Which Reminds Me

Someone is harping on the point that my great-grandparents' early paperwork designates them as "Christian workers," not really "missionaries." Ok, so I suppose that some smart alecky person is perhaps arguing that missionaries are not really Christian workers, or something like that. That is a matter of semantics, but not an important point to spend so much energy arguing about when obviously all Christians are under command of the Great Commission even if many choose to ignore it at their own risk.

Which Reminds Me

Speaking of the airport, oh, I forgot. Yes, I do have vegetable and mineral substances in my carry-on bag, but nothing illegal in that. Obviously you are not going to arrest me for carrying the equivalent of tea bags and also a pretty rock. So you were just scaring me for a minute, singling me out to search my bags, unnecessarily so. So?

And then on the connecting flight home there suddenly appeared that dreary Swedish lady who is always so mean to me and treats me like garbage.

Daniel and David get a special deal because their mother is Swedish but I am not included in that Swedish deal making Pentecostalism their exclusive domain, but maybe these Swedish cooks didn't get the memo.

Which Reminds Me

There is a question of when my great-grandparents were in China. They were commissioned as Christian workers in 1910 but when did they actually go to China? What was the travel timeline? The death of their infant son Philip Barth is recorded as 1911 and his grave's location in Los Angeles seems to suggest that they did not actually travel to China until later. Was the recorded departure of 1914 their first voyage to China? So these are some questions whose answers were not clear.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, you are expecting me to say something explaining how Kelly Misaka never gets any respect from us because she is really not a Christian. Kelly Misaka is an idolatrous ancestor-worshipping pagan Japanese who thinks that building her Japanese cultural site on the grounds of Azusa Street somehow provides her with a magical amulet that gives her magical powers over other people groups and countries and especially over Christians. Of course we all know that is totally bogus and that Kelly is a fraud and a sham. Shame on Japan for trying to pull off such a wicked stunt. Did Kelly not learn anything from WWII? What does anyone remember of Kelly from college beyond the antics of a clueless bimbo cheerleader? Yes, nothing comes to mind. I always just thought cheerleaders were sort of dumb. Why else would they want to do that? Ok, so here is the commentary you were asking for. Of course, nobody is going to actually say this because we are Christians and we just don't go ordinarily go around trashing people for no reason in that Japanese way of Kelly's, but if Kelly wants to reenact WWII, well, whatever. I don't want to do that but somebody probably should at least shut Kelly's stupid mouth.

As if I even know anything about Kelly or ever said anything about her behind her back. I actually have no idea of Kelly being a Christian or not. But someone is expecting me to say this even though I had not given much thought to Kelly's existence. I really couldn't care less about the existence of Kelly. Lots of people who attend Christian colleges don't really know what it means to be a Christian, even though that book, "Know Why You Believe," was required reading for most of us. I am just saying. Kelly who?

Which Reminds Me

Yes, not to be mean or anything, but we are really not connected to COGIC. Our great-grandparents left Azusa behind after 1908 and by 1910 they had gone over to the Upper Room Mission from which they were sent to China as Christian workers and missionaries. I was not born at the time so obviously I cannot explain why it is that they left Azusa Street and went over with the Upper Room people. I only know what is read in the history books. Notwithstanding the misinformation of Daniel, there is paperwork showing that this is how it went. Not to detract from the crucial place in history of Azusa Street but anyway we are pilgrims and travelers in this life. Azusa was one stopping place but then they left there and went to the Upper Room Mission and from there to China and so on. We can't really pretend that we stayed at Azusa Street forever. The Azusa Street Mission was torn down and a Japanese cultural center built on the site, so obviously there is not much reason to go there now, especially as we are not interested in Japanese culture. Japan is only one of how many countries in the world? And the Great Commission tells us to go to all the world, not excepting Japan but also not exclusively Japan. Anyway, nothing of the original Azusa Street Mission remains but a wall with some graffiti painted to commemorate the ancient revival of faded memory.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, not to be mean or anything, but we are really not connected to COGIC. Our great-grandparents left Azusa behind after 1908 and by 1910 they had gone over to the Upper Room Mission from which they were sent to China as Christian workers and missionaries. I was not born at the time so obviously I cannot explain why it is that they left Azusa Street and went over with the Upper Room people. I only know what is read in the history books. Notwithstanding the misinformation of Daniel, there is paperwork showing that this is how it went. Not to detract from the crucial place in history of Azusa Street but anyway we are pilgrims and travelers in this life. Azusa was one stopping place but then they left there and went to the Upper Room Mission and from there to China and so on. We can't really pretend that we stayed at Azusa Street forever. The Azusa Street Mission was torn down and a Japanese cultural center built on the site, so obviously there is not much reason to go there now, especially as we are not interested in Japanese culture. Nothing of the original mission remains but a wall with some graffiti painted to commemorate the ancient revival of dimming memory.

Which Reminds Me

Some topics are just not safe for public discussion. Such as, for example, who was the original leaker of the diaries? All I can say for sure is that it wasn't me. I only got access to them quite recently. Before passing them on to the next person I transcribed everything but I did not always have this storehouse of information at my fingertips. You could trace backwards from Chris to see who else had access to them but what he might have done with them before me I really have no idea. I could point fingers at many other third and fourth cousins whom I may suspect of colluding with the enemy but I really can't prove anything. I just know that it wasn't me.