every two (or three) thousand years, it’s today.

Meanwhile, while you were gone for four years....

This post is a bit off the beaten track, but a lot can happen over four years.  Laws change, credit cards offers endlessly arrive at our state-side addresses.  Bill come and are paid (hopefully) by those we’ve asked to care for those things.  And so, even while we’re gone, the US financial-legal system continues to churn away.  Most of us, myself included, have no idea what’s happening to our credit rating while we’re gone. 

While driving in the car the other day I happened to catch about five minutes of the Clark Howard radio program.  While listening I was reminded that each of us is entitled to an annual free credit report.  I had actually tried to figure out how to do this while overseas but never figured it out.  It’s actually much easier than you might imagine.  In other words, I have not idea why I didn’t do this much earlier.

If you’re interested in checking your credit report go here.  You’ll be guided through an encrypted online process were you can view and print your credit report.  I did it and, while every thing was in order on my report, I was surprised to see a couple of things I’d entirely forgotten about and probably need attention.

In all, the process took about ten minutes (mostly because my printer is so slow).  Ten minutes every 2–4 years is a pretty small price to pay for ensuring my financial ‘i’s’ are dotted properly.

The problem with Scripture memorization…

I believe in Scripture memorization…I’m just horrible at it.  Seriously, I believe that the Word of God is eternal and that I both ought to and want to know it much better than I do.  The problem with Scripture memorization is that it’s really hard and I am not good at it.  I’ve tried a number of different methods in my life but haven’t really had much success.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve memorized a lot of random Bible verses in my life.  I’ve even, at one time or another, memorized whole books (Philippians and James).  But they never stayed put in my mind for very long.  Before too long the passages would fade in to my “steel-sieve”-like mind.

Then two years ago a colleague of mine, Brenda Knopp, explained to me a method of Scripture memorization that she’d come across.  At the time Brenda was working on a memorizing a section of Romans and once I heard about it I was hooked.  I started with the book of Hebrews and memorized about the first five chapters over the next several months.  Then I ran out of gas and stopped. 

Fast-forward a year and a half.  A couple of months ago I really began to yearn to commit more of the Scripture to memory and I picked up my copy of method again.  This time on I decided to work on the book of 1 John.  I figured that a shorter book would be better.  One of my problems with Hebrews was that it: a) was just too honkin’ long to be the first book I memorized this way and b) I was so focused on “getting it done” that I tried to go too far too fast and burned out.  By last week I starting into Chapter 3 of I John and I figured it was safe to blog about it.

There are two keys to this method of Scripture memorization.  The first is that it focuses on memorizing large blocks of texts.  The second is that it focuses on mastering what you’ve already memorized, not in the all-out pursuit of new material.  This answers the two dilemmas that I’ve always faced in memory work.  Working with large blocks of texts give my mind more “mental scaffolding” on which to hook passages.  I need big strong beams and posts to put the verses on.  Verses isolated from their contexts just don’t do it.  Oh, I can memorize John 3.16 without any trouble; it has enough other mental scaffolding around it to keep in place.  But other important passages don’t.  By memorizing longer passages (paragraphs, chapters or whole books) the scaffolding that the author envisioned is preserved and it’s much easier to memorize.

Secondly, this method focuses on mastering material that you’ve already memorized.  Okay, ideally you memorize one new verse a day, but the bulk of one’s memory work is devoted to working to retain what you’ve already learned.

Dr. Andrew M. Davis, the author of the method, explains it well.  Before diving in, give his webpage a thorough read.   I’ll give you an overview here, however.   Imagine, for example, that you are going to memorize the book of Ephesians.  Here is the gist of the method from Dr. Davis’ site:

1) Day one: Read Ephesians 1:1 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

2) Day two: Yesterday’s verse first!! Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 1:1 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 1:2 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

3) Day three: Yesterday’s verse first!! Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 1:2 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Again, you should look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Old verses next, altogether: Recite Ephesians 1:1-2 together once, being sure to include the verse numbers. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 1:3 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

4) Day four: Yesterday’s verse first!! Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 1:3 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Again, you should look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Old verses next, altogether: Recite Ephesians 1:1-3 together once, being sure to include the verse numbers. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 1:4 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

Here is what I like about his method:

1.        You focus on retaining what you’ve already learned.  There are days when I don’t try to learn the next verse, I just recite the verse I’ve learned or focus on the most recent verses.  This is sometimes a challenge for me because I want to move forward and get it done.  But there are days when I my brain just seems stuck or saturated and I only review what I’ve already learned to that point.

2.       It’s do-able.  This only takes 15-20 minutes a day.  Frankly, I often feel like I’ve grown more doing this than from my daily Bible reading, which I do separately.  It’s not a major time commitment, it’s just a shorter daily time commitment over a longer period.

3.       Learning larger blocks of Scripture really gives your mind things to chew on during the day.  It really helps me meditate on what the Scripture is saying.  When I’m stuck in traffic or standing in a line it’s easy to start pondering the meaning of some particular verse or section.  The larger structure of a passage becomes clearer as I work my way through it.

4.       It makes the Scripture more applicable.  Last weekend I finally got around to watching “The Da Vinci Code.”  Verses like I John 2.22-23 popped right up in my mind.

5.       I think it trains my mind to remember things more easily.  It’s great mental work-out that helps my mind memorize things in other contexts more easily.

Scripture memorization will probably never be easy for me, but this is the first approach I’ve ever used that brings tangible, long-term results.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Happy Flag day...but which flag?

Urimi Ditën e Flamurit të gjithë Shqiptareve!!  All Albanians, congratulations on tomorrow’s flag day.  On November 28th Albanians remember the Albanian flag, which has long flown over the Albanian people.  The flag, which features a black, double-headed eagle on a red field is the flag of Albanian people, wherever they might live.

The design itself apparently comes from the seal of Skenderbeu, theAlbanian military hero who united the Albanian people for a time to fight against the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.  The seal, which was discovered in 1634, was bought by the Danish National Museum in 1839 and remains there today.  According to Wikipedia:

The inscription is in Greek and reads Alexander (Skender) is an Emperor and a King. Emperor of the Romaic nations (Greeks) and King of the Turks, the Albanians, the Serbs and the Bulgarians. It naturally follows the inscription is laterally reversed. It is possible that the seal was made after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, since Skanderbeg is referred to as an Emperor of the Byzantines. The double eagle in the center of the seal is derived from the eagle of the Byzantine emperor, and this fact is also the most agreed upon among educated Albanians.

The devotion of the Albanians to the flag is pretty striking.  This week it will be proudly displayed where ever you find Albanians.  In the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina, you’ll see street vendors like this selling the most popular flags.

The flag itself is one of the challenges to imminent Kosovar statehood.  When you ask any Kosovar what the flag of the future state of Kosovo would be the answer is always the same…the “shqiponja” or double-headed eagle flag.  The problem is, naturally, that the state of Albania has already laid claim to that emblem.  While I’m not absolutely certain of this, I’m pretty sure that no two countries can share the idential flag

In answer to this question, and in an attempt to create a unique Kosovar identity, former President Ibrahim Rugova proposed an alternative.  This flag contains the black “shqiponja” on a red circle over a European Union blue background.  The word “Dardania,” on a banner across the eagle.  Dardania is the ancient name for the region roughly corresponding to modern Kosovo.  Though it was hoped that this flag would be readily adopted by the Kosovar people, it has become more commonly known as “Rugova’s flag” or the flag of the LDK, Rugova’s political party.

Then, while reading the Iliria Post today I saw another flag proposal.  This one is from former US Congressman Joseph DioGaurdi, the president of the American-Albanian Civic League.  This design really shocked me.  It places the Shqiponja on the blue field of the US flag.  The descriptions below the design reads:

“I believe that this flag represents the heart and spirit of the Albanian people from the whole world, especially to those Albanians of the new state of Kosovo.  It contains the national symbol (with the double-headed eagle) and the national colors (red and black.  The white and red lines remind us of the major role which the USA has played  in which it is known by the Albanian State after the first world war under the leadership of President Woodrow Wilson, under the  leadership of NATO against Slobodan Miloshevic in 1999 and the present work…”

While I have a great deal of respect for DioGuardi’s work and support for the Albanian people I am amazed to see anyone recommend that another nation’s national emblem be so subsumed by another's.  This isn’t long-term way for one nation to remember another.  I cringe, for example, every time I see the Liberian flag, which looks exactly like the US flag only with one star where the US flag has fifty.

This is probably the last November 28th, the last Flag day, the last Dita e Flamurit, that Kosova will spend without having answered the question of what flag a future state will fly.  By next November there will likely be a new flag and a new nation.

"Black Friday," a post-mortem

I haven’t experienced a “Black Friday,” the post-Thanksgiving shopping-orgy, for several years now; I hadn’t really expected that I would either.  But then the emails started coming and the websites started popping up listing the most aggressive pricing at any of a number of stores.  Having a geeky bent, I mainly perused Circuit City, CompUSA, BestBuy and the office supply stores.  Before I knew it I was swept into deal hunting for both things I wanted and those things I really needed.

And then it hit me.  How would I explain this phenomenon to my Albanian friends and co-workers.  I mean that on a couple of levels.  The first thing that hit me was, “how would I explain this in the Albanian language?”  This is an artifact of all true-language learners and they find themselves in new experiences and wonder how to parse those into their adopted languages.  The work for “sale” in Albanian is “zbritje,” but doesn’t begin to cover what its English equivalent is in English.  Words like “rebate,” “cash-back” and “sale” have their own unique American meanings.

After I’d pondered that for a few minutes I wondered how I would explain the cultural phenomenon that is Black Friday without looking like a mad-man.  Consider this: some people camp out the night before in front of their favorite store.  Some are up and in line before their favorite store by 3 or 4 AM.  Now, we accept that as Americans well versed in the fine art of value shopping…but what does this look like to someone from another, not-quite-Western country.

To them it has to look absolutely absurd.  First, people in Kosovo do not have surplus cash with which to buy “things that aren’t needed now but are needed later.”  Those are the bulk of what “normal” shoppers are looking for on BF.  Folks are looking for good deals on Christmas presents or on clothes or other things they’ll need in the future.  Others are thrilled by the sheer joy of “getting a good deal” regardless of whether it is really necessary or not.

As for me, like many others, I stood out in front of Staples to buy my 1GB flash drive for $7.00 (after rebate) and a 200GB hard drive for $20 (after rebate).  Again I was amazed at the line-forming behavior most Americans exhibit.  It really is amazing how well our social system works when there are no authorities around to enforce it.  I expected people to be pushing a rude as the doors opened at 6AM.  And, as the doors opened, the “closet anthropologist” in me noticed that my heart rate had sped up, my breathing had quickened in anticipation of aggressive, fight-or-flight shoppers. There was none of that; only people hurriedly trying to find what they were looking for..f course this was Staples, and not BestBuy or Wal-Mart.

So ends another uniquely American “holiday.”

Grenade explodes in Serb classroom

Reuters is reporting that a hand grenade exploded in a elementary school classroom yesterday in a village near Kamenica, which is near our home of Gjilan.  This is terrible news.  Hand grenades seem to be regularly thrown around by people irritated with each other in Kosovo.  It’s not unusual to hear of one thrown in someone's yard, or under a vehicle or even children finding them in fields, left over from the war.  It is very unusual to hear about one in a classroom or one being used to intentionally endanger children.

PRISTINA, Serbia (Reuters) - A grenade exploded in a classroom used by Serb children in Kosovo on Tuesday, but the elementary school pupils escaped injury, police said.

A Kosovo police spokesman said the grenade exploded in a stove used to heat the classroom shortly after lessons began at around 7.50 a.m. (0650 GMT) at the Trajko Peric school in the village of Veliko Ropotovo near the eastern town of Kamenica.

"The stove was completely destroyed and some parts of the classroom as well," said spokesman Veton Elshani.

A Kosovo Serb education official said the children had been moved to another classroom minutes earlier because their teacher was absent, leaving the room empty. "So tragedy was avoided," Zivorad Tomic told the Serb state news agency Tanjug.

Praise God no one was injured.  I hope they catch whoever did it an put them away for a long time.

Thanksgiving, MK style

 It only rarely occurs to me how I take for granted my cultural heritage.  I really don’t think about my knowledge of Plymouth rock, about pilgrims and indians celebrating the first Thanksgiving.  I had memories of making pilgrim hats and indian head-dresses in school.  It’s just never occurred to me the my children don’t have the same memories.

This week Madision, my second grade daughter, has come home wide-eyed with stories of pilgrims and indians.  She’s never heard the stories.  Oh, we celebrated Thanksgiving each year in Kosovo, but Madison never heard the stories, never made Pilgrim hats, never saw pictures of the first Thanksgiving…until this year.

I’m always surprised when I realize that my kids really are growing up to be “third culture kids.”  I know it intellectually, but the reality is discovered with each new season.

A southern cultuaral experience and American norms

Today I had one of those unique southern American cultural experiences…the gun show.  Four times a year the Wake County Fairgrounds host the Dixie Gun & Knife Show to which thousands of people go.  I went down this afternoon to check it out.  After struggling for quite a while to find a parking place I took my place in a very, very long line waiting to by my ticket.  It was amazing to watch the variety of people waiting to get into an enormous hall full of guns, knives, ammunition and every conceivable accessory and gadget associated with firearms.

This may sound dumb, but what struck me most was how everyone, rich and poor, suburban and more “rednecky” stood in a line waiting to pay their entrance fee.  No one cut in line, no one tried to avoid standing in it. Everyone who arrived found the end of the line and waited patiently for their turn.  Where I live people would have just gathered around the ticket seller and pushed and squeezed until they got their ticket.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood in line to pay my phone or electric bill and had to throw elbows and dirty looks to keep my place in line.  It’s just American normative behavior to make and stand in lines. 

In America we are egalitarian to a fault.  No one is better or more deserving than anyone else.  Everybody waits their turn.  Oh, of course there are exceptions…but they prove the rule.

Kosovo's new tourism agency

I’ve heard people talking about developing tourism in Kosovo for several years now.  Now the Ministry of Industry and Trade, of which the Department of Tourism is a part, and Hotours (The Hotel and Tourism Association of Kosovo) have put together a Kosovo tourism portal called “visitKOSOVO.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This portal will come in handy, not only for future tourists, but also for all kinds of groups that may want to visit this historic land.

via South East Europe Online

Final status talks delayed...again

The International Herald Tribune is reporting today that Kosovo’s final status talks have been delayed…again.  Recently Serbia approved a draft constitution through popular referendum.  This approval has triggered parliamentary elections, which were scheduled for November but have now been moved back to January.  The Contact Group fears that a final status decision on Kosovo would propel Serbian radicals into power, jeopardize Serbian entry into the European community (in the immediate social sense, rather than the formal sense) and increase instability in the Balkans.

I can only imagine how Kosovar society at large is responding to this news.  Each time they are promised impending decisions they are delayed for various reasons..  While today’s local papers don’t seem to yet reflect widespread discontent, the people I know must surely be disappointed.  In the local media the International Crisis Group is quoted as saying:

The more the Albanians are forced to wait, the more the likelihood that they will take unilateral steps for independence, or civil unrest [my translation].

Unfortunately, this is all too likely.  Kosovars have waited for six years for final status.  Final status means far more than a treaty, a flag and a seat at the UN.  It also means that Kosovar society can finally move forward.  Until that happens Kosovo will not have postal codes, telephone codes and international banking codes.  In short, much of the international machinery for international trade and commerce are lacking in Kosovo precisely because status is still uncertain.  But it is the very frustrations of Albanian society that Serbia may be counting on to limit international goodwill towards Kosovo.  According to a written ICG report:

Serbia’s government still wishes to delay a Kosovo final status decision until mid-2007, although its capacity to do so is becoming increasingly improbable. In order to persuade the international community, it is playing several familiar cards in a game of high-stakes bluff. Belgrade feels that the longer it can delay, the more impatient Kosovo’s Albanians will become. It hopes this impatience will translate into violence that will weaken the Albanians’ position at the bargaining table.

This ploys themselves have a destabilizing influence in the Balkans.The same report is very critical of the new Serbian constitution:

It opens the door to increased centralisation of the state, curtailment of human and minority rights, destruction of judicial independence and potentially even a parliamentary dictatorship. The process used to pass the constitution illustrates how Kostunica continues to transform Serbia into something closer to illiberal authoritarianism than liberal democracy; yet, the referendum was welcomed by the Council of Europe, the European Union and the United States.

This delay doesn’t really come as a surprise to anyone; the writing has been on the wall.  Last week Kosovar Prime Minister Agin Çeku announced that he is prepared to unilaterally declare Kosovo’s independence should international negotiators fail to find a way through the current impasse.  Such a decision would really be risk-filled; it would depend on sympathetic governments announcing their recognition of a unilaterally declared independent Kosovo.

We need to be praying for peace and justice in Kosovo, for the continued patience of the people and for wisdom for both the contact group, and the respective governments of Kosovo and Serbia.