Lesson that God controls everything just in time:
- I-pod quit.
- Lost my phone.
- Computer cord tore in two.
I had to get Michael Ball's phone number because I lost my phone, and one guy from SGA wanted to come talk at Cru but didn't know if he was going to make it or not. So he wanted a number to get a hold of someone in Cru. I got Michael Ball's number and wrote it on my hand.
I lost my keys on Wednesday. Very frustrated because I seem to be losing everything for no apparent reason. After walking around the campus for an hour trying to find it, I went to the library. So thankfully for my friends and people knowing people. Kayla didn't have Charles' (my roommates) number, so I still had Michael Ball's number (from SGA guy wanting to come to Cru) and texted him to get Charles' number. Got his number and called him. Found my keys.
My computer died Thursday night and I needed to get people ready for the open house on Friday night so thankfully my roommate went home or the weekend, but left his computer here. So I used my suite-mates phone, Brian, to call Charles and get his password, (since I had his number in a notepad from losing my keys.) Checked my email and got 3 emails in 3 days. The third one title was "Persistent Aren't We?" So I decided I should probably check this. Turns out the deadline for ELIC was Wednesday, in 4 days. So I looked up the website and checked it out a little bit. Got another email from him and emailed him back with a few questions and honest confusion.
Mom had got my phone activated on Saturday and Alex went home to see his brother or sister who came in. So Mom gave it to Alex. I got a phone Sunday night. Monday morning the guy from ELIC calls me and says that I have good questions but it would be easier to have a conversation and answer the questions rather than writing a short novel. So on my newly acquired phone I called him back and had an hour long conversation with him. We talked and at the end I said, "We'll I'll probably go ahead and fill out the first part of the application and we'll just see how it goes." He responds with "Ok, if you can get it filled out today, I'll go ahead and wave the first phone interview check in part since we've talked and had this conversation." Oh ok. Sweet. I'll try to get it done here in a little bit. (Hour before leadership meeting.) "Once you've got it filled out, I'll go ahead and send you the next part of the application, then you can take a couple of weeks to think and pray about it and fill it out." "Sounds good to me. Thank you."
As I walked out of there, I happened to swing by the post office to just happen to see if the computer cord I ordered was in. I ordered it on Friday so I doubted it would be. I was lucky enough that the one I ordered was not only the cheapest but it also had free shipping. I ordered it Friday morning. Turns out it came in on Saturday, but the post office wasn't open so they didn't get it till Monday. So I got to pick it up Monday afternoon. How awesome was that?! I told my professor and he said "Oh wow, that hardly ever happens. Where was it coming from?" "California." "NO WAY! Really?!" "Yeah, God straight hooked me up." "I'd say God hooked you up thats amazing."
Oh yeah.
Sunday at Church I had asked Pastor Jim if I could pick his brain sometime. (He's the missions pastor at Johnston Chapel). We set a time for 7:15am on Tuesday morning. So after I talked to him, I through out some ideas, mentioned talking to a guy about teaching English in China the day before. He also liked that idea and said that he knew someone who was doing it. He calls me back when I'm in econ at 2:30 and gives me some contact information for a few other people and one guy about teaching english in China. ... He works for ELIC. Hmm. . . Hadn't mentioned it to him that that's the place I was looking at.
Suppose to play frisbee at 4 but was really tired so I decided to take a quick nap instead. It seemed more important and work on my computer some. Maybe look up more information about internationals. After talking to Pastor Jim, felt a fire and desire to seek it out sooner. Then as I'm starting to doze off I get a phone call. I answer it and it's Rebekah, from ELIC. (Dang they sure are persistent.) Turns out it's the same lady that I talked to at Urbana is one of the co-walker counselors that helps people work through the process of applying. Hmm. She called and said "Is there anything I can do to help you with your application that's due tomorrow?" "Uh, tomorrow?" Apparently the second part of the application is due on Wednesday too. So now that I've got my powercord, I can use my laptop to fill out the application for ELIC.
RECAP:
Some guy come to Cru - Get michael Balls number.
Used Balls number to get Charles number cause I locked myself out of room.
Used Charles number to borrow his computer for open house.
Checked email on Charles computer to see about ELIC deadlines and emailed the guy.
Get a phone Sunday night to talk to the ELIC guy on Monday.
Get a powercord on Monday afternoon to fill out application on Tuesday that's due Wednesday.
God provides just in time.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
1 Corith 14
Prophecy and Tongues -
If you speak in a tongue then your talking to God.
You're uttering mysteries in your soul.
But no one understands.
Prophecy is to deliver a message from God, not necessarily predict the future.
But if your prophesying then your speaking to men and it's to strengthen, encourage, and comfort them.
If you speak in a tongue then you build up yourself.
If you deliver the message then you build up the church.
I would rather you build up the church.
Whoever prophesies (gives a message from God thats understandable) is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone can interpret what you said so that the whole church could be built up.
The focus of all of this is to build up the church. To build up each other.
So if when I come, I speak in tongues, what good is that unless I bring some sort of new revelation, a new thought, or new information to help, or a word of instruction?
It's like playing an instrument, but only using one note. If they use a trumpet to make the battle call, but it's not clear, then nothings gonna work. If it's to gather people together and build each other up, but no one has any idea what was just said, then you just made a lot of noise, talked to the air, and wasted time.
There really are alot of languages, and each one has it's purpose. For foreigners that don't understand what is being said, it works. But again that's to build up the church. Focus on things that you can do that will build up those around you.
So based off of that, if you speak in tongues pray that you can interpret it. I can pray with my spirit and speak in tongues, and it's good for my spirit, but doesn't help my mind any. So I could sing with my spirit or sing with my mind. I can be thankful in the same ways. It was never meant to be barren intellect or thoughtless emotion but both working together. But if I only use the spiritual, how can an outsider or someone else look at my praise and say that it's good, agree with it, and praise God because of it, if they have no idea what's going on? You might be praising God, but the other man is not built up.
I thank God that I speak tongues more than you, so you know that I have experience and authority. That I'm not just blabbering because I'm jealous or am afraid of what I don't know. I do it more than you and I would much rather say 5 words that you can understand that would help you than blabber on in tongues for a day and half and you have no idea what's happening.
So the focus of all of this is this, to build up each other and the church. The body of Christ to be strengthened with words and power. It doesn't matter what your doing, if this isn't happening and it's just confusing people and making people think your crazy. Stop doing it. Simple enough. The focus is on God and on building each other up.
If you speak in a tongue then your talking to God.
You're uttering mysteries in your soul.
But no one understands.
Prophecy is to deliver a message from God, not necessarily predict the future.
But if your prophesying then your speaking to men and it's to strengthen, encourage, and comfort them.
If you speak in a tongue then you build up yourself.
If you deliver the message then you build up the church.
I would rather you build up the church.
Whoever prophesies (gives a message from God thats understandable) is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone can interpret what you said so that the whole church could be built up.
The focus of all of this is to build up the church. To build up each other.
So if when I come, I speak in tongues, what good is that unless I bring some sort of new revelation, a new thought, or new information to help, or a word of instruction?
It's like playing an instrument, but only using one note. If they use a trumpet to make the battle call, but it's not clear, then nothings gonna work. If it's to gather people together and build each other up, but no one has any idea what was just said, then you just made a lot of noise, talked to the air, and wasted time.
There really are alot of languages, and each one has it's purpose. For foreigners that don't understand what is being said, it works. But again that's to build up the church. Focus on things that you can do that will build up those around you.
So based off of that, if you speak in tongues pray that you can interpret it. I can pray with my spirit and speak in tongues, and it's good for my spirit, but doesn't help my mind any. So I could sing with my spirit or sing with my mind. I can be thankful in the same ways. It was never meant to be barren intellect or thoughtless emotion but both working together. But if I only use the spiritual, how can an outsider or someone else look at my praise and say that it's good, agree with it, and praise God because of it, if they have no idea what's going on? You might be praising God, but the other man is not built up.
I thank God that I speak tongues more than you, so you know that I have experience and authority. That I'm not just blabbering because I'm jealous or am afraid of what I don't know. I do it more than you and I would much rather say 5 words that you can understand that would help you than blabber on in tongues for a day and half and you have no idea what's happening.
So the focus of all of this is this, to build up each other and the church. The body of Christ to be strengthened with words and power. It doesn't matter what your doing, if this isn't happening and it's just confusing people and making people think your crazy. Stop doing it. Simple enough. The focus is on God and on building each other up.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The Full Extent of Love
What is the full extent of love?
The Bible says that the full extent of love is the King, Ruler, Commander, Creator, Prince, and Hero of the world would get down on his hands and knees, tie a rag around his waste and wash dirty, bloody, scabbed, calloused, stinky, horrible feet.
I think I often underestimate this because I rule Jesus as just another guy. Instead of standing next to God as he spoke and light was created. Energy cannot be created or destroyed unless He speaks. All of the Angels in heaven and everything that has ever had a breath will turn to him and fall flat on it's face in awe and reverence of Him. That this man, this God, here on earth would not only come into my house when it's still a mess, sit with me, talk with me like I have something worth hearing to say, but then would get up, sit down on the ground, take off my shoes and socks and wash my feet with his shirt and rag.
What kind of King is this?
Who is this King of glory?
But the full extent of love is not just this act of putting water on the feet. This act is bathed in humility. Ridiculous, unfathomable humility. That someone so high would come so low, for love. It's not even just that, but continue to look at it and then look above the bloody rotten feet, and you have in need of bloody, rotten people. Yeah, we can say the disciples were good people or whatever because they followed Jesus, but he knew exactly how they were going to respond. One was going to straight up stab him in the back, one was going to repeatedly deny he even knew him in a few minutes, and all the others were going to run like kids who just did something wrong. Yes, they're trying, but still scared little bunch of boys who can't live for more than themselves yet. Knowing what was going to happen, how they were all going to treat him in just an hour or so, knowing his abandonment in his hardest time, he still took the greatest act of humility and served them.
[[Side note: I feel like each time we sin, we're like the disciples.
Each time we sin, we feel horrible, then try to go avoid God. We try to get to sleep as fast as possible. We try to busy ourselves so we don't have to think about it. We try to go away from God so we don't have to deal with His Holiness and our lack of it. We're acting just like the disciples who ran from Jesus at the cross because they were scared. The thing they needed the most was Jesus on the cross, and the thing we need the most is Jesus at the cross - yet we run from it and hide.]]
But seeing this kind of service makes me reevaluate alot.
That makes me realize how selfish I am. How much bigger of myself I think I am.
Who should I not serve? Those who stab me in the back? Those who ignore me? Those who run from me and hide? Those who don't listen to me when I try to help? Those who hate me? Those who spit on me? Those who give me dirty looks? Those who weren't there for me when I needed them? Those who don't believe me? Those who don't serve me?
Who exactly is it that I have a right not to serve and love? NO ONE!
Who the crap do I think I am?
That I have been around for 22 years and suddenly I have too much experience, wisdom, power, and whatever not to serve the homeless, not to plunge a toilet that I didn't clog, not to pick up trash that I didn't drop, not to go get someone who's drunk cause they can't drive, not to what? Not to listen to someone who won't listen to me? Not to speak love and truth to someone whenever they have no idea what's going on in my life?
Since when has love been conditional? When has it had to be reciprocated to continue?
From what I know this God/Man really got no love while he was here, no one ever understood what he was saying or doing or what was going on in his life until he was dead. 33 years of this and he loved more and loved harder, love grew more intense, finally building up to the full extent of love. And what about me? My love grows more shallow with the more experiences I have. It thins down because the more I try to love you the more you hurt me. He was hurt more, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well, hurt much worse than I will ever be and he loved more and more each time.
So today. From now on. I want to serve more. I want to love more. I want to do it the way Jesus did and not expect anything good in return, but knowing the evil in them, knowing the evil in us, knowing our human short comings and the fact that they will give me nothing in return that I want or need, still serve them selflessly.
All of this is in John 13.
This is the full extent of love.
The greatest of love is that a man lay down his life for his friends.
We automatically think of death, to die for a friend, maybe take a bullet.
But what about the everyday laying down your life for them?
To do everything for someone else rather than your own good.
To fully live selflessly. Daily. Hmmm...
wonder what would look like.
The Bible says that the full extent of love is the King, Ruler, Commander, Creator, Prince, and Hero of the world would get down on his hands and knees, tie a rag around his waste and wash dirty, bloody, scabbed, calloused, stinky, horrible feet.
I think I often underestimate this because I rule Jesus as just another guy. Instead of standing next to God as he spoke and light was created. Energy cannot be created or destroyed unless He speaks. All of the Angels in heaven and everything that has ever had a breath will turn to him and fall flat on it's face in awe and reverence of Him. That this man, this God, here on earth would not only come into my house when it's still a mess, sit with me, talk with me like I have something worth hearing to say, but then would get up, sit down on the ground, take off my shoes and socks and wash my feet with his shirt and rag.
What kind of King is this?
Who is this King of glory?
But the full extent of love is not just this act of putting water on the feet. This act is bathed in humility. Ridiculous, unfathomable humility. That someone so high would come so low, for love. It's not even just that, but continue to look at it and then look above the bloody rotten feet, and you have in need of bloody, rotten people. Yeah, we can say the disciples were good people or whatever because they followed Jesus, but he knew exactly how they were going to respond. One was going to straight up stab him in the back, one was going to repeatedly deny he even knew him in a few minutes, and all the others were going to run like kids who just did something wrong. Yes, they're trying, but still scared little bunch of boys who can't live for more than themselves yet. Knowing what was going to happen, how they were all going to treat him in just an hour or so, knowing his abandonment in his hardest time, he still took the greatest act of humility and served them.
[[Side note: I feel like each time we sin, we're like the disciples.
Each time we sin, we feel horrible, then try to go avoid God. We try to get to sleep as fast as possible. We try to busy ourselves so we don't have to think about it. We try to go away from God so we don't have to deal with His Holiness and our lack of it. We're acting just like the disciples who ran from Jesus at the cross because they were scared. The thing they needed the most was Jesus on the cross, and the thing we need the most is Jesus at the cross - yet we run from it and hide.]]
But seeing this kind of service makes me reevaluate alot.
That makes me realize how selfish I am. How much bigger of myself I think I am.
Who should I not serve? Those who stab me in the back? Those who ignore me? Those who run from me and hide? Those who don't listen to me when I try to help? Those who hate me? Those who spit on me? Those who give me dirty looks? Those who weren't there for me when I needed them? Those who don't believe me? Those who don't serve me?
Who exactly is it that I have a right not to serve and love? NO ONE!
Who the crap do I think I am?
That I have been around for 22 years and suddenly I have too much experience, wisdom, power, and whatever not to serve the homeless, not to plunge a toilet that I didn't clog, not to pick up trash that I didn't drop, not to go get someone who's drunk cause they can't drive, not to what? Not to listen to someone who won't listen to me? Not to speak love and truth to someone whenever they have no idea what's going on in my life?
Since when has love been conditional? When has it had to be reciprocated to continue?
From what I know this God/Man really got no love while he was here, no one ever understood what he was saying or doing or what was going on in his life until he was dead. 33 years of this and he loved more and loved harder, love grew more intense, finally building up to the full extent of love. And what about me? My love grows more shallow with the more experiences I have. It thins down because the more I try to love you the more you hurt me. He was hurt more, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well, hurt much worse than I will ever be and he loved more and more each time.
So today. From now on. I want to serve more. I want to love more. I want to do it the way Jesus did and not expect anything good in return, but knowing the evil in them, knowing the evil in us, knowing our human short comings and the fact that they will give me nothing in return that I want or need, still serve them selflessly.
All of this is in John 13.
This is the full extent of love.
The greatest of love is that a man lay down his life for his friends.
We automatically think of death, to die for a friend, maybe take a bullet.
But what about the everyday laying down your life for them?
To do everything for someone else rather than your own good.
To fully live selflessly. Daily. Hmmm...
wonder what would look like.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Project 10:27 Update
I pray that you could continue to pray for me, especially this next week. Yes, we are on Spring Break, which God has given at just the right time (like he always does), and I am staying at school to work on getting this project finished up.
I jury next Monday, 16th, at 10:00 a.m. I bring what I have in front of the art department faculty, explain it, they critique it, then they decide if what I have passes or not. If it doesn't pass, I won't get to show it in the gallery. I also won't get to graduate. My primary concern is that the message is communicated clearly. I would really like to graduate though too. Pray that I can get everything done in time and that logically things flow smoothly, that I pass, and that the message is unadulterated clear, and God uses it.
I would like to share with you something God just shared with me. Project 10:27 is based off of Matthew 10:27. I forgot which gospel it came out of so I googled luke 10:27, missed, then mark 10:27 and missed again. Then I realized what the 4 Gospels all said at 10:27 and it's a beautiful story for this project.
MATTHEW
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
MARK
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
LUKE
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
JOHN
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
It starts with telling the story how he gave me the idea to, then I'm freaking out cause I keep thinking it's impossible. Yes, without God it is impossible, but He is going to show up and show up big and make it possible. In the process I just need to remember to Love God first and then people, not to love his work in me or what I'm doing, but to get caught in his love first. Step 4 is just to keep following, to be faithful and obedient and follow.
Thank you all for your help, support, prayers, and love.
I jury next Monday, 16th, at 10:00 a.m. I bring what I have in front of the art department faculty, explain it, they critique it, then they decide if what I have passes or not. If it doesn't pass, I won't get to show it in the gallery. I also won't get to graduate. My primary concern is that the message is communicated clearly. I would really like to graduate though too. Pray that I can get everything done in time and that logically things flow smoothly, that I pass, and that the message is unadulterated clear, and God uses it.
I would like to share with you something God just shared with me. Project 10:27 is based off of Matthew 10:27. I forgot which gospel it came out of so I googled luke 10:27, missed, then mark 10:27 and missed again. Then I realized what the 4 Gospels all said at 10:27 and it's a beautiful story for this project.
MATTHEW
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
MARK
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
LUKE
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
JOHN
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
It starts with telling the story how he gave me the idea to, then I'm freaking out cause I keep thinking it's impossible. Yes, without God it is impossible, but He is going to show up and show up big and make it possible. In the process I just need to remember to Love God first and then people, not to love his work in me or what I'm doing, but to get caught in his love first. Step 4 is just to keep following, to be faithful and obedient and follow.
Thank you all for your help, support, prayers, and love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)