The Prodigal Son is one of Jesus’ most famous parables. Artists have tried to capture the story on canvas. One of the most famous renderings is by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). Henri Nouwen saw a poster of Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son” painting and hungered to see the original. Nouwen was allowed to study the famous painting at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. It holds a record three million works, but Nouwen longed to see only this one. He studied each brush stroke and each word of Jesus’s captivating story. His eyes looked first at the returning disgraceful son, then to the judgmental elder brother, but ultimately to the gracious Father. Nouwen writes, “In all three parables he puts the emphasis on God’s initiative. God is the shepherd who goes looking for his lost sheep. God is the woman who lights a lamp, and searches everywhere for her lost coin. God is the father who watches and waits for his children, runs out to meet them, embraces them, and urges them to come home.” Shepherd, Woman, Father: grace, grace, and grace.

G

I mentioned an octopus last fortnightly in relationship to the Detroit Red Wings ice hockey team. Here is the explanation for non-hockey people. More than half a century ago the Red Wings were in the hockey playoffs seeking to win Lord Stanley’s coveted Cup. During one of the games, a slimy creature from a dark lagoon entered the rink. An octopus was tossed onto the ice. It came from Pete & Jerry Cusimano who brought the cephalopod from their fish market. The sea creature used all eight tentacles, but could not get off the ice. As Detroit fans know EIGHT tentacles is symbolic. In those days it took eight wins to capture the most famous champion trophy in sports. One win for each tentacle. This is not rocket science, but it does take some math and knowledge of anatomy. In 1952 Gordie Howe and Motor City men in red won eight straight games and carried Lord Stanley’s hardware high above their heads. Ever since, the octopus has been a good luck charm. Each Red Wing home game you will see mascot Al the Octopus raised to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena. Now you know the rest of the slimy tale.

Garry

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Reminder:
If you would like Prince Caspian movie tickets, send a check written to “Multnomah Bible College” with a self-addressed stamped envelope and we will send you the tickets. Note prices below. Send to: Dr G, 8435 NE Glisan, Portland, OR 97220. Questions: gfriesen@multnomah.edu

Two Showings:

May 16 at 11:59pm Fri. until 2:15am Sat morning ($7.50)

May 17 at 10:00am for children and adults bringing children. ($5 children, $7 adults)

I just tried to produce a creative postcard while surrounded by real artists. Our Imago Dei arts community had a church retreat. I can’t draw a good stick figure, but wanted to see what God was doing among our artists. There were 100 present including writers, painters, dancers, musicians, thespians and one tone-deaf elder. They are an interesting, engaging, creative and misunderstood community. Though I stumble when dancing, I wanted to better understand this part of the Body of Christ. During the retreat we were challenged to create a postcard. The last postcard I received was from Paris from young Daniel Scalberg so the card was for him. He loves ice hockey and is rooting for the Montreal Canadians over my Detroit Red Wings. I’m color challenged, but my postcard had a Red Wing fan and a Montreal fan waving national flags. Between them read “Lord Stanley’s” and then a picture of a cup. The final touch was fitting though hardly artistic–I painted an octopus. I knew Daniel would know exactly what it meant. If you don’t know, wait until the next Friesen Fortnightly,

G

Next tour of Aslan’s How is 11am on Saturday, May 3.
Sign up at:
gfriesen@multnomah.edu

She gazed up into the large wise face. “Welcome, child,” he said
“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”
“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

As an added bonus we turned the whole book into a reader’s theater script so that each of the five readers read specific characters. We are now ready to see the movie adaptation and they better get it right! Meanwhile, we all hope to grow in faith and see Aslan just a little bigger every year.

He is not a tame Lion,
G

Next Aslan’s How tour is May 3 at 11am. Sign up gfriesen@multnomah.edu

Yesterday I looked up into a mirror and Yassar Araphat looked back.  This startled me because Yassar is dead. But while he lived he always looked like he had a five day growth of beard–never more or less. What I saw was my own five day beard growth. I’m preparing to dress as the old Professor Digory Kirke for the opening of the second Narnian move, Prince Caspian. For ten years, my beard was curly and bright red. It looked like rusty barb wire.  My stature is whimpy, but my beard has always been burly. I first grew it in 1980 as part of a beard growing contest on a trip that I co-led to Israel and Jordan. It changed my appearance so much that when I returned many people did not recognize me. But after ten years the beard turned pink and pink barb wire is not a pretty sight. Actually it was red and white, but I decided to apply the razor blade until it turned white. The time has come and I’m one week into growing some burly white barb wire in honor of Narnia’s old professor. At the theater door I’ll be greeting my nephews and nieces for two exclusive showings of “Prince Caspian” on May 16 & 17.

Professor G. Kirke
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If you would like to join us send a check written to “Multnomah Bible College” with a self-addressed stamped envelope and we will send you the tickets. Note prices below. Send to: Dr G, 8435 NE Glisan, Portland, OR 97220.

Two Showings:

May 16 at 11:59pm Fri. until 2:15am Sat morning ($7.50)

May 17 at 10:00am for children and adults bringing children. ($5 children, $7 adults)

The announcement said, “Don’t take a plane or a train until the Prince arrives.” It came from my C.S. Lewis class. For their class project, one group is planning a “Prince Caspian” movie event and have two exclusive showings of the movie (Walt Disney & Walden Pictures). Why the “plane & train” comment? Well, the movie opens on graduation night (May 16) so they want students to stick around. Would you like to join us? The second movie of a C.S. Lewis Narnian book, “Prince Caspian”, will be put on the big screen after the successful “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” We have room for 700 people at the Oak Grove 8 Family Cinema.

If you would like to join us send a check written to “Multnomah Bible College” with a self-addressed stamped envelope and we will send you the tickets. Note prices below. Send to: Dr G, 8435 NE Glisan, Portland, OR 97220.

Two Showings:

May 16 at 11:59pm Fri. until 2:15am Sat morning ($7.50)

May 17 at 10:00am for children and adults bringing children. ($5 children, $7 adults)

He is not a tame Lion,
G

See trailer for “Prince Caspian”
http://www.narniaweb.com/news.asp?id=1355&dl=14478175

Dear Family & Friends,

In January (1/19/08) we had our most recent Bible marathon. So I thought this look back at one of the first marathons would be fun:

I can’t define a BTU, but I know our air conditioner was short a few. During our 20 hour New Testament reading marathon, we blamed the heat (93 degrees) for the following errors: “Do not honor your father and mother.” “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of prayer.” “If your enemy is thirty, give him a drink.” “So they will hear with their eyes and see with their ears.” We started with Matthew’s words (the genealogy of Jesus Christ), and ended with Revelation (Amen, Come, Lord Jesus). In between, 14 marathoners turned Aslan’s How into a den of Bible readers. Four were missionaries - Diana (Philippines), LaVonne (Japan), Becca (Czech Rep.) and Grace (Korea). They reminded us that the good news would go out and create a mob of worshipers from every language, tribe and people. When? The parables kept saying, “Be ready for your master is coming back.” We finished with a revelation of His return. “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Rev. 21:17). We drank deeply– Even those who weren’t thirty.

Garry

Next tour of Aslan’s How is Sat. April 5 at 11am. To sign up:
gfriesen@multnomah.edu

Dear Family & Friends,

This week was our global ministries week-long conference at Multnomah. So this update from December 2002 seemed appropriate:

My friend Ben is a photographer for the Oregonian newspaper. He recently donated his vacation to teach in China. I promised to pray for him regularly if he would bring me back a story. Rev. Chong (name changed) was the story. If you visited his home you would meet a 78 year old pastor with a home church that grew from 4 believers to 3,000. He lives out what his business card says - “faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10).” The authorities don’t arrest him … maybe to avoid bad PR. He has already spent 20 years in prison for his faith. Many die in the coal mine labor camps. He is thankful to be alive, have all his body parts and thankful for being thin when he was caught between two locomotive cars. When asked to deny that Jesus raised from the dead, his answer was simple — If I thought Jesus had not risen, I would have discarded the dead Jesus shortly after being arrested. He contends that it was good to be afflicted for persecution increased his faith. Affliction also can increase complaining … unless your goal is to be “faithful unto death.”

Garry

Next tour of the C.S. Lewis House is Sat April 5 at 11:00am. To sign up contact me at:
gfriesen@multnomah.edu

Our Eagle & Child reading group has an “Inklings” month book and this year we read a play by Dorothy Sayers. As David Coomes said, Dorothy L. Sayers had a careless rage for life. Even this religious play for the BBC was wrought with rage and vitriolic verbal wrangling. Yet the outcome was powerful. Her radio drama “The Man Born to Be King” became famous and infamous when it hit the British airwaves in 1941 and was repeated in 1943, 1947 and 1975. My heart was strangely warmed and moved by her dramatic pen. The life of Christ broke past what C.S. Lewis called “watchful dragons” and hit home for many listeners with new impact. The recent movie The Passion did not do that for me. This contentious playwright did. I listened to one of the actual broadcasts at the Wade Center in Wheaton and that only heightened my appreciation for a retelling of the old old story that still shocks and moves me every time Pilate says, “Behold the Man.”

Garry

PS - Next Aslan’s How tour is March 1 at 11:00am. Sign up at gfriesen@multnomah.edu

$100,000 is a beautiful number. I would love to find it in my Christmas stocking.  Some of us have been praying for this amount for ten years. I did not know it had arrived and so keep praying. That’s like the Jerusalem church praying for Peter’s jail release, but don’t believe that he is knocking at their door (Acts 12). In memory of my sister, Lonie Tucker, our family put together about $15,000 to form an endowment whose earnings would supply Multnomah college student scholarships. The larger the endowment grows, the more the yearly scholarships. So we prayed that God would multiply our gift until it reached $100,000. Recently, a gift given by my parents, Bill & Alice, put the endowment over the one hundred grand plateau. Lonie’s influence is growing with the endowment. She is remembered by more students every year when they read her life story that just went out with the scholarship announcement. I’m rejoicing over this milestone, but just started to pray for $200,000. [See this year’s scholarship results below]

Garry

PS - Next Aslan’s How tour is March 1 at 11:00am. Sign up at gfriesen@multnomah.edu

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2008 Finalists: LONIE (FRIESEN) TUCKER BIBLE SCHOLARSHIP

The Eight Finalists in the Oral Bible Test Chapel on Feb. 21. (Each Receive from $150-$1000. In alphabetical order):

Ryan Carothers, Jason Clark, Sterling Clark, Thomas Dunn, Rebekah Farquhar, Richard Fodey, Matt Rensi, Jacob Seppanen

Honorable Mention –$10 gift certificates
(in order of finish) 9th-30th

James Tucker, Jenny Day, Jared Huffman,  Betsy Rouse, Ray Aguilar, Stephen Harris, Alaina Arp, Aaron Eveland, Jenny Schneidau,
Catherine Boone, Vanessa King, Kevin Smith, David Cabello, Aaron Smith, Hannah Michalsky, Troy Bass, Laura Fesler, Michael Stern,
Micah Nims, Trevor Maitland, Mike Pruitt, Joe Deciccio, Andy Lundgren