IllumiNations!

BACK AFTER A VERY LONG ABSENCE!

I don't know what to say about my absence, other than the fact that I kind of lost the vision for blogging for awhile.  So much has happened since my last post on September 11th, 2006, it would be almost impossible to tell all, but here are some highlights and lowlights;

1. Our oldest son, Stephen, left to Kirkland, Washington, and The City Church GENERATION INTERN PROGRAM.  Peggy and I have marveled at God's grace as we have watched our son be challenged and then respond with maturity to almost every challenge.  The growth we have observed as a result of this intensive leadership program would be similar in some ways to what a parent sees when their son has returned from boot-camp as a man instead of a boy.  I guess the main difference would be the fact that Stephen has been formed inwardly and is manifesting the nature of Christ more than at any other time!  PRAISE GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS!!!
2. I traveled with 2 other people from our church to the Philippines for a short term missions trip at the end of November.  Our goals were to train church leaders, visit the orphanage we support, and be a blessing to the Filipino church.  As usual, the Filipino people blessed our lives far beyond anything we could ever do for them.  The trip was very successful and fruitful but for me it had to be cut short due to some of the most difficult news I have ever received...
3. Larry Brice, my dearest friend of 18 years, associate pastor of 9 years, and one of my true heroes in the faith was diagnosed with colon cancer which had spread to his liver.  I returned home immediately to be with him as he navigated through the difficult decisions facing him, his wife Shirley, and their 11 year old daughter, Madison.  Larry determined to fore-go chemotherapy and is asking God, along with thousands of others from around the world, for a miracle of healing.  Larry is truly one of the godliest men I have ever know, and as GENUINE A CHRIST-FOLLOWER as I have observed in my 23 years as a believer.  Larry has a passion for God and His kingdom, and desperately wants to "See the Lord do amazing things in Moses Lake and the world!" PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER AS WE CALL ON OUR MIRACLE WORKING GOD TO DO THE AMAZING AND IMPOSSIBLE IN LARRY.
4. Simultaneously to all of these things, our church is growing, people are being transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are starting to move forward in a building campaign.  Truly, this is a time of FAITH STRETCHING and DOUG STRETCHING!  GRACE HARVEST CHURCH seems to be in a time of harvest, blessing and momentum, and our leaders are in need of much support in prayer and encouragement.  PLEASE PRAY FOR MY FAMILY AND I AS WELL.

Well, it's good to be back and get some of this off my mind.  PLEASE POST COMMENTS AND LET ME KNOW YOU ARE READING.  COMMENTS ARE A BLOGGER'S PAY FOR HIS/HER EFFORTS.

Blessings,
Doug

Milestones and Memorials

The year of our Lord 2006 has been a year of milestones and memorials for Peggy and I as we have celebrated our son Stephen's high school graduation and my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. 

Watching our oldest son Stephen grow into a young man has been both a wonderful joy and a painful challenge and reality.  How did this little newborn that I lifted heavenward at birth in a prayer of dedication to Jesus Christ grow so fast and come so far in such a short time?  Where did this facial hair, deep voice, amazing creativity, and stubborn independent thinking come from?  I know I can't blame it all on his mom, so what's a man to do?  Who gave him permission to grow up so fast and become his own person who seems to need us less and less? 

Honestly, I am laughing and crying as I consider these questions.  I am so proud of this young man who bears my name and oozes confidence, personality and talent.  I know Stephen's future is bright with a number of career options and opportunities looming in front of him as they tempt him to test his wings and fly. 

As he goes off to Seattle in the Fall to attend THE GENERATION INTERN PROGRAM at The City Church in Kirkland, Washington, I find myself hoping we have done our job as parents in an honorable way and that Stephen will have the tools necessary to grow and mature as a follower of Jesus Christ in the real world.  Stephen, we are so proud of you and look forward to watching you become the man that God has ordained you to be.  Stretch out those wings and fly high and true.  The Lord is with you!

Currently we are in Southern California hangin' with Peggy's family and experiencing the many generational blessings of a mostly intact family!  Peggy hails from a large Roman Catholic family of 11 children, being the perfect #7 in the birth order.  Though her family has its fair share of dysfunction and problems, it is truly an amazing experience to be a part of their get-togethers.  With babies, toddlers, kids, teens, young marrieds, cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, moms, dads and grandparents, it is almost impossible to feel left out in any way.  The energy, laughter, love and good arguments (um, debates) are a privilege to be a part of. 

Nana and Pop as we call them, have bequeathed a rich heritage to all of us by simply sticking it out and staying married for 50 years.  If there was ever a reason to stay married in this covenant breaking culture, it is clearly illustrated to all of us in this family every time we get together and experience the dynamic of true nitty gritty family life.  Perfect?  No!  Redemptive?  YES!!!  As I always tell my wife, I sure am glad her parents didn't stop having kids after #6.  Thank you Nana and Pop for being an example and model of endurance, perseverance and principle.  Your reward in heaven will be great!

The Good Samaritan on Mount Everest!

I am not a mountain climber, but I hope that if I am ever in trouble, someone like Daniel Mazur lends a helping hand to me.  This is a great story of an American climbing guide who gave up his ascent of the highest mountain in the world to help a stranded climber just days after many others passed by a British climber who eventually died on Everest.

This story reminded me of what a couple of men in our church named Mick and Clint did to help a distressed woman the other day as she sat weeping in her truck.  This guy Daniel is a hero who is receiving much deserved press coverage, but Mick and Clint are hero's in their own right in my book!

I love what Daniel Mazur went on to say in this AP story about the rescue.

"Oh yeah, it was worth it," he said. "You can always go back to the summit but you only have one life to live. If we had left the man to die, that would have always been on my mind ... How could you live with yourself?"

I forgot to mention that Daniel's two paying clients had to sacrifice their ascent as well to save this man.  On top of that, other climbers had already passed by and left Lincoln Hall, the stranded climber to die!  Stories like this remind me of the parable that Jesus told 2000 years ago to  his followers to illustrate the need to demonstrate faith and love with action.  Jesus finished that parable with the words, "Go and do likewise."  Sounds like good advice to me!  Way to go Daniel Mazur!  Way to go Mick and Clint!

Tags: Mount Everest, mountain climbing, rescue, Daniel Mazur, Christianity, Jesus Christ, good Samaritan

A WORD TO LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS AMERICANS

I have had the amazing privilege of traveling to a number of foreign nations while doing missions work these last several years and I can honestly say I have been saddened by the perception that many outside of the USA have of ugly, loud Americans.  Not only has this perception hurt our image abroad, but it has been a hindrance to our global leadership role. 

Although not all Americans are ugly, loud or arrogant, the few bad apples that travel have given all of us a bad name.  I have personally sat with Russian, Chinese, Australian, Mexican and Filipino people as they spin a sad tale of some brash, haughty, rude American making a fool of themselves and drawing the ire of the locals.  This kind of example can be particularly damaging if your trying to be a witness and representative of Jesus Christ.

The problem has become so widespread that starting next month the U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT will be issuing guides to Americans who travel abroad on how to act becomingly.  The article I link to for this story is in THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD out of Australia.  That alone should tell us something.  Even our Allies know about our faults and are writing articles to point them out.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ THE STORY IN THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

OF RAHMAN, ROUND BALL AND RETREATS

ABDUL RAHMAN IS FREE AND ALIVE IN ITALY! 

Our "Insane" friend has been set free and given safe haven in Italy where he can now read his Bible, pray and speak openly of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  For those of you who think martyrdom is cool, I am very sorry, but it seems that God wants Abdul to live a little longer on this side of Paradise.  Though the great church Father and Theologian Tertullian said that, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”, I do not think he meant we should romanticize, glorify or seek to be martyrs.  We can rejoice that God has given Mr. Rahman an opportunity to grow as a disciple and get the help he needs if he is truly "mentally unstable" as German officials are now stating.

65 HAVE BECOME 2!

THE NCAA MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT has been whittled down to 2 teams as the FLORIDA GATORS face the UCLA BRUINS tonight at 6:21 pm Pacific Time.  I have to go with UCLA, though they are the team that broke my heart a couple of weeks ago as they came back to beat GONZAGA in a game the Zags should have won.  I started the tournament with the following teams in descending order as my favorites: GONZAGA, ARIZONA, WASHINGTON, UCLA AND CALIFORNIA.  UCLA plays some of the stingiest defense I have ever seen, but Florida is loaded with talent.  I see UCLA pulling out a squeaker with the score being in the high 60's to low 70's.  GO UCLA?!

NEXT GENERATION RETREAT

This past weekend, Peggy and I traveled to the beautiful Olympic Rain forest of Washington State and did a COLLEGE AGE RETREAT for OVERLAKE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.  I was asked to speak on WORSHIP, INTERCESSION and SPIRITUAL WARFARE to a hungry and passionate group of movers and shakers for Jesus.  Pastor Josh Julian and his wife Ashley served as our gracious hosts as they led the weekend with humor, confidence and obvious love for the flock they are leading.  I felt it went pretty well, though I was not as sharp or spiritually sensitive as I would have liked to be.  To all of you who prayed for Peggy and I this weekend, I want to say a big hearty THANK YOU!  I know I was carried on the wings of prayer before the throne of God.  Thanks Josh, Ashley and the NEXT-GEN group for being instruments of God's grace to us.  Thank you Peggy, my bride of almost 19 years for supporting me in prayer and the ministry of presence!

The Wonderful Gift of God-given Friendships!

My family and I arrived safely in Southern California on Sunday, December 18th to the warmth of the home of Jerry and Cathy McLaughlin and the cold of watching an Anaheim Mighty Ducks live hockey game.  Jerry is my wife's brother and he and Cathy have a beautiful family with 5 children, a big British bulldog named Sergeant and a home full of love.  We are looking forward to spending our first Christmas in 17 years with Peggy's family and hangin' out with some of my family and friends in Southern California.

As I told you in the last post, leaving Mazatlan was bittersweet due to the many friendships we made during our time in paradise.  In the picture collage seen here you can get a little glimpse of many of the precious people that jumped into our hearts and made "Maz" one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

At the center of God's purpose and plan for all of our lives is the idea that we were made to be relational creatures.  Hard-wired into human nature is the need to connect, relate, fellowship and enjoy the company of other human beings.  When God said of Adam that it was "not good for man to dwell alone," He was not just talking about our need for a marriage partner.  We were created for friendship, brotherhood, family and community.  It is a wonderful truth that the community of the twice-born, otherwise known as the church, is called all of these things at one time or another.  We are not a corporation, social or service club, but the "Body of Christ!"

In Mazatlan, a number of the friends we made were not necessarily followers of Christ, but they were all beautiful people made in the image and likeness of God who were meant by their Creator to be redeemed from sin and brought into fellowship with Jesus Christ and His family.  All of these people enriched us and blessed us in a number of ways.  Our family experienced God's love poured through human instruments of His grace.  We deserved none of this, but rather were recipients of people doing what they were created to do, which is love their fellow man. 

To all of you in Mazatlan, I can only say a great big THANK YOU FROM THE RECESSES OF OUR HEARTS!  Similar to the way that the wonderful people of Grace Harvest Church have poured love into my family for years, you too have blessed us.  You have reminded me that in spite of all of the evil and hurtful things that people do to each other everyday on this planet, the gift of friendship flourishes where people will nurture it. 

Rogelio, Marianne, Haley and Mario, thank you for taking us into your lives and sharing your rich deposit of kindness and love.  You gave and gave and gave to us until it was almost embarrassing!  People like you will never truly lack because you have learned that in giving, you receive so much more!  We look forward to maintaining a friendship with you for many years to come.  PS -  Rogelio, kayaking, bon-fire building, Pancho's and basketball were all great fun for me.  Even Sam's Club was cool.  THANKS!

James, Robin and family, thanks for taking time with us and giving so much of yourselves to us.  We felt at ease with you as we partook of the same spirit of friendship which will make you flourish in your outreach to Mazatlan.  Keep doing what you are doing and they will come, grow, and multiply!  Thanksgiving, El Quelite, Para-sailing and El Olivo's was great because you took the time to invest into our lives.

Javier, thanks for running the best Internet Cafe in town and for your warmth, professionalism, servant's heart and spiritual hunger.  Our discussion on the last day was excellent as you shared your journey and I shared mine.  Keep seeking and remember Jesus' words, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me."  Jesus Christ is the "Light of the world" and my prayer is that He would Illuminate a way for you to see.

Mary, keep making the best burgers and sandwiches in Mazatlan and keep up your spiritual quest.  You have a great heart that God wants to fill with His love and healing.  Peggy and I enjoyed getting to know you.  We will miss you much!

Carlos and Raul, thank you for blessing our family as we para-sailed, boogie-boarded and enjoyed great fellowship and the testimonies of God's amazing grace.  Though our time with you was short, it was impacting to me as I was reminded of the creativity of God as He pursues us and wears us down with His love.

Lorena and Caesar, thanks for the great dinner on our last night.  Your kindness was refreshing to us and we really enjoyed getting to know you a little bit.  May God bless your lives and lead you into His Everlasting Arms.  Stanley, thanks for the use of the phone, Internet and all of the great tips that helped us to survive.

Pastor Fred and Debbie, we absolutely loved attending La Vina, going on a tour to "The other side of Mazatlan", dinner discussions over "kingdom matters" and the pleasure of hanging out with some "MOVERS AND SHAKERS" like yourselves.  Your enthusiasm to touch people with the tangible, practical love of Jesus is an inspiration to our family.  Thank you for letting us use the car and get around Mazatlan a little.  We look forward to possibly seeing you up our way in "06", God willing.

To all of the Rico's staff I say thanks for making our time fun!  All of you are getting practice in doing what it takes to go far in life.  Thanks you for the laughs, great coffee, pictures, hand-shakes, goofing off and Spanish language help.  Our family will miss you all very much.  We hope to return in the future and see some of you still at Rico's.  I know many of you are going to go on and make great things of your lives. 

Enrique, Jenny and family, thanks for your open-hearted friendship and passion for God and righteousness.  Enrique, though we did not talk much, when we did I thoroughly enjoyed your sense of conviction and persuasiveness.  Jenny, my wife really appreciated your kindness to her and the way you made her feel welcome in your home.  God bless both of you.

To Oly, Marge, Ellen, Randy, Juan, Bruce and Anne-Marie, Frankie and all of the other people who made this trip so memorable I express my heart-felt thanks to My Father in heaven on your behalf.  Mazatlan is a beautiful place, but the people mentioned above are what made this time one of the most memorable of my life.  Thank you!

Lastly, I would like to say thanks to Larry and Shirley, Dave and Ginger, Keith and Donna and the congregation at GRACE HARVEST CHURCH.  You all made this time possible as you released my family and I to go and rest awhile.  You have been our family these last 17 years and have been an amazing instrument of God's love and grace to all of the Sherman family.  Without you none of this would have been possible!  THANK YOU! 

"PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW!"

I have always hated goodbyes!  You see, I went to four different high-schools in three different States, left all of my family to move to Washington State and have made friends all over the world.  The good side of this is simply the fact that I am very rich in relationships.  The bad side is that I am always saying, "See ya later."  We are down to our last two days in Mexico and I am dealing with the dual feelings of being sad to go and excited about seeing family and friends in California and then back home in Washington State.  "Parting is such sweet sorrow!"

Our family has made some new friends that I hope we will be able to keep for life.  We have come to love the City of Mazatlan and hope to return in two years for our 20th Anniversary.  We now have some wonderful people we can "hang with" which will make the adventure so much the better.  In the days ahead, I will take some time to introduce you to some of the people and places we have loved in Mazatlan and hopefully not bore you to death.

I remember Rick Warren, the author of "THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" telling a story from his own life of his father´s long goodbye in death and the passion he graduated to heaven with.  Rick shared how his father´s consuming goal in life was always to, "Take just one more person to heaven with him."  I hope the love of God and the Good News of Jesus has shown forth from our lives in such a way while here in Mexico as to help to populate heaven.  I hope one day I will be able to look back on our time in Mazatlan and see that it wasn't´t just about R&R and ministry goal setting, but that Jesus touched some lives through the family that stayed at Residential Burgos in Casa #3.

I am also looking forward to the day when I will never have to say goodbye again in The New Heavens and The New Earth.  There, I will join with my eternal family in the longest party ever in Jesus´house.  I long for my Master´s appearing and the completion of this part of  "The Mystery of the Ages," when faith will become sight and spirit and matter will be one and the same.  I can imagine abolishing goodbyes and never having to attend another funeral.  Until then, I will continue to look for "A city whose builder and maker is God" and try to accept the idea that goodbyes create longing and are temporary.  Truly, "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Blowing Away Stereotypes!

Dear friends and readers of IllumiNations!,Today, I have a very special treat to share with you all!  The most beautiful, wise, creative and intelligent woman in the world is going to share her profound insights with all of us mere mortals!  Peggy Sherman the virtuous, has some thoughts about Mazatlan and the Mexican people that have been burning in her heart.  Please enjoy, as I sure do! ;)

"I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well." Ps.139:14

Ever since we arrived in Mexico a little more than a month ago, I have been continually fascinated by the beauty and the diversity of the Mexican people.  I confess that my image of the average Mexican was someone with beautiful dark skin, shiny black hair, and brown eyes.  Growing up in Southern California, these were the majority I had been exposed to.  Granted, coming from a family of eleven children we didn't get out much.  Going on a trip to Aunt Mary and Uncle George's house 40 miles away was major for us!  So my exposure was limited to approximately a 40 mile radius from our home, which I thought was rather ethnically diverse!  Upon moving to Eastern Washington 17 years ago, it was much the same within our largely agricultural community. 

Doug, our son Stephen, and I recently went on a tour of the ministries that the local Vineyard church is involved in here in Mazatlan.  We had some extremely cute little kids following us around at one point during the day.  Among them were two adorable kids with red hair and freckles! (You can catch a glimpse of these little Mexican leprechauns if you go to the pictures labeled Mazatlan dump. They are the boy and girl directly to my left.)  While eating at Cafe Pacifico for our daughter Sarah's birthday, there were two couples who looked as American as apple pie.  Tall, with blond hair and blue eyes and they were talking, laughing, and having a great time all in Spanish!  Now, I understand that being in a tourist town such as Mazatlan you're going to have visitors from all across the globe.  But the majority are from the US, Canada, and other parts of Mexico.  One more example.  Earlier this week, Doug and I were eating at McDonald's (Yes, they have Mickey D's here too!  Two of them in fact!)  In a booth nearby sat three young people.  I glanced over at them and thought, " Oh, some typical American teenagers."  One young man had red hair, blue eyes, and pale skin with freckles.  He was wearing baggy Dickies pants, and the others were dressed in equally trendy clothing.  Lo and behold, they were "habla en Espanol-ing"!  My curiosity almost got the best of me and I was going to ask them in my limited, halting Spanish where they were from.  But they seemed to be in a hurry so my curiosity was left unsatisfied. 

My kids say that I'm just being nosey and that I shouldn't be so concerned about other people.  But at the risk of sounding defensive or as if I'm trying to justify my behavior, I must disagree with them.  I have always been fascinated with the diversity of humanity.  I experienced it while having Korean students with us this past summer.  I've also been grieved at the tragic history of nations being conquered.  And yet how God in His masterful way can, in spite of evil, create beautiful people of various skin tones, hair textures, eyes colors, facial features, etc.

My grandmother Katherine McLaughlin, while in her 80's, did an indepth study of the human cell just for the sheer pleasure of it.  I'm sure she explored genetics and how DNA and RNA, peptides and nucleides and all those other "ides"  work together to bring forth a unique masterpiece.  These all created in the image and likeness of the Master Himself.  Maybe that's where I get this tendency.  That's it!  I am cursed with  the predisposition towards "nosey-ness"!  As Reptevia said in "The Fiddler on the Roof" when he was told that money was the world's curse, "Then may the Lord smite me with such a curse, and may I never recover!" 

Yes, Mazatlan is just one very small example of the diversity and beauty that has been woven throughout all of human history.  May God forever receive the glory for it all!

"Live. And live well...!"

Last week, after my kayaking trip, my friend and brother in Christ, Jim Paul left a comment on my blog about the tragic death of pastor Kyle Lake of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.  According to Jim's account, pastor Kyle was killed when his wireless microphone shorted out while performing baptisms!  He died of electrocution while performing a holy rite for God.  I can only imagine the loss and confusion his family and congregation must be experiencing right now.  If you believe in God and the power of prayer, please pray for this grieving family and church. 

Jim passed on a quote from pastor Kyle's last sermon that was profound to say the least.  Please read it, ponder it and then act upon it.  None of us knows how long we have been given, so let's really "Live and live well!"

"Live. And live well. BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift."

Hearing, Speaking, Reading and Writing!

Hearing, speaking, reading and writing are amazing God-given gifts with which we express what we call language.  Through language, we can travel to the past present or future and even go to lands that only exist within the author´s mind. 

In the past month I have met Zeus, Psyche, Hades, Cupid, Artemis, Athena, Poseidon and many others and I have spent some time in a couple of ancient civilizations!  I have experienced the grandeur of Atlantis and seen its fiery destruction as the earth rose in travail and devoured that ancient land of myth and fantasy for its exceeding wickedness!  I have watched Atlantis be reborn in the modern world in a work of fiction I read called, "World Without End!"  I have also traveled into the hearts and minds of other authors as they have told the non-fiction accounts of their own grappling with God, life, faith, disappointment and truth. 

As I have read and pondered, many things have passed through my mind that I could write about.  Today, I want to talk about the power of language and the blessing of being able to express thoughts, emotion, passion, wisdom, knowledge and creativity. 

"In the beginning was the Word...", is how the Gospel according to John opens.  In these few profound words, John shows us that everything begins with a thought spoken out into the void.  The ancient Greeks believed that this "Word" or "Logos" was the origination and genesis of all seen things.  Plato believed that the Logos was the original thought or explanation behind the scenes bringing the visible things into existence.  The great saint John goes on to tell a primarily Greek speaking audience that, "...The Word was with God, and the Word was God."  John gives personality, reason, intelligence and many other attributes to this creative concept known to the Greeks merely as the "Logos."

Inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, John further tells us that, "The Word became flesh(human) and lived among us!"  This Word was and is Jesus Christ, the thought and explanation of God to mankind!  Jesus is the Creator, genesis and original thought of God through whom all things seen and unseen came to be! 

When God wanted to disclose Himself to us in a tangible way and let us read, hear, speak, understand and act upon what He wanted to say, He spoke Jesus into the womb of the virgin girl Mary.  With that, the greatest story ever told became an infant inside the young woman overcome by the angel Gabriel and the power of the Holy One.  The language of God to humanity is Jesus, the very Word with skin on!

The language of Mexico is Spanish and I don´t speak it.  Mexico is a wonderful place filled with sights, sounds, smells and a language that is mostly foreign to all of us in the Sherman family.  Language is the one thing that seems to keep us on the "outside looking in" as we try to communicate here in the land that Cortes and the Spaniards conquered.  When God confused the languages at the tower of Babel, He truly knew that the best way to keep people from becoming their own gods was to keep them apart with language.  Not that I am not learning some Spanish, for I am learning "poquito!"  What I am saying though, is that I cannot really enjoy the richness of Mexico and its folk history, fiction, myth and uniqueness as I could if I knew Espanol. Even the language itself contains nuances that are interwoven into all of the aforementioned elements that make up what we call a culture.  Language is key. 

I find myself feeling rather infant-like as I go through the process that all of us must go through to learn to live on this planet.  As a little baby, I first learn to listen to words and recognize their meaning.  After listening for some time, I begin to speak as a baby would with all of the inherent wrong pronunciations.  One of the many differences of course is the simple fact that I experience embarrassment and feelings of incompetence.  Next, I make attempts at reading, which is really humorous!  Forget about writing, I know my limitations!

Language is an amazing gift from God for the purpose of expressing ourselves and being almost god-like in the creation of worlds made from words.  However, I long for the day when all is made right and the curse of Babel is removed and we can all speak a common tongue in the kingdom of the Word made flesh!  Until then, I will continue to stumble around Mexico and other places on this wonderful planet making a fool of myself and saying things like "no comprende."