It wasn’t quite a white Christmas, but it was almost a white New Year’s Day.
Not enough for a snowman. Not a clean one anyway.
Posts Tagged memphis
We got an inch. Kind of.
Jan 20
Failure to Yield
Sep 28
When I look at the pictures below, one of two things can happen inside of me.
1) Fear. Panic. The idea that Amanda, Sophia, and Samuel could have been killed at an intersection on Germantown Pkwy while I sat at home reading for class is almost more than I can hold down.
2) Joy. Hope. Assurance. God is with us. God is for us. I know, ultimately, my little kiddos and precious wife are in his hands. He is our life. And, no matter what happens, good or bad, he is God and we can trust him.
Now, when I pass through that intersection my heart swells with thanksgiving. Gratefulness to the only one who is able and true and faithful. He, Yahweh, is our God. There is no other.
Samuel Eats a Sno-Cone
Sep 3
A while back I told you about Jerry’s sno-cones. Samuel got his first taste just a few weeks ago. Did he like it? You be the judge.
Thankfully, the homework had nothing to do with math.
After doing several Bible studies at the apartment complex the rest of the class left. I stayed to help Mohammed and Abira’s two oldest kids with their homework.
I forgot about the fact that things in developing countries go at a different pace. Yeah, I was in the U.S., but if you had walked into the apartments we were in, you would swear that you were in Sudan.
I knocked on Mohammed’s door. He let me in. Only he and his three daughters (2 months, 19 months, and 4 years) were there.
They told me the day before the kids would be home at 3pm. They arrived sometime shortly after 4pm.
While we waited, Mohammed and I watched Animal Planet together. We watched the Crocodile hunter chase around lions, elephants, scary looking snakes, and hippos, all of which Mohammed had grown up with. He gave me the inside scoop.
“He better not play with that.” he said about the Hippos.
“That snake is not too dangerous.” he said about the Puff Adder.
“My grandpa got bit by one of those.” making a snake biting motion to his chest. I wondered if it actually bit him in the chest . . .
The homework went quickly.
“Sit down and eat.” Mohammed then said.
I sat down. Mohammed served me a plate of lamb. A bowl of vegetables. And a plate of flat bread. They sat around and watched me.
It was absolutely delicious. No silverware was offered so my hands I used. Actually, just my right hand because a little voice in my head was saying that the left hand wasn’t supposed to be used. I don’t know if that is correct, but I did my best.
Then, Mohammed drove me home.
Here are a couple of shots I took on my phone as we waited for the kids to get home from school. These two girls were precious.
Kathy relates her experience of sharing with a Sudanese woman.
Mohammed and his wife, Abira are from Sudan. They have five children. They have been in the United States for 6 years. Three in South Carolina. Three in Memphis.
Abira said that the people in Memphis are mean. She doesn’t like living here. They came looking for work. There are no jobs in South Carolina they say.
I had the privilege of sharing the story of Jesus’ birth with them. After the story Abira served us juice. We sat and talked about life in Sudan and life here in the U.S. while their beautiful kids stared wide-eyed. I wanted to take some photographs, but didn’t feel like it would be appropriate. Maybe I’ll be able to before the week is over.
They taught us a few Arabic phrases before we had to go.
I didn’t get much video footage today. But, here’s a short documentary of day two.
Cross-Cultural Church Planting // Day 2 from Ryan Bush on Vimeo.
I have the privilege of taking Cross-Cultural Church Planting this week with Dr. Akins. It’s a one week intensive and unlike any other class I’ve had. We spend the mornings in the classroom talking about how to plant churches cross-culturally. That’s normal.
In the afternoons we go out into the Sudanese/Somalian community of Memphis and literally put into practice what we just finished talking about. This is day one.
Cross-Cultural Church Planting // Day 1 from Ryan Bush on Vimeo.
Obviously, it is not reasonable to expect a church to be planted in a week. However, you can definitely get some things going.
We are working in conjunction with the River Nile Baptist Church that meets at Leawood Baptist Church. They’ll pick up where we leave off at the end of the week.
We were able to visit with a few folks in their homes. Most Sudanese and Somali people are of the Muslim faith. When I stepped into where they spend their lives, I was stepping into another culture, another worldview, another way of life. It was both fascinating and a bit frightening. Altogether different, but at the same time very much human, and in it I saw the same things I as a human look for: peace, joy, hope, love . . .
Jerry’s Sno Cones
Jul 22
Memphis is replete with history, culture, and tradition. Places like Rendezvous, Graceland, and Beale St. get most of the attention, but that’s not the real Memphis. The real Memphis probably isn’t going to be listed in a brochure. The real Memphis is made up of places like Jerry’s Sno Cones.
It’s in a terrible location, almost impossible to find. It’s housed in a run-down building (though it does have a relatively recent paint job, pink!). Yet, people drive from all around Memphis to partake in Jerry’s Sno Cone goodness. I have to admit they really are amazing (How do they get the ice so fine?) Not to mention they are open all year.
We loaded up the kiddos and made our first visit to Jerry’s last week. The Melicks family, fellow MABTSers, introduced us to Jerry’s. Quite frankly, we hit it off real well. We’ll be back.
It wasn’t Sophia’s first snow cone, but probably the best she’s ever tasted. Pink Cotton Candy was her choice. It was delicious (How do I know? The ‘dad tax’ of course!).
The best thing about Jerry’s? Not the snow cones (though they are scrumptious). Not the hamburgers (Yup. They sell hamburgers. And cheese fries, too.). The best thing is the chance to step out of routine and be with friends. Words can’t express how grateful we are for the community we have here at MABTS.
At the Donut Shop
Jul 9
Sophia and I are donut connoisseurs. She prefers strawberry with sprinkles while, as of late, I have been quite fond of maple glazed. Howard’s Donuts is just a quick trip across Germantown Pkwy, so we try to get over there when we can. Here’s bit of our conversation from our last donut date.
The donuts are definitely worth the trip, but what I really look forward to is the chance to hang out with Sophia.
Balancing family life with studies and ministry can be difficult. I remember one of my first days in class as a student at MABTS. Dr. Allison told us that there might be some days that we need to miss class to be with our family. He encouraged us not to neglect our family during our time in seminary.
That’s some of the best advice I’ve gotten. Books have to be read and papers have to be written, but sometimes the most important thing you can do is in a donut shop with someone who thinks you hung the moon.
Sam in Tow
May 29
Two years ago I snagged this amazing backpack baby lugger for ten bucks at a garage sale in Little Rock. I hauled Sophia up Pinnacle Mountain in it. Now, it’s Sam’s turn. We hit the trails at Shelby Farms here in Memphis a few weeks back. We saw two deer, a raccoon, and a rabbit.
Shelby Farms is the largest urban park in America. It’s huge. It has it’s own buffalo herd for crying out loud! And the great thing is that it’s just minutes from MABTS campus.