Several weeks ago I found a really interesting bug, like nothing I have ever seen before. It was at least an inch long. Its upper body was bright red, with a head shaped somewhat like an ant's though much larger. Its hard-shell outer wings were black and yellow, and it had clear veined wings underneath for flying (an arrangement like some kind of beetle?). It was a very windy day, and I found it on the fourth floor of the exterior staircase of my building, so I think it may have come from rather far away, and been blown off course to Tucson. It was clearly injured, with one of its wings shriveled and bent, which made it easy for me to corral it and take pictures. I have six pictures of this bug, which you'll find if you click on the one to the right. Does anyone have any idea what kind of bug this is?
Posted by Matt on 6/29/2003 02:13:00 AM -- Permalink -- 1 comments 
Well, here he is: In case you didn't know, Laura is pregnant. We've been a little haphazard in telling people, so please don't be offended if you haven't heard until now. We got our first look at the little guy today at the doctor's office, and it appears to be a boy (at a 99% confidence level, according to the sonogram technician).
The left-hand picture is a profile view from the sonogram. He's kicking his legs up over his head, and his right hand is visible above his head (looking detached from the rest of him). In the right-hand view, he's facing toward us, with his hands on either side of his head. In his chest, you can see the outline of the ribcage. He seems to be pretty good at moving around, so much so that the technician sometimes had trouble zeroing in on the things she needed to check out. Laura's been feeling him kick for a couple weeks now, and I've been able to feel it every once in a while.
Well, we're really excited, needless to say, and we hope you'll all be praying for us. We've been kicking around a number of names for the baby, but we really don't know what we'll end up deciding on. Let us know if you have any suggestions (Wheatsworth? Luigi?). Oh yeah, you're probably interested in the due date; it's the first week of November, so we're about 20 weeks along.
Posted by Matt on 6/19/2003 08:08:00 PM -- Permalink -- 5 comments
Bevere teaches that, as Christians, we never have a right to hold on to that Offense. This sounds radical, but I believe that it is true. I'm not saying we can never be angry, or that we can't take some time to recover from our initial hurt before coming to a place of Forgiveness. Most importantly, I am not saying that we can forgive our debtors simply by deciding to do it; only the Holy Spirit, along with much prayer on our part, can accomplish Forgiveness in our hearts. But on the other hand, if we take that Offense into our heart and keep it there, if we allow a root of bitterness to take hold within us, then we are the ones who have fallen for the "bait of Satan." Even if we were the ones wronged in the first place, we become the ones that fall into sin.
Many people have the mistaken idea that Forgiveness is the same as excusing or condoning the wrong thing that was done. This past week, the Pope was in Croatia, preaching on the need for Forgiveness after the brutal Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. This story quotes a mother whose sons were killed in the war, who responded, "If I forgive them, I would have to forget my sons. I can't do this." But Forgiveness is not some massive denial of reality ("the wrong thing you did to me never really happened"), nor is it condoning an evil act. When I was a kid, my parents taught me never to say "that's okay" in response to an apology; instead, one says, "I forgive you." The difference is important. Godly Forgiveness recognizes that the wrong occurred, and that it was wrong, but then it releases us from the burden of holding on to that Offense.
Bevere goes on to discuss many specific ways that we can feel betrayed and fall into Offense, and gives sensitive and practical advice on how to deal with each of these situations in the spirit of Forgiveness. He also discusses several people in the Bible who were betrayed (Joseph, David, Jesus), and how they dealt with the emotional pain and the temptation to become bitter. There were only a couple points in the book where I disagreed with Bevere's theology, and the embedded promotion of his speaking career was occasionally irksome. However, the foundational teachings of The Bait of Satan are not only sound, I would go so far as to say that they are life-changing. For Laura and I, this book helped us to mend several damaged relationships, and to guard our hearts so as to prevent any new relational damage. No doubt, it is a very hard thing to give up our "right" to hold onto an Offense, but if we obey God and release those hurts, we will find that it is true liberation.
Posted by Matt on 6/13/2003 04:06:00 AM -- Permalink -- 0 comments
The book is a fast-paced narrative, following the story of Olson's first ten years in the jungle. He tells of a dozen different times when he should have been killed, and the miraculous grace of God which preserved him. He also relates the long and patient years he spent living with the Motilones, until he found the right way to talk to them about Jesus in a way that would make sense to them.
One of Olson's themes is that the essential elements of Christianity have nothing to do with the trappings of Western culture. He vividly relates his first encounter with Christianized Indians in the Venezuelan rain forest. They wore Western clothes, lived in square houses, sang "proper hymns" like Rock of Ages, and in many other ways had completely forsaken their native culture and adopted that of the missionaries. Not surprisingly, most Indians despised these converts, even saw them as traitors, and had no interest in making such a change. Olson knew instinctively that this was wrong; certainly, a Christian must be prepared to face rejection for the sake of Christ, but not for the sake of slacks and a button-down shirt. It is Christ Himself who is important, not the trappings. In the tradition of Matteo Ricci, Olson's prayer was not for the Motilones to become like him, but for Jesus to "become a Motilone."
The Motilones needed a Jesus who had "walked their trails," who sang their traditional songs, who knew them as they were. In their minds, Jesus no doubt "had dark skin, and His eyes were black. He wore a G-string and hunted with bows and arrows."
Although many parts of the book are exciting and action-packed, it also contains some very beautiful insights into Jesus as the Motilones came to see Him. The Motilones look at the world in a rather different way than what you and I are used to, and I was edified and encouraged by their perspective of God. And the later chapters, though heart-wrenching, take a very mature look at how following God is not always pleasant, but sometimes leads us through suffering. Yet it is never without purpose.
The Motilone-Bari people today are a beautiful example of people inwardly transformed by the power of God. They have strongly retained their traditional culture and way of life, but have also taken a leadership role in the world around them. Bruce Olson is still with them. I encourage you to read his story, and I hope you are edified by it, as much as I have been.
Posted by Matt on 6/05/2003 01:47:00 AM -- Permalink -- 3 comments
Dear Charisma Magazine,
As a charismatic Christian as well as a scientist, I am very pleased to see Hugh Ross on the cover of your magazine. I am aware that the likes of Ken Ham are lambasting you for your coverage, and I applaud your stand for responsible truth. God bless you. -Matt
Posted by Matt on 6/03/2003 01:19:00 AM -- Permalink -- 0 comments
