boston commoner.

welcome home

“A couple of years ago, I was standin’ out there where all you guys are, watchin’ my dad do the same thing, thinkin’, ‘He’s nuts!’ I seriously thought he had lost his mind, or somethin…”

It’s not every day you get to watch a teenage Bostonian girl admit what she was really thinking about your church family all of those months before she got saved. Especially since it wasn’t all that flattering. But so began Felicia’s testimony, as told before the congregation of the International Baptist Church of Boston this past Sunday.

A sweet prelude to any baptism, a new believer’s testimony can touch the hearts of those floundering in the coldest waters of the mundane. Like Mandy’s story, Felicia’s was told in her own words, flavored by the fresh expression of one otherwise ‘un-churched,’ combined with local colloquialisms and accents, all bound up by the barest and boldest sincerity of newborn faith–faith in Something real; in Someone substantial; in Somebody so grand, He can’t possibly be made up, Who has left so much evidence behind and around Him that He needn’t ever be so. (more…)

Some people are too talented for words. I’m not one of them, but Melita Matzko is. Here’s one of her recent cityscape photos.

Have a wonderful weekend, folks!

Many thanks to all of you who’ve been praying for Lisa. As to her current post-op status, many have asked and there seems to be some confusion. I myself am not sure what is going on, but I hear there’s a recent letter on Lisa’s condition floating out around there somewhere (apparently several of you ahve gotten it, or wanted it, but there’s been some trouble in it’s circulation). The most up-to-date info I, personally, have is contained in the following coment as posted yesterday by a fellow prayer partner and friend of Lisa’s:

Continue to pray. Lisa was moved back to ICU today (11-2-04). Her sodium levels are too low. They have done another CT scan, but results aren’t in yet.

-Comment by Kelley R

Here is some older info from Lisa’s mom concerning the initial diagnosis, operation, and problems they encountered after the first few days: (more…)

Well, I have to hand it to Kerry. He had the opportunity, under law, to drag this thing out for another 11 days, despite the fact that a win was, apparently, a mathematical impossibility by earlier this morning. But he spared us all this horrible fate, wrapping things up with a simple phone call. It’s kind of..fun? funny? horribly sad?…to hear what some of his disappointed supporters have to say about things now. And I don’t mean that to sound remotely vindictive. But, for example, one news clip just revealed a Boston woman’s deep thoughts and political analysis on the election outcome:

“I’m..I’m sad, because…because…I wanted Kerry to win, and I mean…well, I think we’re held hostage by conservative terrorists, in my opinion…”

Ummm… My guess is that she was one of the democratic supporters vehemently advocating that America set aside its electoral college system and elect by popular vote this time. She was probably sure that if we did so, Bush would lose (he would have in 2000, apparently, had overall popular vote been the standard for election). But Bush WON the popular vote this year. Indisputably. So my question is, who are these conservative terrorists??? It seems that the election was fair, and that President Bush won, either way, justly; while the election was very close, “democracy” has declared itself a winner. (more…)

About a month ago, I had the priviledge of attending my first outdoor baptism service. An international student and long-time attendee of the Sunday evening evangelistic Bible studies, Mandy (Jia Man) had recently been attending the Sunday morning worship services, as well. One Sunday after the worship service, we were all cluttered in the hallway, as usual, pretending to leave. Our group is always pretending to leave. We’re hopelessly unskilled in the art of exodus. We’re always finding other excuses to stay, initiating new conversations, sitting down again after we’ve stood up to go…twice… (more…)