The Zaharas Come to Portland!

Last week Robert and I drove to Portland to see our cousins Nick and Julie. They were up from Phoenix to see the city, visit the vineyards and scope out the housing situation. Although it was a little hard for Nick to get around town with his broken foot (what a sport!), we had an absolutely FABULOUS time!!! We tried some really great restaurants: Henry Weinhards (over 100 beers on tap!), South Park (very French - very classy), and even this cute vintage breakfast place called Mother's, which I think poor Nick and Julie ended up going to 3 times in 3 days:)

On Thursday we drove out to the wine country and visited about 5 vineyards. We tasted delicious Pinots and more delicious Pinots, and eventually ended up eating lunch (after drinking lunch) at the Dundee Bistro around 4 pm!

While Nick and Julie slept in style (and comfort, and peace and quiet) at the downtown Marriott, Robert and I opted for an "adventure" - we slept in a little room above McMennamins White Eagle Saloon... let's just say live music and very loud semi's are pretty much all we remember. Oh, and the community bathrooms down the hall and paper-thin walls... you get the picture.

But aside from the lack of sleep... Robert and I had more fun in our three days in Portland than we've had in a long time. The weather was great - well, for me who loves gray days and rain:) I don't think I've ever had such an abundance of great food, great wine, AND great company. Thank you Nick and Julie for coming to Oregon... we had a LOVELY time!!!

American Wealth - Is it right?

I am constantly plagued by this question. Is it right to live like we do as Americans? I have never felt comfortable with the idea of living in so much wealth when there is so much need in the world. Jesus' words in the Book of Matthew haunt me:

"I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I'll say it again - it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" - Matthew 19:23, 24

A favorite Bible Commentary about this passage reads:

"Commentators and preachers invariably inject here that it is perfectly all right for Christians to be rich. It is strange that they use a passage in which the Lord denounces wealth as a hindrance to man's eternal welfare, to justify the accumulation of earthly treasures! And it is difficult to see how a Christian can cling to riches in view of the appalling need everywhere, the imminence of Christ's Return, and the Lord's clear prohibition against laying up treasures on earth. Hoarded wealth condemns us as not loving our neighbors as ourselves." -William MacDonald

"While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." - Luke 21:1-4

Jesus' words say enough. - RB

The Ghosts of Rwanda - A must see!

We watched a powerful documentary about the genocide in Rwanda. In 100 days, 800,000 men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered. This is the type of documentary that will give you nightmares, but it is a must see. There are images of dead bodies lining the streets, decaying corpses filling churches, and even actual footage of people being killed. As horrible as all of that sounds, what I found more disturbing was that America did NOTHING! For 100 days 800,000 people were murdered in their homes, in their yards, and in the streets - and we did NOTHING! It is sickening to me that we are so comfortable in our SUVs, in our 2000 square foot homes, and in our easy chairs that we are unwilling to risk our own comfort and our own lives to do what is right. I challenge everyone, including myself, to sacrifice what we find comfortable so that we may "love our neighbor as ourselves." Whether that neighbor is across the street or across the globe. - RB

Sacred Marriage

Right now I know of several marriages ending in divorce. And do you know what? Most of these marriages are Christian marriages made up of Christian people who love God, but who have decided that they no longer love their spouse. But does real love really end? The Bible defines love as a CHOICE. If it were based on feelings alone, how could God ever require us to love our enemies? But in Matthew 5:44 that is exactly what Jesus commands us to do. How much more so are we required to love someone we have committed our life to before God? I am reading a very interesting book right now called Sacred Marriage. The author of this book argues that marriage is about more than our happiness... it is a call to holiness and a test of our faithfulness to God. God didn't design marriage for our selfish gain; he created it to be a symbol of His perfect faithfulness to us - with the beautiful image of the church as the bride of Christ. Thank GOD that His love isn't based on our perfection, our weight, our appearances, or our ability to keep Him happy. It is a sacred covenant... a permanent relationship between us and God. When we enter into marriage as sinful humans we have big shoes to fill. But just because we are sinful and selfish doesn't mean we are excused from God's holy expectations and purpose for our life. Maybe our spouse isn't perfect... maybe he/she doesn't make us happy anymore, but does that mean we can just walk away from a promise we've made to him/her? ...From a promise we've made to God??? I think we need to stop expecting marriage to make us happy and start appreciating its ability to make us holy. - HB

"By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." -Socrates

We're Home - hopefully!

As many of you know, we have been searching for a church for over 4 months. We thought that we had found a home at New Hope, a large church here in Bend, but quickly realized there were some aspects about the church that we did not agree with. Last week we met with Pastor Scott Johnson who leads Cascade Covenant and were very impressed with his vision and ministry. Cascade Covenant is part of the Evangelical Covenant Church. The motto of Cascade Covenant is "No perfect people allowed," which resonated with both of us. We found out this week that our good friend Karen Magnuson who lost her husband of 35 years last October was in search of a new church and so we were able to have her join us this Sunday. We originally started going to New Hope because of Karen and were sad that we felt we couldn't keep attending the church as we knew we would miss our time with her. We were a little affraid to tell her that we were not going to be attending New Hope anymore only to find out she was trying to figure out how she was going to break the news to us that she was going to be leaving as well. That could have only been orchestrated by God Himself. So our Sundays with Karen will continue as we all begin our journey at Cascade Covenant.
-RB
The photo is of the Pastor's adopted son from Africa.