The Italian Memorandum

In pagan world view, springtime is associated with renewal. It is, of course, easy enough to understand why. Christians, too, have every good reason to rejoice in the beauty of springtime. Seasons change because God ordains it (Genesis 8:22). The lovely mystery of renewal is seen, for example, in every blossoming cherry tree. But, for Christians, the idea of renewal is locked into the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Acts 13:29-37). For Paul, this meant living with power and optimism (Romans 1:4; 4:17-25).

One day, as spring began to emerge in Milan, Marla heard a dove making a unusual sound, just outside our window. Thinking the bird to be hurt, she ran over to the neighbors for assistance.  They said, “Don’t worry Marla, he’s just calling for a female.” This little incident reminds us of Song of Solomon 2:10,14: “Arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come. And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land…O my dove”.

Cherries are pleasant; but the resurrection is powerful. The creation is splendid, but the resurrection is redemptive. Someone has said, there are three classes of people: those who see; those who see when
they are shown; and, those who do not see.” Isn’t springtime but a chance to see?

Job 42:1,2 reads: “Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (ESV).

At the end of the day, with tired feet and well spent energy, one might still question what we are doing here?      We want our supporters to know  that Job 42:1,2 is a reminder of a faith that is based in God; not based in economy, politics, selfishness, avant garde,  polemics, or any other fleeting reality.   What we are doing here is all about God; it really is that simple.   Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”    What is this simplicity that leads us on every day?  What is this ultimate sophistication?   Just this, that God is (Hebrews 11:6); that he is “God Almighty” (Genesis 17:1; Hebrew: El Shaddai); and that, His purposes will be maintained throughout history (Job 42:2).

This is the simple and solemn reason for our toiling in the backyard of history.   It is enough.  That is why what we are doing in Milan matters.

In 2012, we held two campaigns in Milan.   There have been many military assaults upon Milan through the years, but this was about a kingdom of peace.   The Lord knows the work of Larry and Karen; Pat and Morissa.   Nearly 35 presentations were made between these individuals.   We appreciate every word spoken in the name of Jesus.   These are the kind of encounters recorded in the book of Acts (See 5:42)—a ceaseless sense of teaching, proclaiming, and caring about the spread of Jesus as the Christ.  Thanks!

 One day in December, while walking between the Castle and the Cathedral of Milan, we heard some very elegant electric guitar music echoing between the stone walls.  There he was sitting on the ground playing Imagine by Lennon.   He played slowly with delicate finesse.   Then, while admiring his instrumental work (because the lyrics are wanting), I looked down to see he had no legs (uhm).   His gift was undoubtedly despite his severe limitations.   Again, recently, in the cavernous chambers of the Metropolitana, I heard Mozart being played by a gifted violinist.  We understand such beauty when it comes to music because of the immediate feedback.  But, sometimes in the cause of Christ there are no immediate overtures or encores.   But, we believe that one day things will resolve when the books are opened.

The great Luciano Pavorotti said, “I think a life in music is a life well spent, and this is what I have devoted my life to.”   We understand that not long after the Italian tenor said those words he passed on into the great hereafter.    Someday, perhaps not long from now, we may like Pavarotti reflect back on our life and muse about what our gift has been.   And, like the music of Pavarotti, though he is gone, his music plays on.

We recently came across an anonymous line which we dedicate here and now to those of you who have left your gift between the Castle and the Cathedral of Milan (Acts 20:35; 2 Corinthians 9:11).   “Some people come into our lives and quickly go.   Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts.   And we are never, ever the same”  

Pantheon

The Pantheon is larger than one might imagine and truly surreal.  Rome has been called the Eternal City for some solid comparative reasons.  However, at

base of the Spanish Steps

the base of the Spanish Steps, immediately to the right, there is a multi-level, albeit, modest home known as The Keats-Shelley House.  Bob had heard of this place some years ago.   Then, recently, in a visit to Rome, he found it just as predicted.  As Bob stood in the room where Keats died and looking out the very window that John must have peered himself many times, he was reminded of an old text from one of the prophets—“All souls are mine”  (Ezekiel 18:4).  Whereas, Shelley was lost at sea in Italy, Keats died

room where Keats died

here in Rome of tuberculosis.  Both men made lasting literary contributions. Both died relatively young. And both had to leave “the Eternal City”.

But, the thought that Bob would like to leave here is how he found a young British (not Italian) museum curator knitting away on the second floor of the Keats-Shelley House.  There she was in the quiet of that Italian afternoon keeping watch over the literary shrine to the memory of these two British poets.  That somehow seemed appropriate (see also Proverbs 15:3).

approaching Spanish Steps

In A Brief History of Time, Carl Sagan introduces the Cambridge Professor of Mathematics, Stephen Hawking,  by saying something thoughtful:  “We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing about the world” (ix).  Maybe Sagan was speaking more of himself than for Christians (see Romans 1:19-21).  But, it does appear that he had a valid point.  Our problem with a purely material position of the world is that it is strongly tilted toward a set of presuppositions which exclude outside forces  (namely the Lord God) from the git-go.    That is why, when people sometimes state, “I believe in Science,”  they are actually admitting to a higher power that is observable.  An immediate problem here involves the nature of God being spirit, not chemical or a mere force field (John 4:24).  So, end of discussion, right?

The world from a physical standpoint does have four fundamental forces: (1)  Gravitational  (2)  Electromagnetic  (3) Weak Nuclear, and (4)  Strong Nuclear.  The Bible writer to the Hebrews, in 1:3, 10-12; 10:3 , presents Christian faith as including a  cosmological view of things.  So, those forces for Hawking are contained; while for Christians they are contingent.  Allowing for this data, we may move into the discussion of God in history.

There appear to be some firm components in the mind of the apostle Paul.  One such idea is that God is at work in the world.  But, even before Paul, we may delve into what Jesus himself thought of the world.  What kind of a place is it anyway?  For, to think as Jesus thought, to feel as he felt, and to see as he saw , we will need to acquire his set of beliefs (or, belief system).  John 5:17 captures this assumption in a  few words. Jesus believed that the Father was at work in the world, and that he was also involved in this magnum opus.  When the gospel is preached and people respond in baptism, they are raised by the power of God out of the watery grave of Christian baptism.  This is the Lord’s  continuation of John 5:17.  This is furthermore a call to believers to participate in the work of God (opera in Italian), by submitting to his plan.  If it begins here, commencing in baptism, it takes the believer far away and yet nearer to the one who calls.  This may be seen in Philippians 1:6, where the work of God in history has high continuity with John 5:17 and Colossians 2:12.

Why then emphasize making new friends or teaching worldview to bambini in Italy?  Of course, it is part of the plan!  Sagan and Hawking have done their homework and have gained the plaudits of men.  But, they have also limited their world with the rejection of any divine working in cosmos or history.  That is because of the Science, right?  Think again.  Sagan may know why stars twinkle (to the human eye), but we know why they shine on (Rom. 1:19-21; Ps. 19:1-6; Mal. 4:2; Dan. 12:3).    The great Italian Magnum Opus does not belong exclusively  to Columbus, Galileo, or Fermi.  The sub-atomic level may appear random; neutrinos, for example.  But, the speed of light is still a constant (300,00 kilometers per sec.).  Dare to participate in the drama.  Jesus will meet you there (Jn. 5:17; Col. 2:12; Phil. 1:6).  Pronto?

My current view of Genesis is wrapped up in a song which was written by Charlie Chaplin.  Yes, the comedian, Chaplain, who knew so well how life could be (“I know why the world is smiling / Smiling so tenderly / It hears the same old story / Through all eternity / Love this is my song”).  In this post, we shall attempt to render the significance of the book of Genesis to modern-day Christians (the Lord’s people). 

The route to church in Milan, which Marla and I take on Sunday mornings, goes right past the Italian vendors.  Sunday morning is a time for the coin dealers, stamp-collectors and artists to display their works.  The photograph (adjacent) shows the paintings of life in Italy.  It is this sense of story (history/storia) which overlaps with the lovely and often tragic stories of the book of Genesis.

What we do with Genesis is extremely important.  In my opinion, Genesis will influence your understanding of Romans.   In my Romans study (2008), I found myself relying on the phrase, “the human experience.”  Recently, one, Angela, asked why the players in Genesis (God’s people) were so troubled.  Little did she know that that observation is a huge insight into our own experience, as well.  In the Italian, sin is peccato.  So, when one says, “Peccato che,” the phrase becomes, “What a pity!”  Yes, peccato (sin) is a sad concept in Genesis: indeed, what a pity.   But, it is not only sad in the book, it is sad in the cross.  A fascinating study might be to trace the tears in the Genesis text; the tears at the cross; and, the tears in your own soul.  That is not at all to negate the joy.  Genesis is packed with laughter, surprise, and overwhelming burgeoning of happiness too!   Jesus, also, exhibits the whole gamut of emotions in the gospel accounts, that is, in his own human experience.

Genesis condenses well into Italian with a package of five words beginning with the letter “P”:  Paradiso; Popolo di Dio; Peccato; Passione and Promessa [Paradise, People of God, Sin, Passion, Promise].  In fact, the Genesis drama may be understood along these lines with significant progress being taken in understanding what this ancient book is all about.  Angela’s notes on Jacob (Israel), for example, find meaning not as a random story, but as a Hebrew heritage.  This is a heritage which applies to all who have the ability to understand the matter (Be sure to see Galatians 3:7, 29; 4:19; 6:16; and Romans 4:16!).

Michelangelo said something meaningful: “Io citico costruendo, quel cosa de bello” [I criticize by creating something more beautiful.]  The application being that when you encounter the pain of peccato in your own life, do realize that even though it ends with a sarcophagus in Egypt, the promise remains, “Surely I will visit you!” And, again, “Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear saying, God will surely visit you” (Gen. 50:24-26).

It is true that by reading only our posts one would not perhaps learn of all the difficulties of living in a different part of the world.  However, we would prefer to emphasize the positive dimension and the adjacent joy that belongs to the Christian.  See my critique of joy versus happiness (inner/outer; independent/dependent/ meaning/chemical).  So, in this little post we shall narrate a fanciful moment that happened to us recently; make some comment about what resistance looks like when people reject the message; and, we will close with some photos of some Milanese students who have chosen to study the Scriptures with me on Friday afternoon.

Recently, I found myself standing in line at the local supermercato when the couple behind me, thinking that I was Italian, asked whether I knew if the chocolate that they were buying was an Italian chocolate.  Since the gentleman was English and his wife was Japanese, I pulled out my expression from The Three Stooges, Curly Joe, to be precise—

“Why certainly!”   The gentleman erupted into laughter.  Another foreigner, he thought.  His wife replied, “I was surprised when you spoke perfect English!”  I said, “Believe me, The Three Stooges do not speak perfect English.”

We have been learning from Jesus in John chapter 4 this past month.  Some of this data pertains to how the message of Christ is or is not received.  When it comes to resistance in the human experience, as pertains to the gospel message, we have come to realize that the classical defense mechanisms apply very well.  Resistance, at the end of the day, may very well involve at least some part of the following: regression (regresso), repression (repressione), and rationalization (razionalizzazione).  We mention these components to resistance because when one encounters resistance it is important (a) perceive it as such, and (b) possibly even to expose the fallacy to the individual  being taught.  Typically, we have found that people are not always aware of how overt these factors have become in their lives.  Pointing these out exposes potential barriers to “hearing” (akouein= to hear).  Hearing, in the gospel accounts, is a large issue with Jesus.  Some can hear, and some cannot.  Why?  Well, it appears that regression is a type of reverting to a former way of living or thinking.  This is not limited to children.  As to repression, this is distancing oneself from some aspect of the message.  We see this all the time; that is, choosing to relegate something about living for Christ into a remote something else—something else far a field from following the Master.  Then, we have rationalization.  This is sheer manufacturing of excuses (yes, even intellectual agnostic type avoidance of the Lamb of God).    Put this all together and resistance is, in brief, a blocking of the message.  Ciao!

La Cena

English Students

La Pranza

There is an Italian proverb by Marco D’Oggione which says, “A man should learn to sail in all winds.”  As Marla and I walked through the Magenta neighborhood recently (likely that of Leonardo’ da Vinci), we felt the cool autumn winds and saw the bluest sky.  But, the winds of this autumn are not limited to the skies of Lombardy.

Piero e Eveline

Let me explain.  Last Sunday night, we had a couple from Zurich, Switzerland over to our apartment for a late supper (la cena).  They were originally from the lake region of northern Italy.  He was Italian, she  was of German descent.  If you notice the photo, our new friend looks like the actor George Clooney!    A Milanese stopped him to ask  if he was Clooney; he said, “No, I’m his brother.”

Giovani e Lucia

On the evening prior, we had an Italian couple in our home, Giovanni, an attorney in Milan, and his wife, Lucia.

Then, again, last night, I taught two young women from Ethiopia at the office (And, yes, I used Acts 8 to finalize my thoughts; thrilling indeed! ).   Prior to that meeting, I had spent almost an hour answering a question posed by a man from Sri Lanka.  Tomorrow, I will be teaching a young married woman named Vanessa, from Peru, South America.  In the morning, I will have met with a student from Ecuador.

The Italian language  and culture has brought all of these people together from the four winds of Earth.  This is a situation not dissimilar from that of Acts 2 and Isaiah 2 (“and many people shall come…that he may teach us his ways”).

Marla and I feel that we were placed  in Milan for this special moment in history. The breezes of these times are like currents in history.  The apostle Paul believed and taught in Ephesians 1 that  the winds of history serve to connect and affirm that God has entered history through Christ, and that history itself is not static, but dynamic for those who participate by faith.  We will close with a piece from Dante Alighieri: “Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always.”

A major concern of mine has been how to adequately show gratitude to our supporters. Well, in just three weeks, I am happy to be able to report that we have had an immediate flood of good news!

The Good News

1. First, a certain Monica was baptized in Florence several weeks ago.  Since then, she has shown good faith and is scheduled to be with Marla and I next Domenica (Sunday) after morning worship.
2. Secondly, another new sister, Maria, was added to the body after a long contemplation.  She expressed last Domenica that it was 1:00 A.M. when she decided to find that special pool of water mentioned throughout the book of Acts.  She was baptized and we all celebrated her new birth, along with Miss Monica’s.
3. Thirdly, we are glad to announce that an American family, Doug & Elizabeth, have become involved in the Milan work as a result of an engineering position which brings them to Milan.
4. Fourthly, I am extremely excited about working with three brothers in the congregation who want to train to go to the next level.  There may be more, but at this time these three have vocalized a special request to be challenged privately.

Bob's training session

About the brothers in Training

• Fikado, a brilliant Ethiopian, who speaks three languages, desires to learn Koine Greek and outreach skills.
• Fausto, from Equador, also a keen soul, is meeting with me to bring action into his Christian repertoire. Reciprocally, he is sharing his Italian language skills with me.
• Eric, from the Philippines, who is a tremendous song leader and persuader for the Lord’s cause.

Jason & Eric

Ficadu & Jason

These men already have a considerable Bible background. They are sharpening their swords for tomorrow. So, you see why Marla and I are legitimately encouraged by the first three weeks. A word of special thanks to all of our supporters, and especially to Lewis and Tammy: former missionaries to Milan, who laid the ground work and believed in us. We hope that you too are encouraged by these immediate developments! “Alleluia. Cantate al Signore un cantico nuovo” (Salmo 149: 1) “Praise the Lord!  Sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 149:1)