Thoughts about Ukraine

 Pathway made straight           How God led us to Ukraine A change of careers In 1997 I retired from the US Navy, completed my undergraduate degree and began my Masters in Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary.  We also moved out of our home of 17 1/2 years.  If you had asked me in March of that year that I would be moving into a travel trailer parked behind our church and would be going to seminary, I would have answered, "No way!" I had made plans to go work for Bill Gates.  Yet by that summer God hand completely redirected me. While God was working on my and training me up to be a preacher/pastor friends from our church were called to Ukraine to serve.  They would email us and tells how much we would love it in Ukraine.  But my response was, "That may be fine for you, but I have not interest." A call to learn Russian So in my third year of Seminary, our friends who were serving in Ukraine came back for a visit with anothe...

Like the other Blog posts in my Thoughts about Ukraine this is a document in progress.  I will be adding to it as memories are stirred and thought come out as I meditate about my time in Ukraine.  To me it seems that Ukrainians can be the most hospitable and welcoming people that I have ever met.  On my first mission trip there in May of 2004 everywhere we stayed we were filled to excess.  A number of incidents come to mind. My wife, our translator Svitlana and I stayed with a couple of women in Chernihiv. I don't remember the daughter's name but we knew her mum as Mama Nadia.  We made daily foreys to a village called Gumsherovsk; a former Soviet Missile Command.  We would leave early and return late at night.  Every morning would start with a big breakfast usually including meat cutlets, mashed potatoes, eggs and tomatoes.  Oh yes and of course either tea, coffee (instant) and juice.  And I must say that the juice that was sold there was the...

 In this post I plan to list a series of prayers and reflections as I seek God's face, meditate and consider the situation in Ukraine.  More will appear with time.  So I encourage you to return again and again and add your prayers to mine in the comments section. Where to start? What comes to mind first are the words from Ephesians 6 where it says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." When I look at the evil men like Putin who are responsible for the atrocities taking place in Ukraine, I can only imagine that there are demonic forces are at work influencing the minds of these people.   There never seems to be a shortage of those who submit themselves to be tools of the evil one.  Whether such a ...

 One day when we were living in Ukraine, one of my Ukrainian friends described Ukrainians this way. "We Ukrainians are like coconuts: we are all rough on the outside, but once you get to know us you will know that we sweet on the inside" He then went on to say that Americans are like peaches; all soft on the outside but hard hearted.  Now Russians have taken a different view.  They seem to think that Ukrainians are weak.  They even refer to them as укроп - which is to say they are dill; one of the limpest plants.  But that is not the case.  Generally, Ukrainians are courteous and kind but this must never be confused with weakness.  That's what evil does, it confuses goodness with weakness. True strength is doing what is right in the face of difficult circumstances.  Good does good even when evil tempts, tries to persuade and affronts.  Jesus said a tree will be known by its fruit.  Putin and is ilk are showing their fruit by bombing non...