http://nymag.com/news/features/cancer-peter-bach-2014-5/
It turns out that Hollywood has grief and loss all wrong. The waves and
spikes don’t arrive predictably in time or severity. It’s not an
anniversary that brings the loss to mind, or someone else’s
reminiscences, nor being in a restaurant where you once were together.
It’s in the grocery aisle passing the romaine lettuce and recalling how
your spouse learned to make Caesar salad, with garlic-soaked croutons,
because it was the only salad you’d agree to eat. Or when you glance at a
rerun in an airport departure lounge and it’s one of the episodes that
aired in the midst of a winter afternoon years earlier, an afternoon
that you two had passed together. Or on the rise of a full moon, because
your wife, from the day you met her, used to quote from The Sheltering Sky
about how few you actually see in your entire life. It’s not sobbing,
collapsing, moaning grief. It’s phantom-limb pain. It aches, it throbs,
there’s nothing there, and yet you never want it to go away.
A bit emo, but this is reality. This is something everyone must face one day, including me (unless we die first). Death will come, but to have Hope is how you make it through each day after.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
The King and Lionheart
"Aslan
a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the
King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t
you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the
great Lion."
“Ooh!” said Susan. “I thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I am dying of thirst,” said Jill.
“Then drink,” said the Lion.
“May I — could I — would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.
The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to — do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.
“Do you eat girls?” she said.
“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.”
“Ooh!” said Susan. “I thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I am dying of thirst,” said Jill.
“Then drink,” said the Lion.
“May I — could I — would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.
The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to — do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.
“Do you eat girls?” she said.
“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.”
Spiritual Warfare
"The devil always sends errors into the world in pairs of
opposites... He relies on your dislike of one to draw you into the
opposite one." - C.S. Lewis
The Devil's greatest trick is to convince the world he does not exist (Charles Baudelaire). Think about it. If Satan were to appear in public, say Times Square in a Loki-esque fashion, and announce to the world that he is evil and everyone should worship him, that would be the fastest way to send people to Heaven. Honestly it would be faster than if Jesus were to (re)appear (prior to the 2nd coming revealed in all His glory, Philippians 2, Revelations 1:7), because we see in the Bible how that turned out, miracles and all. That is why he and other demons do not make their presence known (though it is a possibility they still directly afflict people in cultures where the supernatural is more widely accepted, read Christian history).
The Devil uses pain and pleasure to lead us away from the Gospel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA3HDlM-FcY (12:55 mark)
Historically the Devil has used what we would think as the most blissful situations in his favor. In the early church, when the Roman Empire persecuted Christians reverently, the global church actually exploded in number under this pressure. But when the Romans finally adopted Christianity and made it their official religion, you see a huge stagnancy within the Church that lasted quite a while. Why did this happen? Because when you are persecuted, the testing of your faith will prove it to be genuine, and the world will see (1 Peter 1:7,2:12).
"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth of falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it?” - C.S. Lewis
Now in modern times, you also see this stagnancy arising in places where Christianity is the predominant religion. You see Christians indulging in worldly ways and convince themselves they are blessed because they are not suffering. You see Christians setting up idols for themselves and not calling them idols. The nations considered most "strongly Christian," such as South Korea and the United States, are counted as countries heavily steeped in materialism, physicalism, and idolatry of prosperity. (There is still persecution in these nations, just of a difference sense. Also not bashing on these countries. They are the forerunners in mission and faith, and that is something to be praised.)
"Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him" - C.S. Lewis
Here we see how the Devil uses pleasure to lead us away from God. Not saying God doesn't use pleasure and prosperity to bless us. He does (see Job 42, the life of Abraham or Joseph). But these forefathers did not seek pleasure and idols. They sought only God and walked by faith (Hebrews 11, James 5:11, Galatians 3:9, Stephen's speech). We just need to Abide in Him (John 15:4-5).
From VS:
Trust and obey, there is no other way. - John H. Sammis
In context C.S. Lewis was
talking about Individualism and Totalitarianism, but it can applied this
way too (though many of C.S. Lewis's quotes are taken out of context,
especially on social media).
The Devil's greatest trick is to convince the world he does not exist (Charles Baudelaire). Think about it. If Satan were to appear in public, say Times Square in a Loki-esque fashion, and announce to the world that he is evil and everyone should worship him, that would be the fastest way to send people to Heaven. Honestly it would be faster than if Jesus were to (re)appear (prior to the 2nd coming revealed in all His glory, Philippians 2, Revelations 1:7), because we see in the Bible how that turned out, miracles and all. That is why he and other demons do not make their presence known (though it is a possibility they still directly afflict people in cultures where the supernatural is more widely accepted, read Christian history).
The Devil uses pain and pleasure to lead us away from the Gospel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA3HDlM-FcY (12:55 mark)
In
places explicitly hostile to the Gospel, the Devil uses pain to deter
seekers into not trusting in Jesus. Think about it. In those places when
you believe, you can no longer get a job. You can no longer get
married. You are disowned by your family. You are ostracized in the
community. You are persecuted to the point of death by the government
and religious extremists. So the physical risk is higher. The lost of
lifelong dreams is greater (who doesn't want to get married right?).
But God teaches through pain also.
Through our deepest pain we learn how to call upon God and rely on Him.
Contrary to the popular saying "God helps those who helps themselves"
(which is actually found in the Quran), the reality is that God helps
those who realize they cannot help themselves. We can find God through suffering.
Historically the Devil has used what we would think as the most blissful situations in his favor. In the early church, when the Roman Empire persecuted Christians reverently, the global church actually exploded in number under this pressure. But when the Romans finally adopted Christianity and made it their official religion, you see a huge stagnancy within the Church that lasted quite a while. Why did this happen? Because when you are persecuted, the testing of your faith will prove it to be genuine, and the world will see (1 Peter 1:7,2:12).
"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth of falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it?” - C.S. Lewis
Now in modern times, you also see this stagnancy arising in places where Christianity is the predominant religion. You see Christians indulging in worldly ways and convince themselves they are blessed because they are not suffering. You see Christians setting up idols for themselves and not calling them idols. The nations considered most "strongly Christian," such as South Korea and the United States, are counted as countries heavily steeped in materialism, physicalism, and idolatry of prosperity. (There is still persecution in these nations, just of a difference sense. Also not bashing on these countries. They are the forerunners in mission and faith, and that is something to be praised.)
"Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him" - C.S. Lewis
Here we see how the Devil uses pleasure to lead us away from God. Not saying God doesn't use pleasure and prosperity to bless us. He does (see Job 42, the life of Abraham or Joseph). But these forefathers did not seek pleasure and idols. They sought only God and walked by faith (Hebrews 11, James 5:11, Galatians 3:9, Stephen's speech). We just need to Abide in Him (John 15:4-5).
Satan's stronghold in the East
may be built upon pain, but his plan in the West is to wreck our lives
through pleasure and comfort. We forget that God has given Satan
dominion over the world (1 John 5:19, Matt 4:8, Ephesians 2:2, John
12:31). Note that the world doesn't include believers (Colossians 1:13, John 17:14, John 15:19).
"I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity." - C.S. Lewis
“And all the time the joke is that the word 'Mine' in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything. In the long run either Our Father or the Enemy will say 'Mine' of each thing that exists, and specially of each man. They will find out in the end, never fear, to whom their time, their souls, and their bodies really belong-certainly not to them, whatever happens.” - C.S. Lewis
Both God and the Devil are engaged in a tug of war for our hearts. God uses both pain and pleasure to challenge and cultivate us, but we must not allow the Devil to manipulate these and convincing us to blame or forget God.
"Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." - C.S. Lewis
"I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity." - C.S. Lewis
“And all the time the joke is that the word 'Mine' in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything. In the long run either Our Father or the Enemy will say 'Mine' of each thing that exists, and specially of each man. They will find out in the end, never fear, to whom their time, their souls, and their bodies really belong-certainly not to them, whatever happens.” - C.S. Lewis
Both God and the Devil are engaged in a tug of war for our hearts. God uses both pain and pleasure to challenge and cultivate us, but we must not allow the Devil to manipulate these and convincing us to blame or forget God.
"Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." - C.S. Lewis
From VS:
If you dwell in Him, you will become like Him.
Do not suffer for your sin.
Do not suffer to hear God, to love Him, or to become like Him.
We say we do it out of Love, but do we even have Love?
That is why we just obey and believe in Jesus. Everything else will come naturally.
Do not suffer for your sin.
Do not suffer to hear God, to love Him, or to become like Him.
We say we do it out of Love, but do we even have Love?
That is why we just obey and believe in Jesus. Everything else will come naturally.
Trust and obey, there is no other way. - John H. Sammis
do i have a crush on you or am i just lonely
do i like you or do i like that you like me
do I like you or do I like the idea of you
do i want to be in a relationship or do i just want to prove that i’m worthy of one
are you flirting with me, or can i just not recognize when people are being nice to me
"The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go God's love for us does not"
- C.S. Lewis
Monday, May 5, 2014
some days...I just wanted to be treated as a human, as a brother in Christ
instead of being discriminated against
instead of being judged by the world's standards
instead of being considered a body, not a soul or heart
instead of being considered a body, not a soul or heart
As C.S. Lewis puts it we are a soul, not a body
yet why do people, especially brothers and sisters in Christ, measure
us by our bodies
aren't we called not to give into our flesh?
1 John 2:15-16
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
aren't we called not to give into our flesh?
1 John 2:15-16
Do
not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love
for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father
but from the world.
John 15:19
If
you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not
belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the
world hates you.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
James 2:1-4
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
James 2:1-4
Notes
"Intimacy without commitment is adultery." - DWhang
To have proper intimacy with God, we need to be obedient. That means to pray, to read the Word, to make disciples, and to love one another (4 pillars:prayer, scripture, evangelism, community). Our whole life is a continuous act of worship. Intimacy will naturally come following the changes in our heart.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. (1 John 5:2-3)
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 1:6)
"God doesn't use people who are ready. He uses people who are obedient." - DWhang
No other religion has a god who meets them where they are. In other religions we have to work our way up to that god. But for us, God comes and meets us where we are. That is why we have testimonies.
He came to us.
He initiates.
He loves us.
He died for us.
To have proper intimacy with God, we need to be obedient. That means to pray, to read the Word, to make disciples, and to love one another (4 pillars:prayer, scripture, evangelism, community). Our whole life is a continuous act of worship. Intimacy will naturally come following the changes in our heart.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. (1 John 5:2-3)
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 1:6)
"God doesn't use people who are ready. He uses people who are obedient." - DWhang
No other religion has a god who meets them where they are. In other religions we have to work our way up to that god. But for us, God comes and meets us where we are. That is why we have testimonies.
He came to us.
He initiates.
He loves us.
He died for us.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
“She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the
magazines. She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for
the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was
beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No,
she wasn't beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was
beautiful, deep down to her soul. She is beautiful.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
Saturday, April 26, 2014
“Did you think you were here to kill time
listening to Christian music until you go to Heaven? We’ve got work to do.”
-Mark Driscoll
What I've been saying since 2009...about time people realize this.
At All Campus Worship today, the pastor from Amo's church spoke about how the Kingdom of God is not heaven, but the revealing of God's glory to everyone here on earth (Matthew 6, the Lord's Prayer). Though we should keep our eyes pointed to heaven, there is still a Great Commission (Matthew 28) we are to do here and now.
Like Urbana 2012, there is going to be a feast and we have been called by our master to invite everyone to the party.
At All Campus Worship today, the pastor from Amo's church spoke about how the Kingdom of God is not heaven, but the revealing of God's glory to everyone here on earth (Matthew 6, the Lord's Prayer). Though we should keep our eyes pointed to heaven, there is still a Great Commission (Matthew 28) we are to do here and now.
Like Urbana 2012, there is going to be a feast and we have been called by our master to invite everyone to the party.
Yet another personality test
For some reason I immediately thought it looked like Repede as a puppy.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Preaching the Cross
Preaching the Cross (십자가의 전달자 번역) Lyrics
I'm the lowest of the low
wretched sinner I am
So unworthy, but You called me
With my faith and hope in You
I will not be ashamed
You have called me to, preach the cross
Where You send me I will go
If it's for You, my Lord
For I will always, proclaim the cross
Till the fragrance of your blood
covers all of the Earth,
I will preach,
I will bear the cross
If I live, I live for you
If I die, I die for you
I belong to you
In life or death
By the power of the cross
By the hope of the cross
Jesus Christ alone, Will live in me
난 지극히 작은 자 죄인 중에 괴수
무익한 날 부르셔서
간절한 기대와 소망 부끄럽지 않게
십자가 전케 하셨네
어디든지 가리라 주 위해 서라면
나는 전하리 그 십자가
내 몸에 벤 십자가 그 보혈의 향기
온 세상 채울 때까지
살아도 주를 위해 죽어도 주를 위해
사나 죽으나 난 주의 것
십자가의 능력 십자가의 소망
내 안에 주만 사시는 것
난 지극히 작은 자 죄인 중에 괴수
무익한 날 부르셔서
간절한 기대와 소망 부끄럽지 않게
십자가 전케 하셨네
내 사랑 나의 십자가
난 지극히 작은 자 죄인 중에 괴수
무익한 날 부르셔서
간절한 기대와 소망 부끄럽지 않게
십자가 전케 하셨네
어디든지 가리라 주 위해 서라면
나는 전하리 그 십자가
내 몸에 벤 십자가 그 보혈의 향기
온 세상 채울 때까지
살아도 주를 위해 죽어도 주를 위해
사나 죽으나 난 주의 것
십자가의 능력 십자가의 소망
내 안에 주만 사시는 것
난 지극히 작은 자 죄인 중에 괴수
무익한 날 부르셔서
간절한 기대와 소망 부끄럽지 않게
십자가 전케 하셨네
내 사랑 나의 십자가
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
“There are friendships I’ve mourned over
where too much history got in the way. There were too many harsh words
and broken promises and silent disagreements, and it rotted to an
impatient grave. But there are others where we traveled the jagged road
of reconciliation, mending wounds and untying knots and covering with
grace: and on the other end of this is an ocean-deep intimacy of
perseverance that couldn’t be reached any other way. We had to wrestle
with the ugly parts of our nature. Demons were exposed. Secrets were
spilled. Yet there is a joy in this sort of enduring friendship that
goes the long distance; there’s a crazy sort of laughter with a lifelong
friend that is colored by the weight of heels digging into the ground, a
love that says, ‘I’m staying.’ We see it in the cross, and we can have
it now, even in a world such as this.”
| — | J.S. |
Monday, April 21, 2014
Can we objectify God?
I came up with this question in the shower today (oh how I love the ambience of falling water against the bathtub).
I am a researcher. I research nanoparticles, neuroscience, cancer, Celiac disease etc. I read papers and test theories. Everything turns out to be very methodical and evidence based.
I realize I also research people, more like an observer with a (lab) notebook recording things about people. I am always watching and listening to people, secretly hoping that at some point I will be able to help them in some way in making their way through life. (It’s prideful I know, as if I can do anything). Like in my research, I am an extensive planner but not a good doer. You can see this in my leadership style and how I approach fellowship. Almost all of my interactions with people are meticulously planned. I am not good at just “going with the flow,” unless you are stranger whom I feel no obligation to build a long-term relationship with. It also turns out that those people are the ones I end up having the best initial interactions with, without expectations and full of unadulterated laughter. That is something I have learned over the years, to let go my planning and researching, and just take initiative and let the situation spontaneously unfold. I’ve seen more fruit that way. Many of the best scientific discoveries have also been made that way.
Don’t we all tend to research people as well? We look for people with traits we like, whom we can “pursue a research direction” with. We objectify people when we focus on their traits and not their hearts. We care about their looks, whether they are good at basketball, can play guitar, or how well sing, which medical school they are attending, or even how well they teach. We judge people by their pasts. We judge people’s worth by what they can do, especially what they can do for us, whether it be resources, attention, or just happiness. We hold people to a worldly standard, not realizing that underneath it all is a person so wholly broken and depraved that it is only though the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ that they are redeemed. In all of this, if we don’t look at people through heaven’s eyes, we miss the heart that God cups dearly in His hands. Who are we to question the people God leads into our lives?
Sometimes I realize I also research God, objectify Him in a way. I read theology books and Christian-based articles. I collect quotes from famous theologians and evangelists. I compile verses from the Bible into themes, and I ask many “hows and whys” about the things I see in the Bible and in the modern Christian sphere. I approach God with theology and biblical reason, but forget to pray and ask for intimacy and joy.
Prayer, perhaps more than anything else, is a true test of Christian’s devotion and intimacy with God. Its presence in Christian’s life says it all. Its absence is the evidence of merely theoretical framework of faith. - James M. Houston on C.S. Lewis’ prayer life
But God is more than that. God intends us to have a intimate relationship with Him. We cannot fathom the entirety of God, no matter how much we try. But we don’t need to. One day we will stand in front of Him, all of His glory revealed to us and we will fall down before Him in Love, but today we just need to trust and obey. “Follow me.”
I am a researcher. I research nanoparticles, neuroscience, cancer, Celiac disease etc. I read papers and test theories. Everything turns out to be very methodical and evidence based.
I realize I also research people, more like an observer with a (lab) notebook recording things about people. I am always watching and listening to people, secretly hoping that at some point I will be able to help them in some way in making their way through life. (It’s prideful I know, as if I can do anything). Like in my research, I am an extensive planner but not a good doer. You can see this in my leadership style and how I approach fellowship. Almost all of my interactions with people are meticulously planned. I am not good at just “going with the flow,” unless you are stranger whom I feel no obligation to build a long-term relationship with. It also turns out that those people are the ones I end up having the best initial interactions with, without expectations and full of unadulterated laughter. That is something I have learned over the years, to let go my planning and researching, and just take initiative and let the situation spontaneously unfold. I’ve seen more fruit that way. Many of the best scientific discoveries have also been made that way.
Don’t we all tend to research people as well? We look for people with traits we like, whom we can “pursue a research direction” with. We objectify people when we focus on their traits and not their hearts. We care about their looks, whether they are good at basketball, can play guitar, or how well sing, which medical school they are attending, or even how well they teach. We judge people by their pasts. We judge people’s worth by what they can do, especially what they can do for us, whether it be resources, attention, or just happiness. We hold people to a worldly standard, not realizing that underneath it all is a person so wholly broken and depraved that it is only though the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ that they are redeemed. In all of this, if we don’t look at people through heaven’s eyes, we miss the heart that God cups dearly in His hands. Who are we to question the people God leads into our lives?
Sometimes I realize I also research God, objectify Him in a way. I read theology books and Christian-based articles. I collect quotes from famous theologians and evangelists. I compile verses from the Bible into themes, and I ask many “hows and whys” about the things I see in the Bible and in the modern Christian sphere. I approach God with theology and biblical reason, but forget to pray and ask for intimacy and joy.
Prayer, perhaps more than anything else, is a true test of Christian’s devotion and intimacy with God. Its presence in Christian’s life says it all. Its absence is the evidence of merely theoretical framework of faith. - James M. Houston on C.S. Lewis’ prayer life
But God is more than that. God intends us to have a intimate relationship with Him. We cannot fathom the entirety of God, no matter how much we try. But we don’t need to. One day we will stand in front of Him, all of His glory revealed to us and we will fall down before Him in Love, but today we just need to trust and obey. “Follow me.”
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Many night’s we’ve prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood,
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there’s much to fear
We were moving mountains
long before we knew we could
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood,
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there’s much to fear
We were moving mountains
long before we knew we could
(chorus)
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It’s hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It’s hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
In this time of fear
When prayer so often proved in vain
Hope seemed like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I’m standing here
With heart so full I can’t explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I’d say
When prayer so often proved in vain
Hope seemed like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I’m standing here
With heart so full I can’t explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I’d say
(chorus)
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
Its hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
When you believe
Though hope is frail
Its hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously)
A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously)
Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-elim adona
(Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestial)
Mi-ka-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh
(Who is like You, majestic in holiness)
Na-chi-tah v’-chas-d’-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your Love, You lead the people You redeemed)
Na-chi-tah v’-chas-d’-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your Love, You lead the people You redeemed)
A-shi-ra, a-shi-ra, A-shi-ra
(I will sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously)
A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously)
Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-elim adona
(Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestial)
Mi-ka-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh
(Who is like You, majestic in holiness)
Na-chi-tah v’-chas-d’-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your Love, You lead the people You redeemed)
Na-chi-tah v’-chas-d’-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your Love, You lead the people You redeemed)
A-shi-ra, a-shi-ra, A-shi-ra
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Where we draw the line between Love and Obedience
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/world.vision.usa.allows.employees.in.same.sex.marriages/36365.htm
but the way that it manifested shows a lack of godly wisdom
this still all boils down to legalism...
it is legalistic to not love everyone and try to be unified
but is obedience more important than legalism?
you once said that the greatest love we can give someone is
the gospel
we can give them food, shelter, medicine, attention, but
these are temporary things. what they need most is the gospel
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/whatever-is-not-from-faith-is-sin-really
basically no matter how much "good" you are trying
to do, if you aren't doing it for God's glory then its moot
or sin as John Piper puts it
i mean yeah right in the grander scheme of things you're not
actually helping the person or even really loving them
right you can treat them fairly and just all their life but
if they're still destined for hell then it's pretty much pointless
It is hard to tell people that the reason why evangelicals
are not supporting World Vision's decision isn't because they want to be
legalistic, un-compromising, un-loving, but they believe God's sovereignty and
glory are more important, even more important than following the call of social
justice. We ought to reach the poor and powerless with the Gospel in hand along
with worldly necessities. God is more glorified when we take a stand for truth and
reason behind doing good than just focusing on doing good works alone (along
the same lines of how Hell existing brings God more glory, instead of everyone
just going to heaven, which is what our culture wishes)
and I'm totally okay with World Vision employing gay
Christians, just not same-sex married gay Christians (who I would argue aren't
Christian at all). along the same lines I'm okay with them employing REPENTANT
murderers, child molesters, rapists etc
and back to the other article, really working side-by-side
with non-believers (not rebelling Christians) really gives you an opportunity
to preach the gospel to them, and tell them why it is really important to know
the reason behind why we do good works
“There is a common, worldly kind of
“Christianity” in this day, which many have - a cheap Christianity that offends
nobody, and requires no sacrifice - which costs nothing and is worth nothing.”
-J.C. Ryle
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/03/27/when-did-idolatry-become-compatible-with-christianity/
It is very easy to tell when a church is doing something wrong, when it starts to create a Christianity that agrees with the world, one that masks not offending anyone and not sacrificing anyone under the guise of "unity." It doesn't work that way. We are called to not be part of the world, but apart from it.
It is very easy to tell when a church is doing something wrong, when it starts to create a Christianity that agrees with the world, one that masks not offending anyone and not sacrificing anyone under the guise of "unity." It doesn't work that way. We are called to not be part of the world, but apart from it.
1 John 2:15-17
Do Not Love the World
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Do Not Love the World
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Same-sex marriage is a love issue and a marriage issue, and
that makes it a gospel issue - Matt Chandler
What is the point of doing good in this world and helping
people if it doesn't give glory to God? Nothing!
What separates Christian groups from humanistic or other
religious groups when tackling the issue of poverty and brokenness in the
world? Aren't we called to be different? Weren't we created to glorify the great
I AM? Above all else? How do we love others if we don't point them to Love?
"I love you because God loved me infinitely."
Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
- Westminster Catechism
Is it really that wrong to think that though Jesus wants to
be all inclusive, it cannot be because of sin? And that this causes those who
belong to the Lord to be excluded from the world? Does it make us haters,
legalistic, or exclusive? God is all loving, but is God all accepting? Jesus
extended His hand to everyone, but does that mean He promised no sacrifice, not
cost as well?
My Jesus is the Jesus who paid the full cost on the Cross,
not a Jesus who wants everyone to be unified and happy. That is what the Bible
taught me.
A recent event that occurred was the changing of policy by
World Vision allowing people in same-sex marriages be employed who profess to
be Christian. The question is, do I call these people my brothers and sisters,
even though they indulge in constant rebellion against God’s Word? Would Jesus
still invite them to serve with Him, even knowing that they refuse to
acknowledge this sin but in all other ways have a heart for love? Is this heart
one that glorifies God in every way, or just one that believes in doing good
works aka help the poor and powerless, not unlike atheists, humanists, or other
religious groups? Would Jesus want to coexist with other groups, or would He
remind us that He is the only Way? Would Jesus want us to still support World Vision’s
mission in serving the needy as commanded multiple times in Scripture (by the
Law, the prophets, Paul, and Christ Himself), or would He tell us to abandon
World Vision on grounds that they have forsaken the marriage aspect of the
Gospel and have compromised God’s glory for man’s glory? Does it make God look
bigger if we abandoned World Vision, or continue to support them despite
politics? Is this really a compromise of theology, despite their claims of not
being a theological arm of the Body? How far will compromise lead to? Is this
really a case of “sin and Christ” attempting to unite?
How are these people different from the gay Christians who
admit their sin and struggle daily to live a life glorifying God? In a way,
them just trying, and continue to try their entire life does make God look big.
Big kudos to these brothers and sisters in Christ. Please do not belittle these
people who are trying so hard to live out a testimony that makes God the most
important piece of their lives.
"The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or
leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical
diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and
hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of
bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West
is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but
also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”
-Mother Teresa
People need God above all other needs. Poverty is not just a
physical issue, it is a spiritual one as well.
But what does it matter? The important
thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is
preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:18
I will use this verse so that I don't have to condemn World
Vision as others have. Yes, it is a false motive and a very selfish one to
twist scripture to justify one's sexual identity (actions and lifestyles that
spawn from it), as it puts sexual identity as an idol in replacement of our
identity as God's children, but through all this God can still use these people
and World Vision to preach the Gospel.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/march-web-only/world-vision-reverses-decision-gay-same-sex-marriage.html
http://m.nationalreview.com/corner/375644/russell-moore-fears-no-man-michael-potemra
http://jsparkblog.com/2013/04/22/the-forced-falsed-dichotomy-of-for-and-against-how-a-binary-system-fails-to-resolve-our-deepest-issues/
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/84245521493/hello-mr-park-i-have-a-question-what-does-the
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/84327097063/reactionary-culture-im-not-like-those-other
More related links (to utterly and completely confuse everyone):
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-conduct.html
http://www.charismamag.com/life/relationships/20129-sexual-atheism-christian-dating-data-reveals-a-deeper-spiritual-malaise
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/09/03/false-freedom-and-the-slavery-of-autonomy/
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/81594558667/how-do-i-know-if-its-god-or-the-devil-a-mega-post-on
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/82514992443/im-curious-about-your-view-that-reformed-calvinists
http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/a/Obedience-To-God.htm
http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/5-arguments-against-eternal-punishment/
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/why-hobby-lobby-is-this-years-supreme-court-case-to-watch.html
http://www.redletterchristians.org/rip-rob-bell/
http://www.mjkimpan.com/re-text/
http://theamericanjesus.net/?p=5396
(I am not going to say I support any of these links, as some of them are contradictory, but I am saying if you look really closely they are all related at the deepest level)
"The world doesn't read the bible, but it reads Christians" (1 Peter 2:12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4o0o8a1Sng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIw6ngIqaD0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WY0zTygEyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDQWQE-oztQ
http://m.nationalreview.com/corner/375644/russell-moore-fears-no-man-michael-potemra
http://jsparkblog.com/2013/04/22/the-forced-falsed-dichotomy-of-for-and-against-how-a-binary-system-fails-to-resolve-our-deepest-issues/
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/84245521493/hello-mr-park-i-have-a-question-what-does-the
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/84327097063/reactionary-culture-im-not-like-those-other
More related links (to utterly and completely confuse everyone):
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-conduct.html
http://www.charismamag.com/life/relationships/20129-sexual-atheism-christian-dating-data-reveals-a-deeper-spiritual-malaise
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/09/03/false-freedom-and-the-slavery-of-autonomy/
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/81594558667/how-do-i-know-if-its-god-or-the-devil-a-mega-post-on
http://jspark3000.tumblr.com/post/82514992443/im-curious-about-your-view-that-reformed-calvinists
http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/a/Obedience-To-God.htm
http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/5-arguments-against-eternal-punishment/
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/why-hobby-lobby-is-this-years-supreme-court-case-to-watch.html
http://www.redletterchristians.org/rip-rob-bell/
http://www.mjkimpan.com/re-text/
http://theamericanjesus.net/?p=5396
(I am not going to say I support any of these links, as some of them are contradictory, but I am saying if you look really closely they are all related at the deepest level)
"The world doesn't read the bible, but it reads Christians" (1 Peter 2:12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4o0o8a1Sng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIw6ngIqaD0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WY0zTygEyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDQWQE-oztQ
Friday, April 11, 2014
Hot Tub Religion
"The
other day I was one of a crowd who spent much of a wet Saturday
afternoon in a hot tub. My student advisees, who formed the crowd, had
advised me to try it; you’ll like it, they said. Previously I had
thought of hot tubs as reserved for hedonists in Hollywood and sybarites
in San Francisco, but now I know that under certain circumstances
members of Regent College’s teaching faculty may also use them. Every
day, it seems, one learns something new.”
“As I sat there savoring hot tubness, cracking small jokes and adjusting to the feel of being bubble over from all angles, it struck me that the hot tub is the perfect symbol of the modern route in religion. The hot tub experience is sensuous, relaxing, floppy, laid-back: not in any way demanding, whether intellectually or otherwise, but very, very nice, even to the point of being great fun.”
“Many today want Christianity to be like that, and labor to make it so. As I hot tubbed on, slumping deeper into uninhibited floppiness, I saw why the chromium-plated folk-religion of which I am speaking has gained such a hold. Modern life strains us. We get stimulated till we are dizzy. Relationships are brittle; marriages break; families fly apart; business is a cutthroat rat race, and those not at the top feel themselves mere cogs in another’s machine. Automation and computer technology have made life faster and tenser, since we no longer have to do the time-consuming routine jobs over which our grandparents used to relax their minds.
We have to run more quickly than any generation before us simply to stay where we are. No wonder that when modern Western man turns to religion what he wants is total tickling relaxation, the sense of being at once soothed, supported and effortlessly invigorated: in short, hot tub religion. He asks for it, and up folk jump to provide it. What hot tub religion illustrates most clearly is the law of demand and supply.”
“Certainly a rhythm of life that includes relaxation is right; the fourth commandment shows that. Alternating hard labor with fun times in right too; all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and Jesus so often went to banquets, the fun times of the ancient world, that he got called glutton and drunkard. Enjoying our bodies while we can, as opposed to despising them is part of the discipline of gratitude to our Creator. And uninhibited exuberances like clapping, dancing, shouting praise and crying out in prayer can be approved too, provided we do not hereby stumble others.”
“Without these hot tub factors, as we may call them, our Christianity would be less godly and less lively, for it would be less human. But if there were no more to our Christianity than hot tub factors- if, that is, we embraced a self-absorbed hedonism of relaxation and happy feelings, while dodging tough tasks, unpopular stances and exhausting relationships– we should fall short of biblical God-centeredness and of the cross-bearing life to which Jesus calls us, and advertise to the world nothing better than our own decadence. Please God, however, we shall not settle for that.”
J. I. Packer, Hot Tub Religion
“As I sat there savoring hot tubness, cracking small jokes and adjusting to the feel of being bubble over from all angles, it struck me that the hot tub is the perfect symbol of the modern route in religion. The hot tub experience is sensuous, relaxing, floppy, laid-back: not in any way demanding, whether intellectually or otherwise, but very, very nice, even to the point of being great fun.”
“Many today want Christianity to be like that, and labor to make it so. As I hot tubbed on, slumping deeper into uninhibited floppiness, I saw why the chromium-plated folk-religion of which I am speaking has gained such a hold. Modern life strains us. We get stimulated till we are dizzy. Relationships are brittle; marriages break; families fly apart; business is a cutthroat rat race, and those not at the top feel themselves mere cogs in another’s machine. Automation and computer technology have made life faster and tenser, since we no longer have to do the time-consuming routine jobs over which our grandparents used to relax their minds.
We have to run more quickly than any generation before us simply to stay where we are. No wonder that when modern Western man turns to religion what he wants is total tickling relaxation, the sense of being at once soothed, supported and effortlessly invigorated: in short, hot tub religion. He asks for it, and up folk jump to provide it. What hot tub religion illustrates most clearly is the law of demand and supply.”
“Certainly a rhythm of life that includes relaxation is right; the fourth commandment shows that. Alternating hard labor with fun times in right too; all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and Jesus so often went to banquets, the fun times of the ancient world, that he got called glutton and drunkard. Enjoying our bodies while we can, as opposed to despising them is part of the discipline of gratitude to our Creator. And uninhibited exuberances like clapping, dancing, shouting praise and crying out in prayer can be approved too, provided we do not hereby stumble others.”
“Without these hot tub factors, as we may call them, our Christianity would be less godly and less lively, for it would be less human. But if there were no more to our Christianity than hot tub factors- if, that is, we embraced a self-absorbed hedonism of relaxation and happy feelings, while dodging tough tasks, unpopular stances and exhausting relationships– we should fall short of biblical God-centeredness and of the cross-bearing life to which Jesus calls us, and advertise to the world nothing better than our own decadence. Please God, however, we shall not settle for that.”
J. I. Packer, Hot Tub Religion
Be a man, it teaches you the Gospel
"Why
would God wire it this way? Let me tell you why I think He wired it
this way. Nothing, no book, no Bible study, no song or conference has
taught me the weight of God’s love and the glory of the gospel like
trying to be a man. Here’s what I mean. Trying to love my wife like
Christ loves the church and finding that very, very difficult to do and
finding it at times not yielding the fruit that I wanted…Here’s a better
one. My four year old, Audrey, is just my joy. I love having a son, but
that daughter owns you. It’s a weird deal. For whatever reason, over
and over again, Audrey thinks I am an enemy to her joy, when in the end,
I want her joy and happiness more than she could ever comprehend, and I
see better than she does. And when I say, “Hey, no candy right now,”
I’m not trying to steal joy from her, I’m trying to increase joy for
her. And when I say, “Don’t climb on the back of the couch when there’s a
window right there. You could fall through it,” I’m not trying to rob
her of the exhilaration of walking on the back of the couch, I’m trying
to make sure she doesn’t cut herself to ribbons. And so what ends up
happening in that moment, when I’m trying to increase joy and increase
life and increase happiness and my daughter goes, “I don’t want any of
that. I’ll get it my own way. I’ll do it my own way. I want what I
want,” and she wars against the joy that I so desperately want for her,
in one instance, I start to discipline and in another, God’s going,
“This is playing out like another story I know, the one where I try to
lead you like this and you’re like, ‘No, I want my stuff;’ and you are a
four year old girl. This is very similar to Me, Chandler. So, while
Audrey’s in the corner thinking about it, why don’t you go to the other
corner and think about it over there?” All of a sudden, by trying to
nurture and love and point Audrey to Christ and finding it war against
me, I start to understand how big and beautiful the gospel is, that
despite the fact that I war against the hand of God, He continues to
love, pursue and extend grace. Or in those moments that I lavish upon
Lauren affection and romance and all of those things and she doesn’t
respond the way I want her to respond, all of a sudden I start to
understand the gospel, I understand the depth of the love of Christ for
me, the depth of His grace, the depth of His forgiveness. Do you know
why it’s hard? Because when it’s hard, the we understand the gospel,
when it’s hard, we walk in humility and when it’s hard, we’ll be
dependent on God. If it was easy, none of those things would be there;
they just wouldn’t be there. So listen, even the fact that it’s
difficult is God’s love, mercy and grace. And I know some of you don’t
think it’s difficult because you’re single, but have you ever wondered
why it’s so difficult to pray with your wife but it’s not so difficult
to pray with somebody else? Do you think maybe there’s some
principalities at war against us?”
- Matt Chandler (The Role of Men Part 1: Defining Masculinity)
1 Corinthians 16:13 - Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
- Matt Chandler (The Role of Men Part 1: Defining Masculinity)
1 Corinthians 16:13 - Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
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