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Showing posts from January, 2011

How I Met Sam Part 21

So they stitch Sam up, we get back home and it is now about 6:30 or so. The house is quiet. All four of us are 'okay' - Sam had the worst of it with attempted strangulation, stabbing, and stomping on his head. The rest of us were just in a daze. Actually, the strangulation part is a bit interesting. Sam's sister, Rebecca, had once taken an Israeli martial arts class for some odd reason (she's known to try to learn all sorts of strange and interesting things). In her enthusiasm she had explained to Sam that if you are ever being strangled you should turn your head to the side which moves your windpipe over making it harder to cut off your air. When they were in the middle of strangling him he suddenly remembered this trick and did it and was able to continue to breath - that's when they decided to stomp on his head instead. So, her interesting, random piece of advice DID come in handy - though we would never have expected this! We all gathered in the living room and

How I Met Sam Part 20

I accompanied Samuel to the Emergency Room and we sat for many hours while his tests came through and his injuries assessed. So it was suddenly very awkward. I'm sitting next to a shirtless wounded man with gaping wounds - major stab wounds to the chest and side. What do you say to your houseguest who gets beaten and stabbed his first night there? I didn’t know what to say. We were both stunned. He was in shock - thus the irrationality of not feeling he 'needed' to go to the hospital. We started to talk while we waited for them to set up for the stitches. I say how sorry I am that all this has happened and Hong Kong is usually a very safe place with very little crime. He says that his Dad had died in '96 and he had been sure he was going to see him again that night! We talked through some of our impressions, initial shock about the whole thing. Then they asked him to come to the cold metal table for the stitching part. Now, when I had had my stitches

Acronym for Caleb

C hrist be in me A ll on the altar L iving for Jesus E xalt Him every day B earing the Light P reaching the Word A ttitude of humility U nderstanding what is right L earning to trust God L ove God O thers first G row in grace A pply God’s truth N ever forget His promises

How I Met Sam Part 19

Esther and I approached the house just as Sam was being brought out. I had thought that he surely must be dead by the fight that I witnessed - but he was still in one piece, albeit covered in blood. I will never forget the smell. When violent injuries occur and there is a lot of blood - well, our house smelled like a butcher's for days. Upon entering the house, I was sure to find someone, if not everyone dead or severely wounded. I smelled blood and saw blood stains on the carpet and walls. Then I saw our houseguest, Sam. He was shirtless and his whole torso was bright red and blood was oozing out of the three stab wounds on his chest. He was frightfully pale, but conscious and alert. The paramedics began to treat him. My parents were okay - just shook up. I'll tell what happened from Sam's perspective. So he came to our house intending to get a good night's sleep. At 3 a.m. he heard some noise but didn't open his eyes in case the Crutchfield's just h

Forgiveness

Sometimes we think we have more to forgive than we really do. And in the self-nobility of forgiving we forget the true nobility of the One Who paid even for the sins committed against us. True forgiveness recognizes that before I begin to offer my forgiveness, Jesus already paid that debt. I am reminded that Jesus did say in teaching His disciples to pray, "Forgive us our sins as we also forgive those who sin against us." This is a stinging reminder that Jesus does expect something of us. This flies in the face of grace-abuse which says Jesus loves me, I'm okay, I'm forgiven and now I can go on and treat my fellow travellers in life with contempt, unforgiveness and scorn. I, of all people, run towards grace. But how can I appreciate it unless I know the great sacrifice involved in bringing it to me? I used to think I had done so much good internal work on forgiving. That I had so much hurt and wrongs done against me that it was the mature thing to work through f

Eternity

Eternity is a lot to risk For pride, doubt, pleasure – For arrogance, fear of faith – Eternity is forever. Too great a thing to ignore, Eternity is real, and I implore That you think upon that time When life’s days have passed and gone, And the door of time has shut, Where, my friend, do you think you’ll be – Forever, In Eternity?

How I Met Sam Part 18

I called up to Dad from below: "It's okay Dad, I'm here - you can go in now!" Thankfully he did and a few minutes later we were able to re-connect after this harrowing ordeal. Turns out they had only bound and gagged Mom and Dad, and because Sam had put up a fight they wrestled, stabbed, strangled, beat up, stomped on his head, finally dropping an old fax machine (the huge bulky kind) on his head. This caused him to pass out, and he thought he was dying. When Sam had come to, he found himself tied up and there was a lot of commotion. Next to where he was lying - right by his head - was the big meat cleaver. Sam thought they were about to behead him! A few minutes later when they realised he was 'awake' - they gathered 'round him and made the hand motion for money - since they couldn't speak English. At this Sam realised they hadn't come to kill him, only rob him. Sam gave them what he had and they ferretted around and found his camera and any othe

My Father’s Will

‘I want to do my Father’s will,’ I oft so glibly say. ‘As long as it’s not hard for me, I’ll follow in His way.’ Each day the struggle starts again: Whose Will shall I obey? Will I follow Jesus my Lord? Or walk in my own way? I often miss the point and ask, ‘Please Father, let this be! I’ll follow You and do Your will, the while it pleases me.’ He gently chides and softly speaks, ‘My child, I love you so! Fear keeps your heart from following the way you ought to go. My perfect love casts out all fear, and in Me you find peace. My will is not something to fear but in it find release.’ So much I want to change God’s will, and make it just like mine. But recalling Christ’s words in prayer, ‘Lord, not my will, but Thine.’ And so with heart and mind refreshed from truths God spoke to me, I start anew and pray again, ‘Lord, do Your will through me.’

Resurgence

Resurgence When on the anvil Of doubt and despair There is a will beyond my own Presenting to me hope and life: The choice is mine – the path I take Though steep it winds, this choice I make. When on the journey My delicate strength Depletes and I am left alone. But God is greater than my fault: He chides, He speaks and leads me on Though I am weak and the path long. And upward I go Though my heart be faint There is reborn in the ashes A hope restored to the dying. And joy is real, it springs anew True life revealed in morning dew. ************ “His mercies are new every morning” – Lamentations 3

How I Met Sam Part 17

My apologies to Dad for this post, but it is too funny to overlook. So, they caught the one guy with Esther's help, and then they head off to chase the other three who were by this time scampering up the mountain behind our house. Esther and I walk up the hill to the front of our house where we wonder what we'll find. We aren't allowed to enter the house yet. I'm in my t-shirt and shorts that I'd happened to sleep in that night. Unfortunately, Dad's pj's aren't so modest. Now, keep in mind there are like 20 camera media people standing out front of our house. Apparently a few police had taken the time to untie my Dad, who wasn't dead after all. Dad went straight to my room, hoping I was okay, only to find I was gone! With great anxiety he stepped out onto the balcony (still in his undershirt and tighty-whiteys) and starts yelling to the crowd below: "Where's Sarah!? She isn't here!" The media thought this was a sight to behold - fo

Alphabet

Alphabet for Little Ones... Growing in the Lord …by Sarah Logan (written for my kids) A is for Adam, the first man that God made B is for Believer – all those that are saved C is for Confess – agreeing with what God says D is for Delighting in Him – and all you do is blessed. E is for Eternity – for time will never end F is for Forgiven; knowing God is our Friend G is for His Goodness, and Grace and Greatness too H is for Heaven, where things are always new! I is for Immortal – men’s souls shall never die J is for Jesus – for my sins He died K is for Kingdom – for Christ shall come to reign L is for Living, as Jesus is today M is for His mercy – my punishment He took. N is for my Name, now written in His book. O is for Offering – my thanks to Him I bring P is for Praising Him, in thoughts and words I sing Q is for Quitters, who don’t continue on R is for Redemption – for those with sin now gone S is for our Saviour, Who gave His life for me T i

How I Met Sam Part 16

As the guy sprinted towards us, Esther is estimating the best time to step out and clobber him. The police were losing ground and as he approached she jumped out and whacked him on the back with her handy toy rifle (which she had grabbed for 'protection' - probably more a psychological safety blanket than anything). The rifle shattered into plastic pieces and the man fell to the ground and the police who were chasing dog-piled him and cuffed him and dragged him to the police car. On a side note, the Hong Kong media must be linked into the police radios because they all were showing up around this time. I'd say there were 20 + media people gathered around our house - flashing cameras and notebooks handy. Link to Part 17

How I Met Sam Part 15

Okay, so we're in the bushes and Esther is with me and the police enter the house. There sounds like quite a scuffle going on and we are anxiously watching - wondering what's going on inside. I keep saying, 'They've killed my parents, Sam is dying. They've probably killed him by now.' Remember, I had seen them beating him up and watched the knives flying and the scuffle going on - to my horror! Suddenly we see a few men come scuttling down the drain pipe of the house over the roof! Then another one shoots through the front door in an effort to escape. Esther and I were cowering in the bushes as this was all unfolding. The guy who came out the front door, in a panic starts sprinting towards us as it seemed the best escape route. Of course he didn't see us behind the foliage. The police started to chase him, but they were cloddy and clumsy with all their extra gadgets and knicknacks. The guy was getting away! Esther - meek, humble, house-wife lady - says,

How I Met Sam Part 14

So we got the police to come and met them at the bottom of the hill/entrance to our village. As we were leaving the neighbours house to meet the police, Esther, the wife/mom said, 'Oh, let me grab something while we go watch...oh, here's a toy rifle, that'll do.' I guess she wanted something for protection. Surprisingly, it DID come in handy later. The police, Esther, Lincoln and I started walking up the hill towards our house. The police had brought everyone with them and all their gadgets and tools. Just about 15 yards from our front door they told Esther and I to stand back in the bushes while they entered the house. I don't think any of us were thinking about what exactly to do - just to go in quickly and stop the whole ordeal. Esther and I stood together in some bushes watching them enter the house. Link to Part 15

How I Met Sam Part 13

I got to the neighbours house, winded and scared that the men were on my heels. The distance was about a block - but up a bunch of stairs and a hill. Once at their door I tried the doorbell but it didn't seem to work. I started banging on the metal frame door. I was trying to not be too loud cuz I was sure the thieves were following me, but since I didn't see them I just kept banging. After what seemed like an eternity (probably 3 minutes or so), finally the Mrs. came down in p'js and groggily answered the door. It was a amazing they even heard me! "Hurry! Call the police! They've broken in! They're killing Sam. They've probably killed my parents! They have knives! Quick!" "Oh, hi Sarah. Now, what's going on? Are you sure you're not having a bad dream? You want us to do what? Do you know it's 3 a.m.?" she said. "C'mon! Quick! Get the phone!" I said. "Okay, here - Lincoln [her husband] - call the poli

How I Met Sam Part 12

I was in shock (and horror) at what was happening before my eyes. Watching violence live is most unappealing. Okay, that's an understatement - it is gut-wrenching. You want to scream, throw something, go in and grab the guys and fight them off. But somehow God took control of me and kept me from doing what my impusles demanded. I shut the door. My heart was racing - I was beginning to panic. 'Call the police.' I thought. No, the phones are in their bedrooms - not mine! 'Run downstairs to that phone.' - No, I'd have to pass those two rooms again. My room was the next one they would be heading towards I assumed. 'Wait, this can't really be happening - is this happening?' So I opened the guest room door again to verify what my mind couldn't believe. 'Think think think!' No, this can't be happening! A third time (no comments on my stupidity please) I opened the door where the men were beating up Sam. This time all three men heard it, s

The Tool Box Church

Down on the corner of Hardware Street and Artist Road sat the little ToolBox Church. It was a nice little place, full of bustling, joyful activity. ToolBox Church could boast a congregation full of useful tools. Mr. Hammer served his part by making sure no nails were sticking out. Then there was Sir Paintbrush who added aesthetic little touches here and there. Mrs. Sandpaper kept the pews from splintering and Mr. Screwdriver made sure things didn’t fall apart. Level was a newcomer and was vigilant about precision. All in all, ToolBox Church was and ideal place to be, to serve and to fellowship. The Head of ToolBox Church, Mr. Construction Worker, was very pleased with His group. They worked in harmony, each complementing the other. Together they made sure ToolBox Church was a warm, welcoming place where any new tools could jump right in using their particular skills to advance the beauty and functionality of the Church. Things seemed

How I Met Sam Part 11

The man with the knife turned and looked in my direction. I thought our eyes met and wondered why he didn't come after me. He was about 3 feet away from where I was standing. I don't always include this part of the story because it was so confusing to me and I am not sure what to make of the 'miraculous' - or 'out of the ordinary'. In my shock I didn't move and he turned back to his digging. I began to think my parents weren't alive. I couldn't fathom that. There was a lot of noise and commotion going on in the room across the hall. Without thinking about the man in my parents room I turned and opened the sliding door to the guest room. The noise from the sliding door caused the three men inside to stop and look up and me. Again, they made no response to my presence and continued to wrestle with our houseguest, beating him again and again on the head. They were on top of the bed, on top of our guest. I noticed they also had knives – one

How I Met Sam Part 10

I entered the hallway and saw lights on in my parents bedroom and the door wide open. I went to the door and saw a Chinese man with a long knife, and my parents on their stomachs with their hands tied behind them. I could not see their faces, and they weren’t moving. The Chinese man looked at me, and our eyes locked. I wondered why he did not respond to me in any way. Perhaps I really was dreaming. Perhaps I had died and these were my last visions on earth. Either way, I was glad he did not respond to my presence! (Later, I realised this was God’s protection of me – it was as if He blinded their eyes to my presence). The cries continued and I turned to the next room, where I knew I would find out what was happening. How I Met Sam - Part 11

How I Met Sam Part 9

So I got the spare key. Got the room ready. Met the dashingly handsome Mr. Sam Logan himself. Talked for a brief time before heading to bed. The content of that conversation? "Here's your room, it doubles as the library and office." "Oh, thanks. So, what kind of books do you like to read?" "Russian History and Poetry." [thinks to himself: 'Hmmm. We have nothing in common.'] [thinks to herself: 'Hmmm. I didn't think an engineer would have any interest in history or literature.'] And he didn't. And as far as reading interests, it seemed we DIDN'T have much in common. We said good night and went to bed. My room was just down the hall from his, and my parents room was opposite his room. At three a.m. I was awoken from my sleep - and I happen to be a deep sleeper. I heard shouts, screams, commotion. I tried to go back to sleep. I didn't want to have to get up. I heard words such as, "God send your angels!&

How I Met Sam Part 8

So there I was, locked out at 9 p.m. on October 2 nd . I was able to reach my mother on a cell phone and ask what I should do. ‘Our neighbours have keys,’ she said, ‘they live in another row of houses nearby – call them to find out where to go.’ I quickly found their house and got a spare key. Sam had asked Bas if he could come on Saturday evening so as not to travel so far on Sunday morning. Bas thought that was a good idea but then told him he had guests already and no room for him to stay. He gave him my parents phone number and said they would probably have room. I was told to get the guest room ready. The funny thing is, I had specifically laid out my keys next to my bag and made a mental note 'Don't forget your keys, Sarah.' I couldn't figure out how I could've left them when I had been so careful about it. But God was proving Himself even in this small detail. You see, finding the neighbours at that specific time - neighbours who were Ame

My Book List

What I'm reading: 1. Plan B by Pete Wilson 2. Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer 3. Hitler's Cross by Erwin Lutzer 4. The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders 5. 12 "Christian" Beliefs that can drive you crazy by Cloud and Townsend 6. The Key to Your Child's Heart by Gary Smalley 7. The Blessing 8. The Original Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy 9. Stop Walking on Eggshells 10. Guilt and Grace by Tournier There are more, but 10 is enough to list here. You can see they are random and varied. Recently Finished: Going Solo by Roald Dahl (I especially liked his description of the dotty British Empire overseas dwellers with idiosyncrasies that were somewhat familiar to my experience of this rare breed, so much so that it was uncanny.) The Twits The BFG (also by Roald Dahl) The latter two were read out loud to the kids, with them often in stitches rolling on the floor. I write that in full text because it isn't a figure of speech, but an actual f

How I Met Sam Part 7

Let's back up a little. I had been out of college two years. I had little or no direction in my life. I was basically putzing around working to feed myself and staying out of trouble. I had done a variety of jobs, and was pursuing further education. It was sort of a plateau in my life where I felt nothing was moving forward. As for romance - I stayed far, far away. I had dated before, found it distasteful - someone always getting hurt - halfhearted commitments (on my part and others), treacherous, painful, ick! I gave up on that and said to God, 'I know dating is the way people do things these days, but it doesn't seem to fit my style very well. My ideal situation is that You would bring the man into my life, we would get to know each other a little - and we'd start from engagement and go from there. Since that is totally unrealistic God, and I see no way that could happen, I will just take it from You that You want me single the rest of my life. If, however, You have

How I Met Sam Part 6

Sam did not return to our fellowship until four weeks later after he resolved some visa problems. There was an interesting turn of events that brought our paths much closer than I’d ever imagined was possible. My Dad had been on a trip to Vietnam and so it was just my Mom and me, and he was due to return Sunday after Church. Early that morning, we heard on the news that the latest typhoon was so severe that Hong Kong was closing all public transport. We had to cancel Church because of this. Bas phoned us and explained that Sam was on his way from China where the news had not reached and would be arriving on the last train running. He was coming for the Church service that was not to be! Bas asked us to pick both he and Sam up and we arranged to have a small Breaking of Bread service in our living room, just the four of us. After that, my Mom began lunch preparations and told me what she wanted me to do for lunch. She needed to pick up my Dad at the airport and invit

Hummus

I hear that for some people, eating peanut butter out of the jar is a weakness. Guess I can't relate. But I do have that kind of weakness for hummus. Let me clarify - never store bought hummus (just seems not right to have not seen everything that went in there - of course for me this thinking only applies to hummus and a few other things), but homemade, straight from the blender. You probably want an exact recipe or something. Well, I don't tend to do things that way. We could title my blog 'The Sloppy Housewife' or something like that. Here is hummus my way: A can of Garbanzo beans (drain if you like, then dump contents into blender). Tahini (if you want to get it cheaper, go to an Indian store or middle eastern, it's cheaper there). I use about 4 or 5 soup spoon dollops into the blender. You can use more or less, depending what you like. Real Lemons (in a pinch, use the bottle stuff - just pour some in) (Squeezed, I use a lot - like 2-4 lemons). Salt (litt

How I Met Sam Part 5

I knew nothing about this Sam Logan, but had been impressed with what he shared at the Breaking of Bread and how joyful he seemed. I could tell he had a genuine desire to please God and demonstrated a sincere love for Him. I thought he would not be returning to our small fellowship, since usually Bas has out-of-town guests who only stay a week or two. I did not know that he was living and working just north of the Hong Kong border in China, and was planning to stay for a year or more. I began my classes and adjusted to Hong Kong living once again. Two weeks after arriving in Hong Kong we had a severe typhoon. The neighbours whose house was attached and adjacent to ours were hostile and more than unfriendly. They accused my parents of polluting their outside drain as it ran behind both our houses. My parents tried their best to keep a clear distance, but in typhoon situations, when the neighbours blocked the drain, it would cause flooding and damage to o

How I Met Sam Part 4

It was at the peak of summer, late August, 1999 when I arrived in Hong Kong. My luggage had been lost, and I had only the clothes I was wearing and my crutches. When I arrived we went first to the Emergency Room where I was able to have my ankle examined and x-rayed. This was my first Emergency Room visit at the nearby hospital during my stay. I would make two more in the coming month, though I didn’t know it at the time. The day after I arrived I attended our small church which my parents had helped to start a number of years before. It met in a school, on the fourth floor. Climbing up so many stairs on crutches was exhausting, and the sweltering heat didn’t help either! When I stopped to catch my breath at the top of the stairs, my eye caught sight of a few guys up ahead standing near the outside of the meeting room. One was Bas, a Dutch missionary from Canada (try to figure that out!). I had known him since he had been in Hong Kong

Interrupting

To all you who thought this would be a nicey-nice blog, my apologies, because I do have a bee in my bonnet. I think I should use this blog to publicly confess one of my sharper rough edges, namely interrupting. Let me apologize to all who know me for this glaring fault - well, you'd say it's a fault if you're a non-interrupter type. For once and for all, I'm truly sorry. I must also say I totally cannot understand you non-interrupters. Either you have tonnes of self-control or you are passionless. How do you do it? My way is to talk until someone else jumps in, and jump in when I disagree! If the rules of conversation don't allow for interrupting then conversations end up looking like high school debate team scenarios. Now, when people interrupt me, I am not bothered, judging or angry. I don't take it personally. I am not offended. To me, that is dialogue. What am I missing here? Please, if you are a non-interrupter, help me understand! And please k

How I Met Sam Part 3

A year after moving to Wheaton and working as a piano teacher and other part-time work, I began to evaluate where I was heading in life, and discovered real lack of direction. I decided to go back to school to try for a teaching degree. This was mostly from the encouragement of my parents. It wasn’t a bad idea actually. While I took some classes to transfer when I found a program to become certified in, I became quite interested in Chinese and Russian History. I then concocted a plan to become a teacher, then take evening classes to get a master’s degree in either Russian or Chinese History and then attempt to study in either of these two countries. I liked academia, finally. And I was a much better student when I chose to go to school, than when I was told I must. I got high grades and felt I could excel in higher education, and perhaps be a college professor one day. During the summer of 1999 my parents phoned me from Hong Kong and to