samedi 29 novembre 2003
Last speel of the month
I am so beat. We had our Christmas banquet last night as well as our after-banquet party. I didn't get home until three in the morning and I was so exhausted that I slept in until this afternoon. I only have a week of classes left but I am so behind on everything. And I have absolutely no energy left in me to do anything, much less study or do homework. Being on the net has probably kept me from falling asleep again.
I really appreciate all of the classes I have been taking, especially New Religious Movements. I'm going to share some verses that have impacted me greatly in this course:
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcised of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
- Colossians 2:8-15
The book of Colossians was a letter that Paul wrote to combat the Gnostic beliefs that were prevalent in the town of Colossae. These people believed that salvation was dependent on achieving special knowledge. I'm not going to be spending too much time here on gnosticism but I just wanted to provide the context in which Paul wrote these verses.
Anyways, learning about all of these new religions and the New Age movement has helped me appreciate my faith even more. For people who claim that Christianity is the same as every other religion out there, I would have to say it's not. And believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I grew up in a different religion than Christianity and now that I am a Christian, I know the differences and I can testify to them.
What's so amazing about Jesus then? He is radically different from anything this world has seen before. To be a Christian is not to do things of our own efforts. Our salvation does not come from doing things or performing human traditions. We don't rack up our status by being baptized, taking communion, counting our prayers, making a list of our good deeds or reading the Bible everyday (keep in mind I'm talking about earning our salvation through these methods). We can't do anything ourselves. Seriously, is there any human being on earth who would be able to do enough of these to save his soul? To the point where it would be guaranteed completely and he would know for sure that he made it to heaven? No!! There is no assurance in performing human tasks! This philosophy that we can is false. No, we have no choice but to admit that there is nothing we can do to attain God's favour.
Yet we aren't despairing because we don't have hope! Rather we have Jesus Christ!! He is the only one we can depend on. Unlike all other religions, we do not rely on ourselves, or anything within us. We rely on Jesus! That is completely different from other religions where we would have to follow some mandates and obey some steps to save our soul. With Jesus, we don't need to follow the Five Pillars or the Nine Steps to Enlightenment or reach nirvana within ourselves or break through to the pinnacle of our thinking. No, He has done everything for us already that we need to be saved.
I love that Paul says, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ. Done by Christ. We are utterly dependent on Him. God doesn't need us to say three prayers a day or abstain from certain food or anything like that. All we need to do is accept what Jesus has done for us out of the free will that we have. Everything else that we do (pray, read the Bible, help others) flows out of our new life in Christ. They come as an "after" to our life, not as a "before".
All of the rules that are imposed on people in religions stand opposed to people, for who is able to fulfill all these regulations? They count against us, not for us. They are a trap, binding us into a written code that we think we need to follow in order to make it to heaven. Think about it, all of these beliefs say that YOU need to do something, YOU need to not do this or that and then you'll make it. Essentially, you become your own Saviour through this.
But then comes the twist. Christ makes a public spectacle of all of these through the cross. It is through His crucifixion that His Lordship is declared to the world. People don't need to rely on keeping the rules or keeping the observations any longer in order to be "safe". HE is the Saviour! We trust in Him and what He has done.
This is another reason why Christianity is different from all the other religions. We don't need to be one of the selected few who has been able to follow all the rules or gained enough knowledge to save ourselves. There is no initiation or process that is mandatory for us to continue further in our religion. All that is needed is an acceptance of Christ's Lordship. It is because of this that Christ is available to any who call on Him. It is not limited to the rich, the intellectual, or the elite. This is what struck me the most: you don't have to be smart enough to be saved, whereas gnosticism and a lot of other belief systems who have roots in that emphasize that you need to have enough knowledge and information to be.
Remember when I had to read "The Celestine Prophecy"? It was all about attaining each of the secrets in the manuscript and knowing enough to understand them and put them into use. A lot of religions are like this, where the amount of knowledge you have gained is connected to your salvation. But Jesus is not about this! Yes, we have the Bible, but we read that to understand God better. We don't read it because it'll score us brownie points or take us to the next level of heaven.
I hope this didn't come across as an excuse for Christians not to do anything. When we accept Jesus as Lord, that changes our lives and that compels us to do things for Him - but these acts are for His glory, not ours. It is only through God's amazing grace that we can even do these at all! Thank You Jesus that we are saved by what You have done. Thank You that the things we do are for You as expressions of Your love for us, and that they are not things we do to earn our way with You. You have paid the price. We do not need to add anything to that perfect and complete sacrifice.
Libellés : theology-ish
Tardiness pays off
Friday Five:
1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?
I like shopping for other people for their Christmas gifts. I'm not a big shopper though. I don't mind going shopping with friends but it's mostly for the time spent together rather than buying anything.
2. What was the last thing you purchased?
I don't remember. Probably some fast food to eat.
3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?
I prefer shopping at an actual store because then I get to examine the product before I purchase it.
4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?
I did, but only for a while. I think I got a buck a day or something like that, provided I did my chores, which was not often.
5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
I regret buying so much fast food - Wendy's, Harvey's, A&W's, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc. - this year. Oh, I'm going to be paying for that....
Libellés : Friday Five
jeudi 27 novembre 2003
It's obvious, but...
My life is rated G.
What is your life rated?
Link via: Tracy
Libellés : quizzes
Happy American Thanksgiving!
If I was American, I'd post a list of things to be thankful for. Oh might as well. We should be thankful everyday, right? I'm thankful God gives me so many chances to correct my foolish mistakes. There's more but this is all I feel like writing. I'll post stuff after my Christmas banquet tomorrow night. And in honour of Buy Nothing Day (I won't be buying anything anyways), I won't blog till Saturday. Yes, I know there is no correlation between the two. Humour me :)
Christ the Saviour is born. Alleluia!
The Christian radio station has just switched over to 24/7 Christmas music (and I mean, 24/7!) at 12am. I'm listening to my favourite Christmas song on WMP right now. I'll post the lyrics:
O Holy Night! (Cantique de Noël-France)
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand;
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the Wise Men from the Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace;
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
mercredi 26 novembre 2003
Under a bowl
Sometimes I feel like the wimpiest of Christians. What am I really doing? Am I doing anything to help others? Am I leaving an indelible mark in anyone's life? Should I be? I see all these proactive Christians out there, changing the world for good and I look at myself and see a selfish life. I'm living in my own bubble, failing to recognize the needs of others and doing something about it. It seems like I'm not affecting anybody or anything.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house, In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
- Matthew 5:13-16
Oh boy. What a long way to go.
mardi 25 novembre 2003
Frailty
I am so scared. I know I shouldn't be, but all I can see before me is fear. My mom seems to be getting weaker and weaker everyday. We have passed all the planning stages and she'll be starting chemotherapy and radiation next week. I don't know what to do. I need her here, with my family. And most importantly, I need for her to find Jesus and finally have that peace she has been searching for her whole life. I'm terrified because I'm not in control, and neither is my mom. The only One I can find faith in is God, who has everything under His control. Each day, reality sinks in deeper and deeper. My faith is unshakeable, but right now, I find it difficult to turn to it. There is only so much I can do and the majority of that is in prayer. I need to cling to God even more now. Yet my natural instinct is to cry against Him and run from His presence. Lord, help me and my family.
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
- Mark 9:14-24
Libellés : cancer
lundi 24 novembre 2003
Thoughts on Blogging
Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't have been a theology major instead. There are so many nuances to the Christian faith that people can take out of context or interpret incorrectly. And I don't want to fall into that trap of doing the same thing. I want to know what I believe, why I believe it and how to keep from erring in my beliefs. I've only taken one theology course so far, but I'm really interested in taking more now, especially after coming across some blogs that promote obscure ideas. (Aww, now I wish I remembered to bookmark them so I could post them here!)
I've come across something that has appeared on some blogs as of late (webel and Theophilus) that I have been meaning to write about :) It's about the whole linking issue on some blogs. I've always found that interesting how it can range from having no links to having some of people that the blogger personally knows to having absolutely everyone that the blogger could possibly have connections to in the blogging universe.
Which one of these are you? I fall into the category of including any local Christian blog I find (because that's a rarity and it's always fun to have other Christian bloggers in town), regularly updated quality blogs of people who are consistent in their historical biblical Christian theology throughout their posts, and a selected few which provide good ideas/stories/etc. that I can use for my sermons :) I'm trying to refrain from having an extremely long list (because I want to discern what I read and keep my daily reading time down) and also to keep from linking to the mega bloggers only because of their status.
I'm more into the relationships that are built from blogs, although there are a few where I'm simply a silent admirer of their writing. For the others where I am able to interact with the writer, it's been an incredible blessing to find community that is not confined to location or demographics. My interest lies in the person writing the blog and their life, not just the blog itself. I will always choose a personal blog over a technical blog for that reason - I want to spend my time reading about what's going on in that person's life rather than just links to the news.
So, if I seem to post a lot about my life, please don't think I'm self-centered. I want to share what's going on in my life, as a Christ-follower, so that maybe others can share their stories and we can all relate to each other somehow through this process. What does this mean? It means that whoever reads my blog and sees this and knows that I read your blog too, post something about yourself! I'm looking forward to reading more about your life :) Isn't it such a precious gift that God has given us? And what stories we have to tell!
Libellés : blogging
dimanche 23 novembre 2003
Whooo-hooo!
Yay, congrats to Nickkie and her school for being the city champions for both guys and girls volleyball! Here's a shot of her at the game. I know she will kill me for this :) but she looks so lovely. I hope your back feels better real soon, Nickkie!
P.S. Hello to my readers from India, Australia and Argentina!! Thanks so much for reading!
Let me try this
I really have nothing to post. I shouldn't even be posting. I should be starting my English paper.
I have church tonight. I used to always go to church in the mornings. I only do if I'm working at them now. It's awfully crowded at night with all the college students. The environment is always buzzing. I think I like that. I'm thrilled that lots of campus kids still go to church every week. It's very encouraging.
I will be registered in 6 courses next semester. I also need to take a spring course. What am I getting myself into? But, I only have to go to school for 3 days of the week. Maybe I should focus on this semester first. By actually writing my paper.
This has been an experiment in simple writing. I am trying to cure myself of complex sentences for the sake of my mark. But writing simple does not fall into my writing style. Oh well.
Libellés : college
Two degrees of separation
Okay, the Christian blog world just got even smaller for me. I found the blog of one of my old co-workers' brother-in-law's. And today, I found out my friend, who grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan, knows the famous clump of people from there who blog. And in both incidents, these bloggers know each other. This could be potentially... interesting (I'm not feeling particularly creative here).
Even though I've been blogging for a few months and reading them for about a year, they do not cease to amaze me. What a culture it has become in itself.
samedi 22 novembre 2003
How did you get here?
I've been keeping a fun collection of search terms that have been leading people to my blog since its inception. Some of these are hilarious; others don't make any sense at all!
- "reminder songs to wake up and get dressed" [I should hope so, but do you really need songs to remind you?]
- "mercyme website music codes codes"
- "aq camp songs mealtime"
- "taiwan endless love"
- "words to cristin songs" [Hmm, my friend is a musician but I don't think she's written any songs.]
- "breakforth in the new dawn mean in the bible" [A more effective search would have been "breakforth new dawn mean Bible" ..yeah]
- "JUNOS CHEESECAKE"
- "2003 ministry cowboy los angeles"
- "woodsman songs"
- "caroline neely yearbook"
- "billy klippert" + fan club"
- "dilithium crystals jerky boys"
- "peter Bushell building a better tomorrow"
- "stompin tom ketchup song cover"
- "dumb praise and worship songs"
- "videographer on Newsboys tour"
- "creed 97 stapp photo"
- "funny story" "mosquito" or "mosquitoes"
- "how to" [How nice. I'd like to know how to as well.]
- "Popular songs of Guatemala In 2003"
- "mercyme heresy"
- "Dangerous action western songs in realplayer" [Are western songs dangerous and filled with action? I always assumed they were like country songs about pickup trucks and dogs.]
Libellés : blogging
"Rabbit trails"
I went to a Leadership Summit this morning, which was extremely helpful to me, more so personally than "professionally". The part that struck me the most was learning how to take care of my own heart before I minister to others, because our ministry to others comes from the overflow/abundance of our love for them. And if our own hearts are not healthy, then it becomes rather difficult to pour ourselves into others' lives.
After that, I got to hang out at my friend Car's new house. We chatted for hours about literature, Bible college, and yearbook. She gave me tons of great advice and lent me some awesome classics from her library. I just love her to bits; she's one of the coolest and most hospitable people I know.
And more good news, Michelle received my packages! And she even posted a sweet blurb about what I sent her. I had so much fun putting the project together so I'm glad she enjoyed it just as much!
Well, I'm procrastinating and still putting off my persuasion paper (remember this?). Right now, I'm killing time by surfing the internet. I work best at night, so I'm only delaying the inevitable. Oh and keep voting for Raylene's music video on Your Music Zone please! Much thanks again.
vendredi 21 novembre 2003
Votes - personality - mail!
Okay, I am begging anyone who reads this to do me a favour. Don't worry, it's not too tough :) Anyways, if you are familiar with the show Your Music Zone, which is an awesome Christian music countdown show, you probably know that they premiere a new music video every week for people to vote on. Well it was none other than Raylene Scarrott! The neat thing is I got to see the music video for the first time a few months ago at an art showcase and did not expect it to be on national TV. So here's what to do (pretty please): Head on over to the Your Music Zone voting page and vote however many times you can for her video! Thanks so much!
On a side note, I've got the same personality as Chad, which is pretty cool but weird at the same time. ENFP is a rarer personality type and I was the only one in my psych class with it, I think. So... do I seem like an "inspiring" person?
And I should have blogged about this last Friday but I forgot to, which goes against the rules! Well, I took part in Project Mail-A-Thon with Michelle, and though it took me a while to put it together, she was on the ball and I received something in the mail last week! Being the spiffy arts and crafts extraordinaire Michelle is, I got a handmade postcard with my name and tons of little cut-out stars on one side and a special sweet note on the other. The theme of the postcard was the verse about shining like stars, which is one of my favourite verses, so yay! Thanks again Michelle :) I hope you receive your mail intact since the stamps were being stubborn and kept falling off. That's where glue comes in handy!
Libellés : media
Pledging allegiance
This is too funny. Give it a listen.
Link via: Just in from Cowtown
It's that time again
Friday Five:
1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.
The end of 2003? Get A's in all my courses. Get the yearbook going and have at least a quarter of it finished. Get back into shape. Read all the books on my reading list. Learn how to take care of my soul.
2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.
Bonnie. Diana. Amanda. Kelly. Karen.
3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.
Play the guitar. How NOT to procrastinate. How to be more disciplined in all areas of my life. Use the Avid. Crochet better, actually how to do all arts and crafts better.
4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).
This is assuming that it was won without gambling right ;) Donate lots to my church and other churches. Donate lots to charities. Donate lots to all my friends going into full-time missions. Create more scholarships for my college to help all of us who are broke (including myself!). And the rest for a cure for cancer.
5. List five things you do that help you relax.
Sleep. Hang out with friends. Read. Listen to music. Hang out at church.
Libellés : Friday Five
jeudi 20 novembre 2003
Now for something not as serious
Congratulations, you're Seattle, the Emerald City.
What US city are you? Take the quiz by Girlwithagun
Contrary to popular opinion, Seattle is not as rainy as legend says. It is in fact a charming green jewel with sparkling cerulean water and verdant hills. Its isolation has made it home to free-thinking and independent individuals. Despite having the most millionaires per capita, it still has a small town atmosphere. A small town with lots of coffee that is. Java is an art there. Perhaps it is the coffee that has caused this city to give birth to twisted cartoonists and rock stars.
I don't drink coffee at all so this is funny. But I love Seattle! I'd really like to go back and visit the city again one day.
Link via: Travis
Libellés : quizzes
mercredi 19 novembre 2003
Traditional church
More and more Christians seem to be dissatisfied with the church. I was largely unaware of this until I found tons of blogs that rant constantly about the problems of the institutional church. Maybe I'm naive because I've been so grounded in my faith as a result of church. Maybe some would consider me backwards because I cling to the idea of going to church, a physical location, weekly (and daily when I work there). Maybe I'm not "postmodern" enough to appreciate this new movement. Maybe there's something wrong with me for not fully embracing this trend.
Does this seem harsh? Well, this is how I feel every time I read a Christian blog that belittles the traditional churches. Now if you belong to this movement, please don't take my words and accuse me of hating "the house church" idea. I think it's great! It's such an intimate way to find community as a body of believers. But sometimes when you write about it, you make it seem as though "everybody else" who goes to traditional church is getting it wrong. That we don't understand fellowship at all. I'm sure this isn't your intention, but some sensitivity to church-goers is needed here.
I know that some people have been let down by the church and are doing something about it and creating their own. Kudos to you! That's brave of you, to plant new ones for other Christians who have been let down as well. I'm sorry that you've had to experience such hurt and pain from a church. The church should never be about that, but I see that you have done something positive as a result of it. However, for the rest of us who have not been disappointed with the church, who have felt nothing but genuine love and true community, please consider what it is like for us. We still have something to hold on to. Don't destroy it for the rest of us who enjoy the traditional church and have been so enriched by it.
[Now, I hate to have to add a disclaimer to practically everything I write now, but there are a lot of argumentative people out there. I do not wish to be flamed for what I have written. The last thing I want is to create division among Christians. I have only written this because it is an expression of how I feel when I read these blogs. (And yes, I still read these blogs because I need to see what it's like from the other perspective).
Sure, I can be an idiot, a Christian who just "doesn't get it", but I am still a human being with feelings. Please do not go and attack me since I did not attack anyone in this post (if you don't see this anywhere, please reread and see that I have clearly acknowledged the other side's position and considered its claims, without resorting to an attack on any individual person or collective group for that matter). I am sick of having to defend myself sometimes. Yes, I enjoy a challenge, especially when I am in the wrong, but when it comes to posting nowadays, I dislike that anything I write could start a fight. I could be seeing ghosts where they are none, figuratively speaking, and if so, great! But if I am proved contrary to what I have just written, then the fun of blogging and expressing one's own mind has gone out the door.]
Libellés : church
Indecisiveness
Class was cancelled this morning, so I got to sleep in! Unfortunately, I had to change my appointment with the registrar to tomorrow. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with my classes. I want to graduate this year but am wondering if I should take next semester off to spend time with my mom to help her recoup. My best friend did mention the possibility of taking correspondence courses from other colleges so that I can still graduate but be at home at the same time. I guess I'll discuss it with the registrar and I'll see what I need to do.
I need to write a persuasive essay tonight for English class. So far I'm torn between writing about pseudo-Christian music and megachurches (thanks to the latest discussion). I suppose I'll figure something out!
Libellés : cancer
mardi 18 novembre 2003
Before The River Came
"I've been lookin' at the past
I've wasted too much time
On things that won't last
I've built a kingdom out of rubble and sand
But I don't, I don't want to hold on to it all
I'm ready for the river to run and wash it away
I'm singing
Come sweet water
Cleanse my soul
Shower me
And make me whole
Consume me with healing flood
Leave no traces of the man that I was
Before the river came
There's no freedom in the chains
They hold you captive to the guilt of your stains
One drop of water brings
An ocean of change
And I long, I long to move on from it all
I'm ready for the river to run and wash it away
Baptize and bury me
Until only You remain (come and rescue me)
I don't want to be the man that I was
Long before the river came"
- 4Him
And now a break from the long posts (finally right?)!
Tomorrow's the last day I can drive to school because we'll be getting tons of snow the rest of this week! I'm a little sad because of that, but with our weather, I'm sure we'll have a nice week again soon. But just in case you live in colder climates and you need winter driving survival tips, here are some at MSN Auto. Ehh, I suppose I can tough it out with transit once again.
Speaking of MSN, Hotmail is coming out with "the next generation Hotmail experience" soon. I checked it out and some of it looked really good. Like how even if you are on the exclusive protection level for spam, you can still get legitimate emails from people not in your contacts. This will be good since I signed all my friends' yearbooks in high school with my Hotmail address, forgetting that they wouldn't be able to email me unless they were in my contacts. D'oh!! (If the link doesn't work, it's just right above the login on their main page).
Okay this is long enough, so good night. Thanks for bearing with me!
Large vs. small
This is a comment I posted on Kim's blog new rags: the wonder of the gospel of grace: (*this is broken up into paragraphs for an easier read; I should have done that originally, sorry Kim!)
"It may be hard for a person to get connected immediately in a large church, but I think this is probably the case for any new church goer, whether they are going to a smaller congregation or a bigger one. But with a large church, there are more ministries that they can check out to get involved in. (*note: I'm not going for the quantity factor here but rather the diverse ministries that are aimed towards diverse people)
For example, if someone is a new believer, there may be a group that is catered specifically towards these people. Or if someone enters the church and is looking for a creative outlet with which to praise God, they may find it in a ministry that welcomes artists and whose main purpose is to express God through art. The point being that with a greater amount of people, the easier it is to create "house churches" within the larger community that are geared towards a certain need for people who are interested in those.
Yes, the communication card and welcoming committee can seem static, especially to a newcomer, but it does show that the church is willing to get to know you better despite its size and that they care enough to have greeters ensure that people feel welcome as soon as they come in.
As for the point that larger churches are only focused on the inward, that is not always just the only thing they do. Inward focus is necessary in all churches because discipling the believer and helping them grow in their faith is one of the reasons for the church. I think large churches do well with this - by training and equipping its people - which might be why it seems as though this is the sole reason for their existence. It's not.
By growing mature Christians first, they can then go out and impact the world and have this outward focus. The small groups within the large church are capable and prepared to reach out to others, and do it very well because they have the resources at hand to do so and the support of the large church behind them. They in turn go out and do kingdom work as a group or as a small church themselves. These resources are not limited to the congregation but to groups of people who make use of them to touch the lives of people in their communities and beyond.
For example, small groups that meet in certain areas of the city can reach out to their neighbours, which in turn could bring these people to Christ, and having them worship with people they already know and are comfortable with in a church setting later on.
And about your last point, I don't think large churches encourage people to volunteer only to fill some ministry quota. The way I see it, large churches need more volunteer help keeping it running and when people step up to help, it is not out of coercion or guilt, but rather through a person's desire to bless others through practical means.
Using your nursery example, anyone who was there for the wrong intentions would obviously have a hard time staying in that ministry. People who give of their time and energy there genuinely want to serve. There is also an outward focus here since they are allowing visitors to the church a safe place to drop off their kids so that they can enjoy the service. Everything works together for His glory and it does not matter where that setting is, whether it is being a nursery volunteer in a large church or entertaining the kids in another room of the house while the others are having their house church meeting.
I am not against small churches. I fully agree with the "small is better" theory. But I think when you're limiting your point to only the physically small churches, you lose sight of what the large churches are also able to do when it is made up of all these small groups acting as churches. Large churches have received a great amount of criticism, some deserved and others unfairly. But I do think and know that they also have a big part to play in the body of Christ (and not just because of their size). A huge congregation in a huge building can be a blessing to others in many ways.
I hope you take my points as a perspective from "the other side" and that you don't dismiss the large churches just because of their size. I don't think God is concerned with large churches versus small churches as long as they are all biblically faithful and committed to carrying out His will for this world. This is exactly the kind of division that needs to be eradicated from the church body if there is to be unity of any kind. Please take what I have written into consideration. Do not invalidate the large church because of its size. Doing so hinders the work of all the small churches within it that are working faithfully for God. And aren't you advocating that it is the small churches that are healthy and successful churches?"
I feel very strongly about the work of the large churches in God's kingdom, so this comment will double as a post!
Original comment thread
Libellés : church
lundi 17 novembre 2003
Witnessing 101
I received a lot of great advice about witnessing to others today, especially to my parents. It was difficult for me to swallow because I saw that I had done a lot of damage over the years by how I was treating them. I've been pushing Christianity into my parents' faces, to the point where they are probably sick of hearing about it. I learned that instead of trying to change my parents' beliefs all at once to what I want, I need to understand where they are coming from. That was powerful - the thought that I don't need to change what they believe. All I need to do is live a faithful and obedient life to Christ and pray that they see this life within me. Then, when they decide to accept Christ into their lives, they will effect these changes within themselves. I've been acting in such a condemning manner towards them, telling them that they are wrong constantly, that I have neglected to show them the love of God. I feel horrible about this. I've been a Christian everywhere but at home, the one place I needed to be the most. Please forgive me, Lord. I have sinned against my family and against You by acting self-righteous and prideful, the very thing I have been speaking about.
Who are we worshipping here?
I went on another field trip today with my New Religious Movements class to a human potential movement "church", which believes in the Science of Mind and is affiliated with the Church of Religious Science. We were all incredibly heartbroken at what we experienced this morning. Before we left, we prayed that there would be a real spirit of humility upon these people (since the human potential movement bases everything on the abilities and powers of humankind). But discover my shock when I found something in their songbook that seemed to go completely contrary to what we were praying for! Perhaps you've seen this little ditty before. Maybe it was originally written as a parody. I've no clue since I did not see it until today for the first time.
Lord, it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way.
I can't wait to look in the mirror
Cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a heck-of-a-One [lyrics changed from the original - these are the words in the songbook]
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
Cause I'm doing the best that I can.
- Mac Davis "Lord, It's Hard to Be Humble"
Wow. They took this song and put it in their songbook to be sung during their services. Not only that, they changed the sixth line in that song from "I must be one hell of a man" to "I must be one heck-of-a-One". (I like how they made hell into a nicer word, heck, hehe). Notice that they changed it to refer to a divine person, namely themselves. That scared me. It wasn't only in this one instance, however, that they referred to themselves as the One, etc. They also had a song of the Lord's Prayer where the ending was changed to I AM. I AM!!! The holy name of the Lord (Exodus 3:14)!! This movement thinks they are the I AM! The name that Jesus was going to be stoned for, for saying. This was what got me the most - how the utter holiness of God was not revered at all in these beliefs.
So imagine my relief when I went to church this evening and we sang this:
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord
And He shall lift you up higher and higher and He shall lift you up
So I will humble myself in the sight of the Lord
Humble myself in the sight of the Lord
And He shall lift me up higher and higher and He shall lift me up
- Bob Hudson "Humble Thyself"
This is what many call the paradox in Christianity:
- "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)
- "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20:16)
- "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (Mark 9:35)
- "Who [Jesus Christ] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:6-7)
- "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34-35)
- "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
You know what? Though this paradox may never be fully figured out in this life, I love this idea! I believe that one of the most wondrous yet mind-boggling concepts within Christianity is its essence of irony. A faith that is based on the denial of oneself to the worship of Christ? Where to become great, one must become a servant? Simply wonderful. I cannot imagine serving a God like the God of the Bible in any other way. I am so thrilled that God extended His grace and mercy to me, allowing me to worship Him in this most spectacular way - by focusing all my attention on Him rather than on myself. A faith where I can look upon His holiness, His majesty and His awesome splendor and praise Him for He is worthy of all praise. Thank You Lord for humbling me, for showing me who I really am before You. Just like Isaiah fell before God and cried out: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5)
Now, I suppose I should add a disclaimer since this is something that can be found on the Net and there will be those who will stop by and read what I have written and disagree with me. So let me say this flat out: I do NOT wish to convey a judgmental tone through this post at all. The last thing I want is to condemn people for their beliefs simply because they are different from mine. What my purpose is in writing this is, is to point out the main difference between these new religious movements that have popped up as of late who proclaim worship of the self as opposed to the historical biblical Christian faith that proclaims worship of its LORD and only of Him. It burdens my soul to see that people are falling into the trap of creating a "god" out of themselves in order to fill that hole in their lives that only God can fill. I am troubled because, without God in my life, I may easily have been one of these people. But God extends His love and mercy to all who call on His name, acknowledging their unworthiness before such a just God. And because He is so just, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to pay the price that we could not pay for what we have done. Our lies, our secret filth, our evil malicious thoughts - everything was cleared and wiped clean when Jesus died on the cross for us. All we need to do is confess this and our need for a Saviour outside of us. We cannot do it on our own. We will inevitably fail. We need Jesus Christ. This is what I write about. This is my life, a life where Jesus Christ is the Lord of all that I am.
Apologies for the length once again (I know, I know, ruining the perfect blog post standards). I just have so much to say and this was the best I could do to condense it. I really need to work on my brevity. Oh here I go again, I am going to stop now--
Libellés : theology-ish
dimanche 16 novembre 2003
The Blogosphere Ecosystem
This is pretty neat. While surfing Darren's blog about information on blogging, I came across a post called Blog Statistic - Length of Stay where he linked to a site called The Truth Laid Bear. Well I was a little surprised to find myself linked on it, which was cool, and that I am third from the bottom of the hierarchy of species on earth. Well, at least my blog is, not me personally. The funny thing is that at the beginning of this month, I was three tiers higher, as a Slimy Mollusc. Ahh, the glory days. So head on over and find out which creature of the earth you are!
Libellés : blogging
samedi 15 novembre 2003
To film or not to film
Hmm, my friend Jas has asked me if I would like to film her wedding. I have done this before, with a videography company I work with in town for weddings of people I have never met before, and as a wedding gift for my pastor. But I've never done this for friends before. One of the guys who I worked with this summer is a professional photographer and he said that he never takes pictures for any of his friend's weddings. I'm wondering if I should follow the same policy.
Libellés : friends
Thanks for your prayers!
Okay, I had to change my permalink from a smiley face back to the number sign. Why? Because I was checking my page ranking on Google and the smiley face was right after the post I wrote about my mom being diagnosed with cancer and it looked like I was happy about it (which, clearly, I am not and who would be?!). So I hope that will change pretty soon before I look completely horrible!
Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my mom and my family! It has been so incredible to see everyone who has emailed or called me express their concern for us. You don't know how grateful I am in seeing my church family and even strangers through this blog who have reached out and have offered to pray for her recovery. It's definitely a great witness to both my parents, who are not Christians, to see this. And thankfully, we've been able to find a personal care assistant for my mom who is willing to take her to all her radiation and chemotherapy sessions. I think she may be a Christian as well! I'm really praying that through this experience, my parents will come to know the Lord and see that He desires so much for them to come back to Him and that even through life's trials, He is there.
Libellés : cancer
vendredi 14 novembre 2003
Happy Birthday Lisa!
Friday Five:
1. Using one adjective, describe your current living space.
Cozy.
2. Using two adjectives, describe your current employer.
Don't have one currently so I'll describe my employer from this summer: honourable, creative.
3. Using three adjectives, describe your favourite hobby/past-time.
Innovative, challenging, fun!
4. Using four adjectives, describe your typical day.
Restless, packed, strenuous, joyful.
5. Using five adjectives, describe your ideal life.
Blessed, devoted, committed, adventurous, exuberant.
I am going to have to figure out how to post titles in this program. I quite like using it so far but I need titles!
Libellés : Friday Five
jeudi 13 novembre 2003
w.bloggar doesn't have a field for titles!
I'm playing around with this Blogging to a Different Tune thing on my WMP and my blog. I hope it works; I had to download w.bloggar for it.
Libellés : blogging
Fast food
My friends and I were talking about the best deals on fast food you can get. I am wholeheartedly a fan of McDonald's McDeal of the Day! Yes I know, fast food isn't good for the body, but who can argue against a 3.99 meal? What a steal of a deal, especially for college students!! Here are the sandwiches for each day of the week here at the local McD's (pretty sad when I have it memorized hey?); I wonder if it's the same everywhere else as well:
Monday - Big Xtra
Tuesday - Big Mac
Wednesday - McChicken
Thursday - Two Cheeseburgers
Friday - Filet O'Fish
Saturday - Double Cheeseburger
Sunday - Quarter Pounder
This has nothing to do with fast food, but don't you just love getting spam mail that promises to eliminate spam?
mercredi 12 novembre 2003
Hope and joy in Christ
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
- Romans 5:3-5
What I least expected
This is scary. My mom was diagnosed with cancer today.
Libellés : cancer
mardi 11 novembre 2003
Remembrance Day
I got this from Mikey's Funnies last night:
It is the soldier,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier,
not the politician,
who has given us the right to vote.
It is the soldier,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
Let's remember them on Remembrance Day - Canada / Veteran's Day - United States today. Remember to take a moment of silence in honour of the men and women who sacrificed their lives so that we might be able to live ours in freedom and in peace.
Libellés : Canada
lundi 10 novembre 2003
The buzz
I was going to post something on how caffeine has become a status symbol in our society but for some reason I never got around to it, which is funny because my friend Ria is writing about it for her English paper and the local news has started a series on it as well. I suppose if everyone is covering it already, I don't need to post anything then... I'll just read about it in another blog :)
Latest updates
Last week was just crazy for me. I had to finish one of my major leadership papers for class as well as an assignment on some bibliographies of influential people in Greek history. I was also able to go back to my high school twice, the first for one of my friends who got to preach during Christian club and the second for meeting one of the girls who used to be in my life group for pizza. I was extremely thrilled since my high school did not allow us to have a Christian club for years. We were forced to have "underground" meetings, but then the year after I left, they were allowed to be publicly recognized. Even in my last year, we were allowed to meet but the club wasn't allowed to be sponsored, meaning that we weren't allow to advertise it. It's such a blessing now to see kids walking around with Bibles and meeting together to talk about God. I hope they become a bigger presence in the school year after year.
I also got to tour a television station with the tech group, which was pretty cool because I learned that there were a lot of similarities between how both studios operated. I had a missions training night as well, which involved gooey cream cheese cinnamon buns (mmmm) and a four hour session. That usually wouldn't work well with kids, but for some reason the grade tens were the best behaved at the end of the night out of all the grade eights, twelves and campus aged kids! Finally, I technical directed some services and had life group yesterday. I was so beat that I couldn't even manage to stay for the youth service and just went home early. So day four of the reading break thus far, and I have done absolutely nothing for my classes! Boy, am I behind in all my classes!
**Update** I have met the requirements for the selection process for my program!!
Libellés : college
dimanche 9 novembre 2003
Ode to sound
What are the odds that while I have been in video for years, my best friend has suddenly gotten in sound? It's the perfect complement, which is too funny for words.
Libellés : friends
Theological smorgasbord
I must be extremely bored because I just read through a bunch of threads on Beliefnet's forums. While I certainly didn't read them all word-for-word (some were just tedious to get through), a lot of it was interesting. Especially on threads where there were upwards of over a hundred and something responses. I did notice however, that, Christians and non-Christians just went back and forth a lot of the time, using big words and complex theological or scientific ideas to prove or disprove their beliefs. Funny thing was sometimes, they would use the same concept to argue their point of view that the other side would use to prove theirs! I had the small urge to respond to some of these threads, but really, the non-Christians seemed to attack the Christian beliefs, which led to the Christians attacking back, meaning a full scale war was on in no time. So I will post what I think here where it's at least a bit friendlier :)
- "Jesus Christ is not God" thread: this belief subscribes to the heresy of Arius that the early church combated; this belief can be easily refuted by numerous Bible verses of which I will not be giving references because there's a lot and it's late; historical biblical Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is God, which means that anyone who calls them self a Christian will agree with this; as stated in the sidebar, I believe He is Lord!
- "I Am God" thread: started off as a joke by some guy claiming to be God but the topic moved onto the previous thread's subject; relating to the "I Am God" idea, that belief is pantheistic and monistic and in no way should be believed by those following Christ; this was what led to the Fall - "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5)
- "Catholic vs. Protestant" thread: this is something that has been personal to my life (if I get the chance, I will post something on this); I disagree with some things in the Catholic tradition but I think there is still a lot that can be learned from them, such as their reverential approach to God, the importance of confession (though the means to do so are different), as well as the sacred treatment of the sacraments (not saying that Protestants don't do so); there is a lot of hate between the two groups and that is sad because Jesus prayed in His High Priestly Prayer that there be complete unity for His believers (see verses); I still don't understand this though because if there are so many theological differences between the two, how can unity be achieved?
- "The KJV vs." thread: I think that God has carefully protected His truth throughout the ages so in my mind, I don't see an issue in terms of inaccuracies between the versions or anything; there are people who prefer the traditional version because it may communicate the holiness of God better for them (revered and traditional language); modern translations allow people to have a better understanding of the scriptures because it is in accessible language to them; overall, I think we should treasure the fact that we have so many versions and translations available to us to study from because those in other countries only have one, if any, so any bickering about which one is the best seems irrelevant to the big picture here; that said, I do like the NIV best because that was my first Bible and I love pouring over those familiar verses
- "Demons in Christians" thread: again, this is something that has been personal in my life (but not personally thankfully!!!) - maybe I'll post about that soon as well; I do believe that Christians can allow demons to oppress them if they are allowing themselves to be, are not plugged in to the power source (GOD), and are not guarding themselves with the full armor; I think it is impossible for Christians to be possessed though because the Holy Spirit dwells within them; "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
- "Speaking in Tongues" thread: yes, the gift of speaking in tongues was given to the believers at Pentecost when they were baptized of the Holy Spirit; Paul addresses this later on in 1 Corinthians, when he states that speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit or a spiritual gift; I don't think that it is evidence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life because if so, I wouldn't be considered one!; I'm not a cessationist because I think God may still gift some today with this for personal edification; Paul does has clear guidelines for its use: interpreter must be present, must be conducted in an orderly manner, cannot disrupt a worship service, only one at a time, that sort of thing; so basically, I believe it to be a gift of the Spirit (just like gifts of teaching, administration, etc. are - but should not be given prominence over them or be considered the only true gift) that still exists today but should not be presented in a manner that is contrary to the guidelines Paul has set
Actually, I have a story about the last one. My best friend and I were at a Starfield concert a few months ago, and it was held at a Pentecostal church. I am in no way discriminating against this denomination or attacking its beliefs; I am only describing my experience. So we were sitting there in the foyer waiting for the concert to begin when we noticed that a bunch of adults were huddled together in a circle. We weren't really sure of what was going on until we noticed a man saying a bunch of weird stuff. He was quite loud and before long, we figured out that he was speaking in tongues. Then a woman (I think?) started interpreting for him just as loudly. The whole group seemed seized during this moment and it scared my best friend and me to the point that we had to leave the church. Now it could be that they were experiencing some sort of God manifestation then, but clearly, it made anyone there who was not exposed to that sort of behaviour uncomfortable. I think that there is a time and a place for such an experience but if it was enough to drive Christians out of that church at that time, then I wonder what non-Christians would have felt like if they were there. Though I think it is a valid gift (a pastor I know has it but would never use it in front of others in that sort of manner), I think it can easily be abused. Like at that moment in that church when we felt the need to leave. Or when many start speaking in tongues just for the sake of getting attention but they aren't really. Or when a crowd goes wild and starts speaking in gibberish all at once and it confuses the heck out of everyone.
Well this was a very long post! I'd break it up more but it's already 3 in the morning and I have to get up in three hours to go to church. Oh and when I mean that it's friendlier to post on my blog than to interact with non-Christians on those forums, I am not advocating that we shy away from places where truth can be imparted; I strongly encourage it for people who are able to "give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). I'll be honest - I'm a chicken. Plus, I know there is so much more to learn about my faith before I can defend my beliefs as well as I would like to before others. I don't want to sound like a babbling fool to others nor do I want to speak extensively about something that I have not spent much time on in study or in prayer. The things which I have written above on are my elementary thoughts on certain subjects. I am a learner and I am certain that when I look back on them a few months from now, I probably will have even more to add. So take them for what they are, coming from a believer in Jesus Christ, who is learning more each and everyday on her walk with Him :)
Libellés : theology-ish
samedi 8 novembre 2003
Raw emotion
I'm just sitting here watching the season premiere of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter after John Ritter's death. I am amazed at the incredible writing on this show, because it shows what people are like after a death in the family. Cate, the mother, cries out against God and screams about His plans versus hers, which I think, is so real. It's not a show that is blatant about God, but I think is better written than those that are. These people are shown in anguish and pain, and that is more real than glossing everything over. I have to go, but I thought I'd post on how well this show captures real human emotions and their connection to God.
Libellés : media
vendredi 7 novembre 2003
First day of reading break!
Friday Five:
1. What food do you like that most people hate?
Hehe Lissa gets stuck with this every time I eat out with her. But I absolutely love mushrooms and black olives, two things she can't stand (nor anyone else I know for that matter)!
2. What food do you hate that most people love?
I do not like cucumbers. Pickles, on the other hand are delicious, but cucumbers? Or watermelon. Or kiwi. I like to stick to traditional fruit.
3. What famous person, whom many people may find attractive, is most unappealing to you?
A lot of the celebrities in the media nowadays. I don't understand why people have crushes on celebrities that have no substance as a person but may just look "hot" or whatever. It's pretty irking when I hear people drool over them when there's nothing to drool after!
4. What famous person, whom many people may find unappealing, do you find attractive?
I can't really think of any because I don't easily find people attractive. In order for me to notice them, they'd have to be a person of integrity and selflessness. And not that no one fits that criteria, it's just that it's extremely rare for famous people to have. But if it was someone other than a "celebrity", I'd say people like Billy Graham. I don't think of them in the "attractive" sense, only that they emulate Christ in their lives and they share His love with the world.
5. What popular trend baffles you?
Frankly, everything (although I'm sure that there's one or two things I haven't thought of). I don't really go with the trend at all. What baffles me the most though? That Christian girls feel they have to dress skimpy in order to look cool. I see this at church and Bible college all the time, and I don't get why immodesty is such a trend.
Libellés : Friday Five
jeudi 6 novembre 2003
Joys of English class
So... my confidence in my writing has been shattered. Two papers in a row that I have handed in have not been up to par. I guess I'm mostly disappointed in myself since I thought I was actually decent at writing well. Now I'm just glad I decided not to major in English after all.
At least my prof wrote this in my second paper:
"I know I've been hard on you, but I want you to become even more proficient in your writing and communication. Your good mind and gifted powers of expression can find an even clearer channel."
Well I suppose that wasn't too bad then. I was really encouraged today when I met with him after class and he offered suggestions on how to write more succinctly. I think I beat around the bush too much. And he even prayed for me, which lifted my spirits a bit. I'm going to miss that when I leave Bible college this year.
Libellés : language
mercredi 5 novembre 2003
How sad!
I just came across some webpages that belong to people I knew from junior high or high school... and I have to admit, my heart is breaking over them. Just reading what they have written is depressing as I see them try to find life in all the wrong places. Seeing people I used to hang out with have nothing better to do than get drunk on the weekends and skip classes during the week just saddens me. They are throwing their life away by pursuing this behaviour and they don't even see it! And not to mention that the language is atrocious (even on the pages of people I knew who professed to be Christian). I'm not saying that if you swear, you're not a Christian, but it's just such a bad witness to non-Christians who come across your page and see filthy language on there. I'm also a little shocked because this guy I know who used to be so on fire for God is writing about wanting to majorly hurt the public transit drivers for being late (obviously, I toned that language down). What has happened? Has university hardened these peoples' hearts? Christian or non-Christian, a lot of these people are unknowingly damaging their lives. I wish there was something I could do to let them know how much God desires for them to come back to Him, but for now I know I can at least pray for them. I can pray that all these former classmates will find the true meaning in life - that a life with God far surpasses the next drink or the next fling.
mardi 4 novembre 2003
Missions week
It's missions week at my school! Which means free pizza and tacos. Okay, it's not just the food that gets my attention. There are also lots of missions agencies and groups that are here during the week to talk about what they do. I got to talk to someone from YFC today and it was a blast hanging out with her. She's another technical director at my church so we were chatting about camera control gone wrong. Plus, there are some ministry opportunities at YFC that are opening up that I could help at if I'm interested :)
Well I need to go finish my leadership paper for tonight. It's about three quarters done and I have an hour to finish it and edit it. So I will resort to the only thing I have left at this point: the infamous Englilsh paper.
Libellés : college
lundi 3 novembre 2003
Bubble gone bad
Aww Davey (one of the kids in my youth) had quite the experience with the "biggest bubble ever" at one of the sleepovers that was held after the retreat was cancelled. We're still teasing him about it now, poor kid. I'm just glad Nickkie was there with her digi to capture this "delicious" moment :)
Libellés : youth ministry
At last
Due to recent issues with the free image hosting group I use (free always comes with problems doesn't it?), I have changed the look of my blog. So I finally got around to some much needed changes! Thanks to Holly and Steve for bringing these problems to my attention! And don't worry Tracy, I will start fixing things during reading break :)
Well I am sprucing up my blog at the expense of a major leadership paper I have to write for tomorrow night, so I will tear myself away from the fun world of CSS and scripts! I'd love to procrastinate some more but I'm already 400 pages behind in another biography that's due Thursday. I guess now that I'm back in school, my blog is just filled with all these boring posts about my assignments!
Can you please let me know if there are still issues with my blog? If there are, I'll do my best to work on them on my break; thanks!!
Libellés : blogging
dimanche 2 novembre 2003
So out there
I'm stuck having to read "The Celestine Prophecy" for my New Religious Movements class and it bites. I know that it spent quite some time as #1 on the New York Bestsellers list, but as I'm reading it, I feel my IQ slipping down. If you concentrate enough, you can see energy fields?? Be aware of coincidences?? I don't know. I shouldn't mock the book considering it had quite an effect on the spiritually seeking. But the way I see it, people are so desperate to not accept the holy and just God to whom we are accountable to that they will make up any sort of theory to appease their emptiness and fill their longing for Someone beyond this world. Sorry if I came across as harsh there, but that is how I genuinely feel. And I think God grieves so much seeing His people chase after fanciful myths all the while pushing Him completely out of the picture as He is waiting for them to return to Him. Maybe I'm being spiritually arrogant here. I probably would have bought that book if it were not for the grace that God has given me and the Truth that He made available in the Bible to me. Oh God, please help me to be more compassionate towards those that have a hunger for something but are unsure of what it is yet.
Libellés : books
Latest books
Ok, I'm post-crazy today. Which explains why I haven't started my homework!
Anyways, I have realized something. "The Purpose Driven Life" is becoming just as much a trend as "The Prayer of Jabez" was. I mean, everywhere I look, a church is doing the Purpose Driven Life series and there are various related products out now, such as journals, music, and even scripture keepers. I'm not sure what to make of it. I really did not like the whole "Jabez" phenomenon when it was big a few years ago. Mostly, because I felt that it was taking a prayer that was uttered by someone in a certain time and place for a certain situation and making it a 'magic' formula that could answer anything. I don't think this was what the author intended (I hope not, considering he was the executive editor on the NIV committee!) but I know that some Christians began treating the prayer as a way to get quick health-and-wealth. I think it was a fad, considering it didn't have lasting presence (and if it was anything more than a fad, it would still be prominent today).
And now I'm wondering if this "Purpose Driven" movement is just like that. I don't think it is because people need to find purpose in life but it does seem to be treated like a fad. I wonder if it'll still be as important to Christians a few years down the road. I am glad that this book broke the secular market though. It was #5 on the top 5 bestsellers in my entire city, which does not measure religious books so it was a pleasant surprise to see Purpose Driven on the list. I do have the book and I intend to read it soon to see if it merits all the attention it has been receiving lately, but from what I see now, it's in the spotlight just like Jabez was. I just wonder what the next latest craze in Christian books will be.
Libellés : books
samedi 1 novembre 2003
Christ at the centre
I was browsing my denomination's website and I found a saying that I'd heard before but didn't get a chance to post regarding differences within the body of Christ:
Unity in Essentials,
Liberty in Non-Essentials,
Charity in All Things.
Libellés : quotes
Christmastime
I just love Christmas! Being able to celebrate the birth of Christ with friends and my church family is the best time of year. Since I'm one of those weird peoples who enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them (according to my friends), it's one of my passions to go out and buy presents for close ones. I am also a Christmas card nut, which is always hard because the most you can buy in a bulk quantity is 24 or 36. And this year, my card list has over 100 people on it...!
Anyways, I definitely recommend doing Operation Christmas Child, which is an excellent way to pass on the giving spirit. My life group is hoping to make a few shoeboxes this Christmas. It's very easy to put together and the rewards are infinite! My best friend got to give out some shoeboxes to little children in Mexico one year and she said that the looks on the kids' faces were beyond description.
Here's some stuff you can put in them if you're stuck for ideas:
Toys: small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, plastic kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky, etc.
School supplies: pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, coloring books, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, etc.
Hygiene items: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, comb, washcloth, etc.
Other: hard candy, lollipops, mints, gum, sunglasses, flashlights with extra batteries, ball caps, socks, T-shirts, toy jewelry sets, hair clips, watches, small picture books, etc.
(Ideas are taken from the Samaritan's Purse website)
Libellés : Christmas
I applied!
Quick note before I have to go read Plutarch... I just applied to the Cinema Television Stage & Radio program :) I really hope I get in, but I guess I'll have to wait and see! Anyways, hope you're having a great start to November so far. It's Christmas shopping season!
