"All They asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."

The apostle Paul wrote this (Gal 2:10). The poor were a huge priority in his ministry. They were also a huge priority in the ministry of James, Peter and John, who are encouraging Paul here. At the most basic level, Paul encouraged the churches he founded to care for their poor members, taking collections for the widows etc. However, he did not limit charity to caring for those in their own communities (though that in itself was revolutionary). He also challenged the churches to care for the poor throughout the known world.

At the time, there was a famine in Judea - historians record many people dying of starvation. In response to this, Paul made visits to each of the churches he had established throughout the Roman world, and took a collection to provide for those suffering from the Judean famine. This must have been a shocking suggestion at the time. In ancient Rome, there were no NGOs raising money to support the poor in Africa, there weren't even homeless shelters. While charity among Jews was nothing new - there are numerous references in the old testament - it was certainly limited, and even more so throughout the Roman Empire . In fact, in the Roman Empire, philanthropy was esteemed and charity was ridiculed. Only the wealthy gave generously, and this was restricted to building public monuments, such as a town square etc. Beyond that, there were beggars; who were despised - viewed, in fact by both Roman and Jewish societies as cursed by God. It is within this culture that Paul suggests raising a collection, not for the poor of their community, nor even of their town, but rather for the poor living on the far side of the known world.

This part of Paul's ministry is usually glossed over, but I think it is very important to notice how groundbreaking it was. It has completely changed the ethics of the modern world.

The first century church was starkly different from it's surrounding culture in the way they cared for the poor. And it all began with Jesus. Jesus' message was far deeper and more glorious than simply 'provide for the poor'. He attacked societal notions of inequality, and the worth of a human. In the end (and this is of fundamental importance), he grants us each immeasurable worth as the children of God. This gospel must be at the heart of our understanding of ourselves and the poor, and must be the fundamental motivation for 'charity'.

Jesus begins his ministry with "Blessed are the poor", and ends it by giving his life to redeem us and give us each an immeasurable inheritance - as sons and daughters of the King. Jesus fundamentally challenged the notion of wealth as a reflection of how God had blessed an individual. In fact, he seems to suggest that wealth is actually given to us in order for us to give it to the poor. This is apparent from his story of the 'Talents', and more precisely in his suggestion: "One thing you lack: Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Wealth becomes worthless if selfishly used.

And he changed people, notably Zacchaeus who gives half his possessions to the poor when he encounters Jesus, or the early church, whose members held all things in common (the wealthy regularly sold their possessions to provide for the poor. See Act. Chpt. 2:42-47) But my question is, has Jesus changed us, the members of the modern church? Have we paid attention to Peter's only request of Paul: "All They asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Or has the modern church forgotten the poor?

Sadly, I think that we have. Unlike the early church, we do not stand out in stark contrast to the rest of our society in regards to our concern for the poor. We feel we are no longer responsible: the government is. (What a mistake we have made! How far we have strayed!)

Let me cite some statistics (It is a questionable source, but it probably gives rough estimates. www.generousgiving.org):

"American Christians give 2.6 percent of their incomes to the cause of Christ, only slightly better than the total giving of those who deny Him. Nor is the malaise in giving limited to the American church: God's people globally control a majority of the world's wealth but spend 98 percent of those resources on themselves. Are our priorities in order?"

(Ironically, American Evangelical Christians were more generous during the great depression.)

"A 2004 survey of 34 denominations showed that the average amount of total denominational budgets going to overseas missions was 2 percent." (notice, churches are roughly as generous as their members.)

I love this one: When asked "What would you do with an unexpected financial windfall?" 31 percent of Protestant pastors said they would build, expand or update their church buildings and facilities. 7 percent said they would give more to foreign missions and evangelism.”

Meanwhile, every 3 seconds one child dies of poverty. Measles alone kills over 500,000 African children each year (Red Cross), and 11,000,000 children die before their fifth birthday each year as a result of mostly preventable diseases, including malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia. As Jean Pierre Habicht says:

"Every single day--365 days a year--an attack against children occurs that is ten times greater than the death toll from the World Trade Center... We know how to prevent these deaths--we have the biological knowledge and tools to stop this public health travesty--but we're not yet doing it."

If our unwillingness to prevent preventable diseases is not distressing enough, one might be shocked to know how unequal the availability of basic necessities, such as food (or clean water), is:
“We live in a world where rich nations spend as much as the entire income of all the people in Africa subsidising the unnecessary production of unwanted food – to the tune of almost US$1 billion a day. While in Africa hunger is a key factor in more deaths than all the continent’s infectious diseases put together.
We live in a world where every cow in Europe has received almost US$2 a day in subsidies double, grotesquely, the average income in Africa. And Japanese cows nearly US$4.”
-
'Commission for Africa' suggests that we could reasonably tackle African poverty (in the long term) by making an intelligent 25 billion increase in annual aid , this is a relatively small cost, considering American evangelicals collectively earn more than 2.66 trillion per year .

For the first time in history we can eliminate these diseases and poverty . In fact, it is estimated that we could do so in Sub-Saharan Africa if American evangelicals alone gave less than 1% more of their income. Yet we're not doing it. We seem to have forgotten the very thing Paul was urged to remember.

Jesus has harsh words to say about this:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Jesus is extremely harsh in this regard, but we must take him seriously. To be candid and honest, I have a great deal of trouble living up to this: I’m selfish and I don't do nearly enough for the poor. Writing this has been very difficult for me, because I sense my own hipocrisy. I'm writing this for myself as much as anyone else. In that light, Jesus encourages both myself and others with:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I want to note a few things. Firstly, Jesus did not write this to western christians who worry about which luxury car to buy, or even students who worry about paying their tuition, but to people who's financial worries actually did consist primarily of being able to feed and clothe themselves. Nevertheless, his conclusion is that we sell our possessions and give to the poor.

Secondly I think he is saying something very deep when he suggests that we provide purses for ourselves that do not wear out. I really think that I am limiting myself by being selfish. If I were to trust God, and give what I have - both time and money... I would be infinitely richer. I would have fewer worthless worries, and a clearer sense of my worth, and the worth of those around me. I would enjoy what I have more - and in particular, I believe the relationships I have would be of more value to me... Especially my relationship with God.

I find that I'm often closest to God when I'm most in need of him. Sadly, since I'm not voluntarily dependent on him (as Jesus seems to suggest I should be), he often has to create difficult situations for me, which force me to crawl back to him. I believe that if I really trusted God with my life, giving virtually all I had to him (and to the poor), and becoming completely dependent on him... I would inevitably be closer to him, and the closeness would be sweeter and fuller and more enriching and vitalizing than that which I find when I crawl back to him. I want that. I want to trust and depend on God... I've tasted it, and I've never felt so alive. In contrast, it's painful when then only time I come to him is under the forced situation of a difficulty in my life. Why am I such a fool?

There's one final thing I would like to discuss... And it's the following verse: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

I want to be honest here... It has been painful to see how little the church seems to care for the poor (not that I'm any better). Sometimes, when I attend church, I get this horrible sensation: it's a terrifying sense of a loss of hope, of hope draining from me, like lifeblood being let... I ask myself how concerned these people are for their neighbors? Is there any love here? Is God alive in them, or are they just giving him lip-service? (And I should add that, at these moments I feel that I am just giving God lip-service). Faith without works is dead; and it feels that way.

I feel like I have lost a lot of faith in God because of the apparent lethargy of his church, Christ's body in the world. I sometimes question God's ability to rescue the poor, the destitute and the oppressed. I question the message of salvation when visible manifestations of it, such as healing the sick and feeding the hungry, are not present. It is hard to believe in God's saving love and omnipotence, when we seem to preach the gospel to poor and then let their child die of diarrhea.

I recognise that I should not blame others for my lack of faith - I know that I must be the first to repent. I merely stated this as I wish to suggest that the poor will feel the same as I sometimes do about the greed of the church, and that we do empty the gospel of it's power when we forget the very thing Peter urged us to remember: the poor.

I think the modern church needs to learn a lesson from the early church. We should trust God with our entire selves. We should give him everything, and our finances are often the crucial sacrifice we need to start with. We need to give ourselves to God, and to the proclamation of the gospel in word and in deeds... We need to depend totally on God for everything... and God will come and heal our land, and heal our broken souls... and give us a deep richness of life, in him. I need to be the first to give myself up to him, to be cleaned by him... (he will forgive me, I know he loves me)... and to follow him...

Oh God.. help me! Please, those who agree, please encourage me!

warmly, - dave

I guess there's two attitudes one can take. One can say: "God, I don't accept this world you've created, with all it's pain and suffering... I despise what you've done, and I will battle against the pain." Or one can say: "God, I don't know why you've made it this way. I don't know why you've allowed this person to suffer; but I know you've made me to help."
God, I want to work to relieve suffering, especially in the developing world. I don't know how I'm going to go about doing it. But I don't want to be rash about it, and rush after the closest possibility to help, because I know I can do far more harm than I could possibly imagine. I want to wait for you... But please encourage me, strengthen me, and let me know that you will use me...

Mysore Market

Theju's Fab Family...

Theju on right

Sheshi on left

There's a path here?

I dunno where it is either... Yeah, it was pretty steep.

Chickmangalore

Chickmangalore! We climbed the highest peak in Karnataka! Man - it was awesome! Praise God!



We actually fit 21 people in (or on!) this jeep... and then drove up winding mountain roads.




Theju (from chickmangalore)


Theju (from Bangalore)

Truckin...

I took a bus to kerela (it cost 450
ruppees), and then lived with some friends there, ate some real malali
food, met some really cool people... had a blast. I was able to help
them pack up their things for the move too - but guess what? I also
went back to bangalore in their moving truck...
It wasn't actually a 'moving truck' - it was cheapest to hire a
truck that had come from bangalore, and had to return to bangalore
anyways, but had no cargo. So we did that - it was a giant Ashok
Leyland truck... all their stuff barely fit in one corner (actually,
the truck was so big that they couldn't get it down the lanes to their
house... we had to carry all their stuff to a larger road.)
But this was a real interstate indian transport truck... There were
two drivers and myself... They would take shifts driving, so we went
all day and all night. They couldn't speak a word of english, and I
couldn't speak a word of malali... We started in Kerela, drove through
tamil nadu, and arrived in bangalore... They had a 'bed' but it was
more of a plank behind their seats, quite cramped, and I had to share
it with one of them when I was sleeping. It was great though - I'll
never get another chance to do that. We saw everything - so many
sites... life and death - argh. India can be painful.
I would hide when they came to the checkpoints (because it could
cause problems if the police found a foreigner in their truck). So I
felt like a smuggler or something...
Anyways - one of my roles was to guide the truck to the
destination... but I coudn't pronounce a word they could understand...
when we got close to bangalore, I pulled out a map to guide them. When they saw the map they started and tried to suppress a laugh... I
don't think they would have been more shocked had I pulled out a
compass and a sextant. So - since they thought maps were useless, and
they couldn't communicate with me, they grabbed some guy by the side of
the road, and hoped he would help them. He was a pretty useless guide
though, so they lapsed into silence...
I guided them by map. I would say 'left' or 'right' and then the
guy by the side of the road would translate it into some language, the
next person would translate it again, and finally the driver would
respond...
Despite their misgiving about my navigation skills, we arrived at
the destination without a single wrong turn.
So yeah - it was pretty fun.

Chickmangalore, Wedding

My friend Theju invited me to a wedding in Chickmangalore. It was incredibly interesting. Here is a photo with me next to the bride and groom.

Missionaries of Charity, Bangalore

I have decided to put directions up online... It took me ages to find the place, I hope this will make it easier for the next person. There is a website which has addresses to the missionaries of charity in many cities: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2960/mothert.htm, which I used - but it only gives the address. (Incidentally, this website also contains a link to Morning Star, an orphanage which I stayed at for several days just outside of Bangalore. Morning Star was terrific... more about that later.)

The directions are to Shishu Bhavan, a children's home. There are far fewer volunteers here than in Calcutta, and it is likely that one's time would be more effectively used here than in Calcutta.
The address is: Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, Lingaraja Puram, Hennur Main Road, near the petrol bunk. You can call them at: 08025474993 (Incidentally - this address is different from the one on the site above. Their's is good for mailing stuff, I think.)

To write directions, one needs a starting point. I think Shivaji Nagar is the best starting point, but in case you prefer the intersection of Brigade and MG road:
Shivaji Nagar is very close to MG road & Brigade (downtown), it is roughly a ten minutes walk. In brief, walk along MG one block west of Brigade, and then walk north (this is along St. Marks Rd, I believe... anyways, it's one block west of Brigade. You can catch any bus along the way.).

From Shivaji Nagar Bus station, take one of the following busses: 292, 293, 294, 295 or 296... Otherwise, ask if the bus is going to Lingaraja Puram, Davis Road (this may actually be a more reliable method, since it's India...)

These buses will take you to the Davis Road and Hennur Main Road intersection.


From here, walk North East along Hennur Main road (towards the flyover). Nirmala Shishu Bhavan is on your left, about 100 meters from davis road...


If you reach the petrol bunk - you've just passed it.


To get back to Shivaji Nagar - walk in South West (away from the petrol bunk & flyover). When you reach Hall Road (about 200 meters from Shishu Bhavan, you can't miss it.) Turn Right.


You can catch a bus back to Shivaji Nagar from here - 292, 293, 294, 295, or 296 (Or just ask for Shivaji Nagar). (The bus stop is as seen in the photo.)

Christmas

Hideko hosted us for a terrific Christmas dinner...





Celebrating Christmas at Tim's place...

New Year's Eve

Kyoto

Kyoto

Janice/Myself and friends Ikuyo and Junko...

Kyoto - silver palace

The silver palace is possibly the most serene place I have ever been.

Himeji Castle

I decided to visit Himeji Castle - at several people's urging. So I hopped on my bike and rode there. It took me much longer than I expected, and unfortunately by the time I got there it was closed. Nevertheless, the trip was definitely worth it. Anyways, here's some pics for the trip.
Himeji Castle itself.

A beach along the way...





And another photo of Himeji:

Japan

My visit to Japan, spending a month with my sister Janice, is quite likely the hilight of my year. The friends Janice introduced me to were incredibly genuine, welcoming etc. There was so much love and peace among them...
I miss Janice. I miss her friends.
Anyways, here's some pics:


Here's me in a kimono - for starters.

A Christmas Story, (rated 18A, for violence)

That star... What was it? Why did it draw him so? Why did it twinkle so?
Imlay didn't have much. He gathered dry wood as kindling for the village folk. He didn't have much to think about; until he saw the star...
He couldn't place it - why was it so special? He had never looked at the stars much - but now he marveled at them all - trying to figure out why it was different.
He envied it - special among all the rest - it drew him.
Some would say he didn't have much to leave behind - he was wearing all he owned - but he wanted to leave it all behind, be different, like the star. So he left.
He had no shoes, so he journeyed by day. He woke early each morning - with the star still hanging in the sky - then he'd pick a landmark to guide him that day.
Now the landmark was not the star, but it served for the time being as something to strive for. In this way, he was always pleased but never satisfied with his progress. The star always seemed just as far...

chpt. 2

It was a beautiful coastline, and the water was teeming with fish so the villagers were healthy. They had placed their village on a slight hill, so they could see him approaching from a long way off.
He was clearly a wealthy man - his entire entourage was mounted - and they moved with great speed.
'My name is Will, and I'm on a quest, but I'm blocked by the sea.' he told them when he arrived. 'Who owns your swiftest vessel?'
The fastest ship was owned by the wealthy merchant, Richard. In addition to this, the villagers knew that everything had it's price for Richard. So they led the affluent traveler to him.
Richard owned a gem of a ship. Large enough to carry several men and their belongings, but single-sailed & simple enough for one man to control. It wasn't cheap, but he knew he could make a pleasant profit with this customer.
'I rather like that ship... Why do you need it?' he began.
'I'm on a quest.' replied Will, with words as crisp as flint.
'Fine...' started Richard, glancing at the rings on Will's fingers, and the splendid clothing of his entourage... 'It's yours... For all your mounts, all your gold, all your jewelry...'
'Deal!'
'You seem to have food enough for two days...' initiated Richard.
'Yes. It shall last a week: I'm going alone.'
'The sea is vast... You'll need more than that. I'll supply you with sufficient food - for all but the clothes on your back...'
'Done!' said Will.
It had seemed too easy for Richard, but as Will stood there, strong and tall, gazing fiercely past him and beyond the sea, Richard's stomach twisted. He realised he was still without; but Richard was quick on his feet.
'Young man, you may have forgotten something...' he began. 'The sea water is not fresh... You will die of thirst.'
'I am no stranger to thirst, and she does not always lead to death.'
Richard paused. He didn't know how to ask. Finally he spoke.
'Tell me your quest... Who draws you so? In return, I will give you what you need to cross the see.'
So Will told him. He told him of this star... He told him of leaving with his family's blessing, of the many mountains they'd climbed, and of the many rivers they'd forded... He faltered as he tried to describe star in more detail - he tried to explain it, but then tensed himself and said: 'You'll see it tonight.' and that was all.
He left.

chpt. 3

Richard sat. For an hour he sat. Then he rose, had the horses and belongings returned to Will's entourage, and had them sent home with sufficient supplies. However, he neglected to say good bye.
He called for lunch, but chose not to eat it. He walked to the shore.
He sat. All night he sat, gazing at the stars, changing his perspective slightly every so often, hoping to see past them all and catch that star with his eye. Often, for an instant, he thought he caught a glimpse of it - out of the corner of his eye - he'd spin around to catch it, but the star was always twice as nimble. No - that was not it.
During the last watches of the night he fell asleep on the beach.
In a dream he woke. The first thing he noticed was that everything was different - yet familiar. He could feel the sand beneath his feet - he looked down - no shoes. The wind brushed his bare back - only a comfortable pair of tattered shorts adorned him. He looked at his belly. It was protruded, but wasn't bloated with wealth and age like on other days. Rather it protruded like that of a child. He was amazed... He woke. His sleep had been pleasant.
It wasn't a star, but he knew that it was. Indeed, with day the stars had fled and the beach was lonely. He was lonely.
At that moment, he realised that no star could ever shine brighter than Will, and he guessed the only thing that could.
He packed his richest gift, hired a ship, and left.

chapt. 4

Vincent was a fisherman by trade, but he was also a habitual gambler. To finance his habit, he had managed to get himself in a bad way with even worse characters. He would toss and turn at night, hoping his problems would disappear, but would wake up with his sheets tangled and too short to cover himself.
So when Richard asked to hire him and his fishing boat, he didn't hesitate - this toss might turn out better... Especially if Richard spent on his travels what he did on his clothes.
They were both ceaselessly pondering, but spoke only when necessary. Vincent sat at the stern, fidgeting with the rudder, as if it would help to push them further. Richard sat leaning into the bow. He would scan the horizon with eager eyes, and then examine the gift he cradled in his arms.
It was the gift that caught Vincent's eye. At first it was just a passing thought - like one he used to shake off - but as they got further and further from shore, the gift seemed closer and closer to being his. Later, he could remember little more of the journey than the time he spent planning the robbery.
It would have been so simple. Richard was midway though climbing out onto the shore when the oar hit him from behind. Vincent quickly grabbed the gift and tried to push off. It would have been so simple.
But then Richard whimpered... It reminded Vincent of a dog he had loved as a child. His stomach churned. That whimper had always made him feel guilty.
Richard whimpered again.
'Stop it!' shouted Vincent.
Once again.
'Stop it!' screamed Vincent as he leaped to shore. He hit Richard again. He kicked him and Richard rolled onto his back.
Richard tried to whimper 'I need that!'
Vincent only saw his pleading eyes.
'Shut up!' he screamed, furious yet deceptively plaintive. If only he could flee as free as his voice, echoing over the waves, alone. No.
Again and again he beat him, kicked him and scratched at him. Frantically yet deliberately, he stripped him of his fine clothes and dragged him out of the light, into the shadows of a tree.
At first, he cried as he beat him, but soon Richard was unrecognisable, dirty, bruised and formless. Then Vincent lost all emotions.
His mind was clear but void as he dressed himself in the clothing that had once hidden the now shapeless form, gathered his gift, and walked inland.
He forgot his old fishing ship, soon only the tide remembered it.

chpt. 5

Imlay was making good progress that day. He felt tired and thirsty, in a good way. It had been a pleasant journey recently, since he was flanked by the sea. He decided to walk along the coast, hoping to find a fresh water stream.
As his thirst increased, he glanced at the sea - salt water - it would never quench his thirst, but the appearance of the water gave him hope and he knew that a stream of thirst-quenching-life-giving water had to be filling it. So he did not worry, instead his eyes scanned the edge of the woods carefully and eagerly.
He didn't recognise it at first - so he walked closer. It was a man, bloodied, beaten...
He was scared. Once, as a child, he had watched a criminal be stoned outside his village... But he wasn't near his village now. It was just him and this man.
Imlay didn't know what to do. He knelt down, scared to touch the man. But! - he heard him breathe.
Quickly, Imlay tried to clean and bandage the man's wounds, using strips of his own clothing and leaves, washing him with sea water.
He then found some sturdy branches and built a stretcher. Letting one end of the stretcher drag, he pulled the man as gently as he could to the nearest town.
Finding an inn-keeper, Imlay hired himself out for a year in order to put the wounded man up for a month.
The man seemed to be improving, he was able to speak to Imlay the following evening.
First, he thanked Imlay. Then he tensed.
'Why did you stop for me? Why are you doing this for me?' He asked rather anxiously. 'What did you see in me?'
'Nothing.' answered Imlay, 'But you needed me.'
Richard relaxed. He slept.
Imlay went to see him in the morning. His face had a warm look to it, but when Imlay pressed his hand, he leaped back in fright - it was cold! His body was cold!
But why did his face seem so alive?

chpt. 6

Vincent travelled several days until he reached a city. There he sold the gift & squandered the revenue on a debaucherous lifestyle. He continued to rob people and became more and more depraved and more and more careless. After half a year, he was arrested, tried, found guilty of murder, and condemned to be crucified.
They paraded him through the streets and led him to the place called the skull. There they crucified him at the third hour, along with two others. With labored breathing, and despite the pain, he looked over at them.
The further one was cursing. He cursed the soldiers and the people who stood watching. He rained down insults and threats, almost blind to his own fate as he hung there. His mother stood there weeping... He looked at her with scorn and cursed her for giving him life. The man's character was familiar to Vincent.
But between Vincent and that man, there was another man. He was bloodied and beaten - almost beyond recognition - yet familiar to Vincent now for that very reason. The man hung there, struggling to breathe. Vincent read the written notice of the charge against him: "The King of the Jews."
The soldiers came up and mocked this man. They offered him wine vinegar and said, 'If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.'
Those who passed by also hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, 'Come down from the cross, Jesus, if you are the Son of God!'
In the same way the rulers mocked him. 'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said 'I am the Son of God.''
But the man gasped for breath, and said 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'
The other criminal mocked him too: 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!'
But Vincent rebuked him: 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.'
Then he said 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.'
Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' - which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
When some of those standing near heard this, they said 'Listen, he's calling Elijah.'
One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 'Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down.' he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

chpt. 7

The Innkeeper still forced Imlay to work the full year. Imlay resented it. After all, the room had only been used two days. But what troubled him most was the fact that since he had arrived, he'd never seen the star again.
He wanted to return to the road, following the star. It had been a stupid idea - trying to save the man's life - and the man had still died. Useless. Pointless waste of time.
He wasn't quite sure what compelled him to stay, he'd often considered running away - it was unfair forcing him to work anyhow. But maybe he was scared that if he left, the star still wouldn't reappear... Maybe he just didn't know which way to go without it.
So he stayed. He washed dishes, cleaned sheets, swept floors, fed the guest's horses in the stable, cleaned up after the horses. There was too much work for one man to do, so he always had to work well into the night.
One night, just over six months later, he was cleaning the stable when he heard voices.
Looking up, he saw two men standing there, talking. They were just beyond the lantern's reach. Their voices sounded warm and inviting so Imlay rose and approached them.
He noticed that they were rather old, but looked kind and somehow clean, despite their dirty shepherd's clothes. They were clearly too poor to be looking for a room, but Imlay was at a loss for a better question to ask.
'No, we don't need a room,' began one, 'in fact, we just came to see the stable. It's a fond memory of ours.'
'The stable?' asked Imlay, "I wish it held the same charm for me! Tell me, what is so special about the stable?'
The second man brightened 'Many years ago, we were still shepherds in these hills. An angel of the Lord appeared to us, and the glory of the Lord shone around us. We were terrified. But the angel told us not to be afraid. He was bringing us good news: That day a Saviour had been born to us; he would be the Christ, the Lord. The angel told us we would find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger - that would be our sign.'
'Suddenly a huge number of angels appeared, praising God. When the angels left, we hurried off to find the child which the Lord had told us about.'
'We found him here, lying in a manger.'
'We never forgot him... Later, a carpenter from nazareth named Jesus came teaching with authority. When we went to listen to him, we immediately recognised him. He was a good man. He healed the sick and spoke of a Kingdom unlike any other. He claimed to be King - very God.'
'The rulers were Jealous, and were seen as fools and hypocrites when he was near. So they killed him. He was innocent and yet punished. But death could not hold him, and two days later, he rose again - alive with a life not subject to the decay or limitations of this world.'
'He spoke of a marriage - where, if we want it - we can become one with him - like man and wife - all things shared in common. Thus, our failures, unfaithfulness, rebellion, lies and mistakes become his, truth and life become ours. Thus, he purchased our freedom, and allowed us to be adopted as children of his Father - very God!'
Imlay understood it all.

Construction Workers

Every　time I passed　ｔhem, they asked me to snap their　photo...