jonathan shradar

Think. About. It.

2009-07-17T13:49:00.001-04:00

One photo at a time...

2009-07-16T16:53:00.000-04:00

I have uploaded just a few shots from my Africa trip and invite you to take a look. More to come once I find some actual free time.

If you read nothing else...

2009-07-16T15:29:00.000-04:00

I read a piece yesterday by my pastor, Mark Batterson, that really challenged me. He talks about the best decision he made this year was to read through the bible. He said that "Bible reading had become synonymous with sermon prep. I was reading it professionally instead of devotionally. I was reading it for what God wanted to say through me instead of reading it for what God wanted to say to me. And it took its toll."

I was challenged because I will spend all the time in the world reading all kinds of books on faith and pursuing God but I wouldn't have a routine of pursuing God through his word. It goes back to a conversation I had with a couple good friends of different faith backgrounds. They asked me if I had read the whole bible through and I had to say no. I found myself thinking 'who am I desiring to talk about nothing other than God if I don't truly know him through his word?' We can come up with all sorts of ideas about God on our own but I rather hear what he has to say for himself.

So my reading priorities have changed. If I read I have to read the bible and everything else is extra when I have time. If you read nothing else, read the bible.

Wait And See

2009-07-16T09:08:00.001-04:00

I am a big fan of Brandon Heath and I am digging the new video. The song 'Wait and See' is really an autobiographical sketch of his life but it raises the fun question of what does life have in store for us.

I was joking with some Tanzanian kids last week that I did not know what I wanted to be when I grow up and I think it is true. I do know I want to be in the center of God's will for my life, whatever that looks like, wherever that takes us.

Are you in the wait and see posture? There is a plan and you should get ready to fall into it.

Brandon Heath - Wait and See from Provident Label Group on Vimeo.

Happy to be Home

2009-07-15T14:05:00.000-04:00

The trip was long and I am still tired from it but I am happy to be home. I have been cranking through trip reports, web site posts, finance reports, contact uploading, video uploading and sorting, and tons of other things that need to happen after such a trip.

I am going to be working on getting some more pics of the less work oriented images up on Flickr but we have a guest at the house so my time in the den/guest room is diminished. But otherwise I am processing the trip pretty well.

We saw a lot and met with powerful leaders and poor children. We saw first hand how disease can destroy lives and how easy it is to prevent. And we saw things that suggest we take everything we have for granted and it is unfortunate.

One thought that keeps coming to mind, and first did while I was driving through a neighborhood in Dar es Salaam, is that Jesus did not have running water. I have no idea why I keep thinking about this - perhaps it is that we think about Jesus as if the context then was similar to now, or that I need to think less of all I have... not sure but I might come back to the thought.

Here is to defeating jet-lag!

God Notices You

2009-07-15T09:27:00.000-04:00

Thinking through a great post from Jason Yost. His theme is that God notices where you are and while we strive for notoriety and the attention of people, God is more interested in whom we are.

You should read the whole post but it is challenging for me because I can easily fall prey to the desire to be noticed and praised. I have actually been evaluating the things I am involved in and weighing which of them is prideful participation (doing to be noticed) and which are all about seeking what God would have for me. I will be cutting some things out for sure.

Great quote from Jason's post:

God is so much more concerned about who we are becoming than what we are doing or where we are going. Its not so much do, do , do but be, be, be. God created you and He knows the true you. He loves you for who you are.

Let's strive to live this out...

Half-Way Home

2009-07-13T02:11:00.000-04:00

After a long flight from Dar es Salaam, we have arrived in Amsterdam and now have a six hour layover before another seven hours in the air. I am ready to be home and be with my little family.

It was an important ten days of meetings and seeing first hand some work that is making a difference in the fight against malaria. Most of my time this trip was spent in a couple of big cities but it was amazing how I could witness such poverty and disease in the heart of a nation's capital. I will be praying for the people of Tanzania and continue to work to end malaria with renewed vigor.

The Tanzanians are very friendly people and I am hopeful that they will realize geat strides in development and will see their nation rise as they dream it to.

As for me; back to the states and projects around the house!

Praying for Haiti

2009-07-13T01:57:00.000-04:00

Stacy and I had the great joy of supporting a team form Omaha going to Haiti to run a medical clinic and bless some local missionaries and pastors there. They have a good report and it is inspiring to see God shifting lifestyles and thinking about community and living their faith. This group really rallied around Acts 2:42... more should do the same.

Listening to the Children...

2009-07-08T16:30:00.000-04:00

I had an amazing visit today with some local children who are standing up for themselves and leading other young people to recognize their rights and fight disease. I wish more of my meetings were like the one today.

Check out the full story on my work site here.

Day 4 in Tanzania

2009-07-07T13:46:00.000-04:00

We have been keeping a very busy schedule while in Dar and I am been attempting to keep track of things for work's sake!

Our hotel is on a penninsula and provides a great setting next to the Indian Ocean. I haven't seen much of the city other than while driving since we have been keeping meetings routinely but I am hoping to get out in the next few days. I still have not had to exchange any money so that should indicate that I am only buying food at the hotel and not getting out much...

I am enjoying meeting some interesting people doing important work. I wish we could be more effective in how we fight this disease and I think so of the things we are trying to implement with get us a long way.

Enjoyment of the work aside, I will be ready to be home next week. There is something about home that is enticing... oh yeah my wife.

Back to work!

Roughing it!

2009-07-05T09:03:00.000-04:00

In Tanzania - will write more soon. Here is my hotel room to let you know how I am getting on...

So much for seperating theology and ministry...

2009-07-01T09:54:00.002-04:00

Quick Getaways

2009-07-01T07:21:00.000-04:00

My wife is an amazing woman and she loves to surprise me so on Sunday we headed out and ended up in Chesapeake Beach at a spa for a day of relaxation and rest. It was an amaing treat and it was good to get out of the city and away from the busyness of our daily lives. We then spent Monday hanging out with each other while cruising around Southern Maryland. Fully rested.

I am so thankful for rest and for a wife that recognizes we need it on ocassion. Even a quick recharge can be so meaningful and just the break you needed.

I might trash the tv...

2009-06-26T10:06:00.001-04:00

At the Advanc 09 conference John Piper rather abruptly deflected a question about his not owning a television. In a insightful and correct article lays out the real answers and apologizes for how he acted on stage.

I often talk about how Stacy and I don't have cable and while we probably don't have it to save money, I am thankful that we don't have it for the amount of stuff that would just be a waste of time and frankly trash we would take in and be deadended by. Don't we get enough of that trash already without cable television...

Piper summed it up nicely:

One more smaller concern with TV (besides its addictive tendencies, trivialization of life, and deadening effects): It takes time. I have so many things I want to accomplish in this one short life. Don’t waste your life is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside every day with trembling.

TV consumes more and more time for those who get used to watching it. You start to feel like it belongs. You wonder how you could get along without it. I am jealous for my evenings. There are so many things in life I want to accomplish. I simply could not do what I do if I watched television.

Minus soprts... maybe I should stop with the tv all together (and maybe Jeopordy).

D90 Test

2009-06-25T17:21:00.002-04:00

On my way to the Tanzanian embassy today to pick up my visa, I brought the new Nikon D90 along for a test run. I am liking it and think it is a good addition to the team!

Playing Catch-Up Reading

2009-06-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

I am excited to be reviewing a new book soon (more on that later) but in the mean time I am supposed to be reading a book with a friend. The goal is to read and then have some meaningful discussions but I am not holding up my part of the bargain!

I have a tendency to be working on several books at once and add that to an already interesting schedule and committments, which means I don't get very far quickly! So I find myself trying to play catch up with some reading.

Some mentor I am! Here is to catching up... fast.

Summer Small Group

2009-06-23T14:37:00.000-04:00

My small group starts meeting for the summer, tonight. This small group has been an important part of my faith experience over the last year and a half and tonight I turn it over to three younger guys who are stepping up in leadership and facilitating the group.

I still get to act as "CEO" and make sure the trains run on time but the weight of relationship building, group discussions and interaction is on their shoulders. They will learn that they in fact can handle it and I am thankful that I have been surrounded by men capable of living responsible lives. None of us are perfect, or finished, but the pursuit is in full chase!

I think it is important to recognize when 1) leaders around us are ready to step up and 2) that we can trust and step aside.

Both of these ideas are important not only for the unpaid mass of church leadership but for those that earn a paycheck for the same work as well. We have to be in a place that we can grasp that others need to step into roles to grow and to bring a new energy to whatever it is we are leading. The danger is in getting comfortable and doing what has been done for security sake.

Also, the moment we think something can't succeed without us (however "true") it is time to step aside and deal with our own pride. Once we are put into our place we can work to inspire again and lead.

Where can you step up or aside? just thinking...

Run Auck 2009

2009-06-21T06:45:00.001-04:00

Stacy and I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon Series "Run Amuck 4 miler" again this year and encouraged a bunch of friends to join in. It is 4 miles of obstacle course at the Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Stacy dropped out because she is pregnant (this is not a safe course!) Then friend after friend tore an ACL or just felt out of shape. At the start of the race four of is remained and we had a blast. I was of course the slow man of the group with an official time of 59:05 (still under an hour.) The rest of the team each beat me by 9 minutes.

For more photos hit the Flickr page.

"De-Churched"

2009-06-18T10:14:00.002-04:00

The name is thrown around a lot in our Christian circles but it simple means people who used to come to church but no longer do.

The clip is from Advance 09 - the conference I attended with some great guys a few weeks ago - Matt Chandler describing how we create de-churched people. The most important line for me in the whole message was in these 2 minutes; "You don't put God in your debt." I need to stop trying to put God in my debt...

Convenience over Competence?

2009-06-18T09:38:00.000-04:00

Digging Seth Godin this morning. In this post he talks about how businesses and leaders shift from what they know to what is easy and comfortable.

Allan points out that Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham invested in Circles of Competence. The idea is to buy what you know.

Too often, organizations confuse this with circles of convenience. They stick to the tactics, products, people and channels that they are comfortable with, instead of rethinking what the market demands.

It is clear to me - being the repeat offender - that we do this in our faith and church as well. We have this knowledge and stirrings in our heart to do so much more but we settle for what is safe and convenient. What is worse, I think we allow our leaders to keep us in the convenient box because that is what they want to do.

The question has to recognize submission to spiritual authority but why do we not challenge ourselves with what we know and grow in that instead of taking the easy way out...

Another Couple Living It...

2009-06-17T15:34:00.000-04:00

I love to highlight people living beyond themselves and another couple is about to embark on an exciting "honeymoon" that reveals their character and passions.

Joe & Jo have decided to spend their honeymoon in Africa with refugees in Northern Uganda. They actually met on a missions trip to Uganda a few years ago and now can't imagine using there honeymoon for anything but service.

Their hearts are huge and we can all help them out on their website and help the people of Uganda.

Why the Green?

2009-06-16T16:20:00.000-04:00

Today the blog and me went green. Appropriately standing with the people of Iran in this tough time...

A Closer Far

2009-06-16T08:59:00.001-04:00

I am jamming out this morning to "A Closer Far" by Christina Roberts. Christina works at Malaria No More in New York and she not only has a passion for children devastated by malaria but for music. Somewhere in her free time, she merged the two passions and released this song to raise awareness and benefit Malaria No More.

In the office in DC we have decided that her sound is "where Tracy Chapman and Sting meet." You have to give the song a listen, but better yet buy the mp3 at CDBaby.

How can you combine your passions to make a difference like Christina has? She is inspiring me and I hope she will inspire you.

Who wants to be an author?

2009-06-12T15:38:00.001-04:00

Having a little fun on this Friday at Don Miller's expense. Anything to promote his new book I guess...

Check out the news here.

By the way, it is a joke...

Tribe Theology?

2009-06-10T10:08:00.000-04:00

This is a video of a random dancing "tribe" forming at a concert. Seth Godin shared the video on his blog and pointed out the third dancing guy is the deal breaker - he inspires others to join in, then wham, we have a huge crowd.

What I enjoy is people actually running to join in the dance!

I think we have to approach the gospel the same way. We have to be willing to look silly out there "dancing" on our own; honoring and sharing the gospel and hopefully we get the infamous "third guy" to join in an make an event out of it.

So the deep theological question of the day: is the Holy Spirit the first, second or third guy?