Islands

This Spring I have been visiting islands. That’s right islands! I have been to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Åland. The islands I am talking about are not those places where Scandinavians go for fun in the sun like the Canaries and Malta etc. These are places in the Nordic countries in the middle of oceans where people live work and survive. They are beautiful places and very fun to discover. No, they are not places to go to get a sun tan. But hey, I was born and raised in Florida so I have seen and enjoyed the sun most of my life. These Islands have so much culture, beauty and personality. They are really amazing places and I have also met some wonderful people on these Islands that have both blessed me and encouraged me.

The job that I have as a regional director with Greater Europe Mission means that I travel and look for opportunities to work together with Christians nationals in the Nordic Baltic countries. We in Greater Europe Mission are seeking ways that we can see witnessing fellowships of Christians within reach of every person in Europe. It is because of my work that I have had the opportunities to visit the island of Iceland and the Islands of the Faroes. I think in the future we will be able to work with Christian nationals on these two Islands. As for Åland, well that was just a nice place for my wife and I to take a weekend off and visit.

In my links I have given you some pictures to look at concerning each of these Islands. Check them out on the right hand side of my blog site under links.

But one thing more I want to add in this blog is that as I travel around and meet people in different parts of the world I am more and more convinced that... “No man is an Island”, We live in different places in this world and do different things but in the end we are dependent upon each other and connected to each other. The Bible tells an interesting story about this. In Genesis chapter 4 we read that Adam and Eve (the first people created) had two sons, Cain and Abel. One day they offered sacrifices to God and Abel’s sacrifice, we read, was accepted but Cain’s was not. We are never really told why. We understand from the text that they both must have understood what they were doing and both must have understood what the Lord required from them. God doesn’t let Cain just walk away. The Lord reaches out to Cain and tells him what he must do to have a relationship with God but Cain is just not interested in doing it God’s way. Cain is so upset that he not only doesn’t want to do things God’s way but he is gets mad at his brother because his brother does want to do things like God requires.

Cain’s anger turns to murder. He takes his brother Abel for a walk out in the fields and kills him. Cain thought that he could get away with it but God hold’s him accountable and He asks, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain tries to walk away from his responsibility and answers God with, “Am I my brothers keeper?” In other words Cain is answering God by saying Abel is not my responsibility!

The writer of Genesis is telling us very clearly that we are responsible for our actions and for each other. No man is an island. We are all living here on planet earth and in ways that are hard to understand we are all connected to each other. If we are to survive on planet earth we must help each other and take care of each other. We are our brother’s keeper whether our brother lives in Africa, Greenland or where ever. What happens in one country effects another. We think the world is getting smaller but it has always been small and we are all connected. We are not little islands out in the Atlantic Ocean that can live and die on our own. In some strange and mysterious way we are all connected. We are our brother’s keeper.

Check out my pictures.