Cool Indeed

There are some very cool things about living here in the Caribbean. (At least I think they are cool.) As I was sitting at my desk today working, I looked out the window and there sat an iguana about 5-6 feet long grazing on some tiny flowers in my backyard. I hollered at my husband to find the camera as the iguana was making his way to the fence between me and the next door neighbors. I got one shot of him just before he climbed the fence only to be spotted by the neighbor's two dogs who began to bark incessantly at him.

I walked out onto the porch, now only about 10 ft. from him and he spotted me. The poor thing sat teetering on the top of the chain-link trying to figure out what to do. The harassing dogs were on one side and I was on the other. Several times he almost slipped and fell over with the dogs. My husband tried to coax the dogs away with a piece of cheese, but it just was not as tempting as that whole iguana. They were going nowhere. We watched the poor thing struggle for a few minutes and debated what to do. We have seen those things whip their long tails and have heard they can give you a good thrashing.

But, have no fear, the very courageous four year old twin girls from next door rushed out with their toy broom and pitch-fork and knocked the huge dragon off the fence away from the dogs. It quickly scurried down the hill toward the creek and all the excitement was over for the day.

Oh, the life and excitement in the tropics.

Dana Burk

Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer

As the temperature outside rises and the mugginess of summer settles in I am reminded of a comment a close friend made to me several years ago. We both were living in the Caribbean at the time (niether of us had air conditioning) and were discussing salvation and the Bible. She paused a moment and then said through her tears, "Dana, I CAN'T go to Hell. It is so hot here and I can't imagine what an eternity of this would be like." You might find her statement amusing if she hadn't been so completely sincere. It was HOT! It was miserably hot that evening as we talked about what God expected from each of us. But I know it was nothing like what Hell will be like--she understood that too--that was her point.

Most of us despise being really hot. We reach for fans, grab cold drinks, take dips in the pool or just hibernate in the air conditioning. We wait for the heat to subside and long for the cool of evening or even the advent of fall. Hell, however will be eternal heat. There will be no fans, no cold drinks, no cool pool of water and certainly no air conditioning and fall will NEVER come.

Later this summer when you think about how hot it is and long for cooler weather, remember, this heat is no comparison to those who reject God and His word.

Dana Burk

Me First!

Puerto Rico is a beautiful island with incredibly friendly and gracious people and yet there is a quality about the people here I find repulsive. They are aggressive, selfish, me-first drivers, when in the car, with absolutely NO consideration for anyone but themselves. When it comes to who goes first it will always be them, if it is within their power, even at the risk of certain wrecks. Our house backs up to a small creek that runs along a very busy road and in the short three weeks or so that we have lived here, we have heard numerous wrecks just beyond the trees. It doesn't stop on the roads however, today we were literally run over by a guy pushing his way to the front of the line with his cart, making sure he was first to check out at the grocery. He never apologized or even acknowledge his behavior. Truly "road rage" is alive and well in Puerto Rico.

What causes people to behave so rudely? My husband said the other day that life is just not that short that you would need to kill yourself to get there first. So what is the problem? I really believe it is a total lack of respect for God and thus authority that causes such behavior. When you meet people personally here, they are polite and kind and treat you with respect, but when they don't know you--they have nothing to lose in the relationship--they are rude, crude and hateful. It is all about them!

There are religious people here on the island, but they are few and far between. On Sundays it is so glaring how few are out and about "worshiping God". The malls are packed, the beaches are full and the restaurants are busy, but it is obvious they have not just left "church". Traffic here is unbelievable from early morning until late at night except on Sunday mornings on our way to worship. No one is out; the streets are deserted and the driveways are full of parked cars. But, have no fear, just after lunchtime, the masses return to the road at a fever pitch and the chaos begins again. It is ironic, but the time that you would think many would be out worshiping God, most here are at home resting (worshiping themselves).

Have you ever thought about how your respect for God determines how you drive your vehicle, not to mention your grocery cart? If you have respect for God--the author of law and order, of peace, then you respect the rights of others and consider others before yourself. However, if you do not acknowledge Him as Lord and ruler of your life, then chaos and confusion reign and that is certainly true of the vast majority of the drivers on this beautiful island God created for them. Paradoxical!

The lack of God in the lives of the people here is seen in many other aspects of their lives: the way they dress (or maybe I should say don't dress), the way they spend their time and the things that are so important to them. Does your life reflect who is most important in your life? It does! The question is, does it reflect that God is most important in your life?

Dana Burk