May 07 2013

Hey BAKERS, what does a TUESDAY in paradise look like?

Bellows Sunrise

Here’s what our Tuesday looked like…

I’m back with another post on what our daily lives look like!  So here’s what Tuesday had in store.  

Jess is in the office every morning at 730am.  She works there as the receptionist, answering phones, checking and responding to e-mails.  She also uses any down time she has to do some Bible Study.  This morning she was working on some paragraph titles for Genesis.  

Every Tuesday we have a staff meeting from 830-10:00AM.  It’s a time for the whole staff to get together and share any important announcements   Our base leaders were headed out to the airport around soon after the meeting, so this weeks meeting was short.  They are headed to Asia to do pastoral visits for the DTS teams we have over there.  

At the end of the meetings we break off into “service teams.”  Service teams are areas of responsibility that we all pick up that don’t require full time jobs but need to be done.  

I’m on the Launch service team, which is part of my full time job.  Launch is our Thursday night community meeting.  I serve on that team with two of the other guys here on base.  We use that time to discuss the last weeks service and also to plan the upcoming weeks service and delegate any responsibilities.  My team has it down to a science and we’re in a good groove so those meetings usually don’t last long either.  

Jess is on the “Kid’s Club” service team.  This means every other Thursday she provides child care during the Launch meeting.  They meet briefly to review the past week and discuss the upcoming week.    

After our staff meeting, Jess returned to the office and I met with one of the guys on staff that works in the IT department and also recently got put in charge of Sound/AV.  We established some goals for the week, one being to clean out and inventory what equipment we have and what works when it comes to sound.  

We then set up an in-house facebook group for current staff to use as another way to communicate.  

Then I worked on a graphic for one of the slides that will play before Launch which will advertise kids club.

I then took a phone call which was very helpful and led me to some possibilities on some resources I’ve been looking for.   I’m looking for short 5 minute video biographies on famous missionaries that we can play at our Launch meeting.  

That brings us to lunch.  I made some mahi mahi and asparagus in our electric skillet.  I’m bad at cooking fish though, it always gets too tough even though I only cook it to 145 degrees.  

After lunch Jess returned to the office again.  And I gave a one hour piano lesson to Christina who is playing piano on our worship team.  

Then I came back to my room/office and edited, and reedited, and reedited, and reedited, and reedited, and reedited YWAM Honolulu’s May newsletter and then sent it to 1500+ people.    It’s the first time a consistent newsletter has been sent to people in a while so I wanted to make sure there were no errors.  

I then thought I should get a personal update out too, and briefly edited the one I had written up the other night and got that out too.  

Jess came home during that time, and went and worked out with another staff member.  Before she left to work out we snapped today’s 365.  

I ate dinner, 2 turkey burgers with tomato and red onion wrapped in lettuce.  

When Jess returned we watched an episode of The Walking Dead, then Jess ate her dinner, she had a salad.  And now I’m writing this blog.  

Its 848pm and Jess is laying on the bed charting Ephesians.  Charting is just a particular method of study that the SBS uses.  That will be a whole other blog post that I’ll let Jess write.  

I’m going to read my bible chapters for the day now too.    

So that was our Tuesday! 

Engage:  What did your Tuesday look like?  (It’s most likely Wednesday if you’re reading this)  So you can tell me either what today or yesterday looked like:) Let us know in the comments!  
May 05 2013

Check Out These Two Blog Posts!

In the past couple of weeks 2 different people have written blog posts, not exactly in response to a blog post written here, but because of a blog post written here…

It’s an honor to have inspired people to write on their blogs!

Check out Colleen Cook’s recent blog post entitled: 

And check out Aaron Reinard’s recent post called:  

Engage:  Did you read their posts?  What did you think?  Let us know in the comments.  

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Colleen CookMay 6, 2013 - 2:17 am

Hey! Thanks for the referral! :)

jimjessbakerMay 6, 2013 - 7:05 am

no prob!

May 03 2013

How To Make Sense Of The Bible

A cropped version of yesterdays 365.  

Do you have a hard time reading the bible?  Does it make sense to you?  … 

Last week I asked people to join me in reading the New Testament over the next couple of months.  We’re doing 5 chapters a day.  So today we’re reading Matt 10-15.  

I’m going to share some of my thoughts and observations that I had while I was reading.  Let me preface this by saying I am in no way an authority on the bible.  I’m not a theologian or a scholar so please don’t use me as an authority on the Bible.  If you’ve got questions, I encourage you to go to your pastor who does has authority in this area and ultimately to God.  

Jess and I have had the honor to sit under some AMAZING bible teachers.  So some of the things I will share I didn’t just pick up from reading, but are observations that others have shown me.  

What I don’t want this to turn into is a crazy heated debate in the comments.  So share what you’re learning, share what God is teaching you and if you’re going to write a response to someone else be loving.  
Lets get into it shall we?  

What did I know coming into the book of Matthew?  
1.  I remembered that it was written to a Jewish audience 
2.  The gospels are about Jesus.  

Something I’ve learned about studying the Bible that is SO important and has made Bible make a lot more sense is reading the Bible in CONTEXT.  

Each book of the bible was written by an author, and written TO a group of people, and just like any author, the author had an intent on why they were writing.  There were things going on that the author was going to address.  

So knowing who the author is, who the intended audience was, and why the writer was writing helps us make better interpretations.  Even better is having an understanding of the culture that the audience is reading from.  We often try to understand what is being said in a letter that was written 2000 years ago and comprehend it with our 2013 minds.  

Imagine taking some of these blog posts and sending them back 2000 years.  Do you think any of them could make much sense about what I’m talking about?  They wouldn’t even know what a blog post was.  

Chapter 1 starts out with the genealogy of Jesus.  This genealogy is DIFFERENT than the one in Luke.  And is also not literal because there are more than 14 generations between some of those names.  

WHAT?!  The BIBLE isn’t LITERAL?!  Than how can it be true?!  

This goes back to the culture of the times, we are viewing the Bible as a historical account, which it IS, but you can’t take a letter that was written in pre-modern times and try to interpret it with a western linear mindset.  Matthew was not writing to give a chronological, literal itinerary of Jesus.  

I struggled with this thought when I first learned it, because I thought that if the Bible was to be TRUE it always to be 100% literal.  

Wow.  We’re only into the first verses of chapter one.  Shall I continue?  

I find it interesting that if you’re writing history, most people would REMOVE the bad parts, but included in Jesus’ lineage and highlighted is David and mentioning that his son Solomon’s mother was another man’s wife.  And also includes a prostitue Rahab in the lineage.  

LOCATIONS.  When I usually read through the bible, I just blaze past the names of places because I don’t know where they are.  Last time I started reading through Matthew I starting looking them up, and it made things come a live a bit more.  I just found this resource it’s pretty cool.  It’s a google map, that has the locations mapped out by verse reference.  The places Jesus is going has significance, because the original reader would have known where He was talking about.  Like if I mentioned to you oh I’m going into the Bronx… there’s a stigma that goes along with that.  So when Jewish people heard that Jesus had to go into Egypt to hide, (chapter 2) I wonder what kind of things that stirred up in the Jewish audience.  Egypt was a place of slavery for them.  (Exodus) 

k… this is getting long already and I’m still on chapter 1.  I’m really going to have to just pick some highlights.  

I like that Joesph in 1:19 is said to be “faithful to the law” so he had a right to divorce Mary, yet he was going to do it quietly as to not shame her.  Even when we are right, or have the right, we can still go about doing things lovingly.  I think as Americans we often think that if we have the RIGHT then we’re going to be “unpleasant words” about it.  

I like 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”  Repentance isn’t a one time thing… we have to keep repenting and there should be fruit from that repentance.  

In chapter 4 when Jesus is calling the disciples they IMMEDIATELY followed Him.  
Chapter 5.  The beatitudes never made much sense to me… they seem to be one of the most taught on things, maybe I make them to complicated.  I went back and read through some of my notes and I wrote down that the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is expounding on a lot of the law that the Pharisee’s would argue about.  

Another good thing to look for is repeated words or themes.  

Kingdom Of Heaven – Other gospels use Kingdom of God, but this was chosen because Jewish people don’t use the name of God.  Kingdom is a ruling word.  I don’t think that the original readers were thinking of Heaven like we think of Heaven (location we go after we die) when Jesus is speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.  – It seems like this is a common theme, pointing to Jesus as the Messiah.  So just from internal evidence maybe this book was written to Jews who did not yet believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  Or Christian Jews who needed reaffirmation that Jesus was the Messiah.  

Miracles – The miracles Jesus is preforming had more significance to the original reader than they do to us.  They seem random to us but the people Jesus was healing were people that were ritually unclean (leporsy, dead body, woman subject to bleeding) and therefore unable to approach God because of the Levitical law.  

Matt 8:21-22 – Lord first let me go bury my father… Let the dead bury their own dead.  

That seems kind of harsh Jesus… but the context here I’ve learned is that there were no nice cemeteries  so people would bury their dead and wait a year for the body to decay and then put all the bones in a box so it took up less space.  

Alrighty… it’s after midnight here, that’s enough for now.  Sorry if there are some grammar or spelling mistakes, it’s late and I’m not going to spend the time proof reading.  

Next Friday I will write another bible post about the week’s readings.  

Engage:  Are you reading along?  Please post a comment and tell me what you’re learning and what God is showing you!  Did some verses really stick out?  Or did you have a question about one?  Let us know!

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Jer WatMay 3, 2013 - 5:24 am

Dude. So this is very unique for me as I have never been a part of an international Bible study (I was going to use IBS for short but as you can see, there are a few problems with that acronym). This is a great initiative and I look forward to digging deeper into the word with y’all.

Not sure if you heard, but the part of Canada where I’m writing from just had some more snowfall so reading the Christmas story was fairly appropriate. I read the first few chapters of Matthew as a dramatic reading for our church service and the power behind the story stirred up in me again as I read it this week. My notes on the following chapters and probably here on in will be point form as time allows me only to do so. These are my takeaways:

– Matthew 5:8: This verse stuck out as I continually strive for purity and the hope to “see God” is far too beautiful of an opportunity for me to pass up.

– Matthew 5:19b: That’s pretty legit to be called “great in the Kingdom of Heaven”. But as usual, you gotta work hard at it to gain that status, so obeying His laws should almost always be second nature as difficult and daunting as it may imply.

– Matthew 6:33: Classic verse that still puts me in my place as a reminder that I have everything I need and I don’t need to focus on everything I want. All I have to do is live righteously. Sheesh, that should be pretty easy, eh?

– Matthew 10:20: For all those times where I feel at a loss for speaking into someone’s life or presented with an opportunity to share the gospel, this is what I should be reciting over and over and over. I can always find opportunities to try to make someone or a group of people laugh, but when it comes down to the hard stuff…I stutter and stumble over my words as I struggle to rack my brain and heart to try to say something profound or heart changing. I can’t believe I’m going to quote 80’s group, En Vogue but their lyrics “Free your mind, and the rest will follow.” inspires me to forget the distractions of how/what I’m going to say and the “rest” won’t be my words but His.

The passages in between that I omitted in my notes where Jesus calls his disciples and starts throwin’ down miracles like a boss makes me wonder if at the end of the day Jesus, as a human being doesn’t put his feet up, sigh really loud and say something like, “MAN, I’m pooched!” I thought my days were tough. Try casting demons into some good ol’ pigs and saving lives.

That being said, I am also not a scholar so my thoughts that I write here are just ramblings of a busy guy trying to intentionally take time to revive a passion to read the Bible. Thanks, Jim for spurring me on. Much unlike a good workout routine, I hope I don’t miss a few days or forget to follow along with the readings. I ask for grace if I do and life gets too busy for me to read and write my thoughts. Until next week, my friends.

Marjorie ReinardMay 3, 2013 - 2:02 pm

Not necessarily relevant to Matthew…but I was struck this week, that Jesus often references the OT, and because we are not familiar with it, as the Jews are we miss the reference and the deeper meaning there may be in the words He is saying. So cross referencing adds alot of depth to our reading of the gospels.

jimjessbakerMay 3, 2013 - 2:06 pm

completely agreed! Next I’ll try and tackle the OT :)

AnonymousMay 4, 2013 - 3:50 am

Hey thеre! Ӏ’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the superb work!

Here is my blog; hcg weight loss

Apr 30 2013

Click Here To See A Tour Of Our House In Honolulu [VIDEO]

2013.04.30 House Tour from Jim and Jess Baker on Vimeo.

As promised, here’s a video tour of our house… ***(Update 12/14/13 – we don’t live in this house anymore, but have yet to do a video update of our new digs.  We will make sure to do so in 2014!)***

I also wanted to show you the view out of our living room window.  There is a gazebo right in front with a table and a few chairs.  And then there is another housing building to the left that is exactly like ours.  Then the building you can see in the back is the temporary office. And behind that is the girls staff house.  
Engage:  What do you think?  Let us know in the comments.  

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
AnonymousMay 18, 2013 - 4:05 pm

I have been surfing on-line greater than 3 hours as of late, but I never found any
attention-grabbing article like yours. It’s beautiful price enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made just right content as you probably did, the web shall be much more useful than ever before.

my web blog; plesk Dedicated

AnonymousJune 17, 2013 - 11:06 pm

Have you ever thought about writing an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs?
I have a blog based on the same topics you discuss and would really like
to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would appreciate your work.
If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.

My web blog: übersetzung englisch deutsch kostenlos

Apr 28 2013

Want To Read Through The New Testament With Me?

A photo I took of a book written in 1899.  

I stink at consistent bible reading… yup… I said it…

Don’t they say in 12 step programs that honesty is the first step to recovery?  Well, I say I value the Word of God, but I don’t spend much time in it.  

But I want that to change.  So I’m throwing excuses and any feelings of guilt out the window.  Here we go…  

Simple challenge.  There are 260 chapters in the New Testament.

I’m going to read 5 chapters a day.  Which means if I don’t miss a single day I could be finished in 52 days.  My goal is to be finished by the end of June.  

Example…
May 1st – Matthew chapters 1-5.  
May 2nd – Matthew chapters 6-10 and so on…

Who’s with me?  Maybe I’ll make Friday’s post my thoughts on the past week’s reading.  And we can discuss what we’re learning in the comments!  (I miss my Maryland bible study!)

Engage:  Are you good about daily bible reading?  Are you going to read through the New Testament with me?  Let us know in the comments.  

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Lisa HansonApril 29, 2013 - 6:22 am

I’m pretty bad at consistency, but I’ve been following a Bible plan the assistant pastor at my church made and it has REALLY helped. I get up and have coffee and breakfast with Jesus pretty consistently. It normally takes the time I eat cereal to read a few chapters. Thanks for being honest.

jimjessbakerApril 29, 2013 - 8:11 am

awesome, i’m glad you’ve found a good groove!

Apr 25 2013

We Stink At 365ing | MAY SELF PORTRAIT CHALLENGE!!!

April 23rd’s 365.  
So on November 1st of last year Jess and I set out to take a photo a day of ourselves for a whole year.  Lately we’ve been really stinking at it…

My mom, my grandma, and one of my sisters have all joined in on the 365 project.  We’ve all kind of fallen off the bandwagon.  So here as an attempt of reviving this… 

Below is a list of photos for the month of MAY.  So number 1 will start on May 1st.  

RULES
All photos MUST be taken BY YOU and be OF YOU.  Meaning… you have to set the shot up, no one else can be holding the camera.  The point of 365’s is to learn how to use your camera better.  So for some of these you’ve got to bust out your tripod, or set your camera away from you on something sturdy, and use your timer for some of these shots.  You also might have to read through your manual to figure out how to adjust your shutter speeds and apertures.  GOOGLE is also your friend:)  If you don’t know what something means, you can type it into google or you can ask me.  That’s why I’m posting this list a few days before May 1st.  Ask questions in the comments and check back for answers.  Each photo MUST be posted online the day it’s taken.  (That last rule is for me because I slack and take some photos then post like 3 weeks worth 3 weeks later.)  

Anyone can join in!  In fact, it’d be super fun if you did join in.  We’ve been posting them on flickr.  But you can post them on facebook if you want.  

Print this list out and put it somewhere where you’re going to see it and be reminded!  Here we go:) 

LIST
1.  A photo of you with your camera at its max zoom (set your camera up far away on a tripod, or set it on something sturdy and then you’re going to have to use the timer) 
2.  A photo of you with the camera at its max wide angle
3.  freezing motion (high shutter speed)
4.  showing motion (low shutter speed)  
5.  an environmental portrait – you and your environment
6.  a low key portrait 
7.  a high key portrait 
8.  a photo of just your hands holding something you cherish
9.  an indoor portrait using lamps or lights as your lighting, no flash (move lights around) 
10.  A passport/drivers license style photo 
11.  A macro photo of your eye (use the macro function on your camera, make sure your flash is OFF)
12.  A silloute of you (back light) 
13. You and your shadow 
14. A portrait of you from up high (the camera is up high looking down) 
15. A portrait of you from down low (the camera is down low looking up)
16. A portrait of you seated 
17. A funny face 
18. You and your reflection not in a mirror, any other reflective surface
19. You and your reflection in a mirror 
20. A photo at the lowest f-stop (shallow depth of field, blurry background)  
21.  A photo of you at a highest f-stop (deep depth of field, everything in focus)  
22. A photo of you in a vehicle (be safe, don’t drive and take photos)
23. A nighttime portrait using your highest ISO (no flash) 
24. You and your breakfast
25. You and your lunch 
26. You and a snack
27. You and your dinner
28. Feet off the floor
29. You and your handwriting 
30. A heavily edited photo of you 

Engage:  Are you going to participate?  I’m excited to see everyones creative interpretations of this list!  Let us know in the comments!  

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Cheryl BakerApril 27, 2013 - 7:17 am

I’m willing to give it a try. :)

jimjessbakerApril 27, 2013 - 8:47 am

awesome!

Apr 23 2013

What’s Heroic Overseas But Foolish Here In The USA?

A child in Kenya eats peanut butter most likely for the first time.  From our Kenya Trip 2010.
Yesterday (well today actually, but I’m posting this tomorrow for the East coast) I celebrated my “Airplane Day.” This is the day that my parents got me in an airport when I was 5 months old after I had flown from South Korea to NY. 

To celebrate Jess and I borrowed someone’s car and ate Korean food for lunch.  I’m grateful for a biological mother who chose to carry me for 9 months and then give me up, and I’m thankful for a family that wanted to adopt.  

Here’s a thought I had recently along these lines… 


If someone opens a large orphanage in Africa or Asia it’s heroic.  People look up to them as people with great faith.  

John Okinda the man we worked in Africa is a hero.  He opened up his own personal home and took in 14 children, 2 while we were there.  He’s also built a large school for 300+ children.  

My friend Anneli works in China with orphans.  She’s a hero too.

But I have this suspicion that if Jess and I were to open up our home to a lot of kids here in the United States, it wouldn’t be viewed as heroic.  I have a feeling it would be viewed as foolish.  

“Well Jim, you don’t have a stable income…”  or “Jim how are you going to take care of all of these kids?”  

Granted, this is all hypothetical, we’re not thinking of opening up our “home” right now.  (Big sigh of relief, I can visualize some of your faces right now.)  But I hope if God called us to that, we’d be obedient.  

However, we have talked about the possibility of adopting some day, and most likely we will have more than 1.86 children that most Americans have.  We might end up having more kids than most people are comfortable with if we have biological children and adopt.  

So my question is what’s with the double standard?  Why is it acceptable to have large orphanages overseas and not in the United States?  

I really am asking this question.  There has to be something I’m missing.  

I feel like some of the people that would think we were being foolish if we adopted, had, cared for a lot of children are the same ones that say “well can’t you do ministry in your own back yard, I mean there are a lot of needs right here.”  Wouldn’t we be meeting some of those needs?  

Man, I’m fired up tonite.  I’ve been feeling under the weather, and I just read a blog post that got me pretty riled up.  I’ll probably post in response to it soon.  It has nothing to do with this topic.  

Anyway.  Can you be obedient to God without taking steps of faith?  

The funny thing about faith for finances is, if you’re believing God to do a miracle for your next paycheck, next meal, whatever, then you can believe God for $10 million dollars.  Because if it requires a miracle, the amount doesn’t matter.  


I heard someone say “I don’t want to be on the wrong side of that statistic when I stand before God.”  

The book of James says this: 

James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look afterAR)’> in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

But Jim… the next year we’d have a whole new group of orphans…  Yes, I realize that.  And I realize that there is no “simple” solution to this problem.  And adoption is a process.  BUT what if more Christians DID start adopting and raising kids in Godly ways, what impact would that have on the world?

Here’s some statistics on kids in foster care in the United States if you want to check them out.  

I can think of two families right off the top of my head that have more than doubled their family size and adopted 3 children.  They got their worlds turned upside down.  I in no way think adding more children to your family is ever easy.  But as much as I wish Jesus would have promised following Him would be easy… He never said that.  Thank you to those two families.  You’re heros.  

Jim this is so overwhelming… there is no way I can adopt right now… what can I do?  

You can PRAY and you can GIVE.  Adoption is a costly process.  I know of two families right now who are in the process of adopting…. and they are AWESOME families.  

The Rainwater’s are good friends of ours who are adopting from Haiti.   

And The Reinard’s are some other good friends of ours who are adopting from Ethiopia.  

Engage:  What are your thoughts?  Let us know in the comments.  

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Jeff StanfordApril 24, 2013 - 1:02 am

I never realised there was a double standard. wow. I think you’re absolutely right. Great post. Great, great questions. Gotta think about this and figure out what I am going to do :) Keep asking these questions!

Lindsey StumApril 24, 2013 - 2:27 am

You should look up the blog Rage Against the Minivan. She talks about lots of different stuff but also is a huge adoption advocate. She has one boy adopted from LA and one boy from Haiti plus two girls biologically. She talks a lot about how we as Christians could be doing much much more for the orphans of the world. She also talks a lot about interracial adoption. She’d agree with your points!

Anneli JohnsonApril 24, 2013 - 3:38 am

Or course I love this post since this topic is near and dear to my heart. And I really don’t have an answer to your question. I know many people think my family is crazy because there are 6 bio kids and then my parents decided to adopt… when they were in their late 40’s! A book I am currently reading is “Orphan Justice: Caring for Orphans Beyond Adopting.” This book has really made me think. Yes, I whole heartedly support adoption. But there are also children who are “unadoptable” for several reasons, I have met too many kids who will never be adopted. This book really gives ideas of how we can help those children too. One of my little guys in China will be number 12 in his adoptive family. I think he will be their 9th from China. And I know so many families like that who have opened their home time and time again to children.

Thanks for the post. Very well written.

LisaApril 24, 2013 - 7:18 am

really great post, Jim. definitely a double standard. maybe because in Africa/Asia the governments aren’t taking care of their kids, so orphans will literally starve to death if they don’t have anyone? where as here the situation isn’t as dire, the kids will be on welfare and be taken care of financially by the government? good question- very thought provoking

jimjessbakerApril 24, 2013 - 9:47 am

good points, thanks for sharing.

jimjessbakerApril 24, 2013 - 9:48 am

interesting, what makes a kid “unadoptable?” sounds like a good read, it’d be cool if you shared what you learning!

jimjessbakerApril 24, 2013 - 9:51 am

thanks for sharing that blog! I checked it out a bit. I love the name haha.

jimjessbakerApril 24, 2013 - 9:51 am

thanks jeff!

TracyApril 24, 2013 - 4:05 pm

I’d rather be seen as foolish in the worlds eyes than rebellious in the eyes of the father.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:25-29 ESV)

jimjessbakerApril 24, 2013 - 4:20 pm

thanks for sharing your thoughts Tracy!

Rachel JaimeMay 1, 2013 - 1:18 am

Great thoughts Jim! I am reading your blog for the first time and really enjoying it! (I don’t get much time to read these days with two little ones.)

We would like to adopt one day. We’ve talked about adopting here in Albania but not sure if we can or not. The majority of children in the orphanages here are “unadoptable.” Most actually have parents that abandon them and don’t want to take care of them (especially Gypsy’s) so the orphanage takes care of them. But you are not allowed to adopt them because technically they have parents. There are very few truly orphaned kids here that are adopt-able. It breaks my heart that all these kids need loving parents but I can’t adopt them because technically they are only abandoned.

jimjessbakerMay 1, 2013 - 9:32 am

hey Rachel, thanks for reading! I’ve just recently learned about children that are “unadoptable” that is CRAZY to me. I’ll shoot you a message and we can catch up!

Apr 21 2013

Do You Like When I Link To Other Peoples Blogs That I’ve Found Useful? Or Is It Annoying?

When I think of sharing I think of toddlers inability to share.  Photo taken in my 2008 School of Photography.  
I need honest feedback.  For a while I was sharing links to blogs that I found useful or thought provoking every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on Facebook and Twitter.  I stopped while we were on the mainland.  I’ve always wondered if I’m overwhelming my facebook/twitter friends and followers with too much information.  

Obviously this isn’t a very scientific test… if you took the time to read this that means I probably haven’t annoyed you to the point where you’ve unfollowed me on facebook.  But it doesn’t hurt to ask.  Although, it might.  :) 
Engage:  Do you enjoy the other blogs that I’ve linked to in the past on facebook and twitter?  Should I continue or not?  How do you decide if you’re posting too much on social media?  Let us know in the comments. 

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Lindsey StumApril 22, 2013 - 3:40 am

I love it when people link to other articles. I say keep it up!

AaronApril 22, 2013 - 1:03 pm

I don’t always follow every link….but I like the option to do so. If I have no links, I can’t go anywhere.

jimjessbakerApril 22, 2013 - 1:44 pm

thanks for the input!

Megan McCormackApril 23, 2013 - 6:37 am

I like the blogs you recomend most of the time and have started following a handful of them as well. So I’d vote to keep it up

jimjessbakerApril 23, 2013 - 10:56 am

thanks!

Apr 19 2013

Social Media Sensitivity? | What was your response to the Boston Marathon Bombing?

Jess finishing the marathon she ran in 2011.

I pulled my scheduled facebook post and tweet that pointed to this blog post Monday evening….

In comparrison to the bombing that happened in Boston I didn’t think that a post about what I was doing that day was very important.

I checked twitter to see if anyone else had stopped their scheduled tweets, one of the main bloggers I follow did not.  

On Monday facebook was full of comments about the Boston Marathon Bombing as well as the regular everyday status updates.  

It reminded me of when 9/11 happened and I was in school… some people were affected by it, barley able to move, blank stares on their faces and I remember others scampering to their next class laughing and carrying on like nothing happened.  

I didn’t tweet or update my facebook status saying anything about the bombing.  I tend not to talk much about current events online.  I feel like there are enough people saying things.  

So this all leaves me asking questions.  Is there a “correct” response to national and international tragedy?   And how should that be represented in our social media?  

Engage:  What are your thoughts?  Let us know in the comments.  

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Cheryl BakerApril 19, 2013 - 6:53 am

I think that it should be left up to the news reporters within reason and anything on the social media should just focus on prayers for all involved.

Colleen CookApril 19, 2013 - 1:05 pm

I posted in response: http://colleentcook.com/2013/04/19/everybody-has-an-opinion-controversial-post/

Megan McCormackApril 23, 2013 - 6:46 am

I really appreciated having Facebook with everything in Boston, cause a lot of my college friends live and work in Boston – social media can be really great for both updates and support.

jimjessbakerApril 23, 2013 - 10:56 am

thanks for your input!

Apr 16 2013

Check out our 5 bedroom 3 bathroom home in Honolulu!

 This is the view of our room our main door the evening we moved in.  A bare cfl bulb from the middle of the ceiling illuminated everything.
“We volunteer with missions organizations because of the housing!” said no one ever…

Aloha!  E komo mai. Nou ka hale!  This is our room for the next couple of months.  I’ve heard at the end of May we’re suppose to move over to family housing.  So I’ll make sure and update you when we get there.  
 
Here’s some before and after shots of our room.  The bags and boxes and stuff that are in the room is all of our stuff, either the stuff we brought with us from the mainland or stuff we kept in storage here in Hawaii.  
 
We’re living in the “Shekinah” which is one of the buildings for students.  That’s why it has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.  Last year we lived in this house in two different rooms.  But this time we got one of the bigger rooms.  This specific room, when we were living in this house last year, had 4 students in it. And I think that they can fit a third bunk bed in here to make it house 6.  
 
There are only 6 DTS students and 8 SBS students this quarter, so it’s a small quarter.  The students are all living in different houses on the campus.  So that means we have a bathroom to ourselves!  Hallelujah!  In the kitchen area, we’ve got a full refrigerator and freezer to ourselves, along with a sink, lots of cupboard space and an electric skillet which we’ve become quite adept at using.  
 
Three doors down is the SBS office and that’s it right now.  Ya know what?  I’m thinking I’ll give a video tour of the whole house soon.  
 This is the view from the back door that leads outside, that you saw in the first photo.
This is the view standing at the head of the bed.
With a few trips to Target, some creativity and borrowing stuff from other rooms… this is what we did!
 
 
It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s a lot better, and it’s temporary.  I felt it was money well spent.  3 lamps, lightbulbs, CURTAINS that covered the whole window, (curtains aren’t cheap!) a curtain rod, a battery operated drill, some plants, a fan.  I thought for my mental health over the next year that I needed a safe place with a good atmosphere.  The room is doubling as my office right now as well.  
 
Since we’ve been married, we’ve never decorated a space, we ALMOST painted our first apartment but the same month of buying paint we found out rather abruptly that we were moving to Indiana.  
 
Don’t ask me why there is duct tape above the door… I’m afraid to take it down to find out why it’s there.  
 
I digress, we’re blessed.  There are a lot of people that would be happy to have this very roof over their head.  
 
I hope this didn’t discourage any of you from coming and visiting! 
 
Engage:  What is the craziest living conditions you’ve ever lived in?  Do you have some interior decorating tips?  Share with us in the comments!

by Jim Baker

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Joan NewhallApril 17, 2013 - 1:58 am

You’ve managed to make a “room” into a homey living space. Great job!

Anneli JohnsonApril 17, 2013 - 5:52 am

Looking good! I have learned that no matter how long you are somewhere, it’s important to have a “homey atmosphere.” For decorating tip? Pictures and WALL ART! I love wall art that sticks on the walls but easy to peel off when you are done. A dear friend of mine sent me several wall art Bible verses while I was in China. I LOVE it and I read those verses first thing in the morning.

jimjessbakerApril 17, 2013 - 7:15 am

thanks!

jimjessbakerApril 17, 2013 - 7:16 am

nice, Jess wanted to get a wall decal for above our bed, maybe when we move into our more permanent place.

Cheryl BakerApril 17, 2013 - 11:12 am

It looks great. Love the side with the plants, light and wall hanging. love ya!!!!

jimjessbakerApril 17, 2013 - 11:15 am

thanks! i’ve added a few more plants, we’ll see how they grow

Jillian WellmanApril 17, 2013 - 1:08 pm

Ah, you’re in Krista and I’s old room! :)

jimjessbakerApril 17, 2013 - 1:24 pm

yup, what’s with the green spot on the wall? jess said you might have had something to do with that?!

Leisa HApril 17, 2013 - 2:52 pm

Reminds me of “Hidden Art”, by Edith Schaeffer. You done good! Praying for y’all.

jimjessbakerApril 17, 2013 - 2:57 pm

i haven’t read that one, should i? thanks for the prayers!

RobinApril 17, 2013 - 5:19 pm

Nice work! It’s so important to decorate and make your space your own. Paint is often a cheap, but a really impacting face-lifter. And as others have mentioned – wall hangings. You might know someone who has taken some fabulous pictures that you might frame for your decor. 😉

jimjessbakerApril 17, 2013 - 9:10 pm

thanks robin! when we get into a more permanent place i’m sure we’ll paint :)

Linda BarnesMay 8, 2013 - 2:49 am

Nice job. You took a stark uninviting room and made it in to a warm and inviting one.