just thought i'd write a bit. its been a while since i was inspired to write and i don't know why but a certain movie always throws me into the mood to write, to indulge my thoughts and listen to beautiful music. although i'm here, able to write as i doubt anyone reads my thoughts or takes any notice, there is a bit of apprehension. what i'm feeling may come across as though i'm horribly unhappy or that i'm discontent. when in all honesty, i'm blessed beyond comprehension. i have the best family surrounding me everyday, i have an amazing husband who loves me, i have the best pets ever - yet there is something in me that is missing. some of it i know is the longing to be back home, in hong kong. some of it is the lack of luck i've had getting a job. another bit of this feeling is the anguish i feel over the current state of the church and their general lack of generosity, propriety and care for those surrounding them. but their is more to this feeling that i have that i cannot put my finger on it. memories are dawning again as i'm but a week away from a bitter anniversary. but still, i am not confident enough to know if this is the crux of it all. but i'll concede to this feeling for right now, until i can further articulate that which i'm feeling. agape.
Hello all, Liz asked me to write another blog for you all to capture whats going on so far with the trip. We are actually winding down for our departure this Tuesday. It is bitter sweet because I feel like I could do so much out here but I am SO excited to get back home to be with my lovely husband, my animals and Liz's family. For the past week or so we've been working hard in a room upstairs. I guess its going to be Liz's daughter Sabrina's room. Linnea and I were painting and Liz and Amber were putting mud and plaster on the walls. We have all suffered a bit from the dust and other particles flying all over the place, landing in our beds, clothes and such. But nonetheless, God has been faithful to keep us all in pretty good health considering the mess we've been making! Unfortunately, I did not take any before pictures and have yet to take an after picture of the room - but I will try to do that before we head out.
When we aren't working in the house putting more "drip drops" into the bathtub, we've been having a blast with our neighbors and friends we've made so far. A sweet couple, Claude and Isabelle came over for dinner and we were able to spend a good amount of time with them. They were delighted although shocked when we gave them their basket of goodies. They don't eat many sweets, so I think they said they will send the candy to some family! Claude has lived all over the world for his jobs and he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Having them over was so fun. Amber and I got the chance to sing and practice our songs we'll be singing at the Retirement Home tomorrow with Claude and Isabelle as an audience! They enjoyed it very much from what I could tell. It was also very helpful as we will be singing one song in French and Claude helped us with the pronunciation of some of the words. We will be meeting up with them again when we go to Paris this weekend, for the end of our trip. Here are some pictures of the evening we had with them.
Us with Claude and Isabelle.
Claude preparing the toast.
So another weekend came and went, but this time, we actually went to church at the Catholic church in the village. It was pretty encouraging, although I did not understand 99% of what was being said! It was a special weekend, due to Armistice Day coming up, so a lot of people were there to pay their respects to people who have past away over the past year. Seeing so many people show up for the service warmed my heart on a very cold day, knowing that the people here have faith and a respect for things of the Lord. Now if only we can get the little stone church up and running soon - we could offer them another place to go. One day, one day! Its exciting just to be apart of the vision and works of God's hand. During the church service a little old lady came in slightly late for the service so Linnea gave up her seat so she could sit down. Once she sat down, Amber and I noticed that it was the same lady we met the previous week. She and I were trying to find the cafe in the village to have some french coffee and have a quiet time. We mistakenly almost walked into the little old ladies house. After many apologies and smiles, we left, but I believe God used it to make her smile and it allowed for us to meet with her again on Sunday at the church!
The town showed up for the monthly church service.
Inside the church before the service started.
Monday we worked in the house a bit and I believe it was Tuesday when we met up with our British friend, Norma and went to a Gite in another town. The man was very interesting and since Liz has an eye for good deals, she and Norma went back several times throughout the week to pick up the stuff she bought for the house. She had to go back several times because her cute little "Spot" of a car only has so much room. Anyway, Linnea and Liz were able to have some good conversations with the man and hopefully we can remain in contact with him. Would love to see the Lord bless the new acquaintance. Later that evening, we went to Norma's house to play Wii and bake cookies. After some amazing cookies baked by Liz and Norma (mmm... everybody loves chocolate chip cookies!), we all played bowling on the wii! And believe it or not, I have video and picture evidence that Liz did in fact play the wii, but not only did she play it, but she also enjoyed it! Once I can, I'll post a video of her having fun too!
Liz playing bowling!
Tuesday was Armistice Day. The French's equivalent to Veteran's Day and in the center of town, they had a bit of a celebration. They did a mini parade, read off the names of Soldiers who had passed away to honor them, children read and sang the National Anthem and they also had a moment of silence. It was an honor to experience this little town paying hommage to the many soldiers that have laid their lives down for their country. Praise the Lord for men of honor and valor! It was also neat to see a town united in such a way. It was definitely not something you see happening in the states. After the ceremony, we all hopped in the car and went to do some touring. We went to Niort, an amazing city that has so much history to it! They even have legends of "dragon slayers" and such! Its pretty awesome. We had great food and enjoyed a nice walk up a hill to visit St. Andres Chateau. Its absolutely stunning and again, like I mentioned in my last update, I love sitting and just thinking in the chairs. The history of the cathedral and the love I have for the Lord wells up inside me and I love the peace I have.
Linnea bundled up to go out to the Ceremony.
Armistice Day Parade.
Towns people at the ceremony.
The children who sang for the ceremony.
St. Andres Cathedral in Niort.
The doors are massive!
A beautiful river scene in Niort.
Wednesday, we worked all day. Literally from around 11am - 6:00pm. We had company over for dinner, Norma and some other friends from the U.K. We had a feast for dinner! Beef Burginion, Yorkshire Pudding, Rice Pudding, Quiche and Apple Pie! It was awesome. We had great conversation, a great time of fellowship and at the end of the night - Amber and I practiced one of our songs again. This time we did "Amazing Grace". They really enjoyed it and I believe they will be coming to the Retirement Home to hear us sing tomorrow! How fun! I love talking to people from different countries. You learn so much about the world view on general things as well as political and religious things as well. It was such a peaceful evening and I really am blessed to have met all these people. As soon as I get them, I'll add some pictures from our dinner!
Today (thursday) was a day to go shopping. We went to Ruffec and went shopping in a big shopping center. We got some souvenirs! Whee! Then we went through to Melle after lunch so that I could get a video singing inside the 200 year old church. It was so beautiful and the Lord brought people in to hear! Random people from the street came in when they heard me singing (almost made me cry) and once I was finished singing, they asked me to continue, asked me to sing another song. Sadly, when put on the spot like that, I couldn't think of any songs. But I did sing Amazing Grace and I Love You, Lord. Two songs that are near and dear to my heart! And it turned out that they spoke english, so they understood what I was saying. So God used my voice today, to let them hear a little bit about God and His gospel. Praise the Lord! It reminds me of how beautiful His love is, how He guides us and provides for us situations where we can be used and where we can use the gifts He's given us!
Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
i'll leave you with the video that I FINALLY successfully uploaded to youtube. Enjoy! At the end you can see the people coming in. Praise the Lord for using a sinner such as me! Agape.
When we aren't working in the house putting more "drip drops" into the bathtub, we've been having a blast with our neighbors and friends we've made so far. A sweet couple, Claude and Isabelle came over for dinner and we were able to spend a good amount of time with them. They were delighted although shocked when we gave them their basket of goodies. They don't eat many sweets, so I think they said they will send the candy to some family! Claude has lived all over the world for his jobs and he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Having them over was so fun. Amber and I got the chance to sing and practice our songs we'll be singing at the Retirement Home tomorrow with Claude and Isabelle as an audience! They enjoyed it very much from what I could tell. It was also very helpful as we will be singing one song in French and Claude helped us with the pronunciation of some of the words. We will be meeting up with them again when we go to Paris this weekend, for the end of our trip. Here are some pictures of the evening we had with them.
Us with Claude and Isabelle.
Claude preparing the toast.
So another weekend came and went, but this time, we actually went to church at the Catholic church in the village. It was pretty encouraging, although I did not understand 99% of what was being said! It was a special weekend, due to Armistice Day coming up, so a lot of people were there to pay their respects to people who have past away over the past year. Seeing so many people show up for the service warmed my heart on a very cold day, knowing that the people here have faith and a respect for things of the Lord. Now if only we can get the little stone church up and running soon - we could offer them another place to go. One day, one day! Its exciting just to be apart of the vision and works of God's hand. During the church service a little old lady came in slightly late for the service so Linnea gave up her seat so she could sit down. Once she sat down, Amber and I noticed that it was the same lady we met the previous week. She and I were trying to find the cafe in the village to have some french coffee and have a quiet time. We mistakenly almost walked into the little old ladies house. After many apologies and smiles, we left, but I believe God used it to make her smile and it allowed for us to meet with her again on Sunday at the church!
The town showed up for the monthly church service.
Inside the church before the service started.
Monday we worked in the house a bit and I believe it was Tuesday when we met up with our British friend, Norma and went to a Gite in another town. The man was very interesting and since Liz has an eye for good deals, she and Norma went back several times throughout the week to pick up the stuff she bought for the house. She had to go back several times because her cute little "Spot" of a car only has so much room. Anyway, Linnea and Liz were able to have some good conversations with the man and hopefully we can remain in contact with him. Would love to see the Lord bless the new acquaintance. Later that evening, we went to Norma's house to play Wii and bake cookies. After some amazing cookies baked by Liz and Norma (mmm... everybody loves chocolate chip cookies!), we all played bowling on the wii! And believe it or not, I have video and picture evidence that Liz did in fact play the wii, but not only did she play it, but she also enjoyed it! Once I can, I'll post a video of her having fun too!
Liz playing bowling!
Tuesday was Armistice Day. The French's equivalent to Veteran's Day and in the center of town, they had a bit of a celebration. They did a mini parade, read off the names of Soldiers who had passed away to honor them, children read and sang the National Anthem and they also had a moment of silence. It was an honor to experience this little town paying hommage to the many soldiers that have laid their lives down for their country. Praise the Lord for men of honor and valor! It was also neat to see a town united in such a way. It was definitely not something you see happening in the states. After the ceremony, we all hopped in the car and went to do some touring. We went to Niort, an amazing city that has so much history to it! They even have legends of "dragon slayers" and such! Its pretty awesome. We had great food and enjoyed a nice walk up a hill to visit St. Andres Chateau. Its absolutely stunning and again, like I mentioned in my last update, I love sitting and just thinking in the chairs. The history of the cathedral and the love I have for the Lord wells up inside me and I love the peace I have.
Linnea bundled up to go out to the Ceremony.
Armistice Day Parade.
Towns people at the ceremony.
The children who sang for the ceremony.
St. Andres Cathedral in Niort.
The doors are massive!
A beautiful river scene in Niort.
Wednesday, we worked all day. Literally from around 11am - 6:00pm. We had company over for dinner, Norma and some other friends from the U.K. We had a feast for dinner! Beef Burginion, Yorkshire Pudding, Rice Pudding, Quiche and Apple Pie! It was awesome. We had great conversation, a great time of fellowship and at the end of the night - Amber and I practiced one of our songs again. This time we did "Amazing Grace". They really enjoyed it and I believe they will be coming to the Retirement Home to hear us sing tomorrow! How fun! I love talking to people from different countries. You learn so much about the world view on general things as well as political and religious things as well. It was such a peaceful evening and I really am blessed to have met all these people. As soon as I get them, I'll add some pictures from our dinner!
Today (thursday) was a day to go shopping. We went to Ruffec and went shopping in a big shopping center. We got some souvenirs! Whee! Then we went through to Melle after lunch so that I could get a video singing inside the 200 year old church. It was so beautiful and the Lord brought people in to hear! Random people from the street came in when they heard me singing (almost made me cry) and once I was finished singing, they asked me to continue, asked me to sing another song. Sadly, when put on the spot like that, I couldn't think of any songs. But I did sing Amazing Grace and I Love You, Lord. Two songs that are near and dear to my heart! And it turned out that they spoke english, so they understood what I was saying. So God used my voice today, to let them hear a little bit about God and His gospel. Praise the Lord! It reminds me of how beautiful His love is, how He guides us and provides for us situations where we can be used and where we can use the gifts He's given us!
Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
i'll leave you with the video that I FINALLY successfully uploaded to youtube. Enjoy! At the end you can see the people coming in. Praise the Lord for using a sinner such as me! Agape.
I've been blessed with the opportunity to come out to France with Liz and 2 other ladies, Amber and Linnea. We've been having a great time of fellowship together and the Lord is providing us with ministry opportunities within the area of Couture D'Argenson. When we first arrived to Paris, France; we got our rental car and stayed in a hotel the first evening. Everything went well minus a few wrong turns here and there. I will say, I'm glad Liz is driving because I would be terribly confused driving the streets of France, but God bless the person who thought of Round-A-Bouts. If you don't know what that is, let me know, I'll explain. As we were taking the 4 hour drive from Paris to Couture, we took a few detours to look at a castle, we went to Chartres Cathedral and Leonardo DaVinci's house. Leonardo DaVinci's house was a pretty amazing place, it was fun to see his experiments and to see the beautiful acreage his house is on. It is a stunning place and seeing such history in front of me was a lot of fun.
Leonardo DaVinci's House at Night.
When we stopped in Chartres Cathedral, it was something I've never experienced before. The cold and drafty church with years of history inside and out was a bit overwhelming. You enter and immediately you feel the need to be very reserved and show a bit of humility. As we were looking around inside, randomly someone started playing the massive pipe organ. It was absolutely gorgeous. I took a seat in a pew and read Revelation 19. I don't normally open and read Revelation, but I felt drawn to read about the rejoicing in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb and to read about the Rider on a White Horse. What a gorgeous opportunity to sit before the Lord in such a historic place.
A Castle in France on the way to Couture.
After a day of sight seeing, we finally reached the little stone house late in the evening. Got to sleep and slept in late into the next day. We all suffered severely from jet lag. I think some of it had to do with the cold, rainy weather. After a few days of recuperating from jet lag, getting used to the house and getting the house warmed up with fires and heaters - we put together gift baskets for a few of our neighbors and the mayors of Couture & Chef Boutonne. We went down the street and visited with our neighbor Norma and gave her a gift basket, complete with chocolate, lotion, a cooking sheet and other little trinkets. We also gave her some Bibles to put in the rooms of her B&B. The smile on her face was enough to light up the room. Visiting with her was so much fun and I just fell in love with her. She is a beautiful lady and I hope to spend more time with her throughout the trip and get to know her a bit more. That is kind of the vision we have for this particular trip, to reach out to the town and bless the neighbors in anyway we can. We want to emanate the love of Christ to all those in this area.
A Gift Basket.
Liz, Norma, Myself and Amber.
We met up with some friends from the UK in front of the Little Stone Church. We thought that we'd only visit with them for a few minutes but we were so excited that they accepted the invitation to come over for some Chili! We rushed home, set the table for all 12 of us, Liz cooked up some amazing chili and we had some time together. It was so nice to just sit and entertain some friends. They were very encouraging and so kind! I wish they could have stayed longer but they were on their way back to the UK in the morning.
Mayor's Office in Chef Boutonne.
A table set for Twelve!
The table, filled with 12!
We have also been cleaning here and there around the house. We're also just having a bit of a retreat if you will in the evenings, having fellowship together - having great conversation and moments of laughter that bring us to tears! Its been very relieving from the normal life in the States. Its very relaxed out here in the countryside! I love it. I even love the cold rainy weather. But with that being said, God did bless us with a beautiful day of warmer weather and sunshine! We took the opportunity, fixed up the garden outside, planted a few plants and then headed out to do some more sight-seeing because we are not sure when we'll have another nice weather day to do so! We drove to Melle and went to the Post Office to exchange some DOllars into Euros and walk around. We visited a church that was built in the 11th Century. The acoustics were so amazing. Liz had me sing (as that's my most favorite thing to do EVER!), so I sang Amazing Grace. It was a phenomenal feeling to sing in a church that has so much history! It moved me almost to tears, I squealed like a little girl with excitement. We also drove and visited the Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral. It was a beautiful time of day as the sun was setting. The scenery in France really makes you quite speechless!
On the road to Melle.
Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral.
On Sunday, we had church at home. Amber and I led worship and Linnea led us in the scriptures. We read out of Daniel 2 and discussed King Nebuchadnezzars Dream and how God revealed it. It was a nice time of discussion. After we spent about an hour or so covering this little town in prayer, that the Gospel would go forth, even with broken French, a limited amount of time, and bad weather. It was one of my favorite days spent so far. Amber woke up and found a butterfly in her bedroom, and the picture just reminds me of the newness of life that is found in Christ and the burden we all feel to tell all those in our path of His beautiful redeeming Love and His sovereignty.
Amber's butterfly.
I pray that we will continue to bless those that come in our path. In the coming up week we have some more friends coming over for dinner and Amber and myself will be going to the Retirement Home to sing to the residents there. We're very excited with what the Lord is doing and I am humbled to be able to spend time in this beautiful town with so many amazing faces. Thank you all for reading and we covet your prayers as we do have another week and a half left on our trip.
Leonardo DaVinci's House at Night.
When we stopped in Chartres Cathedral, it was something I've never experienced before. The cold and drafty church with years of history inside and out was a bit overwhelming. You enter and immediately you feel the need to be very reserved and show a bit of humility. As we were looking around inside, randomly someone started playing the massive pipe organ. It was absolutely gorgeous. I took a seat in a pew and read Revelation 19. I don't normally open and read Revelation, but I felt drawn to read about the rejoicing in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb and to read about the Rider on a White Horse. What a gorgeous opportunity to sit before the Lord in such a historic place.
A Castle in France on the way to Couture.
After a day of sight seeing, we finally reached the little stone house late in the evening. Got to sleep and slept in late into the next day. We all suffered severely from jet lag. I think some of it had to do with the cold, rainy weather. After a few days of recuperating from jet lag, getting used to the house and getting the house warmed up with fires and heaters - we put together gift baskets for a few of our neighbors and the mayors of Couture & Chef Boutonne. We went down the street and visited with our neighbor Norma and gave her a gift basket, complete with chocolate, lotion, a cooking sheet and other little trinkets. We also gave her some Bibles to put in the rooms of her B&B. The smile on her face was enough to light up the room. Visiting with her was so much fun and I just fell in love with her. She is a beautiful lady and I hope to spend more time with her throughout the trip and get to know her a bit more. That is kind of the vision we have for this particular trip, to reach out to the town and bless the neighbors in anyway we can. We want to emanate the love of Christ to all those in this area.
A Gift Basket.
Liz, Norma, Myself and Amber.
We met up with some friends from the UK in front of the Little Stone Church. We thought that we'd only visit with them for a few minutes but we were so excited that they accepted the invitation to come over for some Chili! We rushed home, set the table for all 12 of us, Liz cooked up some amazing chili and we had some time together. It was so nice to just sit and entertain some friends. They were very encouraging and so kind! I wish they could have stayed longer but they were on their way back to the UK in the morning.
Mayor's Office in Chef Boutonne.
A table set for Twelve!
The table, filled with 12!
We have also been cleaning here and there around the house. We're also just having a bit of a retreat if you will in the evenings, having fellowship together - having great conversation and moments of laughter that bring us to tears! Its been very relieving from the normal life in the States. Its very relaxed out here in the countryside! I love it. I even love the cold rainy weather. But with that being said, God did bless us with a beautiful day of warmer weather and sunshine! We took the opportunity, fixed up the garden outside, planted a few plants and then headed out to do some more sight-seeing because we are not sure when we'll have another nice weather day to do so! We drove to Melle and went to the Post Office to exchange some DOllars into Euros and walk around. We visited a church that was built in the 11th Century. The acoustics were so amazing. Liz had me sing (as that's my most favorite thing to do EVER!), so I sang Amazing Grace. It was a phenomenal feeling to sing in a church that has so much history! It moved me almost to tears, I squealed like a little girl with excitement. We also drove and visited the Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral. It was a beautiful time of day as the sun was setting. The scenery in France really makes you quite speechless!
On the road to Melle.
Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral.
On Sunday, we had church at home. Amber and I led worship and Linnea led us in the scriptures. We read out of Daniel 2 and discussed King Nebuchadnezzars Dream and how God revealed it. It was a nice time of discussion. After we spent about an hour or so covering this little town in prayer, that the Gospel would go forth, even with broken French, a limited amount of time, and bad weather. It was one of my favorite days spent so far. Amber woke up and found a butterfly in her bedroom, and the picture just reminds me of the newness of life that is found in Christ and the burden we all feel to tell all those in our path of His beautiful redeeming Love and His sovereignty.
Amber's butterfly.
I pray that we will continue to bless those that come in our path. In the coming up week we have some more friends coming over for dinner and Amber and myself will be going to the Retirement Home to sing to the residents there. We're very excited with what the Lord is doing and I am humbled to be able to spend time in this beautiful town with so many amazing faces. Thank you all for reading and we covet your prayers as we do have another week and a half left on our trip.
what is our nation coming to. we complain, we whine, we despair over the economy. yes, i realize its difficult to live when we're heading for recession, i understand fully the difficulty of finding a job and the ramifications it brings. and i will not turn a blind eye to the thousands, nay millions of people who are being affected by the economical crisis. but does this cause us to slump on the crying out of those around us? are we so shut down because of our own inconveniences that we don't care enough to find the different areas where people are struggling and help? we as a people have failed, and as a Christian - we have failed even more on so many levels. we're watching young people throw their lives away without even blinking an eye because we're focused on self, rather than our neighbor. how out of touch can we be? if our neighbor is suffering, its our job to help them out.
how out of touch can parents and teachers be, that a teenager feels they have no way out of their struggles and resort to substance abuse or suicide? i am not saying that in every case of suicide, the child's parent is to blame - because kids can be really good at putting up a front. i was! i read an article last night where i do not blame the parents for what happened, more so, i blame the schooling. i find a huge fault in a school when they say they have a "zero tolerance policy against bullying" yet they have allowed it to get to the point where a student shoots himself, because the pain is just too much. i know it can be hard when you have 40 students to a classroom, when schools are overpopulated - i do. but the schools should be teaching and growing their students into mature young adults, so that bullying is no longer a factor because its not cool to do anymore. all of the staff should be made aware of what bullying is and how to handle it.
bah. i don't want to sound arrogant. i just wish that the church would come together and reach out to those in need. if your neighbor is going through a foreclosure, although its a touchy subject - maybe see if there is something you can do to help. offer food, babysitting, an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. if your neighbor goes through a death or something else - be there for them. pray for your neighbors, tell them about the God that you serve, become relational, touch someones life so that they may have a softened heart towards the things of God. i remember when i was little - i was close enough with my neighbors that i could go across the street and borrow eggs or butter if i needed it for something. then i'd share whatever it was that i was baking with them! or i could run through their back yard and instead of getting yelled at for "trespassing", i'd get yelled at to come over to get some apples and peanut butter or cinnamon toast! the world is not innocent, i realize. but it did used to be a lot kinder, in my opinion. there aren't many neighborhoods anymore that i feel you can let your kids hang out outside till late and still feel safe letting them do so. *sigh* i'm done. just had to vent.
how out of touch can parents and teachers be, that a teenager feels they have no way out of their struggles and resort to substance abuse or suicide? i am not saying that in every case of suicide, the child's parent is to blame - because kids can be really good at putting up a front. i was! i read an article last night where i do not blame the parents for what happened, more so, i blame the schooling. i find a huge fault in a school when they say they have a "zero tolerance policy against bullying" yet they have allowed it to get to the point where a student shoots himself, because the pain is just too much. i know it can be hard when you have 40 students to a classroom, when schools are overpopulated - i do. but the schools should be teaching and growing their students into mature young adults, so that bullying is no longer a factor because its not cool to do anymore. all of the staff should be made aware of what bullying is and how to handle it.
bah. i don't want to sound arrogant. i just wish that the church would come together and reach out to those in need. if your neighbor is going through a foreclosure, although its a touchy subject - maybe see if there is something you can do to help. offer food, babysitting, an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. if your neighbor goes through a death or something else - be there for them. pray for your neighbors, tell them about the God that you serve, become relational, touch someones life so that they may have a softened heart towards the things of God. i remember when i was little - i was close enough with my neighbors that i could go across the street and borrow eggs or butter if i needed it for something. then i'd share whatever it was that i was baking with them! or i could run through their back yard and instead of getting yelled at for "trespassing", i'd get yelled at to come over to get some apples and peanut butter or cinnamon toast! the world is not innocent, i realize. but it did used to be a lot kinder, in my opinion. there aren't many neighborhoods anymore that i feel you can let your kids hang out outside till late and still feel safe letting them do so. *sigh* i'm done. just had to vent.
so i know everyone is focused on the economic crisis going on. but here is an article i think the world should read.
http://www.geneveith.com/collective-shame/_998/
i try to remain calm about politics, i don't touch on the subject. i mean come on, i live in california - the most liberal state there is. ;-P so i usually just remain silent and vote how i want to vote. anyway - was sent this article by a good friend. hope it gets your thoughts moving.
agape.
http://www.geneveith.com/collective-shame/_998/
i try to remain calm about politics, i don't touch on the subject. i mean come on, i live in california - the most liberal state there is. ;-P so i usually just remain silent and vote how i want to vote. anyway - was sent this article by a good friend. hope it gets your thoughts moving.
agape.
i just finished reading the book "Green Leaf In Drought" by Isobel Kuhn. this book is about the provisions the Lord makes for His children that are following His guidance. the family of arthur and wilda matthews along with their little girl lilah went through SO much. they literally had nothing yet remained faithful to the Lord and His calling on their life. when times got rough, and when they had black days, God provided scripture and physical things to meet their daily needs. its so great to see the hand of God at work. this is a passage from the very last page of the book. read it, it so applies to the life of today's christians! mind you this book was originally published in 1958!
"Andrew Murray has warned us how easy it is for the cares of this life to choke the Seed. He says: ''The power of the world, the spirit of its literature, the temptations of business and pleasure, all unite to make up a religion in which it is sought to combine a comfortable hope for the future with the least possible amount of sacrifice in the present.' That describes the home church today. But who knows when the drought is going to strike us also? Is it possible for any Christian to put forth green leaves when all he enjoys in this life is drying up around him?
We feel this question and its answer are worth sharing with you, hence this book.
"Andrew Murray has warned us how easy it is for the cares of this life to choke the Seed. He says: ''The power of the world, the spirit of its literature, the temptations of business and pleasure, all unite to make up a religion in which it is sought to combine a comfortable hope for the future with the least possible amount of sacrifice in the present.' That describes the home church today. But who knows when the drought is going to strike us also? Is it possible for any Christian to put forth green leaves when all he enjoys in this life is drying up around him?
We feel this question and its answer are worth sharing with you, hence this book.
'I will pour water on him that is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground.
Open your heart to the gift I am bringing.
While ye are seeking, I will be found.'
The Holiest of All"
I will pour floods upon the dry ground.
Open your heart to the gift I am bringing.
While ye are seeking, I will be found.'
i hope you enjoyed this little blurb. just thought i'd encourage you all to find this book and read it, also to encourage my brothers and sisters of the faith that "God does not waste suffering, The tests He sends or permits are in reality His vote of confidence, for He undertakes not to allow us to suffer any testing beyond our powers of endurance." - J. Oswald Sanders. God provides for His children and we can have confidence in the fact that whatever storms we go through, if we stand in awe of His presence, stand steadfast on His word and glory in the Spirit, God gives peace, understanding and undying, unwavering, unfathomable love to those He calls. its lives like the one of Job that fully understand what God "can be to those who gladly embrace His will and accept His discipline, no matter how inscrutable." even now i'm getting goosebumps thinking of the love that i receive from my Heavenly Father. i can have hope that even if i'm stuck and unable to say anything to those around me, if i obey spiritual disciplines, am able to show love, remain faithful in my prayers, sing praises to the King and listening intently to the voice of the Holy Spirit - He is faithful to show Himself to those who witness such happenings. amen. agape.
the title of this blog is a short excerpt from the heavenly man by brother yun and paul hattaway. just this strong desire is enough to bring me to tears and show me that if i'm not serious about my relationship with the Lord then i should sit down and go home. i've only read 3 chapters but the point has struck to heart. i have talked to many people about the need for bibles in China, i've expressed to them the things they go through just to get their hands on them but did i truly understand myself? maybe. maybe not. i'm not sure. but i do know, that this is something that's been grabbing my attention the past few days. the depth of brother yun's desire to see the word of God, just a glance, show's the deep, the utter love and adoration he has for His LORD. hearing of men and women rejoicing in the Lord, hoping in and worshiping the LORD while chained to walls, tortured and neglected by those in power around them; is humbling and heart wrenching. how deep do i go with my Lord? how superficial am i? i have my times of longing for the Lord, but i am way to complacent in this land of america, land of the free. i'm reading two books right now. one i've already mentioned and the other is tortured for christ by richard wurmbrand. i recommend that you read both of these books. and while i'm at it, read God Smuggler by brother andrew. all of these books show you what people in different areas of the world have gone through (and are going through), just to hold a Bible and to be a christian.
most americans own a Bible. in fact, 92% of households in america own at least one copy. of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three. this includes not only the homes of christians but hundreds of thousands of atheists as well. can you imagine what those of the underground church would think, if they understood the reality of the american life. the reality being that for the most part, christians who are free to worship how they want are able to have one-two-three Bibles, can worship openly, can have Bible studies in the open - in public places like starbucks and the like. that instead of having a fire, an undying and unwavering desire to seek out the Lords will, to know Him better, to grow, feast and live out His word and to fulfill The Great Commission; we're complaining and pissing away our time on meaningless dribble. the underground church would think that we're absolutely nuts! and the problem with this is many westerners think people are crazy for laying their lives on the line for the Lord, for the Bible, for risking all that they have. they say "conform" or "obey the government."
i can understand that its hard to understand the depths of what i'm talking about, i also understand that "first hand witness" is needed for a lot of people to see the graveness of the situation. but we do have things at our fingertips that will help us grasp whats going on in the world today. we have ways of spreading the word of the needs in China and other countries suffering severe religious persecution. i also understand that its hard to listen and its hard to chew on the reality of people being thrown in jail, beaten and worse, all for their belief in God. its like watching those commercials of little babies in africa with swollen bellies and flies in their eyes. it causes them to feel uncomfortable, it causes squeamishness, it may even drive someone to write a check to soothe their conscience. but what needs to happen for revival in the land is a true awakening of the Saints! we need to go out and help. "Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;" - Matthew 9:37. i know that this comes off very demanding, i know this comes off as i am on a high and mighty rant or pedestal, that i'm judging and telling people where they are lacking and what they need to do; and i guess that i am. christians need to wake up and do their job, instead of worrying about their prized possessions and worrying about their lives. we need to devote and place our lives fully into the hands of the Lord, trusting only Him with their lives, not this world, not the stock system, not banks and jobs, not even their home churches. nothing is secure unless the Lord is in it. its time to wake up and do whats right for the Kingdom of God and for my beautiful brothers and sisters from all over the world who are in chains for the Lord. lets get serious about whats going on and do something about it. i thank the Lord for His ways of grabbing my heart and i'm so excited that the next few months, i'm blessed with the opportunity to go and do what i'm preaching. i just pray that i will be sensitive to the Spirit, that i will be able and willing to do whatever God calls me to do and to have no fear in doing it. agape.
most americans own a Bible. in fact, 92% of households in america own at least one copy. of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three. this includes not only the homes of christians but hundreds of thousands of atheists as well. can you imagine what those of the underground church would think, if they understood the reality of the american life. the reality being that for the most part, christians who are free to worship how they want are able to have one-two-three Bibles, can worship openly, can have Bible studies in the open - in public places like starbucks and the like. that instead of having a fire, an undying and unwavering desire to seek out the Lords will, to know Him better, to grow, feast and live out His word and to fulfill The Great Commission; we're complaining and pissing away our time on meaningless dribble. the underground church would think that we're absolutely nuts! and the problem with this is many westerners think people are crazy for laying their lives on the line for the Lord, for the Bible, for risking all that they have. they say "conform" or "obey the government."
i can understand that its hard to understand the depths of what i'm talking about, i also understand that "first hand witness" is needed for a lot of people to see the graveness of the situation. but we do have things at our fingertips that will help us grasp whats going on in the world today. we have ways of spreading the word of the needs in China and other countries suffering severe religious persecution. i also understand that its hard to listen and its hard to chew on the reality of people being thrown in jail, beaten and worse, all for their belief in God. its like watching those commercials of little babies in africa with swollen bellies and flies in their eyes. it causes them to feel uncomfortable, it causes squeamishness, it may even drive someone to write a check to soothe their conscience. but what needs to happen for revival in the land is a true awakening of the Saints! we need to go out and help. "Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;" - Matthew 9:37. i know that this comes off very demanding, i know this comes off as i am on a high and mighty rant or pedestal, that i'm judging and telling people where they are lacking and what they need to do; and i guess that i am. christians need to wake up and do their job, instead of worrying about their prized possessions and worrying about their lives. we need to devote and place our lives fully into the hands of the Lord, trusting only Him with their lives, not this world, not the stock system, not banks and jobs, not even their home churches. nothing is secure unless the Lord is in it. its time to wake up and do whats right for the Kingdom of God and for my beautiful brothers and sisters from all over the world who are in chains for the Lord. lets get serious about whats going on and do something about it. i thank the Lord for His ways of grabbing my heart and i'm so excited that the next few months, i'm blessed with the opportunity to go and do what i'm preaching. i just pray that i will be sensitive to the Spirit, that i will be able and willing to do whatever God calls me to do and to have no fear in doing it. agape.
hi there everyone. bud and i are thinking and praying about hong kong and all that is in our future regarding it. i've been terribly nostalgic and missing my home away from home, so i thought i'd post some pictures for you, so you can see what has gone on. i'll try to add captions as well and why the pictures mean so much to me. some are serious and some are just fun. i hope you enjoy.(p.s. until i can get bud to fix the html, some of the photo's are cut off. so just click on them to see the full photo.)
fun times in hong kong:
po ying birthday party. you can't really get around hong kong without her!
po ying's party in pak wai tsuen, north sai kung area.
you really can't get around hong kong without maggie cho either!
maggie again. i think this photo is just too cute!
although she is not a native, i met cami in hong kong. well, i met her in person in hong kong!
friends were made. they are so special to us. we email back and forth as much as possible and stay in touch. but its just not the same as being there with them.
food and tourism in hong kong:
this will hopefully be one of the first things i'll eat in hk when we go back! french toast, peanut butter and honey. :drool:
iced lemon tea, or "dung ling mun cha". the best invention of tea. i dont know why its so good. (so is milk tea but i dont have a picture of it.)
top one noodle, shatin mall. wonton soup - my most favorite soup. i could eat it everyday!
green chopsticks in fanling. they are so nice there and we have become friends with the waitress. she's awesome.
shatin at night. beautiful!
sheung shui, hong kong.
star ferry at night. coming from hong kong island and going back to kowloon/new territories.
at the harbor! azn fingers!
tsim sha tsui at night. oh man its a great place!
the goal of hong kong, to help those to see Christ, to understand their depraved state and to let Him change their hearts:
entrance to our village. we lived in tsz tong tsuen. in our backyard and up a few hundred steps, you reach a temple where people burn incense and hell money to honor and worship their ancestors.
our village in fanling, tsz tong tsuen. you can see a shrine type thing at the bottom of the hills, joss sticks and all. this village needs prayer and the spiritual weight you felt when living there would only be lifted by the hope and grace of Jesus Christ.
the temple behind our house. this is just the entry way, if you want to see more pictures let me know. the grounds of the temple are immaculant. full of gargoyles and fish ponds and turtle ponds and scupltures. you can see a person walking in to burn incense in this photo.
people are burning hell money to pay and "bless" their ancestors that have passed away. this is very difficult to watch.
tseng lan shue, sai kung. this is where bud and i moved to be closer to his work. in this village there were at least 6 shrines and mini temples for people to worship their ancestors.
and last but not least, worship that we were able to join in. its the most remarkable thing. the chinese people, those that love the Lord, pray fervently, pray without ceasing, groan in the Spirit and God meets them where they are and shows them His truth and His light. they pour out their hearts to Him and long to know Him and experience Him more. i only got one picture from church but i think it shows a lot!
sunday worship at the vineyard in kowloon.
with this church we went on an outreach at the beach. we didn't personally talk to people but witnessed people in the church doing so and we prayed a lot for the people there.
clearwater bay outreach.
we're so happy to be here!
hong kong is ripe for God's word and truth to go forth. laborers are needed. praise the Lord for the opportunity to be apart of this work the Lord is doing. :) hope you enjoyed the pics. :)
agape,
christin joy.
fun times in hong kong:
po ying birthday party. you can't really get around hong kong without her!
po ying's party in pak wai tsuen, north sai kung area.
you really can't get around hong kong without maggie cho either!
maggie again. i think this photo is just too cute!
although she is not a native, i met cami in hong kong. well, i met her in person in hong kong!
friends were made. they are so special to us. we email back and forth as much as possible and stay in touch. but its just not the same as being there with them.
food and tourism in hong kong:
this will hopefully be one of the first things i'll eat in hk when we go back! french toast, peanut butter and honey. :drool:
iced lemon tea, or "dung ling mun cha". the best invention of tea. i dont know why its so good. (so is milk tea but i dont have a picture of it.)
top one noodle, shatin mall. wonton soup - my most favorite soup. i could eat it everyday!
green chopsticks in fanling. they are so nice there and we have become friends with the waitress. she's awesome.
shatin at night. beautiful!
sheung shui, hong kong.
star ferry at night. coming from hong kong island and going back to kowloon/new territories.
at the harbor! azn fingers!
tsim sha tsui at night. oh man its a great place!
the goal of hong kong, to help those to see Christ, to understand their depraved state and to let Him change their hearts:
entrance to our village. we lived in tsz tong tsuen. in our backyard and up a few hundred steps, you reach a temple where people burn incense and hell money to honor and worship their ancestors.
our village in fanling, tsz tong tsuen. you can see a shrine type thing at the bottom of the hills, joss sticks and all. this village needs prayer and the spiritual weight you felt when living there would only be lifted by the hope and grace of Jesus Christ.
the temple behind our house. this is just the entry way, if you want to see more pictures let me know. the grounds of the temple are immaculant. full of gargoyles and fish ponds and turtle ponds and scupltures. you can see a person walking in to burn incense in this photo.
people are burning hell money to pay and "bless" their ancestors that have passed away. this is very difficult to watch.
tseng lan shue, sai kung. this is where bud and i moved to be closer to his work. in this village there were at least 6 shrines and mini temples for people to worship their ancestors.
and last but not least, worship that we were able to join in. its the most remarkable thing. the chinese people, those that love the Lord, pray fervently, pray without ceasing, groan in the Spirit and God meets them where they are and shows them His truth and His light. they pour out their hearts to Him and long to know Him and experience Him more. i only got one picture from church but i think it shows a lot!
sunday worship at the vineyard in kowloon.
with this church we went on an outreach at the beach. we didn't personally talk to people but witnessed people in the church doing so and we prayed a lot for the people there.
clearwater bay outreach.
we're so happy to be here!hong kong is ripe for God's word and truth to go forth. laborers are needed. praise the Lord for the opportunity to be apart of this work the Lord is doing. :) hope you enjoyed the pics. :)
agape,
christin joy.
passion. i was recently bombarded with an accusation that has kept my mind busy. i was told i've lost my passion, i've lost my drive. i'm different in a way that's not appealing to someones idealistic impression. its not that what was said is bothering me, it just got me thinking. i've been thinking about it. trying to rationalize what was said. trying to figure out why they would say that after a single 5 minute conversation, when there's been a lack of communication for at least 6 months. but now i realize that its not that i've lost my passion. its that my passion has shifted and is focused on different things.
my passion. here's worthwhile passion. being driven to see the Gospel go forth to all the unreached people groups of the world. being passionate for the hard working chinese who need to hear of God's saving grace. having a passion for the children of this world, born and unborn. a passion to help woman survive in a chauvinistic world but to still be a proverbs 31 woman who is able to fend for herself and provide for her family if need be. my passion is to help my husband in a ministry that He has been lead to by the Holy Lord of Lords. i'm daily seeking to better myself and the only way i find that i am able to do such a thing is to fully depend on God's guidance and encouragement. if i place my passion into things of this world, its going to do nothing but take away from my gifts for the Lord and spit in my face when it does nothing for me in return. God has promised me an inheritance, a blessing above all blessings. if i were to put my passion into something that is not going to honor that promise, what good is it?
there are people heading to hell everyday. granted, i know that God doesn't need my feeble brain and feeble attempts to get people to hear what He wants to say to them. but He has asked me to do it nonetheless. so my passion is to serve my God first and foremost. to honor Him in all that i do and all that i seek to do with my life. i want my life to be poored out like a drink offering to Him, devoted and laid out so that He can do what He wants with me. so where did my passion go? its been shifted into gear heading towards Jesus, what He wants me to do, and not to fulfill my own selfish desires that would not, in the long run, make me feel fulfilled or accomplished. thank you Lord for showing me how precious i am to You and how you're molding my heart into Your heart. agape.
my passion. here's worthwhile passion. being driven to see the Gospel go forth to all the unreached people groups of the world. being passionate for the hard working chinese who need to hear of God's saving grace. having a passion for the children of this world, born and unborn. a passion to help woman survive in a chauvinistic world but to still be a proverbs 31 woman who is able to fend for herself and provide for her family if need be. my passion is to help my husband in a ministry that He has been lead to by the Holy Lord of Lords. i'm daily seeking to better myself and the only way i find that i am able to do such a thing is to fully depend on God's guidance and encouragement. if i place my passion into things of this world, its going to do nothing but take away from my gifts for the Lord and spit in my face when it does nothing for me in return. God has promised me an inheritance, a blessing above all blessings. if i were to put my passion into something that is not going to honor that promise, what good is it?
there are people heading to hell everyday. granted, i know that God doesn't need my feeble brain and feeble attempts to get people to hear what He wants to say to them. but He has asked me to do it nonetheless. so my passion is to serve my God first and foremost. to honor Him in all that i do and all that i seek to do with my life. i want my life to be poored out like a drink offering to Him, devoted and laid out so that He can do what He wants with me. so where did my passion go? its been shifted into gear heading towards Jesus, what He wants me to do, and not to fulfill my own selfish desires that would not, in the long run, make me feel fulfilled or accomplished. thank you Lord for showing me how precious i am to You and how you're molding my heart into Your heart. agape.
- Romans 1:7-13
daily my heart thinks and wanders back to hong kong. the sounds of the very busy and loud streets with their flashing lights and beeping crosswalks. the feeling of thousands of people running into you and cutting you off as you walk. the smell of durian fruit at the market. the amazing scenery when you climb 300+ stairs to look down and over the village you are living in. the feeling of my heart sinking as i walk past the many monestaries and the seemingly random shrines placed all over the place with freshly lit incense. the daily reminder of how derelict and depraved this world really is. the daily reminder to pray for those around you because in a city of over 7million people, the amount of those whose souls will burn in the eternal fire of hell is huge. the daily reminder to bless those who curse you and to reach out to those in need. the little old ladies whose backs are so crooked that they look like a question mark. the large amounts of homeless people and cripples who haggle for money day in and day out. all of this is not even the tip of the iceberg of what and why i miss hong kong. this doesn't even scrape the surface of the emotions that fill my very being when i think about hong kong, when something jogs my memory. hot tears pour down my face when i think of such things and theres very little i or anyone can do to cool my cheeks.
oh how i miss my little homeless lady. i hope she is okay. i pray that she is well. i pray she is getting food since i am gone. oh how i miss the random people i'd meet at the harbor while sitting and watching ferries and other commercial boats go by. i miss my indian friends at sherry-pun-jab. i miss the random people God would place in mine and buds path to minister too. i miss taking prayer walks around tseng lan shue village and i miss maria. oh how i hate that i lost her address! :( i miss grace and winton. i hope their little baby is okay! i REALLY need to write to them. oh how i long to be there with them, i long to preach the Gospel to them, i long to fellowship with my brothers and sisters of hong kong. i miss my po ying and maggie cho! i miss debbie and esther and everyone at happyland. oh how i miss my kids! i miss having cameron come over to my house, talking about the Lord, having food, watching movies and hanging out and acting "gangsta". i miss it. i complained while there because i was letting the enemy and circumstances make me lose my focus. and now that i'm back in stale old america, i realize just how alive i felt out there. just how useful i could have been. how i need to go back and fulfill the things i had hoped to do. i need to start hopes refuge. Lord, let bud's schooling go quickly. send us home to hong kong soon. my heart longs to be with them, to share in fellowship and to share in the gospel with those whom you love. agape.
just as God provided for Elijah from the wrath of King Ahab. just as God provided for the israelites in getting them out of egypt. just as God provided for the disciples and for the sick and the poor and the hungry... God is still a God who provides today. He provides and still does miracles. watch these videos and see how awesome.
so amazing. i read this book a long time ago but the family/outreach finally put up stuff on youtube! so now you can see videos.
agape,
christin
Come let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will rise us up, that we may live before Him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. -Hosea 6:1-3
so amazing. i read this book a long time ago but the family/outreach finally put up stuff on youtube! so now you can see videos.
agape,
christin
Come let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will rise us up, that we may live before Him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. -Hosea 6:1-3
this is what i wanted to do. i'm so glad that someone was able to go and do it. hopefully God will allow me to have an opportunity to do this the next time a false prophet comes nearby, or even in my neighborhood. i dont know if i'll do open air, but who knows, maybe thats what God wants. i'm not sure. either way, the Lord's Gospel and Law must be preached and i pray for those who mock the word of the Lord.
john 3:16-21
"For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
matthew 24:24
"For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."
agape.
john 3:16-21
"For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
matthew 24:24
"For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."
agape.
- anchored by enfield.
i have been craving to know whats going on with current events in my friends lives. i've been desiring to take on their burden alongside them. but today - after speaking with my husband - i realized that i was wrong in what i was feeling. the desire to bear my brother and sisters burden is not wrong per se, but the way i wanted to go about it and the way i wanted to be involved was wrong. i need to be in prayer, i need to be growing spiritually and intimately with God rather than letting this nonsense stagger me and cause me to become angry at churches. i already have enough of that bitterness i need to let go of, i cannot continue to add to it. i have always had a problem with wanting to fix everything. i know as of today, that thats not what God wants from me. God has shown me what He wants from me, what He wants from bud and i, and i need to be content in that.
i have a goal ahead of me. God has given me a desire and a vision for the people of hong kong and china. all that i do here in america should be in preparation for the things that God has put on my heart for asia. spiritual growth above and beyond any growth i've made in the past (your spiritual downfalls magnify themselves when you're on the mission field, because the enemy can't stand that you are out there hoping to complete the great commission.), creating a support team that is strong and willing to support the mission, being spiritually minded in all things that the enemy wants to throw at me, allowing God to magnify Himself in my life. this very thing going on with friends and their church is something the enemy wants to use to get me off task. yes, the kids are a priority to me as i have fallen in love with them. but getting involved with the logistics and politics of the church - i learned - is not something for me to do unless it comes down to it. rather, i want to be in constant communication with the kids and see how they are doing. so thats what i'm going to do with this situation. and as i'm growing spiritually, letting God refine and define me, i will do more good for those involved and those around me. God will give me courage and words of encouragment and exhortation for those i love and those who need it. i need to focus on Jesus in all things, and He will use me in situations He see's fit. so while i'm here in america - a temporary home - i will do the works of my Lord that will then lead us to hong kong - another temporary home - where i will do the works of my Lord and hopefully then - we'll be taken to our promised home and we will rejoice:
- finally home by enfield.
for the next month i'm going to be studying the beattitudes, hopefully by the grace of God, committing them to memory - and in response to what i learn, i pray that God will provide me opportunities to preach His Gospel, that He will grow me and refine me, allowing me to be the daughter of mercy He ordained from the beginning of time. i'm learning that whatever i may not fully understand about the way God works in this world, (since things are so screwed up lately) one thing is clear: that His ultimate purpose – in all His wrath, power and mercy is "to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory." - romans 9:23. if i'm living in this promise and truth - living out His call on my life, my desires of helping those i care most about will come to fruition. the lyrics at the top of this entry are so true, we are given hope and grace to get through the hard times. praise the Lord. if you want to read the beattitudes along with me and study them with me or read them and discuss let me know. it would be great to have others doing this with me.
to understand the beattitudes you must understand they are an announcement and reminder of how fortunate people are who already possess, the power of the kingdom. but thats not all. the beatitudes also contain an implicit invitation to become this kind of person. i want to become this person everyday i'm alive, or at least to be refined into nothing more than this person. i want all of me to remain dead at the cross while i am living in sanctification and growing in grace upon grace. agape.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when men reviled you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when men reviled you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you."
to understand the beattitudes you must understand they are an announcement and reminder of how fortunate people are who already possess, the power of the kingdom. but thats not all. the beatitudes also contain an implicit invitation to become this kind of person. i want to become this person everyday i'm alive, or at least to be refined into nothing more than this person. i want all of me to remain dead at the cross while i am living in sanctification and growing in grace upon grace. agape.
i've been given a desire. a desire that unbeknownst to me - would be a burning desire for those who many forget about. i have a desire to ease the burden of those being persecuted for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. i have a desire to hold and care for the children of those who have been orphaned. there's a desire in my heart to take hold of women who have been neglected, alienated and forgotten. i have a desire to pray over those who have given their lives over to drugs and pray that God will give them that saving faith so they will desire to do nothing other than plead the blood of Christ and repent. to pray that God will save and deliver them from their addictions and of their sins. my desire is to feed the homeless, to eat with them, to share with them the beauty of the gospel. i desire to take God's word to those who are forbidden to partake. i desire to sing and worship alongside those who do battle for our Lord and Savior in parts of the earth where persecution is real. to take God's word and gospel to those who have not even heard the name of our beautiful Jesus. i do not look to serve the happiness of man, only to glorify God. my desire is to give up myself to the work of the gospel, to tell the world.
"woe is me. for i am undone and my lips are unclean. you chose me. to carry your word till the end of my days. my eyes have seen the King of All Kings. here am i send me. a witness to splendor and great majesty. and you chose me. to carry your word till the end of my days. for my eyes have seen, the King of all Kings. here am i. send me! a witness to splendor and great majesty. you saved me. the cross is the coal that has cleansed me to sing, safe in the grace of the King of all Kings."
- "here am i" by enfield.
some people ask - what do you want to do for the Lord. my only answer should be is to glorify His name the best to the ability that He has given me. i should never say "oh, i want to do this and this." it should be "i want to glorify God by doing the things He's asked of us, in His word." that is where i am at right now. my desire and hope is to be back in china/hong kong. meeting the needs of those, on that fertile ground. i used to plead and beg to go to africa, but were my desires pure? i don't believe they were. yes, i do believe i still need to go, i still believe that i should visit from time to time. but my heart for africa is strictly humanitarian. that is not a bad thing. many humanitarian efforts are based on christian values and they are doing a great number of things to help those in need. i commend those who are drawn to do just that. praise God for those people. personally though, my life is not to reach those with humanitarian efforts, its to reach those who need to hear the name of Jesus Christ. only Jesus Christ can save and fix things in a permanent manner. our bodies are only temporary - but our souls are eternal.
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - james 1:19-27
so many people are forgetting those in need. many people just walk by those that are homeless and in need of a bite to eat or a drink of water. maybe they are even in need of someone to talk with, a blanket. what about our churches - how many of them are truly seeking to fulfill the command to visit orphans and widows, to help those in need. to show Christ to the world, not only in word but in action. i've recently started listening to the revival hymns over and over and its really showing me the current state of the church. and i mean the body of Christ. here are a few quotes from ian paisley, leonard ravenhilln and duncan campbell.
"The church of Jesus Christ is largely sleeping, like a great bedroom and you have all the Christians in bed and they're all sleeping and they're saying 'Please don't wake me up! I want to sleep on!' And of course when God starts to operate a revival people cannot sleep, you can't sleep in church when the Spirit of God awakes the people. Look at the first verse of this 52nd chapter "Awake! Awake! Put on strength! Wake it up! You're sleepy Christians! Awake thou that sleepeth, Arise from the dead! Christ will give you life!" - Ian Paisely
"How is it that the world couldn't get on with the holiest man who ever lived but it can get on with you and me? Are we compromised. Are we compromised. Have we no spiritual stature? Have we no righteousness that reflects on their corruption." - Leonard Ravenhill
"Is the world crucified to you tonight or does it fascinate you." - Leonard Ravenhill
"We just come from an altar and we go back the next week and we're fascinated, we haven't spent a half hour with Jesus but we'll stay two stinking hours in a movie house." - Leonard Ravenhill
" Revival! Not of evangelist’s, not of special effort, not anything at all organized on the basis of human endeavor. But an awareness of God that gripped the whole community so much so that work stopped." - Duncan Campbell
how true is it that our church services have become watered down. at least for the most part. i can't say all churches are like this because i know for a fact there are flourishing churches out there, being blessed by the Lord because they are following His word the way He intended. i pray that the churches of america will wake up. i pray that the churches of this world will wake up! i went to the resolved conference last week and was changed. my heart bleeds to do the work of the Lord. i hate my job - not just because of the job itself but because i long to do the Lord's work everyday. i am keeping my job so that eventually my husband and i will end up being able to do nothing but the Lord's work. and while i'm there, i pray that God will use me. i've been changed, after realizing the true depth of Christ's sacrifice, understanding that He not only endured physical pain, emotional pain due to the mockery, but he endured and suffered the pain of the full fury, the full unsatisfied wrath of God himself. the wrath that should have been poured out onto you and me - but no, instead Jesus felt the fury that would await our wickedness had it not been for His sacrifice. it was through His sacrifice that the wrath of God was satisfied, so that we will never have to feel what Christ felt. i ask you to pray tonight, ask God to reveal this to you. i pray that you'll read mark 15 and get more from whats not said, then from whats being said. there isn't a lot of gore in this gospel of the bible. but the reality comes to life.
i love you and pray that God will reveal Himself to you in a way that is new and real. remember, "The question isn’t were you challenged. The question is were you changed?" - Leonard Ravenhill. i pray that you will be.
agape,
christin joy.
- "here am i" by enfield.
some people ask - what do you want to do for the Lord. my only answer should be is to glorify His name the best to the ability that He has given me. i should never say "oh, i want to do this and this." it should be "i want to glorify God by doing the things He's asked of us, in His word." that is where i am at right now. my desire and hope is to be back in china/hong kong. meeting the needs of those, on that fertile ground. i used to plead and beg to go to africa, but were my desires pure? i don't believe they were. yes, i do believe i still need to go, i still believe that i should visit from time to time. but my heart for africa is strictly humanitarian. that is not a bad thing. many humanitarian efforts are based on christian values and they are doing a great number of things to help those in need. i commend those who are drawn to do just that. praise God for those people. personally though, my life is not to reach those with humanitarian efforts, its to reach those who need to hear the name of Jesus Christ. only Jesus Christ can save and fix things in a permanent manner. our bodies are only temporary - but our souls are eternal.
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - james 1:19-27
so many people are forgetting those in need. many people just walk by those that are homeless and in need of a bite to eat or a drink of water. maybe they are even in need of someone to talk with, a blanket. what about our churches - how many of them are truly seeking to fulfill the command to visit orphans and widows, to help those in need. to show Christ to the world, not only in word but in action. i've recently started listening to the revival hymns over and over and its really showing me the current state of the church. and i mean the body of Christ. here are a few quotes from ian paisley, leonard ravenhilln and duncan campbell.
"The church of Jesus Christ is largely sleeping, like a great bedroom and you have all the Christians in bed and they're all sleeping and they're saying 'Please don't wake me up! I want to sleep on!' And of course when God starts to operate a revival people cannot sleep, you can't sleep in church when the Spirit of God awakes the people. Look at the first verse of this 52nd chapter "Awake! Awake! Put on strength! Wake it up! You're sleepy Christians! Awake thou that sleepeth, Arise from the dead! Christ will give you life!" - Ian Paisely
"How is it that the world couldn't get on with the holiest man who ever lived but it can get on with you and me? Are we compromised. Are we compromised. Have we no spiritual stature? Have we no righteousness that reflects on their corruption." - Leonard Ravenhill
"Is the world crucified to you tonight or does it fascinate you." - Leonard Ravenhill
"We just come from an altar and we go back the next week and we're fascinated, we haven't spent a half hour with Jesus but we'll stay two stinking hours in a movie house." - Leonard Ravenhill
" Revival! Not of evangelist’s, not of special effort, not anything at all organized on the basis of human endeavor. But an awareness of God that gripped the whole community so much so that work stopped." - Duncan Campbell
how true is it that our church services have become watered down. at least for the most part. i can't say all churches are like this because i know for a fact there are flourishing churches out there, being blessed by the Lord because they are following His word the way He intended. i pray that the churches of america will wake up. i pray that the churches of this world will wake up! i went to the resolved conference last week and was changed. my heart bleeds to do the work of the Lord. i hate my job - not just because of the job itself but because i long to do the Lord's work everyday. i am keeping my job so that eventually my husband and i will end up being able to do nothing but the Lord's work. and while i'm there, i pray that God will use me. i've been changed, after realizing the true depth of Christ's sacrifice, understanding that He not only endured physical pain, emotional pain due to the mockery, but he endured and suffered the pain of the full fury, the full unsatisfied wrath of God himself. the wrath that should have been poured out onto you and me - but no, instead Jesus felt the fury that would await our wickedness had it not been for His sacrifice. it was through His sacrifice that the wrath of God was satisfied, so that we will never have to feel what Christ felt. i ask you to pray tonight, ask God to reveal this to you. i pray that you'll read mark 15 and get more from whats not said, then from whats being said. there isn't a lot of gore in this gospel of the bible. but the reality comes to life.
i love you and pray that God will reveal Himself to you in a way that is new and real. remember, "The question isn’t were you challenged. The question is were you changed?" - Leonard Ravenhill. i pray that you will be.
agape,
christin joy.
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
ephesians 5:22-33
i've always understood this scripture. i've always knew the depths of this scripture. but today i have felt what its like to have to put this into action with regards to something you desire so greatly. praise the Lord for pruning but man, it sure does hurt. i have had probably one of the hardest days ever. i've wanted to be mad at bud, i've wanted to say that he was wrong about everything and i wanted to throw it in his face. my flesh was all sorts of riled up today. but fortunately, God is gracious, slow to anger and He is extremely patient with me. submitting to Him doesn't just mean going with what he says when i feel like it, i am to crucify my flesh and follow my husbands words even when i don't like the heading he says is ours. i have to trust that He has been prayerfully going through his days and that the LORD will be gracious to keep him from error.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
john 12:24-26
i have to give up all of those things that i'm holding on to. i guess in the same sense as a dear friend of mine wrote in a blog, i have to give up that which is closest to my heart and that is hong kong and the ministry i feel called to do there. if i can let it go, give it up to God, trust that my husband is speaking in truth and not emotion, trust that i have only been speaking in emotion and not in absolute truth and trust that God will make it happen if He wants it to, then i am better off. i know this and i need to ask God to crucify that which is me and replace it with Himself. i want nothing of me, i want everything i do, every breath i take, every move i make and every bit of ministry i'm involved with to add to God's Glory. nothing that i could do on my own power would be even CLOSE to being worthy of our Lord and Savior. now, if He were to do it through me, miraculously, practically and perfectly - then all the glory could be added unto Him. i need this to happen in my life. i need to give over things that don't matter in the long run and give in to the things that do.
family. i have a family now. i have to remind myself that bud and i are not dating anymore, we are one flesh, one mind. we are in this together for the rest of our lives. and i'm SO happy about that, but sometimes its as if we're still just dating. i know we're married, but sometimes when life gets crazy busy and we don't see each other as much as we'd like, its as if we're back to being betrothed. but we're married. :) we're one. and as such, i should remember - family comes first. sometimes, (i'm not making excuses) i feel as though i'm on the back burner to all the things bud is involved with and so that "justifies" why i can just tell him whats going on rather than involve him. i really want him to be involved in the things i'm doing and that i am passionate about. but he really doesn't have the opportunity to be, if i'm not putting Him first before all that which i'm involved with. i pray that both he and i will do that in the future.
i've learned a lot today. i need to be content with whats going on and not long for the future. i need to live in the now. i pray that the Lord will help me to be patient and trust in Him and trust that my husband is walking in His footsteps for our lives. agape.
ephesians 5:22-33
i've always understood this scripture. i've always knew the depths of this scripture. but today i have felt what its like to have to put this into action with regards to something you desire so greatly. praise the Lord for pruning but man, it sure does hurt. i have had probably one of the hardest days ever. i've wanted to be mad at bud, i've wanted to say that he was wrong about everything and i wanted to throw it in his face. my flesh was all sorts of riled up today. but fortunately, God is gracious, slow to anger and He is extremely patient with me. submitting to Him doesn't just mean going with what he says when i feel like it, i am to crucify my flesh and follow my husbands words even when i don't like the heading he says is ours. i have to trust that He has been prayerfully going through his days and that the LORD will be gracious to keep him from error.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
john 12:24-26
i have to give up all of those things that i'm holding on to. i guess in the same sense as a dear friend of mine wrote in a blog, i have to give up that which is closest to my heart and that is hong kong and the ministry i feel called to do there. if i can let it go, give it up to God, trust that my husband is speaking in truth and not emotion, trust that i have only been speaking in emotion and not in absolute truth and trust that God will make it happen if He wants it to, then i am better off. i know this and i need to ask God to crucify that which is me and replace it with Himself. i want nothing of me, i want everything i do, every breath i take, every move i make and every bit of ministry i'm involved with to add to God's Glory. nothing that i could do on my own power would be even CLOSE to being worthy of our Lord and Savior. now, if He were to do it through me, miraculously, practically and perfectly - then all the glory could be added unto Him. i need this to happen in my life. i need to give over things that don't matter in the long run and give in to the things that do.
family. i have a family now. i have to remind myself that bud and i are not dating anymore, we are one flesh, one mind. we are in this together for the rest of our lives. and i'm SO happy about that, but sometimes its as if we're still just dating. i know we're married, but sometimes when life gets crazy busy and we don't see each other as much as we'd like, its as if we're back to being betrothed. but we're married. :) we're one. and as such, i should remember - family comes first. sometimes, (i'm not making excuses) i feel as though i'm on the back burner to all the things bud is involved with and so that "justifies" why i can just tell him whats going on rather than involve him. i really want him to be involved in the things i'm doing and that i am passionate about. but he really doesn't have the opportunity to be, if i'm not putting Him first before all that which i'm involved with. i pray that both he and i will do that in the future.
i've learned a lot today. i need to be content with whats going on and not long for the future. i need to live in the now. i pray that the Lord will help me to be patient and trust in Him and trust that my husband is walking in His footsteps for our lives. agape.
i think its so interesting how far away our minds have strayed from understanding that God is a God of righteous wrath. we do things that are stupid and deserve to feel the heat of his wrath come on us. but God shows mercy time and time again, but when there are times He allows bad things to happen or it feels like He is against us, we want to cry out "why oh why is God letting this happen to us!?" or "why do bad things happen to good people?!" think about it, we are all inherently wicked. we can do no good outside of the grace and leading of the Holy Spirit. (this is in comparison to what God deems good, not what humans deem good.) i mean, just read through the book of jeremiah! the jews are supposed to be God's chosen people, right? so if God can show wrath on them, why should we expect anything different.
well, we may say "oh well i'm not sleeping with my friends wife." or "oh well i didn't steel or lie about anything, that bad." but to God sin is sin and one sin is worthy of God showing us His wrath. lets go through parts of jeremiah so i can explain what i'm thinking at this very moment:
jeremiah 5
1 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her. 2 Though they say, As the Lord lives,yet they swear falsely. 3 O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent. 4 Then I said, These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. 5 I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds. 6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities;everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great. 7 How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full,they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. 8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. 9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?
10 Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's. 11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the Lord. 12 They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine. 13 The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them! 14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them. 15 Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. 16 Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors. 17 They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herd; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword. 18 But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. 19 And when your people say, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? you shall say to them, As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: 21 Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. 22 Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. 23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say in their hearts, Let us fear the Lord our God,who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain,and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.
25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. 26 For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. 27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; 28 they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. 29 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? 30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: 31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
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jeremiah 5:1 "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth,that I may pardon her" this to me almost seems like, well lets give them the benefit of a doubt, lets try and be gracious and see if there are ANY, even one who will seek to do the good of the Father. but i also know that He knew the result would be an astounding NOT ONE! they were unrepentant.
jeremiah 5:3 "O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent." they have no anguish for their sins, they lie or swear falsely. how could he find a repentant heart in a land that has no remorse for what they are doing?
jeremiah 5:4-5 "Then I said, These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds." basically what i see here is the hope that since they are looking among a select people group that they know do have hardened hearts and do not know of the Lord's will, maybe they will find a group of people in the depths of this land, somewhere far off that will seek purity and holiness. but again, to no avail, all were grimy and had no sense of repentance or need of it.
jeremiah 5:7-9 "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full,they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" how can God pardon those who are revilers and enjoy what they are doing and have no incline to stop. feel no reason to stop. and you look at our world today. those who have no intention of stopping what they are doing, those who do not think they need to fall before our God in humility crying out for mercy. its everywhere. we are all evil and its only by God's grace and faith that we can fall to our faces and ask for God's heart to be our heart. how could He pardon us if we do not have the ability to seek for God's heart on our own? He'd have to do it on his own accord, He has to choose us. because even God's "chosen race" is not seeking the Lord, why would we? Jerusalem in this passage is shown to "swear by those who are not gods.", to have all that they needed but still lust and covet their neighbors wives and go to the whore houses, having a greedy heart. its a wonder God did not destroy them like sodom and gomorrah. they deserve it, God deserves to avenge Himself.
jeremiah 5:14-15 "Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them. Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say." God is giving them over to their lusts and lies and deceit and allowing it to consume them. they will suffer due to their own wickedness. its like the scripture that says "therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." romans 1:24-25
jeremiah 5:18-19 "But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? you shall say to them, As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours." so He's saying even though you're doing these things, and even though I'm a God of wrath, I am also a God of mercy and I will show you mercy. but isn't it funny that He is not fully destroying them and they say "why would you do this to me?" that is the fleshly heart to a tee! God is granting mercy but they hold on to the things they brought on themselves. how many times have we done that? have i done that? oh man, life is sucky but God saved me from such and such. but WHY DID HE PUT ME THROUGH IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! we want to place the blame on God but really we have done this to ourselves. we deserve the worst, yet He bids us come to Him, receive His grace and mercy.
jeremiah 5:24 "They do not say in their hearts, Let us fear the Lord our God,who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain,and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest." they do not fear the God who has provided all that they have ever needed. we as a wicked generation do not fear God as we ought to.
jeremeiah 5:28-29 "they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" jerusalem is running a muck. God put limits on the sea so that it does not come to far, that although it waves and roars, its still within His control. yet His people (we His creation), are running a muck with no limits to the sin and evil, no boundaries. they judge outside of justice. in the long run they deserve His judgment. as do we!
so as this has already turned into a longer post then i had expected, i look at this chapter as a reflection of what we all have done and what we all do. God save us from ourselves. let us not lash out when you cover us in your mercy, but Lord we ask that you let us soak up your mercy and goodness and become more like you. amen. agape.
well, we may say "oh well i'm not sleeping with my friends wife." or "oh well i didn't steel or lie about anything, that bad." but to God sin is sin and one sin is worthy of God showing us His wrath. lets go through parts of jeremiah so i can explain what i'm thinking at this very moment:
jeremiah 5
1 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her. 2 Though they say, As the Lord lives,yet they swear falsely. 3 O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent. 4 Then I said, These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. 5 I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds. 6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities;everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great. 7 How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full,they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. 8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. 9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?
10 Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's. 11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the Lord. 12 They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine. 13 The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them! 14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them. 15 Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. 16 Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors. 17 They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herd; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword. 18 But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. 19 And when your people say, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? you shall say to them, As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: 21 Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. 22 Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. 23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say in their hearts, Let us fear the Lord our God,who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain,and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.
25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. 26 For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. 27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; 28 they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. 29 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? 30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: 31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
jeremiah 5:1 "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth,that I may pardon her" this to me almost seems like, well lets give them the benefit of a doubt, lets try and be gracious and see if there are ANY, even one who will seek to do the good of the Father. but i also know that He knew the result would be an astounding NOT ONE! they were unrepentant.
jeremiah 5:3 "O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent." they have no anguish for their sins, they lie or swear falsely. how could he find a repentant heart in a land that has no remorse for what they are doing?
jeremiah 5:4-5 "Then I said, These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds." basically what i see here is the hope that since they are looking among a select people group that they know do have hardened hearts and do not know of the Lord's will, maybe they will find a group of people in the depths of this land, somewhere far off that will seek purity and holiness. but again, to no avail, all were grimy and had no sense of repentance or need of it.
jeremiah 5:7-9 "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full,they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" how can God pardon those who are revilers and enjoy what they are doing and have no incline to stop. feel no reason to stop. and you look at our world today. those who have no intention of stopping what they are doing, those who do not think they need to fall before our God in humility crying out for mercy. its everywhere. we are all evil and its only by God's grace and faith that we can fall to our faces and ask for God's heart to be our heart. how could He pardon us if we do not have the ability to seek for God's heart on our own? He'd have to do it on his own accord, He has to choose us. because even God's "chosen race" is not seeking the Lord, why would we? Jerusalem in this passage is shown to "swear by those who are not gods.", to have all that they needed but still lust and covet their neighbors wives and go to the whore houses, having a greedy heart. its a wonder God did not destroy them like sodom and gomorrah. they deserve it, God deserves to avenge Himself.
jeremiah 5:14-15 "Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them. Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say." God is giving them over to their lusts and lies and deceit and allowing it to consume them. they will suffer due to their own wickedness. its like the scripture that says "therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." romans 1:24-25
jeremiah 5:18-19 "But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? you shall say to them, As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours." so He's saying even though you're doing these things, and even though I'm a God of wrath, I am also a God of mercy and I will show you mercy. but isn't it funny that He is not fully destroying them and they say "why would you do this to me?" that is the fleshly heart to a tee! God is granting mercy but they hold on to the things they brought on themselves. how many times have we done that? have i done that? oh man, life is sucky but God saved me from such and such. but WHY DID HE PUT ME THROUGH IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! we want to place the blame on God but really we have done this to ourselves. we deserve the worst, yet He bids us come to Him, receive His grace and mercy.
jeremiah 5:24 "They do not say in their hearts, Let us fear the Lord our God,who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain,and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest." they do not fear the God who has provided all that they have ever needed. we as a wicked generation do not fear God as we ought to.
jeremeiah 5:28-29 "they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" jerusalem is running a muck. God put limits on the sea so that it does not come to far, that although it waves and roars, its still within His control. yet His people (we His creation), are running a muck with no limits to the sin and evil, no boundaries. they judge outside of justice. in the long run they deserve His judgment. as do we!
so as this has already turned into a longer post then i had expected, i look at this chapter as a reflection of what we all have done and what we all do. God save us from ourselves. let us not lash out when you cover us in your mercy, but Lord we ask that you let us soak up your mercy and goodness and become more like you. amen. agape.
in these days that christians call the last days, the days the seem to creep closer and closer to the return of our King, what are people more worried about. what are people really spending their times wondering, studying and concerning themselves with. i could just use the cliche topic of "the church today is concerning themselves with the latest fashions and the latest gossip of who's who in hollywood these days." i know that people concern themselves with that, i know that people are so concerned with the things of this world. but what i'm referring to is the mere fact that Jesus is being marketed and merchandised as if He were your "next big thing" in hollywood. christians are selling the name of Christ and disguising it as "ways to get people's attention" in the world to tell them about Jesus. now, don't get me wrong - i'm okay with christian t-shirts and the like, i think they are cute and a nice alternative to some of the trashy things out there that are available. but what i'm mostly talking about is that the world is publishing a God that they don't know anything about. sure a lot of people can slap christian fish on their cars and claim to be a "christian", they may even go to church on sundays, be able to quote scripture, sing worship, go on missions trips, and they can still not really know who Jesus is, who God is and what role the Holy Spirit has in your life. the problem stems from the fact that people are noting their spirituality and their "christianity" in regards to other people, not in relation to Jesus Christ.
"The terrible condition of man's heart will never be recognized by people who assess it only in relation to other men." - john piper
i know that, for example: in america - people want to call this a nation that was founded on the gospel of Jesus Christ. people act as though because we have these megachurches and a lot of people who profess the name of Christ that we're okay. that if you go to church on sunday, if you say the sinner's prayer - then you're safe. that you're going to go to heaven, that you're "Christ's body." but i want to make something clear. a prayer doesn't save you. going to church does not save you. what saves you is a true repentance of heart, a true understanding that without Christ, we're doomed, which can only be granted to us by God's sovereign favor (grace)! we're not able to win our ways into heaven, work our way into heaven, be a good person and get into heaven. the world today does not fear and tremble before the God of the universe. they have made God a gigantic teddy bear who will make all things great for you. they have made God this image of what the WORLD views as true love. but if the world truly knew who God was, they would tremble and fear for their lives and be on their face pleading for forgiveness. if the world understood who God was, why would anyone be anything but reverent and have a holy fear before the God of all creations, the one that could snuff out this whole world if He so desired. but the world doesn't see it like that.
man is inherently evil, we're born into sin and its only by grace that we can be saved from eternal damnation. "I know that no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." - romans 7:18. in the flesh, we can try to do good, but the Bible says anything done not in faith is sin. flesh is man's natural self - outside of the grace of God. i know what you are thinking, you're thinking "well, Christin, i said a prayer, i don't do bad things, i'm a good person - so i'm okay, i'm going to heaven." but what i want to plead is that if you are not doing "good" out of reliance and to the glory of God, if you're not doing these things because the almighty saving grace of God has fully compelled you to do these things, then i'm sorry but its nothing but chaff in the wind. Jesus wants to burn up that chaff, replace all that is you and replace it with Him, but its not a prayer or a "good lifestyle" that will do that for you. only true conversion, only the true acceptance of God's irresistable grace, understanding that apart from God we can do NO good as we are totally depraved. understanding that as God's church we have been and are His elect and have been spared a life cut off from him. knowing that God shows no partiality, all have sinned, all have fallen short, no one is "good." all of us are depraved and cannot come to God without accepting and being born again, by God's grace that ONLY comes through the sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood which is the propitiation of our sins, then as John Piper states it perfectly, "... salvation of any of us is owing to God's election." and that there is no condition in which we can strive to achieve that warrants God to choose us and save us.
"There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified." - Romans 2:9-13 (continue reading this chapter for even more clarification)
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So it depends not upon man's will or exertion, but upon God's mercy." - Romans 9:15-16
i know that this seems a lot more harsh than what you're probably used to hearing me say. i know that i have preached "Christ crucified" and have told people that "God is love." and the statement in and of itself is true. but i have explained it with a flawed sense of love. i did not understand it and comprehend it for what it truly means. God is not a "sky fairy" (as quoted by mark driscoll) who by the wave of a wand, makes all things wonderful. its quite the opposite. God has every right to allow us to burn us up along with the chaff of this world. He could wipe us out for all our wickedness. our righteousness is but filthy rags. but He does show compassion, we do have a promise and a savior and that savior is Jesus Christ. Jesus came to the earth, lived a sinless life, died a horrible death on a cross, His blood was spilled to cover and wash away sin, rose again and is now eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy. without Christ, we are God's enemy and will be condemned for our sin - but by accepting Christ' sacrifice, we are able to really know and taste the grace of our Father, and through Him and ONLY through Him, we can know that we are saved from the very pits of hell. there is full preservation for those that trust in Him.
i don't say this to come off as though i'm trying some fire and brimstone scare tactic. i'm saying this because until recently, although i knew God's love and sacrifice and made Him Lord over my life, i did not have such an understanding of the fullness to what i would talk about. i knew and read the scriptures and understood. but it was like a veil was taken off my eyes, to fully understand the depths of Christ' sacrifice, to fully understand what "God is love" means. i say these things to you in hopes that you will run to Jesus, that you will see how wretched and dirty you are, even when living a "good life" (because without Christ - you are incapable of truly doing GOOD - and i mean good in the sense of what God deems good.) i’m pleading with you to lay down your rebellion, your idea of goodness. i plead that you embrace the gospel that Jesus Christ, the Son of God died for your sins. He was raised on the third day, conquering over all His enemies. that one day he will put all his enemies under his feet. that forgiveness of sins and a right and true standing with God comes freely through him alone, by faith alone. we can do no good and make no "change in our life" to make ourselves more prepared for Jesus. anything that you try to do on your own will, out of your own strength, WILL fail you. the only strength you can fully trust in is the strength that is God ordained, in accordance to His word, in accordance to His gospel. i love you. i'm here for you. but above all, there is One greater that has paved a way for you and His name is Jesus Christ and He loves you more than anyone ever could. and that my friends, is worth more than anything.
i know that, for example: in america - people want to call this a nation that was founded on the gospel of Jesus Christ. people act as though because we have these megachurches and a lot of people who profess the name of Christ that we're okay. that if you go to church on sunday, if you say the sinner's prayer - then you're safe. that you're going to go to heaven, that you're "Christ's body." but i want to make something clear. a prayer doesn't save you. going to church does not save you. what saves you is a true repentance of heart, a true understanding that without Christ, we're doomed, which can only be granted to us by God's sovereign favor (grace)! we're not able to win our ways into heaven, work our way into heaven, be a good person and get into heaven. the world today does not fear and tremble before the God of the universe. they have made God a gigantic teddy bear who will make all things great for you. they have made God this image of what the WORLD views as true love. but if the world truly knew who God was, they would tremble and fear for their lives and be on their face pleading for forgiveness. if the world understood who God was, why would anyone be anything but reverent and have a holy fear before the God of all creations, the one that could snuff out this whole world if He so desired. but the world doesn't see it like that.
man is inherently evil, we're born into sin and its only by grace that we can be saved from eternal damnation. "I know that no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." - romans 7:18. in the flesh, we can try to do good, but the Bible says anything done not in faith is sin. flesh is man's natural self - outside of the grace of God. i know what you are thinking, you're thinking "well, Christin, i said a prayer, i don't do bad things, i'm a good person - so i'm okay, i'm going to heaven." but what i want to plead is that if you are not doing "good" out of reliance and to the glory of God, if you're not doing these things because the almighty saving grace of God has fully compelled you to do these things, then i'm sorry but its nothing but chaff in the wind. Jesus wants to burn up that chaff, replace all that is you and replace it with Him, but its not a prayer or a "good lifestyle" that will do that for you. only true conversion, only the true acceptance of God's irresistable grace, understanding that apart from God we can do NO good as we are totally depraved. understanding that as God's church we have been and are His elect and have been spared a life cut off from him. knowing that God shows no partiality, all have sinned, all have fallen short, no one is "good." all of us are depraved and cannot come to God without accepting and being born again, by God's grace that ONLY comes through the sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood which is the propitiation of our sins, then as John Piper states it perfectly, "... salvation of any of us is owing to God's election." and that there is no condition in which we can strive to achieve that warrants God to choose us and save us.
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So it depends not upon man's will or exertion, but upon God's mercy." - Romans 9:15-16
i know that this seems a lot more harsh than what you're probably used to hearing me say. i know that i have preached "Christ crucified" and have told people that "God is love." and the statement in and of itself is true. but i have explained it with a flawed sense of love. i did not understand it and comprehend it for what it truly means. God is not a "sky fairy" (as quoted by mark driscoll) who by the wave of a wand, makes all things wonderful. its quite the opposite. God has every right to allow us to burn us up along with the chaff of this world. He could wipe us out for all our wickedness. our righteousness is but filthy rags. but He does show compassion, we do have a promise and a savior and that savior is Jesus Christ. Jesus came to the earth, lived a sinless life, died a horrible death on a cross, His blood was spilled to cover and wash away sin, rose again and is now eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy. without Christ, we are God's enemy and will be condemned for our sin - but by accepting Christ' sacrifice, we are able to really know and taste the grace of our Father, and through Him and ONLY through Him, we can know that we are saved from the very pits of hell. there is full preservation for those that trust in Him.
i don't say this to come off as though i'm trying some fire and brimstone scare tactic. i'm saying this because until recently, although i knew God's love and sacrifice and made Him Lord over my life, i did not have such an understanding of the fullness to what i would talk about. i knew and read the scriptures and understood. but it was like a veil was taken off my eyes, to fully understand the depths of Christ' sacrifice, to fully understand what "God is love" means. i say these things to you in hopes that you will run to Jesus, that you will see how wretched and dirty you are, even when living a "good life" (because without Christ - you are incapable of truly doing GOOD - and i mean good in the sense of what God deems good.) i’m pleading with you to lay down your rebellion, your idea of goodness. i plead that you embrace the gospel that Jesus Christ, the Son of God died for your sins. He was raised on the third day, conquering over all His enemies. that one day he will put all his enemies under his feet. that forgiveness of sins and a right and true standing with God comes freely through him alone, by faith alone. we can do no good and make no "change in our life" to make ourselves more prepared for Jesus. anything that you try to do on your own will, out of your own strength, WILL fail you. the only strength you can fully trust in is the strength that is God ordained, in accordance to His word, in accordance to His gospel. i love you. i'm here for you. but above all, there is One greater that has paved a way for you and His name is Jesus Christ and He loves you more than anyone ever could. and that my friends, is worth more than anything.
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