Again, Sorry for the tardy journal entry, but hopefully, it is more coherent this way :P.
- Too often, I get comfortable where I am and then God uses the circumstances around me to get me moving again. My prayer is that I will learn to live like Paul, having more effect on the prisons in my life than they have on me. I want to use my ‘prisons’ to bring glory to God and allow other to see Christ in me. It is only through Christ, through repentance and faith, that I can be set free. And like Paul and Silas in prison, I can use my prison experience just as I can use any other experience as an opportunity to be bold and give the glory to God.
- As I obey Christ in the small things, He will entrust me to obey with bigger things. But I need to stop focussing on trying to figure out what the big things God wants to trust me with are and be faithful with the small things.
- In Philippians, Paul encourages us to be servants. This requires absolute obedience, absolute humility, and absolute servitude. First and foremost, I need to serve God, then I can properly serve others. I need to stop focussing so much on my rights and focus on the rights of others and I need to learn to love others the way they need to be loved, not the way I want to be loved. I need to open my eyes to see and observe, but I can never cultivate the habit of observing if I don’t get over my own needs.
- I want to learn to give thanks to God in ALL circumstances, for the circumstances (whether good or bad) and for who God is, and what He is doing in the circumstances. I want to have a perspective of proclamation and I want God to use me to be a witness to Him in every circumstance.
- My prayer is that God would work in me so I can put 1 Corinthians 10:31 into practice: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” However, I need to remember that the only way Christ will get glory out of me is through Christ in me, not by my own efforts.
- “The eternal enemy of the best is that which is good.” I need to be careful not to settle for good when I can have the best which is Christ. I need to be pure and blameless so that any accusation against me will not stick. I want to earnestly seek that which is best, not settling for what is merely good.
- My aim needs to be to focus people on Christ, not on myself.
- It was not I who stepped towards Christ first, but rather Christ who stepped towards me (Romans 5:6). I am powerless to get myself out of my situation! But it is Christ who works in me, empowers me, and energizes me according to His good purpose. God empowers me, but I still need to obey. As A. W. Tozer put it, “I am as holy as I choose to be.” I need to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. I also need to hold tight to my faith and then hold it out to others.
- I need to simply trust God rather than work to please God (which can only lead to insecurity). I need to have a singleness of purpose and forget what is behind (whether it is good or bad) because that can only ever pull me back and slow me down.
- God never intended the Israelites to stay in the wilderness for long. His plan was to bring them out of Egypt and then lead them to the promised land. It is much the same in the Christian life. Through His sacrifice, Christ saved me out of bondage to sin. Unfortunately, I have spent the majority of my life wandering in the desert. I had been saved, but I was not living in Canaan as God intended. I had not realized the dramatic change Christ’s life in me could make if I allowed Him. These ten weeks at Bible College have made me realize that the Christian life is not just a set of rules and a way of talking but now I realize the power of my new purity, my new identity, my new disposition, and my new power in Christ.
- Nothing I do is good unless it is God who is doing it.
- If God is working through me, I will get tired, but He will sustain me!
- In Peter Bichan’s lectures on Mount Somers last week, he asked the question “What do you want to be remembered for after you die?” I want to be remembered for being filled with the joy of Christ, being thankful for and in every situation, and for giving God all the glory. I want to be remembered for pointing people to Christ in every situation. I want to be hated or loved – I don’t mind which – just so long as Christ’s life in me causes others to react.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Week 10
The tramp up mount Sommers was awesome! The first day was rather difficult with a very steep incline, but after stopping once completely out of breath, I learnt to pace myself. The first day (Tuesday) was the longest (about three and a half hours) and the most difficult. We reached the first hut at about 2pm and had lunch. The hut was really nice with bunk beds and a sink and a wood stove (which, fortunately, we didn’t have to use). However, since there weren’t enough bunks, some of the boys (who had brought tents and mattresses) camped outside. During the afternoon, we hiked up to some neat rock formations and I had my quiet time right beside the stream (it was quite beautiful!). No one slept too well either night, the first because it was our first night in the hut and the second because of a huge windstorm that beat against the second hut.
Peter Thomas, our teacher for the week, lead our expedition. During the tramp, He taught on Ephesians. We had classes in or just outside the huts and we also had a class on the last day on the mountain. It was really nice to get out of the classroom! My journal entry for this week will be posted at a later date seen as I have not had the opportunity to write it out yet.
The second day of hiking was easier and much more informative since I walked with Peter and he told us about NZ wildlife and tons of other stuff. During our tramp, Dale and Peter would give us questions to talk about in pairs. One was “If you were a dog, who would you bite?” Another one was “What fruit or vegetable best describes our life and why?” And another was “Describe the house you lived in when you were five.” All of the questions sparked some really interesting conversations!
Along the lower part of the mountain were tons of beach trees that were covered in a black moss like stuff. There are tiny bugs that live on the beach trees that produce a sweet liquid called honeydew. The last time the Capernwray students hiked this trail in previous years, the beach trees were covered in wasps that would collect the honeydew but this week, there were barely any wasps. This made hiking much easier and it also meant that we could stop for a sweet treat every now and then. You could collect two or three sweet drops on your finger and just eat it by itself.
We didn’t summit mount Sommers, instead we hiked around it and about half way up. We did get some pretty awesome views and we were blessed with amazing weather! We only had one injury. Bryan twisted his ankle on the last day as he was exploring the water caves.
We departed really early from the huts both mornings so we finished hiking for the day by 10 am! That meant that we had tons of time at the second hut to explore. We went swimming in Emerald Pool (a small pool in the river right bellow a small waterfall which we slid down). Since none of us had brought our togs (Kiwi for swimsuit), we went in with just our undergarments (guys and girls swam at separate times). We also hiked a little ways away form the hut to some water caves. We climbed through the caves, up the waterfalls and found some pretty cool places! We also got some nice girl time since the guys and the girls split up to do our exploring. I got some pretty awesome pictures!
In the evening of the second day, we walked up to a place right above Emerald Pool (on top of the cliffs that surround it) and had a worship and sharing time. It was really cool! It really hit me up there how small I am and how big God’s creation is and therefore how ginormous God is. It brought to mind Isaiah 40:12-14:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counsellor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
We were asked to pick out one object in nature and use it to illustrate how God has been speaking to us in the past few days. I chose a blade of grass and spoke about Isaiah 40: 6-8 and how it talks about how all men are like grass and their glory is like the flowers of the field. This life is so temporary and small in the grand scheme of things but God’s work stands forever and that is so amazing! One of the other guys shared about clouds. He said he really likes clouds and he was kind of disappointed that there weren’t any. He went on to say, however, that sometimes, even though we like the clouds, God takes them out of our life for a while. But He knows that if it was cloudy, there would be no way we could do what we are doing (in the example, this was swimming in Emerald pool). And God knows what we need and when we need it. And sometimes He takes things or people out of our lives for a time because He knows that that’s not what we need at the moment. I can say that I have seen God doing this in my life, taking away the things that distract me for a time so that I can focus on knowing Him.
God has been teaching me so much! I tend to hear something but then forget it just as quickly, but He has been faithful to tell me the same thing over and over again as I slowly learn. Going back to the basics of the Christian faith in these first 10 weeks at The Crossing have been so amazing! I don’t know why I haven’t heard all of this before – it was probably because I wasn’t listening – but hearing it for what sometimes feels like the first time (even if I have heard it several times already even at The Crossing) has been so amazing. And I am so grateful that God has moved some of the clouds out of the way for a little while so that I am not too distracted and so that I can focus on Him.
On Friday afternoon after a shorter-than-usual workday, we all got dressed up and then we decorated our Christmas tree and the house. Bruce (the elk in our classroom) is now our Rudolph and the rest of the house is all decked out. During our formal Christmas/American Thanksgiving supper, we even closed the drapes and lit candles so it felt more like Christmas. It’s so weird though to go outside and sit on the grass in the hot sun and think that Christmas is fast approaching! Later in the evening, we had a supper of tarts and eggnog and we played a game. The game consisted of pulling a “song title” or subject out of a hat and then we were given one minute to write lyrics and then we preformed it in front of the group. Some “titles” were “25 degrees on the 25th,” “Jordan fought a giant turkey and won,” and “A love song for a turkey.” They were all quite comical and we had a good laugh!
Saturday was a wonderfully relaxed day with ten of the fourteen students gone to Christchurch for some Christmas shopping and to attend the Coca Cola festival. For the four of us who stayed, Patti hosted a delicious meal of barbequed steak, scalloped potatoes, and salad. I managed to get quite a bit done with such a quiet house including writing and article for the trumpet, chatting with people from back home on the phone, and enjoying a quiet read.
After church on Sunday, Mrs Stephenson invited me up to her house for lunch. She is an amazing lady who goes to the first service at St. Andrews (which I have been walking in to town to attend for the past three or four weeks). She toured me around her house and her beautiful property. We chatted about our families. She told me about her grandchildren and how she met her late husband and how they had renovated their house. And she shared her testimony with me. Wow! She has an amazing testimony and I really admire her faith!
This evening (Sunday), the girls will be going to the Epp’s to visit with Patti. She is finding that since she no longer lives at the Crossing, she is not able to bond with the girls as well and so has proposed that we get together every second Sunday evening (when we don’t have Sunday night fellowship) so we can all get to know each other better.
Peter Thomas, our teacher for the week, lead our expedition. During the tramp, He taught on Ephesians. We had classes in or just outside the huts and we also had a class on the last day on the mountain. It was really nice to get out of the classroom! My journal entry for this week will be posted at a later date seen as I have not had the opportunity to write it out yet.
The second day of hiking was easier and much more informative since I walked with Peter and he told us about NZ wildlife and tons of other stuff. During our tramp, Dale and Peter would give us questions to talk about in pairs. One was “If you were a dog, who would you bite?” Another one was “What fruit or vegetable best describes our life and why?” And another was “Describe the house you lived in when you were five.” All of the questions sparked some really interesting conversations!
Along the lower part of the mountain were tons of beach trees that were covered in a black moss like stuff. There are tiny bugs that live on the beach trees that produce a sweet liquid called honeydew. The last time the Capernwray students hiked this trail in previous years, the beach trees were covered in wasps that would collect the honeydew but this week, there were barely any wasps. This made hiking much easier and it also meant that we could stop for a sweet treat every now and then. You could collect two or three sweet drops on your finger and just eat it by itself.
We didn’t summit mount Sommers, instead we hiked around it and about half way up. We did get some pretty awesome views and we were blessed with amazing weather! We only had one injury. Bryan twisted his ankle on the last day as he was exploring the water caves.
We departed really early from the huts both mornings so we finished hiking for the day by 10 am! That meant that we had tons of time at the second hut to explore. We went swimming in Emerald Pool (a small pool in the river right bellow a small waterfall which we slid down). Since none of us had brought our togs (Kiwi for swimsuit), we went in with just our undergarments (guys and girls swam at separate times). We also hiked a little ways away form the hut to some water caves. We climbed through the caves, up the waterfalls and found some pretty cool places! We also got some nice girl time since the guys and the girls split up to do our exploring. I got some pretty awesome pictures!
In the evening of the second day, we walked up to a place right above Emerald Pool (on top of the cliffs that surround it) and had a worship and sharing time. It was really cool! It really hit me up there how small I am and how big God’s creation is and therefore how ginormous God is. It brought to mind Isaiah 40:12-14:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counsellor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
We were asked to pick out one object in nature and use it to illustrate how God has been speaking to us in the past few days. I chose a blade of grass and spoke about Isaiah 40: 6-8 and how it talks about how all men are like grass and their glory is like the flowers of the field. This life is so temporary and small in the grand scheme of things but God’s work stands forever and that is so amazing! One of the other guys shared about clouds. He said he really likes clouds and he was kind of disappointed that there weren’t any. He went on to say, however, that sometimes, even though we like the clouds, God takes them out of our life for a while. But He knows that if it was cloudy, there would be no way we could do what we are doing (in the example, this was swimming in Emerald pool). And God knows what we need and when we need it. And sometimes He takes things or people out of our lives for a time because He knows that that’s not what we need at the moment. I can say that I have seen God doing this in my life, taking away the things that distract me for a time so that I can focus on knowing Him.
God has been teaching me so much! I tend to hear something but then forget it just as quickly, but He has been faithful to tell me the same thing over and over again as I slowly learn. Going back to the basics of the Christian faith in these first 10 weeks at The Crossing have been so amazing! I don’t know why I haven’t heard all of this before – it was probably because I wasn’t listening – but hearing it for what sometimes feels like the first time (even if I have heard it several times already even at The Crossing) has been so amazing. And I am so grateful that God has moved some of the clouds out of the way for a little while so that I am not too distracted and so that I can focus on Him.
On Friday afternoon after a shorter-than-usual workday, we all got dressed up and then we decorated our Christmas tree and the house. Bruce (the elk in our classroom) is now our Rudolph and the rest of the house is all decked out. During our formal Christmas/American Thanksgiving supper, we even closed the drapes and lit candles so it felt more like Christmas. It’s so weird though to go outside and sit on the grass in the hot sun and think that Christmas is fast approaching! Later in the evening, we had a supper of tarts and eggnog and we played a game. The game consisted of pulling a “song title” or subject out of a hat and then we were given one minute to write lyrics and then we preformed it in front of the group. Some “titles” were “25 degrees on the 25th,” “Jordan fought a giant turkey and won,” and “A love song for a turkey.” They were all quite comical and we had a good laugh!
Saturday was a wonderfully relaxed day with ten of the fourteen students gone to Christchurch for some Christmas shopping and to attend the Coca Cola festival. For the four of us who stayed, Patti hosted a delicious meal of barbequed steak, scalloped potatoes, and salad. I managed to get quite a bit done with such a quiet house including writing and article for the trumpet, chatting with people from back home on the phone, and enjoying a quiet read.
After church on Sunday, Mrs Stephenson invited me up to her house for lunch. She is an amazing lady who goes to the first service at St. Andrews (which I have been walking in to town to attend for the past three or four weeks). She toured me around her house and her beautiful property. We chatted about our families. She told me about her grandchildren and how she met her late husband and how they had renovated their house. And she shared her testimony with me. Wow! She has an amazing testimony and I really admire her faith!
This evening (Sunday), the girls will be going to the Epp’s to visit with Patti. She is finding that since she no longer lives at the Crossing, she is not able to bond with the girls as well and so has proposed that we get together every second Sunday evening (when we don’t have Sunday night fellowship) so we can all get to know each other better.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Journal for week 9
Sorry it took so long to get my journal for last week posted... Be sure to read the 'Did you know' post that I posted just a few minutes prior to this one!
- God placed the stars in the heavens and He names them and they proclaim His glory. It can be argued that the zodiac symbols tell the gospel!
- My prayer is that God would open my mind to understand the scriptures like He did for the two men on the road to Emmaus.
- God is real and God is speaking now!!!! He spoke tangibly and literally to the Israelites through the twelve stones on the high priest’s Ephod. He revealed His Shakina glory through the burning bush, the cloud and pillar of fire leading the Israelites. All of these show that God speaks literally and tangibly to His people, in History, and now! I also saw this demonstrated in the testimony of how God led Laurence and Peggy Epp to missions with Muslims. God spoke to each of them individually and made it clear that He was leading them to Yemen. This showed me that God still does reveal His will tangibly today! It made me realise that I need to trust that He will lead me. In fact, since He is I AM and is outside of time, He has already led me! It is not that He is outside of time as in that He is over time, but that He is now, He has no past or future, only ‘now’. Therefore, He has already accomplished His will in my life! I realise now that I can say, like Rahab, that He has given what He promised! He has saved me, He has redeemed me, He has accomplished His will in my life, and He has brought me into His presence (Ephesians 3:1, notice the past tense). And, when I am no longer in time, when I am with I AM, it will not be eternity in the sense of endless days but eternity in the sense of unlimited ‘now.’ Every moment will be filled and complete by the presence of God.
- Christ is better than angels, better than Moses, and better than a High Priest. This is because He is the Son of God, He is Creator, and He is to be served and worshiped. Because Jesus is the Son, He carries the attributes of God. This should be the same for me since I have been adopted as the ‘son’ of God and since Christ indwells me. Although Moses accomplished a lot, Jesus accomplished more, bringing all who will believe into eternal rest. This rest is a Sabbath rest, an active rest where everything that is done is done according to how God meant it to be done. A High Priest could only serve as a mediator between God and the people for a limited amount of time but Christ intercedes forever. He is the complete sacrifice and therefore I can be assured of my salvation.
- Jesus is also a better covenant, sanctuary, and sacrifice. He not only restored humanities relationship with God but renewed our inner nature! He made it possible for anyone to come into God’s presence and so I can come to God in confidence. Also, He is the final sacrifice. He only needed to die once.
- I need to be careful not to drift away from God. This can happen slowly, without me even noticing. I also need to be careful that my heart is not hardened and that I do not fall away from God because of ignorance or laziness.
- The law given to the Israelites was not meant to last forever. It was meant to show the character of God, to protect and instruct them. It was also to foreshadow the coming Messiah.
- The law cannot and never could bring salvation, it could only, like a mirror, reveal sin. Now, with the new covenant, our hearts are changed. It is internal as opposed to the external law.
- God placed the stars in the heavens and He names them and they proclaim His glory. It can be argued that the zodiac symbols tell the gospel!
- My prayer is that God would open my mind to understand the scriptures like He did for the two men on the road to Emmaus.
- God is real and God is speaking now!!!! He spoke tangibly and literally to the Israelites through the twelve stones on the high priest’s Ephod. He revealed His Shakina glory through the burning bush, the cloud and pillar of fire leading the Israelites. All of these show that God speaks literally and tangibly to His people, in History, and now! I also saw this demonstrated in the testimony of how God led Laurence and Peggy Epp to missions with Muslims. God spoke to each of them individually and made it clear that He was leading them to Yemen. This showed me that God still does reveal His will tangibly today! It made me realise that I need to trust that He will lead me. In fact, since He is I AM and is outside of time, He has already led me! It is not that He is outside of time as in that He is over time, but that He is now, He has no past or future, only ‘now’. Therefore, He has already accomplished His will in my life! I realise now that I can say, like Rahab, that He has given what He promised! He has saved me, He has redeemed me, He has accomplished His will in my life, and He has brought me into His presence (Ephesians 3:1, notice the past tense). And, when I am no longer in time, when I am with I AM, it will not be eternity in the sense of endless days but eternity in the sense of unlimited ‘now.’ Every moment will be filled and complete by the presence of God.
- Christ is better than angels, better than Moses, and better than a High Priest. This is because He is the Son of God, He is Creator, and He is to be served and worshiped. Because Jesus is the Son, He carries the attributes of God. This should be the same for me since I have been adopted as the ‘son’ of God and since Christ indwells me. Although Moses accomplished a lot, Jesus accomplished more, bringing all who will believe into eternal rest. This rest is a Sabbath rest, an active rest where everything that is done is done according to how God meant it to be done. A High Priest could only serve as a mediator between God and the people for a limited amount of time but Christ intercedes forever. He is the complete sacrifice and therefore I can be assured of my salvation.
- Jesus is also a better covenant, sanctuary, and sacrifice. He not only restored humanities relationship with God but renewed our inner nature! He made it possible for anyone to come into God’s presence and so I can come to God in confidence. Also, He is the final sacrifice. He only needed to die once.
- I need to be careful not to drift away from God. This can happen slowly, without me even noticing. I also need to be careful that my heart is not hardened and that I do not fall away from God because of ignorance or laziness.
- The law given to the Israelites was not meant to last forever. It was meant to show the character of God, to protect and instruct them. It was also to foreshadow the coming Messiah.
- The law cannot and never could bring salvation, it could only, like a mirror, reveal sin. Now, with the new covenant, our hearts are changed. It is internal as opposed to the external law.
Did you know?
Did you know (#3) that the Moa, a bird that resemble the ostrich (but can be much larger), was found only in New Zealand until it too was hunted to extinction by the Maori. The Moa could resembled a dinosaur because of feet with three talons and the fact that it couldn’t fly.
Did you know (#4) that the Kia is a parrot native to New Zealand that will dive at hikers and steal objects from backpacks or huts?
Did you know (#4) that the Kia is a parrot native to New Zealand that will dive at hikers and steal objects from backpacks or huts?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Week 9
It’s good to be back home at The Crossing! This week, Peter Thomas (the son of Major Ian Thomas, the founder of the Capernwray Hall) is teaching on Hebrews. We also had a couple who came in and talked about witnessing to Muslims. Dale has also been teaching on Exodus. I will post my journal in a future post (probably around next Thursday or Friday) since I have not finished typing it up yet.
Monday afternoon, although I had planned to get ahead of some school work, was consumed with researching a concept I had never heard of before: that the speed of light is not constant but that it is in fact decaying over time! Peter Thomas brought up this subject (he has taught on Genesis and is quite knowledgeable in the subject of creation science) at the beginning of his first class. I spent the afternoon researching the concept as proposed by Barry Setterfield. Quite interesting... But it made me realise that I have a long way to go before I understand physics fully!
Tuesday lectures were amazing! God really spoke to me! For family night on Tuesday, we did a photo scavenger. Our families were split into two teams (I was with Cara, Kelsey, and Isabelle (Dale and Patti’s daughter)) who competed against each other, but we will also be competing all together against the other family group. The objective was to go around town getting pictures of as many items on the list we were given in a certain amount of time. The list included “take a picture with as many people on the street as possible” (We asked the people on a shuttle bus to get out and join in out picture and Amber’s group actually went into a restaurant and asked everyone to come out for a picture), “Go white water rafting,” “Take a picture with a Hyslop” (that’s the pastor’s family), “Climb a tree,” “Soak yourself in the river” (the river is still realy cold and jeans take a long time to dry...), “Get a stranger to push you in a cart,” “Push a stranger in a cart,” etc. It was tons of fun!!! My family group then went to Dale and Patti’s for supper (that is a late evening snack) and a few stories from Peter Thomas, our teacher for the week (the best was his story about how he was suspected of being involved in a plot to assassinate Prince Charles and Lady Diana).
On Wednesday, I worked in the house with Hanna. Since it was Cameron’s birthday, we had tiramisu for desert. It was really good! After supper (and after writing a few letters!), Hanna, Michael, Adam, and I read the next two chapters of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.” I’m really enjoying reading through the chronicles of Narnia! They carry so much meaning and they often spark discussions within our reading group. They also spark fits of laughter! For Cam’s birthday, the girls took all the mattresses off the bottom bunks and pushed beds and dressers out of the way to make one giant bed on the floor. Amber and Kelsey then made a heart on the bed with flowers and made a trail of flowers leading up to the room. All the girls had a sleep over on the floor. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night in between two mattresses so I had to move, but it was a really neat idea! Since the single bed and two of the dressers were moved out of the way to make space for the mattresses on the floor we decided not to move them back since it gives us much more floor space. The room now feels much bigger!
On Friday after supper, we played a game of soccer in the back field. It was tons of fun (although the sand flies were slightly annoying...). Afterwards, we moved all the couches into the student lounge and watched Amazing Grace.
We had the option of going to a health seminar in Timaru on Saturday but Cam and I decided to get a ride into Timaru but get some much needed shopping done instead. I finally found a nice pair of running shoes!!!!! I also invested in a camping pillow (that will come in handy for out trip to Mount Summers next week). Saturday evening, we were invited to Tanya’s house (a friend of the Crossing’s) for a youth event. We were split into four teams and competed in a number of events throughout the evening. Tanya and James (another friend of the Crossing’s) also hosted a barbeque for everyone who participated. The first challenge was to build a raft that would carry our entire team down a section of the river. We also had to sing our national anthem while ‘floating.’ We were given three or four inner tubes per team, a few boards and several pieces of rope. On my team were Robert, Bryan, Adam, and Amber. Our raft was the best constructed but unfortunately it didn’t float (the largest inner tube was too deflated) and we forgot to sing our national anthems. So most of my team ended up pretty wet! At least we weren’t as wet as Jonas (he back flipped off his raft into the freezing cold water). It was really funny to watch the other teams go down!!
The last event was also hilarious! We were all tied together (in our respective teams) at the waist in a giant knot then we had to find four people who were hiding around the (rather large) property and collect a token from each. But we had to avoid the people with flashlights and, if we saw one, we had to hide under the sheet we were provided with so that they could not tell which team we were. Our team didn’t play quite by the rules, however, since we were all super tired. We did start in the right direction, but we got distracted and decided to all try to get into the back seat of a car that was parked in one of the fields (which was quite a feat since we were all tied together!). After that, we came across a hedgehog which Robert picked up and we carried with us for half the game. We ended up giving it to Tanya (I’m not sure she appreciated it... :P). Our team gave up before finishing but we had a blast!
On Sunday, Adam, Cameron and I walked into town to attend the earlier church service. I really enjoy singing the hymns. We stayed for the worship portion of the second service as well since Ben, Bryan, Michael, and Robert (four Crossing guys) were playing. Sunday evening, after fellowship, Patti invited all the girls up to her house for supper (evening snack) and some ‘girl time.’ The guys stayed at the Crossing to learn a Hakka. Unfortunately, this meant we got to bed really late (again...).
Monday afternoon, we spent most of our time packing and prepping for our hike up mount Summers. Everyone is excited! We are really hoping that the weather is not too cold (or too hot). We will be leaving the Crossing tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and getting back on Thursday afternoon.
Monday afternoon, although I had planned to get ahead of some school work, was consumed with researching a concept I had never heard of before: that the speed of light is not constant but that it is in fact decaying over time! Peter Thomas brought up this subject (he has taught on Genesis and is quite knowledgeable in the subject of creation science) at the beginning of his first class. I spent the afternoon researching the concept as proposed by Barry Setterfield. Quite interesting... But it made me realise that I have a long way to go before I understand physics fully!
Tuesday lectures were amazing! God really spoke to me! For family night on Tuesday, we did a photo scavenger. Our families were split into two teams (I was with Cara, Kelsey, and Isabelle (Dale and Patti’s daughter)) who competed against each other, but we will also be competing all together against the other family group. The objective was to go around town getting pictures of as many items on the list we were given in a certain amount of time. The list included “take a picture with as many people on the street as possible” (We asked the people on a shuttle bus to get out and join in out picture and Amber’s group actually went into a restaurant and asked everyone to come out for a picture), “Go white water rafting,” “Take a picture with a Hyslop” (that’s the pastor’s family), “Climb a tree,” “Soak yourself in the river” (the river is still realy cold and jeans take a long time to dry...), “Get a stranger to push you in a cart,” “Push a stranger in a cart,” etc. It was tons of fun!!! My family group then went to Dale and Patti’s for supper (that is a late evening snack) and a few stories from Peter Thomas, our teacher for the week (the best was his story about how he was suspected of being involved in a plot to assassinate Prince Charles and Lady Diana).
On Wednesday, I worked in the house with Hanna. Since it was Cameron’s birthday, we had tiramisu for desert. It was really good! After supper (and after writing a few letters!), Hanna, Michael, Adam, and I read the next two chapters of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.” I’m really enjoying reading through the chronicles of Narnia! They carry so much meaning and they often spark discussions within our reading group. They also spark fits of laughter! For Cam’s birthday, the girls took all the mattresses off the bottom bunks and pushed beds and dressers out of the way to make one giant bed on the floor. Amber and Kelsey then made a heart on the bed with flowers and made a trail of flowers leading up to the room. All the girls had a sleep over on the floor. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night in between two mattresses so I had to move, but it was a really neat idea! Since the single bed and two of the dressers were moved out of the way to make space for the mattresses on the floor we decided not to move them back since it gives us much more floor space. The room now feels much bigger!
On Friday after supper, we played a game of soccer in the back field. It was tons of fun (although the sand flies were slightly annoying...). Afterwards, we moved all the couches into the student lounge and watched Amazing Grace.
We had the option of going to a health seminar in Timaru on Saturday but Cam and I decided to get a ride into Timaru but get some much needed shopping done instead. I finally found a nice pair of running shoes!!!!! I also invested in a camping pillow (that will come in handy for out trip to Mount Summers next week). Saturday evening, we were invited to Tanya’s house (a friend of the Crossing’s) for a youth event. We were split into four teams and competed in a number of events throughout the evening. Tanya and James (another friend of the Crossing’s) also hosted a barbeque for everyone who participated. The first challenge was to build a raft that would carry our entire team down a section of the river. We also had to sing our national anthem while ‘floating.’ We were given three or four inner tubes per team, a few boards and several pieces of rope. On my team were Robert, Bryan, Adam, and Amber. Our raft was the best constructed but unfortunately it didn’t float (the largest inner tube was too deflated) and we forgot to sing our national anthems. So most of my team ended up pretty wet! At least we weren’t as wet as Jonas (he back flipped off his raft into the freezing cold water). It was really funny to watch the other teams go down!!
The last event was also hilarious! We were all tied together (in our respective teams) at the waist in a giant knot then we had to find four people who were hiding around the (rather large) property and collect a token from each. But we had to avoid the people with flashlights and, if we saw one, we had to hide under the sheet we were provided with so that they could not tell which team we were. Our team didn’t play quite by the rules, however, since we were all super tired. We did start in the right direction, but we got distracted and decided to all try to get into the back seat of a car that was parked in one of the fields (which was quite a feat since we were all tied together!). After that, we came across a hedgehog which Robert picked up and we carried with us for half the game. We ended up giving it to Tanya (I’m not sure she appreciated it... :P). Our team gave up before finishing but we had a blast!
On Sunday, Adam, Cameron and I walked into town to attend the earlier church service. I really enjoy singing the hymns. We stayed for the worship portion of the second service as well since Ben, Bryan, Michael, and Robert (four Crossing guys) were playing. Sunday evening, after fellowship, Patti invited all the girls up to her house for supper (evening snack) and some ‘girl time.’ The guys stayed at the Crossing to learn a Hakka. Unfortunately, this meant we got to bed really late (again...).
Monday afternoon, we spent most of our time packing and prepping for our hike up mount Summers. Everyone is excited! We are really hoping that the weather is not too cold (or too hot). We will be leaving the Crossing tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and getting back on Thursday afternoon.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Double Rap!
Cara’s 18th birthday was on Saturday (while we were in Akaroa) and Cam’s 18th birthday was on Wednesday, so Joel and Ben performed a double rap for both of them on Wednesday. Here it is!
Yo-Yo-Yo-Yo
Cara this song is halfy about you
And the rest of the half we’ll get to, ooo
Cara I want to shave my facial hair off (Note: this is in reference to no-shave November)
But I know it makes your heart soft.
I bought batteries the other day
And now you’re two years younger than twentay.
And Cam, kabam, shuzam, ham, ram, sam
Pam and fam-ily is what you mean to me
Not directly but just spiritually
You are both girls
And you don’t like squirrels
Or possum feet
My apologeet. (Note: Joel mailed a possum foot to Cara as apratical joke which wasn’t received too well...)
You may want to travel to Calgaray
But don’t worry about that cuz
It’s your birthday!
Yo-Yo-Yo-Yo
Cara this song is halfy about you
And the rest of the half we’ll get to, ooo
Cara I want to shave my facial hair off (Note: this is in reference to no-shave November)
But I know it makes your heart soft.
I bought batteries the other day
And now you’re two years younger than twentay.
And Cam, kabam, shuzam, ham, ram, sam
Pam and fam-ily is what you mean to me
Not directly but just spiritually
You are both girls
And you don’t like squirrels
Or possum feet
My apologeet. (Note: Joel mailed a possum foot to Cara as apratical joke which wasn’t received too well...)
You may want to travel to Calgaray
But don’t worry about that cuz
It’s your birthday!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Character Sketches
Adam took the time to make character sketches of all the students at The Crossing. I will attempt to make up my own character sketches to give an idea of who I have been living with for the past eight weeks, but for now, here is a link to Adam's blog: http://newzealandspiritparade.blogspot.com/2009/11/what-character.html
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Week 8
This week, Ian Hyslop taught on Exodus and we finished the DVD lecture on Galatians 2:17-21. Here is my journal entry:
- God’s law always comes before man’s law as was exemplified in Exodus when the midwives, because they feared God, did not kill the male children of the Hebrews as Pharaoh had commanded. This shows that God uses people not because of their ability but because of their availability.
- Had Moses been confident he was in the will of God, he would not have had to look over his shoulder before murdering the Egyptian. He was seeking to please people, not God. In the same way, I have to “be still and know that He is God,” stop worrying and taking matters into my own hands and trust that God will bring about His will in His time. If I do not go God’s way and in God’s time, it is worth nothing and can only lead to failure and wandering in the desert.
- From Moses’ attempt at leadership, I can learn that all my goals need to be drowned in prayer. I need to take time to slow down and listen to what God is saying through His word, through circumstances, and through other older mature Christians. God will lead me, one step at a time. When I am in the centre of God’s will, His plan will flow.
- I can be temped to see people who seem to be burning bushes – on fire and filled with God – and be jealous of them and then resign myself to be a ‘burnt up bush,’ a heap of ashes, or just a spectator, watching others live totally for God. But I need to realize that I am what I am by the grace of God and that it is the living Christ who works in me to accomplish His will. I need to remember that I am nothing except with Christ. God is the eternal I AM, He is adequate right now! What I have is what He is: He does not give me strength, He is my strength; He does not give me victory, He is my victory.
- When I find myself in life’s deserts, God does four things: He finds me, He shields me, He cares for me, and He guides me. He does all this whether I believe Him or not. The purpose of these deserts is to humble and test me so that the true condition of my heart may be revealed.
- From Moses’ excuses to God at the burning bush, I learned that I don’t need all the answers. God will provide them when I need them. I need to stop being worried about what might happen and take comfort in what God says will happen (Romans 8:28). God uses inadequate people (like me) simply because they are willing. I may not feel qualified or adequate, but God is, and He chooses to use me.
- Even though I may have come to a place in my life where I am totally committed to do what God asks of me, there may be hidden issues or unresolved sins that God still needs to work out. I need to be receptive to His prompting and willing to allow Him to work in me.
- The valleys of life often come after the mountains. I need to learn that the only place I can turn when I enter a valley is to God. The perfect framework for God to do His work is when the situation seems impossible to human standards and the people seem inadequate to human standards. God often brings us to the end of our resources so He can then prove Himself faithful.
- It is not getting rid of sins that makes me a Christian but rather the life of Christ within me. I need to examine myself to find evidence that the Holy Spirit is within me. These evidences are that I have a hunger to know Jesus Christ better, that I have a desire to be like Christ, and that the Holy Spirit is working through me through an eagerness to be useful.
- Victory has no meaning except in battle and therefore I need to be aware that there is still a spiritual battle today. But when Christ was raised from the dead, He was victorious over every enemy that threatens to defeat me. This is the power of the Christian life. The purpose of the Christian life is to realise that every wave that threatens me over my head is still under Jesus’ feet. Though I will suffer, God is always in complete control. He gives me peace in the midst of the storm, not a quiet countryside peace because it is the storms that keep me dependent on Him. The Christian life is permanent. Just like the shadow of a bus will never squish me, the shadow of a dog will never bite me, and the shadow of a stick will never hurt me, the shadow of death will never kill me!
- The greatest struggle is not understanding God’s will, but obeying and yet when I respond in that God has His best in store for me. And it is obedience that develops the kind of faith that allowed the Israelites to pack up and leave Egypt not knowing what they would eat or where they would sleep. When I walk in obedience to God, there will be testing, but God will provide. And just like God provided manna for the Israelites in the desert, He will provide abundantly.
- From the Passover, I learnt that God the judge and God the saviour are one and the same. Salvation was and is by substitution. In the same way as the lamb’s blood could not simply be shed, it had to be appropriated by sprinkling it on the doorposts, I need to appropriate the blood of Christ. My life, which has been purchased by God, now belongs to God just as the life of each firstborn Israelite belonged to God.
- When I reach the end of my rope, God wants me to let go and trust Him because He is fighting for me. I need to not be afraid, I need to stand still, I need to watch God come through, and I need to stop talking (telling others about my problems).
- If I am not living by faith, I am living by sin (Romans 14:3). Faith is an attitude of trust in an object that allows the object to work on my behalf therefore, the evidence of my faith is not what I do for the object but what I allow the object to do for me. I can no more live the Christian life by works that I can be saved by works. Instead of trying to do things for Christ, I need to allow Christ to live through me. I need to not commit myself to doing God’s will but instead commit myself to God. Obedience without faith produces legalism and faith without obedience produces mysticism, it is only with faith and obedience that I can fly.
Character doesn’t matter half as much as trust. I can be a good person but utterly useless to God but I can be a messed up person and useful to God. I need to remember that God is not only a God of heaven above but also, and most importantly, a God of Earth below. He is active and moving now, here. I need to stop doubting the Christ is sufficient. God uses messed up people. In fact, Rahab the prostitute was in the line of David and therefore in the line of Jesus! This does not so much show the ancestry of the King but the character of the kingdom!
My new study Bible came in this week! I’m so excited! It has already proved useful in helping to prepare for my Bible study.
On Tuesday, we had our second to last day with Bible in Schools since ministries are wrapping up next week for the Kiwi summer holidays. I will miss my wonderful group of students! They are such great listeners and participators and so enthusiastic! After the Christmas break, we will be assigned to a new ministry to give us a wide variety of experiences. Our Tuesday evening classes were held outside on the grass (on a spontaneous suggestion from Ian). We sat or lay on blankets or sat on lawn chairs. It was really neat! Although it was kind of weird to have Cam writing on my foot during the lectures...
For workday, I polished all the wood on the stairwell and dusted all the light fixtures. It was really fun (as usual :P)!!! For desert on Wednesday, we got apple pie!!! Yay!! Also, after a request from the student body, we are now getting fruit much more often which is kind of exciting.
Caution, this next paragraph may be extremely random and unconprehensible.
Our student council (that is Ben and Amber) organised a wacky game during supper on Wednesday. Basically, we were each given a task that we had to do during the entire meal but we weren’t allowed to tell anyone else what our task was. I had to stand up and clap each time someone poured themselves a glass of water. There were others like, each time Isabelle laughed, Jordan had to pass Dale a napkin. Each time someone passed Dale a napkin, Patti had to throw salt at Bryan. Each time someone threw salt at Bryan, He had to get up and say “Would you like some pepper with that Mrs. Epp?” Another one was that each time a staff member got up, Cara had to put vegetables in their water. Whenever Michael do the chicken dance, Ben had to get up and run around the table yelling “I can fly!” Michael had to do the chicken dance whenever Jonas sang “J and J awesome fitness club.” Jonas had to sing the fitness club theme song whenever anyone clapped (once Joel caught on, he would clap super often). And Dale had to get up and go around the table playing duck, duck goose whenever Joel got up and said “How was workday Joseph?”. Joel would say this whenever Sheryl gave a teaspoon to Dale. Sheryl gave a teaspoon to Dale whenever Amber said “Funny joke guys, funny joke!” Amber said that whenever Jordan gave a high five to anyone. Jordan gave a high five to any of the staff whenever they used a knife. This made for a really noisy, funny meal with lots of laughter and running around.
Last Saturday, I had booked a car online and they were supposed to e-mail us the confirmation within 24 hours. Unfortunately, I must have typed in the e-mail address wrong because we never got the e-mail and when we called on Wednesday, they said they had no cars available. After calling another rental place and finding out that we couldn’t drive unless we were over 21 yrs old, we were starting to freak out that we would not be able to make it to Akaroa (and our hostels were already booked!). But God provided a car! When Hanna found out that we still didn’t have a car, she told us that this past Sunday a lady at church had offered to lend her car to any students who needed it. It was so cool how God worked everything out!
Thursday, after a really good class form Ian and a very thought provoking DVD lecture from Charles Price, we all headed out for travel weekend. One group headed for Queens town for bungee jumping, luge rides and shopping (the bungee jumping didn’t happen though because of bad weather), Adam headed for Mount Cook, Michael left for Christchurch, and I headed with a group for Akaroa. In my group were Cam, Cara, Bryan, Jordan, Colin, Robert, and Stephen (Bryan’s friend). I bought all my groceries before hand which turned out to be a good idea and al lot cheaper than buying stuff in Akaroa. Basically, I had Pb & J sandwiches for lunches and suppers and I had left over porridge from the crossing for breakfast.
On the bus ride to Christchurch, Michael was trying to explain to the lady beside him what a dear look like (she had never seen one before). Jordan tried to help by stating “It’s like a big dog with antlers.” Every one cracked up (even some people three rows down!).
Driving to and from Akaroa was interesting. The road was super windy and narrow and steep and there are no guardrails and Stephen likes to drive fast. We took the bus to Christchurch and then we drove two cars the rest of the way to Akaroa (praise God for providing a car!). We got lost trying to find the hostel and ended up driving up this super steep, one lane road to a dead end. We weren’t sure if we were supposed to hike up to the hostel. We had to take a break at the end of the road though because the borrowed car was smoking so we had to let is cool. On our way back down (which was almost as scary as the way up), we stopped at a resort to get directions and almost hit the resident peacock. Finally, we found the hostel (it turned out that I was right when I suggested which way we should go :P). It is the highest hostel in New Zealand and is located on the side of the volcano looking out towards Otanerito bay (or long bay). It was a really nice place and we had the whole place to ourselves! The girls’ room was nicknamed the ‘hobbit’ room because you can’t stand up straight in it and the door was only about shoulder height. It was really cool! The view from the hostel was amazing!
On Friday morning, after sleeping in (yay!) we watched a storm literally roll in over the ocean. It was moving so fast! We stood outside and watched it until it was over us and behind us. It hailed for most of the morning. Some of the gang headed into town for some exploring while some of us stayed behind just to relax. In the afternoon, once the sun came out, we went for a drive intending to go for a hike. We decided to explore and turned down a road into a beautiful lush valley. The one lane, gravel road – once again, twisting and turning wildly around cliffs on one side with a steep drop off on the other side and without a guardrail – led down to a private property. Once we got permission from the people there, we drove through a field down to an aqua blue bay boarded by huge cliffs. We all took off our shoes and ran around on the warm sand, collected shells, and climbed the smaller of the cliffs. From the top of the cliff, we could see seals swimming around in the water. And the boys got way too close to a seal on the beach: it started hissing at them! I even found a complete Paua shell! Afterwards, we drove down to long bay valley and went on a tramp to a beautiful waterfall. It was really steep but we got some really nice views.
Friday night, we watched LOTR. It was sooooooo funny listening to everyone make fun of it! The best was laughing at Legolas running, stopping to make a random comment, then starting to run again. Once it was pointed out to me, it was quite comical. The funniest quote was when Golum says to Sam "Stupid, fat hobbit!"
On Saturday morning, we all woke up at 5am and drove out to the farthest point and watched the sun rise over the ocean. It was beautiful!!! And it was rather cold :P. Afterwards, most of us went back to bed.
At 10:30, we headed into Akaroa for some sea kayaking. The owner of the hostel gave us a deal on the kayaks! We had three double kayaks and two singles. We went out from the bay all the way to the peninsula and part of the way around. Once we came around the peak of the peninsula, we were paddling against the wind. I was so glad that we had all rented wet suits! They were really tight and restricting but they really kept us warm. We paddled through pretty choppy waves. It was tough but so much fun! We stopped at a “beach” and climbed on the rocks to a cave like thing. The waves were hitting the back and making thundering noises, it was really cool! On the beach, you could hear the pebbles tumbling with each wave. Stephen (whom I was sharing kayak with) and I also got out to climb in another rock formation. We think we saw penguins but we weren’t sure. We also saw a jelly fish swimming right beside out kayak! The rock formations were really cool since it was all volcanic. We stopped and talked to some guys who were scuba diving for Paua shells. On our way back to Akaroa, we stopped at the same beach for lunch. A couple of us kayaked to a dock and Jordan and Stephen went swimming and did flips off the dock.
For supper, the owners of the hostel provided a barbeque (for an extra fee). I didn’t have any but they let me try some Paua meat. It was very strange.
On Sunday, we had to wake up early because we had to be out of the hostel by 7am so that we could be in Christchurch in time to catch our bus. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up when booking the bus and our ticked was booked for next Sunday. Stephen offered to drive us back to Geraldine. When we got back, we had to wash off the car we borrowed since it was super muddy from driving on dirt roads and through fields.
- God’s law always comes before man’s law as was exemplified in Exodus when the midwives, because they feared God, did not kill the male children of the Hebrews as Pharaoh had commanded. This shows that God uses people not because of their ability but because of their availability.
- Had Moses been confident he was in the will of God, he would not have had to look over his shoulder before murdering the Egyptian. He was seeking to please people, not God. In the same way, I have to “be still and know that He is God,” stop worrying and taking matters into my own hands and trust that God will bring about His will in His time. If I do not go God’s way and in God’s time, it is worth nothing and can only lead to failure and wandering in the desert.
- From Moses’ attempt at leadership, I can learn that all my goals need to be drowned in prayer. I need to take time to slow down and listen to what God is saying through His word, through circumstances, and through other older mature Christians. God will lead me, one step at a time. When I am in the centre of God’s will, His plan will flow.
- I can be temped to see people who seem to be burning bushes – on fire and filled with God – and be jealous of them and then resign myself to be a ‘burnt up bush,’ a heap of ashes, or just a spectator, watching others live totally for God. But I need to realize that I am what I am by the grace of God and that it is the living Christ who works in me to accomplish His will. I need to remember that I am nothing except with Christ. God is the eternal I AM, He is adequate right now! What I have is what He is: He does not give me strength, He is my strength; He does not give me victory, He is my victory.
- When I find myself in life’s deserts, God does four things: He finds me, He shields me, He cares for me, and He guides me. He does all this whether I believe Him or not. The purpose of these deserts is to humble and test me so that the true condition of my heart may be revealed.
- From Moses’ excuses to God at the burning bush, I learned that I don’t need all the answers. God will provide them when I need them. I need to stop being worried about what might happen and take comfort in what God says will happen (Romans 8:28). God uses inadequate people (like me) simply because they are willing. I may not feel qualified or adequate, but God is, and He chooses to use me.
- Even though I may have come to a place in my life where I am totally committed to do what God asks of me, there may be hidden issues or unresolved sins that God still needs to work out. I need to be receptive to His prompting and willing to allow Him to work in me.
- The valleys of life often come after the mountains. I need to learn that the only place I can turn when I enter a valley is to God. The perfect framework for God to do His work is when the situation seems impossible to human standards and the people seem inadequate to human standards. God often brings us to the end of our resources so He can then prove Himself faithful.
- It is not getting rid of sins that makes me a Christian but rather the life of Christ within me. I need to examine myself to find evidence that the Holy Spirit is within me. These evidences are that I have a hunger to know Jesus Christ better, that I have a desire to be like Christ, and that the Holy Spirit is working through me through an eagerness to be useful.
- Victory has no meaning except in battle and therefore I need to be aware that there is still a spiritual battle today. But when Christ was raised from the dead, He was victorious over every enemy that threatens to defeat me. This is the power of the Christian life. The purpose of the Christian life is to realise that every wave that threatens me over my head is still under Jesus’ feet. Though I will suffer, God is always in complete control. He gives me peace in the midst of the storm, not a quiet countryside peace because it is the storms that keep me dependent on Him. The Christian life is permanent. Just like the shadow of a bus will never squish me, the shadow of a dog will never bite me, and the shadow of a stick will never hurt me, the shadow of death will never kill me!
- The greatest struggle is not understanding God’s will, but obeying and yet when I respond in that God has His best in store for me. And it is obedience that develops the kind of faith that allowed the Israelites to pack up and leave Egypt not knowing what they would eat or where they would sleep. When I walk in obedience to God, there will be testing, but God will provide. And just like God provided manna for the Israelites in the desert, He will provide abundantly.
- From the Passover, I learnt that God the judge and God the saviour are one and the same. Salvation was and is by substitution. In the same way as the lamb’s blood could not simply be shed, it had to be appropriated by sprinkling it on the doorposts, I need to appropriate the blood of Christ. My life, which has been purchased by God, now belongs to God just as the life of each firstborn Israelite belonged to God.
- When I reach the end of my rope, God wants me to let go and trust Him because He is fighting for me. I need to not be afraid, I need to stand still, I need to watch God come through, and I need to stop talking (telling others about my problems).
- If I am not living by faith, I am living by sin (Romans 14:3). Faith is an attitude of trust in an object that allows the object to work on my behalf therefore, the evidence of my faith is not what I do for the object but what I allow the object to do for me. I can no more live the Christian life by works that I can be saved by works. Instead of trying to do things for Christ, I need to allow Christ to live through me. I need to not commit myself to doing God’s will but instead commit myself to God. Obedience without faith produces legalism and faith without obedience produces mysticism, it is only with faith and obedience that I can fly.
Character doesn’t matter half as much as trust. I can be a good person but utterly useless to God but I can be a messed up person and useful to God. I need to remember that God is not only a God of heaven above but also, and most importantly, a God of Earth below. He is active and moving now, here. I need to stop doubting the Christ is sufficient. God uses messed up people. In fact, Rahab the prostitute was in the line of David and therefore in the line of Jesus! This does not so much show the ancestry of the King but the character of the kingdom!
My new study Bible came in this week! I’m so excited! It has already proved useful in helping to prepare for my Bible study.
On Tuesday, we had our second to last day with Bible in Schools since ministries are wrapping up next week for the Kiwi summer holidays. I will miss my wonderful group of students! They are such great listeners and participators and so enthusiastic! After the Christmas break, we will be assigned to a new ministry to give us a wide variety of experiences. Our Tuesday evening classes were held outside on the grass (on a spontaneous suggestion from Ian). We sat or lay on blankets or sat on lawn chairs. It was really neat! Although it was kind of weird to have Cam writing on my foot during the lectures...
For workday, I polished all the wood on the stairwell and dusted all the light fixtures. It was really fun (as usual :P)!!! For desert on Wednesday, we got apple pie!!! Yay!! Also, after a request from the student body, we are now getting fruit much more often which is kind of exciting.
Caution, this next paragraph may be extremely random and unconprehensible.
Our student council (that is Ben and Amber) organised a wacky game during supper on Wednesday. Basically, we were each given a task that we had to do during the entire meal but we weren’t allowed to tell anyone else what our task was. I had to stand up and clap each time someone poured themselves a glass of water. There were others like, each time Isabelle laughed, Jordan had to pass Dale a napkin. Each time someone passed Dale a napkin, Patti had to throw salt at Bryan. Each time someone threw salt at Bryan, He had to get up and say “Would you like some pepper with that Mrs. Epp?” Another one was that each time a staff member got up, Cara had to put vegetables in their water. Whenever Michael do the chicken dance, Ben had to get up and run around the table yelling “I can fly!” Michael had to do the chicken dance whenever Jonas sang “J and J awesome fitness club.” Jonas had to sing the fitness club theme song whenever anyone clapped (once Joel caught on, he would clap super often). And Dale had to get up and go around the table playing duck, duck goose whenever Joel got up and said “How was workday Joseph?”. Joel would say this whenever Sheryl gave a teaspoon to Dale. Sheryl gave a teaspoon to Dale whenever Amber said “Funny joke guys, funny joke!” Amber said that whenever Jordan gave a high five to anyone. Jordan gave a high five to any of the staff whenever they used a knife. This made for a really noisy, funny meal with lots of laughter and running around.
Last Saturday, I had booked a car online and they were supposed to e-mail us the confirmation within 24 hours. Unfortunately, I must have typed in the e-mail address wrong because we never got the e-mail and when we called on Wednesday, they said they had no cars available. After calling another rental place and finding out that we couldn’t drive unless we were over 21 yrs old, we were starting to freak out that we would not be able to make it to Akaroa (and our hostels were already booked!). But God provided a car! When Hanna found out that we still didn’t have a car, she told us that this past Sunday a lady at church had offered to lend her car to any students who needed it. It was so cool how God worked everything out!
Thursday, after a really good class form Ian and a very thought provoking DVD lecture from Charles Price, we all headed out for travel weekend. One group headed for Queens town for bungee jumping, luge rides and shopping (the bungee jumping didn’t happen though because of bad weather), Adam headed for Mount Cook, Michael left for Christchurch, and I headed with a group for Akaroa. In my group were Cam, Cara, Bryan, Jordan, Colin, Robert, and Stephen (Bryan’s friend). I bought all my groceries before hand which turned out to be a good idea and al lot cheaper than buying stuff in Akaroa. Basically, I had Pb & J sandwiches for lunches and suppers and I had left over porridge from the crossing for breakfast.
On the bus ride to Christchurch, Michael was trying to explain to the lady beside him what a dear look like (she had never seen one before). Jordan tried to help by stating “It’s like a big dog with antlers.” Every one cracked up (even some people three rows down!).
Driving to and from Akaroa was interesting. The road was super windy and narrow and steep and there are no guardrails and Stephen likes to drive fast. We took the bus to Christchurch and then we drove two cars the rest of the way to Akaroa (praise God for providing a car!). We got lost trying to find the hostel and ended up driving up this super steep, one lane road to a dead end. We weren’t sure if we were supposed to hike up to the hostel. We had to take a break at the end of the road though because the borrowed car was smoking so we had to let is cool. On our way back down (which was almost as scary as the way up), we stopped at a resort to get directions and almost hit the resident peacock. Finally, we found the hostel (it turned out that I was right when I suggested which way we should go :P). It is the highest hostel in New Zealand and is located on the side of the volcano looking out towards Otanerito bay (or long bay). It was a really nice place and we had the whole place to ourselves! The girls’ room was nicknamed the ‘hobbit’ room because you can’t stand up straight in it and the door was only about shoulder height. It was really cool! The view from the hostel was amazing!
On Friday morning, after sleeping in (yay!) we watched a storm literally roll in over the ocean. It was moving so fast! We stood outside and watched it until it was over us and behind us. It hailed for most of the morning. Some of the gang headed into town for some exploring while some of us stayed behind just to relax. In the afternoon, once the sun came out, we went for a drive intending to go for a hike. We decided to explore and turned down a road into a beautiful lush valley. The one lane, gravel road – once again, twisting and turning wildly around cliffs on one side with a steep drop off on the other side and without a guardrail – led down to a private property. Once we got permission from the people there, we drove through a field down to an aqua blue bay boarded by huge cliffs. We all took off our shoes and ran around on the warm sand, collected shells, and climbed the smaller of the cliffs. From the top of the cliff, we could see seals swimming around in the water. And the boys got way too close to a seal on the beach: it started hissing at them! I even found a complete Paua shell! Afterwards, we drove down to long bay valley and went on a tramp to a beautiful waterfall. It was really steep but we got some really nice views.
Friday night, we watched LOTR. It was sooooooo funny listening to everyone make fun of it! The best was laughing at Legolas running, stopping to make a random comment, then starting to run again. Once it was pointed out to me, it was quite comical. The funniest quote was when Golum says to Sam "Stupid, fat hobbit!"
On Saturday morning, we all woke up at 5am and drove out to the farthest point and watched the sun rise over the ocean. It was beautiful!!! And it was rather cold :P. Afterwards, most of us went back to bed.
At 10:30, we headed into Akaroa for some sea kayaking. The owner of the hostel gave us a deal on the kayaks! We had three double kayaks and two singles. We went out from the bay all the way to the peninsula and part of the way around. Once we came around the peak of the peninsula, we were paddling against the wind. I was so glad that we had all rented wet suits! They were really tight and restricting but they really kept us warm. We paddled through pretty choppy waves. It was tough but so much fun! We stopped at a “beach” and climbed on the rocks to a cave like thing. The waves were hitting the back and making thundering noises, it was really cool! On the beach, you could hear the pebbles tumbling with each wave. Stephen (whom I was sharing kayak with) and I also got out to climb in another rock formation. We think we saw penguins but we weren’t sure. We also saw a jelly fish swimming right beside out kayak! The rock formations were really cool since it was all volcanic. We stopped and talked to some guys who were scuba diving for Paua shells. On our way back to Akaroa, we stopped at the same beach for lunch. A couple of us kayaked to a dock and Jordan and Stephen went swimming and did flips off the dock.
For supper, the owners of the hostel provided a barbeque (for an extra fee). I didn’t have any but they let me try some Paua meat. It was very strange.
On Sunday, we had to wake up early because we had to be out of the hostel by 7am so that we could be in Christchurch in time to catch our bus. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up when booking the bus and our ticked was booked for next Sunday. Stephen offered to drive us back to Geraldine. When we got back, we had to wash off the car we borrowed since it was super muddy from driving on dirt roads and through fields.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Week 7
This week, Hayden taught us how to make a Bible study and Werner came in for the second half of the week to teach on Ephesians. Here is this week’s journal entry:
- It is of the utmost importance that I learn to learn from the Bible myself. In creating Bible studies, I will learn to “catch my own food” instead of always relying on others to feed me. In this way, I will be able to grow spiritually, to critique the scriptures, to challenge my faith, and to connect with the word of God.
- Through the law, I need to die to the law. Only Jesus Christ gives me this ability. The law of God reveals the characteristics of God (which are His glory). The problem with the law is not its content but its ability: it cannot change the heart. But, with Christ living in me, the law becomes not a command, but a promise!
- Because I have been made one with Christ, I have been crucified with Him. It was not only Christ on the cross, but me as well because Christ and I are one. Therefore, I HAVE BEEN (past tense) crucified with Christ. It is not something I need to try to accomplish (or something I can accomplish) as I had previously believed, but it is something that has already been done. When I come to God for forgiveness, I am not appealing to His mercy but His justice! Having sentenced the Son, He cannot sentence me!
- I have died to sin. This is not to say that sin does not affect me or tempt me, rather, the price for the sin – the “jail sentence” – has been paid in full. Since death is the consequence of sin and I have died with Christ, I have, in fact, died to sin. I no longer owe sin anything. Therefore, I need to allow Christ to use my body as an instrument of righteousness rather than letting sin use me as an instrument of wickedness. I cannot counter sin by legalism or licence, but rather by the life of Christ in me and this life does not come from trying but from trusting.
- I need to be in Christ here on earth in order to be in Him for eternity. Death is not so much a way to become closer to God as a change of scenery.
- In Ephesians, Paul calls the church to unity, and this unity can only be found in Christ. And it is Christ’s love that creates unity. The words “In Christ” or “In Him” appear 22 times in the first two chapters of Ephesians. This is because Paul is trying to emphasize that it is only in Christ that we have anything: spiritual gifts, power, everlasting life, etc. These gifts are not separate from Christ, but rather an integral part of Him.
- As a Christian, I need to speak the truth. My acts of service are worth nothing if I am not proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. It is not a religious retreat that will convert someone but rather when God touches their heart.
This week started off rather meh since I was pretty low on sleep, but after a good talk with Hanna and Sheryl, I started feeling better. God is really teaching me to totally rely on Him, not on my own intellect. He has been slowly pushing me to stop worrying about the future and trust that He will provide and that He will make His will known and direct me.
Tuesday evening was family night. My group stayed at the crossing with Hanna, Sheryl, and Joseph. We played volleyball which ended up being tons of fun! And our team won (although this may be because there were five people on our team and only four on the other)! Afterwards, we played a few rounds of very competitive balderdash then we went down to the fire pit for a campfire with hot chocolate.
On workday, I was in the kitchen with Sheryl, cleaning every single nook and cranny. After cleaning out the fridge, Sheryl was going to compost the leftover fruit pizza, but instead, she said I could eat it so I have had some delicious snacks this week!
I spent most of my free time on Wednesday and Thursday working on my Bible study (the rough draft was due Friday). This one is on 2Timothy 1:8-12. The good copy is due next Thursday, right before we leave for travel weekend. It’s hard work, but I think it will be really rewarding in the long run being able to get something from the Bible for myself.
On Friday night, we had a semi-spontaneous girl’s night. Patti had a Mary Kay lady come over and so most of us splurged and bought cosmetics. Patti made delicious chocolate covered penut butter balls and we snacked on them and cheese and crackers throughout the evening. Afterwards, we watched a movie. Being over tired, I only watched the first twenty minutes before going to bed. All the girls slept over at the Epp’s, it was tons of fun! For breakfast, Patti made us baked French toast. It was absolutely scrumptious! And we also got fruit with breakfast which was a treat!
From 9am to 12pm, A bunch of us went to help out a family that is having a tough time (I’m not sure exactly what the situation is). We mowed their lawn, weeded their garden, fixed up their path, and generally cleaned up their front yard. There were probably about eight Capernwray students and a bunch of people from the local church. It was really fun and the transformation of the yard was amazing! Afterwards, another lady from the church served a barbeque at her house (which Patti and a few others had helped to prepare) for the people who helped out.
While the girls were getting beauty treatment advice, the guys were mud wrestling. Colin and Joseph dug up the pit in the afternoon with the tractor. Apparently, they had fun. But the girls have agreed that we want to mud wrestle and go possum hunting and drive a beat-up car around a dirt track and do all the other stuff that the guys get to do during guy nights!
The rest of the Crossing students had a slip-and-slide set up after lunch right up the street from the Epp’s. The tarps were set up on the grass on the side of a really steep one lane street and the boys were carrying large jugs of soapy water up from the Epp’s to keep the slide wet. It was the fastest slip-and-slide I have ever been on! The guys were having fun “ganging up” on people. Basically, if they felt someone was going too slow, they would run and slide down after them and take them out on their way down. It was really funny (and slightly painful :P).
During the afternoon, I did something I have never done before: I booked a rental vehicle to take from Christchurch to Akaroa for travel weekend. It was rather stressful, but in the end, I found a decent deal. Colin, Cara, Cameron, Brian, Steven (Brian’s friend), Jordan, Robert, and I are heading out to Akaroa from Thursday of next week till Sunday morning. We only have one definite activity planned: sea-kayaking. It should be tons of fun! For Saturday supper, Amber and Colin cooked a supper of baked mac and cheese (yay!) and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sunday morning, after setting up for breakfast for the last time (duty rotations are on Monday), Jordan, Adam, and I walked into Geraldine to go to the first service at the local church (that is, the traditional service). I then stayed for the first half of the second service (the contemporary service), but left half way through to get some assigned Bible reading done. This was my second time attending the traditional service and I am really enjoying it! I have met some wonderful people and have been invited to one ladies house for lunch after the service in two weeks! I spent Sunday afternoon writing a letter to Penny (my co-counsellor from Te Mapua). I really need to start writing more letters! But time seems rather scarce with all the projects, assignments, classes, and activities we have.
On Sunday evening, Kris Banes (the guy who taught on Colossians and Jonah) came to the Crossing to perform a concert (it was open to the community. So in the afternoon, we cleaned up the formal loungs and set up chairs and vacuumed and set up candles and stuff. The concert was awesome! Basically, he played solo piano. He played a bunch of hymns and talked about the stories behind them. It was beautiful and relaxing!
- It is of the utmost importance that I learn to learn from the Bible myself. In creating Bible studies, I will learn to “catch my own food” instead of always relying on others to feed me. In this way, I will be able to grow spiritually, to critique the scriptures, to challenge my faith, and to connect with the word of God.
- Through the law, I need to die to the law. Only Jesus Christ gives me this ability. The law of God reveals the characteristics of God (which are His glory). The problem with the law is not its content but its ability: it cannot change the heart. But, with Christ living in me, the law becomes not a command, but a promise!
- Because I have been made one with Christ, I have been crucified with Him. It was not only Christ on the cross, but me as well because Christ and I are one. Therefore, I HAVE BEEN (past tense) crucified with Christ. It is not something I need to try to accomplish (or something I can accomplish) as I had previously believed, but it is something that has already been done. When I come to God for forgiveness, I am not appealing to His mercy but His justice! Having sentenced the Son, He cannot sentence me!
- I have died to sin. This is not to say that sin does not affect me or tempt me, rather, the price for the sin – the “jail sentence” – has been paid in full. Since death is the consequence of sin and I have died with Christ, I have, in fact, died to sin. I no longer owe sin anything. Therefore, I need to allow Christ to use my body as an instrument of righteousness rather than letting sin use me as an instrument of wickedness. I cannot counter sin by legalism or licence, but rather by the life of Christ in me and this life does not come from trying but from trusting.
- I need to be in Christ here on earth in order to be in Him for eternity. Death is not so much a way to become closer to God as a change of scenery.
- In Ephesians, Paul calls the church to unity, and this unity can only be found in Christ. And it is Christ’s love that creates unity. The words “In Christ” or “In Him” appear 22 times in the first two chapters of Ephesians. This is because Paul is trying to emphasize that it is only in Christ that we have anything: spiritual gifts, power, everlasting life, etc. These gifts are not separate from Christ, but rather an integral part of Him.
- As a Christian, I need to speak the truth. My acts of service are worth nothing if I am not proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. It is not a religious retreat that will convert someone but rather when God touches their heart.
This week started off rather meh since I was pretty low on sleep, but after a good talk with Hanna and Sheryl, I started feeling better. God is really teaching me to totally rely on Him, not on my own intellect. He has been slowly pushing me to stop worrying about the future and trust that He will provide and that He will make His will known and direct me.
Tuesday evening was family night. My group stayed at the crossing with Hanna, Sheryl, and Joseph. We played volleyball which ended up being tons of fun! And our team won (although this may be because there were five people on our team and only four on the other)! Afterwards, we played a few rounds of very competitive balderdash then we went down to the fire pit for a campfire with hot chocolate.
On workday, I was in the kitchen with Sheryl, cleaning every single nook and cranny. After cleaning out the fridge, Sheryl was going to compost the leftover fruit pizza, but instead, she said I could eat it so I have had some delicious snacks this week!
I spent most of my free time on Wednesday and Thursday working on my Bible study (the rough draft was due Friday). This one is on 2Timothy 1:8-12. The good copy is due next Thursday, right before we leave for travel weekend. It’s hard work, but I think it will be really rewarding in the long run being able to get something from the Bible for myself.
On Friday night, we had a semi-spontaneous girl’s night. Patti had a Mary Kay lady come over and so most of us splurged and bought cosmetics. Patti made delicious chocolate covered penut butter balls and we snacked on them and cheese and crackers throughout the evening. Afterwards, we watched a movie. Being over tired, I only watched the first twenty minutes before going to bed. All the girls slept over at the Epp’s, it was tons of fun! For breakfast, Patti made us baked French toast. It was absolutely scrumptious! And we also got fruit with breakfast which was a treat!
From 9am to 12pm, A bunch of us went to help out a family that is having a tough time (I’m not sure exactly what the situation is). We mowed their lawn, weeded their garden, fixed up their path, and generally cleaned up their front yard. There were probably about eight Capernwray students and a bunch of people from the local church. It was really fun and the transformation of the yard was amazing! Afterwards, another lady from the church served a barbeque at her house (which Patti and a few others had helped to prepare) for the people who helped out.
While the girls were getting beauty treatment advice, the guys were mud wrestling. Colin and Joseph dug up the pit in the afternoon with the tractor. Apparently, they had fun. But the girls have agreed that we want to mud wrestle and go possum hunting and drive a beat-up car around a dirt track and do all the other stuff that the guys get to do during guy nights!
The rest of the Crossing students had a slip-and-slide set up after lunch right up the street from the Epp’s. The tarps were set up on the grass on the side of a really steep one lane street and the boys were carrying large jugs of soapy water up from the Epp’s to keep the slide wet. It was the fastest slip-and-slide I have ever been on! The guys were having fun “ganging up” on people. Basically, if they felt someone was going too slow, they would run and slide down after them and take them out on their way down. It was really funny (and slightly painful :P).
During the afternoon, I did something I have never done before: I booked a rental vehicle to take from Christchurch to Akaroa for travel weekend. It was rather stressful, but in the end, I found a decent deal. Colin, Cara, Cameron, Brian, Steven (Brian’s friend), Jordan, Robert, and I are heading out to Akaroa from Thursday of next week till Sunday morning. We only have one definite activity planned: sea-kayaking. It should be tons of fun! For Saturday supper, Amber and Colin cooked a supper of baked mac and cheese (yay!) and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sunday morning, after setting up for breakfast for the last time (duty rotations are on Monday), Jordan, Adam, and I walked into Geraldine to go to the first service at the local church (that is, the traditional service). I then stayed for the first half of the second service (the contemporary service), but left half way through to get some assigned Bible reading done. This was my second time attending the traditional service and I am really enjoying it! I have met some wonderful people and have been invited to one ladies house for lunch after the service in two weeks! I spent Sunday afternoon writing a letter to Penny (my co-counsellor from Te Mapua). I really need to start writing more letters! But time seems rather scarce with all the projects, assignments, classes, and activities we have.
On Sunday evening, Kris Banes (the guy who taught on Colossians and Jonah) came to the Crossing to perform a concert (it was open to the community. So in the afternoon, we cleaned up the formal loungs and set up chairs and vacuumed and set up candles and stuff. The concert was awesome! Basically, he played solo piano. He played a bunch of hymns and talked about the stories behind them. It was beautiful and relaxing!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Wednesday devotion
Every Wednesday, a student is assigned to share a devotion during morning tea. Today (Wednesday) it was my turn to share. Basically, I was asked to share what God has been teaching me lately through His word and through the various classes we have been having. Here is what I talked about. I have not written out all the passages (although I did read them during the devotion) and so I would encourage you to look them up as that will make it all make more sense.
This week, I was reading Mathew and a passage in chapter 8 really stood out to me. Verses 5-10 and 13 really show the awesome power of prayer. Just as God spoke the light into existence, so can He give the answer to a prayer just by saying the word. There is a brilliant description of the power of the voice of God in Psalm 29. Also, Isaiah 55:10-22 really shows the power of God’s word. We bring our petitions to Jesus who is sovereign and if He tells His angels to go, they go. If He tells the stars to shine or the land to produce vegetation, it will be as He commanded. In the same way, any request we bring before the Lord that is within His will, He will answer. It is not a question of His capability because all He has to do is say the word! All thins are of God and therefore belong to Him and so He has the authority to move mountains in order to bring about His will. Mathew 8:5-10, 13 really spoke to me because it made me realise that when I ask God to bring about His will in my life, I can thank Him at the same time because I know that He has already said the word to put things into motion to accomplish it. It is when I come to God in complete faith of what He can and is doing that He is most pleased.
And so I want to pray like David in Psalm 25: “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.” “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” One thing that Kris taught that really spoke to me was on this topic. He said that God will always answer the prayer that is prayed according to His will. God has been teaching me that I need to let go of the worry I have for my future and totally trust in Him because His plans are far greater than mine and His will is far better than mine.
Therefore, there is tremendous power in prayer and God is delighted to answer the prayer that is prayed according to His will.
I went on a run yesterday (and I don’t run!) and so today I hurt. But I realised that running is a good example of how I need to trust God. Running has always been hard for me. It doesn’t take long before I am out of breath and ready to give up. And so that’s when I stop running and start walking. But after a while, I realized yesterday that I could start running again.
Trusting in God is hard! I keep wanting to give up and deal with issues in my life and so I stop running and start walking. But God gives me the strength to start running again, trusting that He will provide the strength I need.
Running hurts because it is stretching my muscles and my lungs further that what is comfortable. In the same way, it’s not always comfortable as God stretches me, teaching me to fully trust Him.
As I learned recently in a passage in Mathew 19, I need to give up everything and put Christ first before everything and follow Him. But it won’t be easy. I found tremendous comfort in verse 26 where Jesus says that it is actually impossible for any man to do this, but with Him, all things are possible! And so I can keep running, in faith, trusting that He will provide the strength I need.
To conclude, Psalm 20:7 says “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
This week, I was reading Mathew and a passage in chapter 8 really stood out to me. Verses 5-10 and 13 really show the awesome power of prayer. Just as God spoke the light into existence, so can He give the answer to a prayer just by saying the word. There is a brilliant description of the power of the voice of God in Psalm 29. Also, Isaiah 55:10-22 really shows the power of God’s word. We bring our petitions to Jesus who is sovereign and if He tells His angels to go, they go. If He tells the stars to shine or the land to produce vegetation, it will be as He commanded. In the same way, any request we bring before the Lord that is within His will, He will answer. It is not a question of His capability because all He has to do is say the word! All thins are of God and therefore belong to Him and so He has the authority to move mountains in order to bring about His will. Mathew 8:5-10, 13 really spoke to me because it made me realise that when I ask God to bring about His will in my life, I can thank Him at the same time because I know that He has already said the word to put things into motion to accomplish it. It is when I come to God in complete faith of what He can and is doing that He is most pleased.
And so I want to pray like David in Psalm 25: “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.” “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” One thing that Kris taught that really spoke to me was on this topic. He said that God will always answer the prayer that is prayed according to His will. God has been teaching me that I need to let go of the worry I have for my future and totally trust in Him because His plans are far greater than mine and His will is far better than mine.
Therefore, there is tremendous power in prayer and God is delighted to answer the prayer that is prayed according to His will.
I went on a run yesterday (and I don’t run!) and so today I hurt. But I realised that running is a good example of how I need to trust God. Running has always been hard for me. It doesn’t take long before I am out of breath and ready to give up. And so that’s when I stop running and start walking. But after a while, I realized yesterday that I could start running again.
Trusting in God is hard! I keep wanting to give up and deal with issues in my life and so I stop running and start walking. But God gives me the strength to start running again, trusting that He will provide the strength I need.
Running hurts because it is stretching my muscles and my lungs further that what is comfortable. In the same way, it’s not always comfortable as God stretches me, teaching me to fully trust Him.
As I learned recently in a passage in Mathew 19, I need to give up everything and put Christ first before everything and follow Him. But it won’t be easy. I found tremendous comfort in verse 26 where Jesus says that it is actually impossible for any man to do this, but with Him, all things are possible! And so I can keep running, in faith, trusting that He will provide the strength I need.
To conclude, Psalm 20:7 says “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Getting tired of rap?
For Robert's birthday today, Tripple J (which has sort of turned into double J) decided that they were getting tired or rap so they decided to sing instead. Ben played guitar and Joel sang (Ben also did "backup"). Here is Robert's birthday song:
Today I was looking at a green plant
It was so green...
But that has nothing to do with this song.
Today is one of those days
of the year
Because it's novermber 1st
The first day of November
The first day after October.
Rob you play geetar like nothing
And all the ladies think you're something
YOu have long hair.
And nice underwear, not that I was looking.
Rob this song is for you.
(Ben's solo)
This song is for today (x2)
Singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY (repeat many times)
Today I was looking at a green plant
It was so green...
But that has nothing to do with this song.
Today is one of those days
of the year
Because it's novermber 1st
The first day of November
The first day after October.
Rob you play geetar like nothing
And all the ladies think you're something
YOu have long hair.
And nice underwear, not that I was looking.
Rob this song is for you.
(Ben's solo)
This song is for today (x2)
Singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY (repeat many times)
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