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I'm so grateful for the way God moves in hundreds of ways to show His great and INEXHAUSTIBLE love for us. Especially through God's people.  Your prayers especially were an encouragement to me and God's faithfulness was revealed to me daily this weekend. I truly feel held in the hands of God as Brother LLoyd reminded us.

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For you’re acceptance of me among you.
I haven’t shared much verbally….I am soaking in your words of discussion and your sense of community.  I have very much enjoyed listening to Lloyd Saatjian.  I need to spend more time listening to the recordings with a pad and pen.

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I joined this weekend to spend more time with people of the Christian mindset.
I am in a time of discernment:
What shall be my Big, Holy, Audacious Goal for 2022?
In what ways will I continue to serve God?
Many questions
And I’m patiently seeking God’s direction.

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I’d like to lift up prayers for my friend Rosie who is diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Diagnoses can be scary but I know that God is bigger. Also prayers for my friend Trina who is beginning to buckle under the pressure of having to do the work of three or four because so many are working from home.￼

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I’d like to lift up prayers for my friend Rosie who is diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Diagnoses can be scary but I know that God is bigger. Also prayers for my friend Trina who is beginning to buckle under the pressure of having to do the work of three or four because so many are working from home.￼

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questions from discussion time by Gary Pope-Sears

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questions from discussion time by Gary Pope-Sears

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I am so grateful to all the people who shared in our conversations surrounding the talks by Brother Lloyd.

I have been asked to share some of the questions which fomented our discussion.  They are (as I have them noted):
1st day: Have you ever been immersed in a foreign culture, and if so, how did you do in that situation?
What does Jesus leave out that upsets the people in his teaching at the synagogue in Nazareth?

2nd day:  Brother Lloyd talked about a Japanese man's witness that changed his life trajectory: who has helped change your life path by their witness?
Whose witness has impressed you?
Repentance involves being found by God: when has God found you?

3rd day: What makes someone 'family' to you?
What are the boundaries of your 'neighborhood'?
Definition of neighbor: Someone who has a need that I can meet!

Reference work: Jesus Through Middle-Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth E. Bailey

What a pleasure and privilege to be part of these exciting days together!

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Recommended by Gary, this book is a great pairing for what we have been discussing this weekend. It is available for $20-25 from most booksellers.

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"Learning to read Scripture through other people's cultural spectacles, as well as our own, always brings huge enrichment. Kenneth Bailey has done a fantastic job in enabling us to put on the spectacles of a Middle Eastern believer and to therefore gain new insights into what was always there in Scripture but not quite so clear when only viewed through our lenses."

Mary J. Evans, vice-principal emeritus, London School of Theology

" Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is intended, explains its author, 'to contribute new perspectives from the Eastern tradition which have rarely, if ever, been considered outside the Arabic-speaking Christian world.' Strictly speaking, of course, Kenneth Bailey does not offer new perspectives, but ideas frequently as old as the earliest church and as the ancient church fathers, that may well be new to many of his Western readership. Here is an imaginative, humorous reading of key Gospel passages, an engaged and engaging set of studies that emphasize the concrete world presupposed in the New Testament. Bailey is informed not only by faithful contemporary scholarship, but also by the great exegetes of the past, and shows his humility by offering alternative explanations of passages where these may be of help to the reader. His writing and argument are cogent to the ordinary reader, tackling problems for the contemporary church, without allowing twenty-first-century debates to dictate the scope of his discussion."

Edith M. Humphrey, William F. Orr Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

"Kenneth Bailey, a master storyteller and expert observer of Middle Eastern culture, applies his sixty years of experience living in this region to produce a groundbreaking work on Jesus' world. Bailey animates the Jewish cultural world of first-century Roman Palestine through clever, often humorous personal vignettes and observations of current Middle Eastern culture. The blurry outlines of enigmatic biblical characters such as King Herod or Zacchaeus take clearer shape, and unnamed women such as the Syro-Phoenician mother or the adulterous woman are painted with colorful, culturally sensitive strokes. Bailey offers a feast for the mind and heart in his brilliant discussion of the Lord's Prayer and Jesus' parables; each chapter has plenty to savor. Throughout, Bailey connects theological and christological significance to his cultural insights, producing an original, engaging study. Bailey's passion for the biblical story coupled with his conversational prose render Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes a captivating read for scholars, pastors and laypeople alike."

Lynn Cohick, associate professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

"Kenneth Bailey's Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is rich with interpretive and cultural insight. He sheds light on what is so often missed in most commentaries and books about Jesus written from a Western perspective. Indeed, Bailey's book provides the much-needed corrective to the dubious results of the Jesus Seminar, whose distorted Jesus is a product of Greco-Roman culture and literature, instead of the Judaic culture and literature of Palestine. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is easy to read--students and pastors will benefit from it tremendously--but there is also much for scholars."

Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College, and author of Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels

"I have long been an admirer of Kenneth Bailey's helpful insights. As in his earlier works, his breadth of knowledge of Middle Eastern culture sheds rich light on numerous points in the Gospels, providing fresh perspectives and often illumining details we have rarely considered. He provokes those of us who depend mostly on ancient written sources to consider new approaches, often cohering with but often supplementing such research."

Craig Keener, professor of New Testament, Palmer Theological Seminary, and author of The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament

"Among the many New Testament scholars interpreting the Gospels today, few offer new and dramatic insights like Kenneth E. Bailey. From a childhood in Egypt to a career working within the Middle East, Bailey has established himself as the premier cultural interpreter of the life of Jesus. Using insights from cultural anthropology and skilled exegesis, suddenly the Gospels come alive as the Middle Eastern stories that they are. Long after other scholars' books are forgotten, Bailey's work on the Gospels will continue to be a timeless resource into the world of Jesus. This newest volume, written for the nonspecialist, is a splendid place to begin. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is guaranteed to become a favorite on many Christians' bookshelves."

Gary M. Burge, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College Graduate School

"While no book on Jesus and the Gospels can be perfect or final, writing any really good book on them places staggering demands on an interpreter. To name just seven: literary aptitude, linguistic competence, critical shrewdness, cultural sagacity, theological acumen, spiritual sensitivity and hermeneutical sophistication. In this highly stimulating study Kenneth Bailey manages to reflect them all, and more besides, in part because he stands on the shoulders of Middle Eastern interpreters whom few in the West can even read. This book will sharpen historical understanding, improve much preaching and fuel new scholarship. It may shed as much new Licht vom Osten ('light from the ancient East') on Gospel passages as we have seen since Deissmann's book by that title a century ago. And in all of this, Bailey keeps the cross and the message of his sources at the center where they belong."

Robert W. Yarbrough, associate professor and New Testament department chair, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"A brilliant addition to Bailey's other works in which he sheds light on the biblical text from Middle Eastern culture."

Roy B. Zuck, Bibliotheca Sacra, October-December 2010

"The work will yield a rich harvest of information, pastoral support, and insight for all who read it."

Susan K. Hedahl, Currents in Theology Mission, February 2010

" Jesus Through Middle Easter Eyes is Bailey's most recent 400 page call to western Christians who need to time travel to the Middle East. And in page after page, he identifies themes and reflexes assumed in the gospels that slip right past us."

Gary M. Burge, Evangelical Quarterly, July 2009

"With a life-time of living, observing and teaching in the Middle East, Kenneth Bailey's insights as a commentator are invaluable, showing time after time, how an understanding of the cultural features of the background of the Gospels can bring alive the meaning of the text, and more importantly, the power and significance of Jesus and his message."

David Parker, Evangelical Review of Theology, July 2009

" Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is quite readable, with a minimum of technical language. Wherever Bailey references a rhetorical term, he gives it careful definition, bringing along the novice in the field. He draws upon the works of others, ancient and modern, allowing students of scripture to gain an additional layer of insight from the texts he examines. While one could enjoy reading the book straight through, it has the wealth of information that may also be accessed through use as a resource for examining any of the treated Gospel texts."

John David Bowman, Brethren Life Thought, Winter Spring 2009

"This book could serve as material for an adult or student Sunday School class. Laid out in simple format for easy absorption by readers, the author's explanations of his findings require no formal training to follow and understand them. Particularly helpful are the summaries provided at the conclusion of each chapter.This book may very well establish Bailey's legacy beyond dispute."

Gene R. Smillie, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,June 2009

"Bailey has a gift of clear, lively expression; he takes advantage of his personal experiences, interest in Hebrew poetic structure, and knowledge of Arabic to bring insights into NT interpretation."

Ruth B. Edwards,Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 31.5, 2009

"A rich and fascinating anthology of exegetical essays reflecting on gospel texts through the lens of Middle Eastern culture and rhetoric. Bailey's exegetical discussions offer a treasure trove of cultural insights into the Jesus traditions of the Gospels. His essays highlght such issues as nationalism, violence, political oppression, inter-ethnic conflict, and joblessness. Bailey's christological insights are power and poignant."

Dorothy Jean Weaver, Interpretation, July 2009

" Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is Bailey's most recent call to Western Christians who need to time-travel to the Middle East. On page after page, he identifies themes and reflexes assumed in the gospels that slip right past us. Stories like the Parable of the Woman and the Judge are given interpretations that should contribute to every commentary writer. And fourteen more parables are made alive again, each in its original context."

Gary M. Burge, Books Culture, March/April 2009

"The great strength of this work is the author's familiarity with Middle Eastern culture. He succeeds in shedding new light on well known Gospel stories from a cultural perspective. Another valuable contribution of this book is the introduction to, and interaction with, great Eastern commentaries long forgotten or largely unknown to Western Biblical Scholarship. A very readable book and will be profitable to various levels of readers. Anyone interested in understanding the New Testament from its own distinctive Middle Eastern cultural perspective ought to read this book."

Mark Jason, Themelios, 33, no. 3

"Like getting a Master's degree in the New Testament without paying for it. Like wowing your blog readers with little known facts but not taking the credit for it. Like being the smartest kid in class--well, you get the point. Kenneth Bailey's book is all of that, and even more incredibly impressive."

Worship Leader, December 2008

"Bailey's important contribution is refreshing and guile-less; authoritative without being authoritarian; theologically sound without having to sound like a theologian. An engaging and compelling read."

Bob Gerow, Pulpit Helps, December 2008

"On every page Bailey utilizes his expertise as an authority of ancient Middle Eastern culture to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context. With astonishingly keen insight and learned expertise Bailey peels back the obscuring layers our modern Western interpretation of scripture [has] added to the Bible to reveal Jesus in the light of his actual historical and ethnic setting."

Jim Miller Book Review, August 27, 2008

"Bailey shares insights from Syrian and Arabic Christian thought about Jesus that are almost unknown to the rest of the world. He has the gift of communicating interesting ideas in a devotional way that church members who love God's Word will appreciate."

L. R. K., Church Libraries Journal, Summer 2008

"[T]here is no comparable New Testament scholar who is a native speaker of English and yet who has grown up, lived and taught in the Middle East and been fluent in Arabic. Bailey provides a genuinely unique perspective."

James F. McGrath, www.exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com, June 20, 2008

"A wonderful resource in studying the life of Jesus within the life setting in which He lived. This is a powerful tool to give fresh insights as you preach and teach the life of Jesus."

ForeWord, February 20, 2008

"I found myself fascinated as I read of the cultural and historical background behind familiar gospel stories and parables. Bailey's background information, rhetorical analysis, and commentary will provide valuable perspective on often-puzzling passages."

C. W. for Discipleship Journal, March/April 2008

"Bailey attempts to bring his extensive background in history to the table to deepen his readers' understanding of the Gospels through understanding culture."

Pulpit Helps, February 2008

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Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels, examining the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. The work dispels the obscurity of Western interpretations with a stark vision of Jesus in his original context.

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She has early-onset alzheimer's. Please pray for total healing, for peace, and for patience. Praise God for her loving spirit.

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1.  Clients. (Boring topic but necessary! And so many need peace!)
2. Karen finishing a stressful clergy assignment the end of January. Next two weeks crucial for forgiveness and healing!

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I'm so grateful for this time together. The talks, the discussion times, the prayer times, and the times of reflection. The Prayer Vigil has been particularly rich to me especially last night when though separated by thousands of miles, my son and I could pass the prayer time to one another in the wee hours.  In the morning I woke to a message from him. He spoke of the moon and the sunrise and the powerful way God was moving in his consciousness just as I was praying at sunrise time here. It was a "Held in the Hands of God" moment -- a very blessed time.

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Dave Kerr, Tom Nisbett, LLoyd Saatjian 2005

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I would love to join my Redwood family, pray, and hear the voice of Brother Lloyd! My covenant guys group meets in Dallas next weekend 14-17. We will pray for the Ashram. Please pray for us.

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Pray for my congregation, who are basically on lock-down again. Pray that my efforts to get a ZOOM meeting started tomorrow morning will work. I will pray for God's blessing on the online Ashram.

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Please pray that God would restore my mental health and that we would find housing for my friend.

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An underwater volcano has caused tsunami conditions. Please pray.

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Please pray for me as I clean out my house and sort through years of memorabilia. Help me reorganize and focus on what's truly important.

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Out of the depths I call to You, O Precious Savior and Redeemer. Lord, listen to my cry, Let Your Ears hear my plea. If You, O God, kept a strict tally of sins, no one could live.  But You provided for our pardon -- we can't help but worship You.

We live out the promise that saints of old longed for. We have seen Your Face -- the Face of Your Forgiveness, Grace, and Light.  Our souls no longer wait in hope of this promise -- but live it out in reality. The Kingdom is now. The dawn has past. The sun is up. The Son is here. Our Redeemer lives.

Our hope is in You, O God. You are the God of Love. You lavish us with Your Saving Power. It is You who saves each and everyone of us from all our sins.  You are Our Rock and Our Redeemer.  We praise You and thank You, O Heavenly Father, Precious Savior, and Holy, Holy, Spirit. Live in us.  Live in us.

Written by Donna Bell Sanders, August, 2001.

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Lisa is recovering from a bone marrow transplant.

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What an amazing story teller. His Mideastern, Armenian insights are very stretching. I enjoyed just reading about brother Lloyd's funeral https://www.noozhawk.com/article/073109_rev_lloyd_saatjian_longtime_first_methodist_pastor_dies

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The Rev. Lloyd Saatjian, remembered as an outstanding storyteller and influential man in the community during his 17 years working at First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara, died Tuesday at age 75.

The well-respected minister was appointed to lead First United Methodist Church in 1989 and had been retired for a few years.

"He was definitely the life of that church," said Olivia Uribe, who has attended First United since age 8.

During Saatjian's time there, he was the driving force behind the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, an event sponsored by the Greater Santa Barbara Area Clergy Association that brings people from all denominations together.

"It became something people look forward to regardless of denomination," Uribe said. "He was not just a minister, but a spiritual guide to everybody."

David Camphouse remembers Saatjian as a man with a can-do attitude and great compassion and concern for youths and young adults.

Camphouse, an associate minister with First United from 1999 to 2004, said Saatjian was a great storyteller, and his sermons were often about trying to understand one another and looking deeper into Scripture.

His sermons were full of everyday anecdotes, which made it possible to apply the messages to one's own life, Uribe said. "The biggest way you know you have a good pastor ... is attendance and funding," she said. "He kept that church full year after year."

As senior minister, Saatjian was a very busy man. "You would think it was a one-man operation - and he was the one," Uribe said. From services to Bible schools to participating with work teams, he was always involved with something.

Oh, and he had an office full of camels.

It started years ago when someone gave him something with a camel on it for his office. Once displayed, he started accumulating many more, as people brought him camel memorabilia from all over, Uribe said.

Saatjian came face to face with the animals when First United held its live nativity scene during the holiday season, but unlike some visitors to the scene, he wasn't distracted from what he saw as the true meaning. "Lloyd always wanted to do a sermon that it's not about the camels," Camphouse said.

Before coming to Santa Barbara, Saatjian worked in Southern California and with Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement.

"Rev. Lloyd Saatjian, a United Methodist pastor in Palm Springs, was another important figure of mediating the first contracts, which were with growers in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs," according to an essay about the involvement of the Bishops' Committee in the Farmworkers Movement. "The first contract was signed in April 1970 in the Chancery office of the Los Angeles Archdiocese. The work of the Bishops' Committee did not end with the signing of contracts in 1970. It continued to play a critical role as the focus of the struggle moved to the vegetable growing area of the coastal Salinas Valley."

Above all, Saatjian is remembered by those who knew him at First United as being open to different points of view and having a great connection with people.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 22 at the church, 305 E. Anapamu St.
- Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Rev. Lloyd Saatjian, Longtime First Methodist Pastor, Dies

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The Rev. Lloyd Saatjian, remembered as an outstanding storyteller and influential man in the community during his 17 years working at First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara, died Tuesday at age 75. The well-respected minister was appointed to lead First United Methodist Church in 1989 and had been retired for a few years.

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I am looking forward to the healing service at the Redwood Christian Ashram.  It is remarkable how God has used the UCA movement to bring so many healings.

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I feel like God is already taking off the hinges of my heart.

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Our community is seeing COVID numbers three times what our previous highest was. I ask for prayers that our health care system will not be overrun, that those who do get sick will return to health, and that those who are quarantined alone or in unsafe situations will find strength, peace, and comfort.

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Why am I here? I love the visionary heart of the Redwood Ashram.
What do I want? opening the eyes of my heart more fully (Ephesians 1:18)
What do I need? A fresh awareness of God's amazing love and faithfulness.

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Vikki is from the Mountaineer Christian Ashram. She had surgery this morning and requests our prayers for her full recovery.

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Vinny is the daughter of Ravi Kanth! She will be studying in London. Please pray for her.

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Why am I here? I'm here because I love to come together with fellow Followers and Seekers of the Way. I've been coming to Redwood Christian Ashram since I was a teenager and I'm always so nurtured and feel so strengthened. It's a place to feel at home. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with dear friends and meeting a host of new brothers and sisters in Christ!

What do I want out of this time together? I'm so grateful to have this chance to listen to the wisdom and teaching of Brother LLoyd. He has meant so much to me in my spiritual journey. I'm glad to be able to spend time hearing his voice again and to be reminded of the deep truth of our Father's love for us. I really want to take seriously this opportunity to contemplate what God has in mind for me to do this coming year in this season of my life.

What do I really need from our Lord?
I need reorganization, I need strength and energy, I need direction and marching orders. I need clarity and focus. I'm praying for deeper connection and a newly invigorated purpose.