Don't you love it when you're just sitting there one morning, reading the Bible as normal, and BAM, something you never saw before just hits you, and it pretty much the coolest thing you've read in a long time? Yup, welcome to my morning.
And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Jeremiah 18:4
I LOVE THIS. The vessel of clay he was making spoiled in the potter's hand. Adam and Eve were right there in the garden. They walked with their God. And they still sinned. They spoiled. But God was faithful to them, even in their faithlessness. Yes, there are severe consequences for sin ("the death" as Havah would say), but the Lord is merciful. He covered them in their shame, and carried on their line.
And what about us? You? Me? Are you spoiled? I am. Wow, I know that. I'm not perfect. Far from it. But God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us. He already died for every sin, past, present and future. His grace is there for our salvation, but also our sanctification. He is reworking us into another vessel, because God is making all things work together for our good.
2 Corinthians 5:17 has been coming up a lot these last weeks, If any man is in Christ He is a new creation...
In Christ, you are new. You are being reworked into another vessel, because God is good.
Beautiful Things
Your Love Never Fails
Friday, November 16, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Be Thou My Vision
| Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight, Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight. Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower. Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art. |
| High King of heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O ruler of all. |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Held Hostage
Yesterday, Angel Alert Network came to do security training with us. They work with a lot of NGOs, churches, and missions organizations to prepare them for everything from a robber in their home/street crimes, armed assaults, traveling, to sexual assault, car jacking, and abduction/kidnappings. So it's intense. They do a lot of demonstrations to put you in the moment to help you feel what the pressure is like in order to encourage you to have a plan. Their motto is "Be alert, be aware, have a plan". They also like to play the "what if?" game. Like "What if you're at home with your family and you hear someone downstairs? Do you go after him, or do you protect your family by staying closer to them?" "What if you're driving and find a poisonous snake at your feet?" "What if you (a young woman) are in an elevator and two guys get on?" It gets you thinking about what you would do.
Things got real when "shots" were "fired". We all instinctively hit the ground at the sound (we were later applauded for our quick reaction time). In walked our trainer, dressed as a terrorist. He started giving us orders, telling us to sit up, give him our wallets, asking questions of us. He ended up abducting myself, one girl, and one guy, a Malaysian. To show some of the things terrorists do, he asked about who would pay ransom for us, etc. Then he pried about Eddie's (Malaysian dude) religion and found out he was a Christian, even though most Malaysians are Muslim. So he asked Eddie to deny his faith. He kept prodding him to deny Christ, asking him to make a tape for his Malaysian brothers. When Eddie wouldn't do it, JoJo (trainer) put the "gun" to my head, and said, "Deny Christ or she's dead" Even though it was a totally fake scenario, it felt very real. A man with a gun to your head. In that moment all I could think of was Jesus. Literally, that was it. I remember praying for Eddie to love Christ and not life, not even to be the protector, as he was inclined to do. He looked at me and asked if I was ready to die, if I were right with God. Although they called the exercise off at that point, Eddie said his next move was going to be to attempt to disarm JoJo (if I said yes). This way, even if we both died, he died fighting, and we both knew we were going to heaven. Boys. But he said if I'd said no, he'd deny Christ. Interesting the decisions you make when life is on the line. What if it had been a child? A spouse? This is real hard stuff.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience and think about these things. JoJo says that he hopes we never have to use anything he tells us, but he wants us to be ready to if we do. It is far more likely for me to be struck by lightning than abducted, but it is good to have the awareness. Being aware minimizes the risk, and also allows you to take steps to be less vulnerable.
And, some of the stuff was super practical - especially for a young single gal about to graduate college and live on her own, most likely! And the traveling abroad things...I've been abroad, and I definitely was not as prepared as I could have been.
I highly recommend the training that we had. Angel Alert Network in case you forgot.
Things got real when "shots" were "fired". We all instinctively hit the ground at the sound (we were later applauded for our quick reaction time). In walked our trainer, dressed as a terrorist. He started giving us orders, telling us to sit up, give him our wallets, asking questions of us. He ended up abducting myself, one girl, and one guy, a Malaysian. To show some of the things terrorists do, he asked about who would pay ransom for us, etc. Then he pried about Eddie's (Malaysian dude) religion and found out he was a Christian, even though most Malaysians are Muslim. So he asked Eddie to deny his faith. He kept prodding him to deny Christ, asking him to make a tape for his Malaysian brothers. When Eddie wouldn't do it, JoJo (trainer) put the "gun" to my head, and said, "Deny Christ or she's dead" Even though it was a totally fake scenario, it felt very real. A man with a gun to your head. In that moment all I could think of was Jesus. Literally, that was it. I remember praying for Eddie to love Christ and not life, not even to be the protector, as he was inclined to do. He looked at me and asked if I was ready to die, if I were right with God. Although they called the exercise off at that point, Eddie said his next move was going to be to attempt to disarm JoJo (if I said yes). This way, even if we both died, he died fighting, and we both knew we were going to heaven. Boys. But he said if I'd said no, he'd deny Christ. Interesting the decisions you make when life is on the line. What if it had been a child? A spouse? This is real hard stuff.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience and think about these things. JoJo says that he hopes we never have to use anything he tells us, but he wants us to be ready to if we do. It is far more likely for me to be struck by lightning than abducted, but it is good to have the awareness. Being aware minimizes the risk, and also allows you to take steps to be less vulnerable.
And, some of the stuff was super practical - especially for a young single gal about to graduate college and live on her own, most likely! And the traveling abroad things...I've been abroad, and I definitely was not as prepared as I could have been.
I highly recommend the training that we had. Angel Alert Network in case you forgot.
As I Was With Moses
I was reading Joshua 1:5 the other morning, and that one phrase stood out to me
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
That is an AWESOME promise. I mean, think about it:
Moses' life was preserved as an infant. God protected him, and valued his life.
Moses committed a crime, but the Lord redeemed him. God worked all things for Moses' good, and His glory.
Moses stood with I AM at the burning bush. God revealed Himself to Moses in a new way.
Moses had some sort of speech impediment, yet he stood before Pharaoh to plead his peoples' cause. God gave him words, and used a weakness as a strength.
Moses was 80 years old when he led the Israelites. God used a man who should not have been strong as a leader for all.
Moses went back to Egypt with the knowledge of all that would happen. God revealed Himself and His plan to Moses in just the right timing.
Moses received the Law right from God. God gave Moses what we needed in order to be obedient, and again revealed Himself in a powerful way.
Moses led Israel into the promise land, and blessed the Israelites before dying without the promise. God was faithful to reveal Himself, yet left a testimony of the fact that there was more to come.
As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. God and Moses were tight. And in Christ, you and God the Father are tight.
Like I said, AWESOME
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
That is an AWESOME promise. I mean, think about it:
Moses' life was preserved as an infant. God protected him, and valued his life.
Moses committed a crime, but the Lord redeemed him. God worked all things for Moses' good, and His glory.
Moses stood with I AM at the burning bush. God revealed Himself to Moses in a new way.
Moses had some sort of speech impediment, yet he stood before Pharaoh to plead his peoples' cause. God gave him words, and used a weakness as a strength.
Moses was 80 years old when he led the Israelites. God used a man who should not have been strong as a leader for all.
Moses went back to Egypt with the knowledge of all that would happen. God revealed Himself and His plan to Moses in just the right timing.
Moses received the Law right from God. God gave Moses what we needed in order to be obedient, and again revealed Himself in a powerful way.
Moses led Israel into the promise land, and blessed the Israelites before dying without the promise. God was faithful to reveal Himself, yet left a testimony of the fact that there was more to come.
As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. God and Moses were tight. And in Christ, you and God the Father are tight.
Like I said, AWESOME
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Nerd Post
I'm going to be a big nerd here. You don't have to read it, I really don't care.
I spent $1.99 on the Collected Works of Andrew Murray, and $0.99 to add Abide in Christ to that collection (why it wasn't in there to begin with, I have no idea - also, both kindle editions). That makes about $3 and the depth of the reading material is absolutely astonishing. I am slowly making my way through everything, and his work is so good that I have finished a book, only to begin it again right away. I know I've said it before, but you don't have to have a kindle in order to read online editions. You can do it on your computer. I absolutely love it, because I can get books just about anywhere, and read them. There are offline modes, too, so you can read even when you're not connected to the internet. I love that you can highlight and make notes, and that it bookmarks your page for you automatically. This has been my favorite thing over the last year, especially with traveling so much. I need my computer to do school and life, and this allows me to take all my books in one place. I even grab things for school, like sociological analyses of the study of religion and the Chicago style citation manual. For the latter, a paperback copy of the 500+ page book is almost $30, but I got it for $5 digitally, and it's way easier to pack! The only negative could be if you don't like looking at a screen for so long, but it doesn't bother me. I never expected to be such a digital reader, but it is crazy convenient for both school and work.
I should add that they have TONS of free books, from classics by Tolstoy to theology by Spurgeon. I really love it!
I don't know how long it's been since I updated what I've been reading, so here are some of the more recent titles
The Pastor's Wife - Sabina Wurmbrand
Deeper Fellowship With God - Andrew Murray
Absolute Surrender - Andrew Murray
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness - Tim Keller
The Autobiography of Hudson Taylor - Guess :)
The Sacred Canopy - Peter L Berger
The Biography of Robert Murray M'Cheyne - Andrew Bonar
And always, the Chicago Style Manual. You'd think after 2 1/2 years in the religious studies field I might have it down by now. #ihatechicagostyle #leastfavoritepartofmymajor #mlaisahundredtimeseasier #isitrealynecessarytohavefootnotesandendnotes #isntitfuntohastagthingsevenwhenyourenotontwitter
Speaking of school, I get to pick classes for next semester! We're self registering, one class at a time every day for a week. I think that's weird, and I also have a sneaking suspicion that the website is going to crash. Plus it's at 7:30am. That's kind of mean (but not for me because I'm on the east coast so it's 8:30 bwahahaha). I found out I'm the only one in my honors thesis class...that's not weird at all right? I don't know how that's even possible. Am I really the only one in my graduating class in my major brave enough to try for honors? Should I be afraid? I don't know. I'm kind of intimidated at the whole "present at the national academy conference"stipulation but I guess we'll burn that bridge when we get there. I really hope I don't end up having to present in front of people I've cited in my papers because that would make me even more nervous and small feeling.
My professor ignores my assignments for a month and then grades them all at once. It's not super useful, but at least they get graded I guess. Who doesn't love getting all their grades in five separate emails on Sunday nights? Rolls eyes. It's actually all pass/fail. "Traditional college education" is going to be so hard next semester.
BUT THEN I GRADUATE
I am really excited about graduating. Mostly the being done part. Not so much the being separated from my friends. Although we have proven that we can indeed survive without each other's physical presence.
And since you sat through all that, I will give you my dear friend Betsy Wynn. She wins for best Halloween-related facebook post ever. I laughed so hard, because she is very correct (I did censor her though):
"facebook wants to know my favorite halloween candy. I feel like that is a misleading question because most candy given out on halloween is also available every other day of the year, I can buy milky way midnights year round. This leads me to believe that facebook wants to know my favorite candy ONLY available on halloween, which is gross stuff like candy corn, and the weird orange and black candies, or pumpkin shaped peeps. In that case I don't have a favorite, because in my opinion halloween specific candy stinks"
I spent $1.99 on the Collected Works of Andrew Murray, and $0.99 to add Abide in Christ to that collection (why it wasn't in there to begin with, I have no idea - also, both kindle editions). That makes about $3 and the depth of the reading material is absolutely astonishing. I am slowly making my way through everything, and his work is so good that I have finished a book, only to begin it again right away. I know I've said it before, but you don't have to have a kindle in order to read online editions. You can do it on your computer. I absolutely love it, because I can get books just about anywhere, and read them. There are offline modes, too, so you can read even when you're not connected to the internet. I love that you can highlight and make notes, and that it bookmarks your page for you automatically. This has been my favorite thing over the last year, especially with traveling so much. I need my computer to do school and life, and this allows me to take all my books in one place. I even grab things for school, like sociological analyses of the study of religion and the Chicago style citation manual. For the latter, a paperback copy of the 500+ page book is almost $30, but I got it for $5 digitally, and it's way easier to pack! The only negative could be if you don't like looking at a screen for so long, but it doesn't bother me. I never expected to be such a digital reader, but it is crazy convenient for both school and work.
I should add that they have TONS of free books, from classics by Tolstoy to theology by Spurgeon. I really love it!
I don't know how long it's been since I updated what I've been reading, so here are some of the more recent titles
The Pastor's Wife - Sabina Wurmbrand
Deeper Fellowship With God - Andrew Murray
Absolute Surrender - Andrew Murray
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness - Tim Keller
The Autobiography of Hudson Taylor - Guess :)
The Sacred Canopy - Peter L Berger
The Biography of Robert Murray M'Cheyne - Andrew Bonar
And always, the Chicago Style Manual. You'd think after 2 1/2 years in the religious studies field I might have it down by now. #ihatechicagostyle #leastfavoritepartofmymajor #mlaisahundredtimeseasier #isitrealynecessarytohavefootnotesandendnotes #isntitfuntohastagthingsevenwhenyourenotontwitter
Speaking of school, I get to pick classes for next semester! We're self registering, one class at a time every day for a week. I think that's weird, and I also have a sneaking suspicion that the website is going to crash. Plus it's at 7:30am. That's kind of mean (but not for me because I'm on the east coast so it's 8:30 bwahahaha). I found out I'm the only one in my honors thesis class...that's not weird at all right? I don't know how that's even possible. Am I really the only one in my graduating class in my major brave enough to try for honors? Should I be afraid? I don't know. I'm kind of intimidated at the whole "present at the national academy conference"stipulation but I guess we'll burn that bridge when we get there. I really hope I don't end up having to present in front of people I've cited in my papers because that would make me even more nervous and small feeling.
My professor ignores my assignments for a month and then grades them all at once. It's not super useful, but at least they get graded I guess. Who doesn't love getting all their grades in five separate emails on Sunday nights? Rolls eyes. It's actually all pass/fail. "Traditional college education" is going to be so hard next semester.
BUT THEN I GRADUATE
I am really excited about graduating. Mostly the being done part. Not so much the being separated from my friends. Although we have proven that we can indeed survive without each other's physical presence.
And since you sat through all that, I will give you my dear friend Betsy Wynn. She wins for best Halloween-related facebook post ever. I laughed so hard, because she is very correct (I did censor her though):
"facebook wants to know my favorite halloween candy. I feel like that is a misleading question because most candy given out on halloween is also available every other day of the year, I can buy milky way midnights year round. This leads me to believe that facebook wants to know my favorite candy ONLY available on halloween, which is gross stuff like candy corn, and the weird orange and black candies, or pumpkin shaped peeps. In that case I don't have a favorite, because in my opinion halloween specific candy stinks"
Friday, November 2, 2012
Denying Self, Being New
My lack of blogging this week has not been due to power loss; though that would be a wonderful excuse. No, I've been sick and busy and when you're busy and sick at the same time, it's quite sad.
Earlier this week, we did a word study on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, including a paraphrase that was meant to minister to us. I learned a lot from looking at the key words of this passage.
Here's my paraphrase:
For the glorification of Christ Jesus, we are begging you, as dearly loved brothers and sisters, that you would live by the standards we taught you, so as to please our Master. You are doing this already, but we exhort you to examine your hearts and every aspect of your lives, so that you could gratify the Lord even more abundantly. Be assured that these standards are given in Christ's authority. For it is God's will that you would dedicate yourself to honor, purity, and transparent and unadulterated living. Set yourselves apart as witnesses for authentic grace and unclouded judgment. Renounce all sexual vice; debilitate and undermine them in Jesus' name. Claim, govern, and conduct your body as the home of the Holy Spirit. Deprave your body of the vulgarity of this world; flee corruption and do not be spoiled by the mundane. Do not use your body to give in to your longings, cravings, and weaknesses, so that you would not rob your brothers of the manifestation of God's grace in Christ. For the Lord will avenge all these things. Purity is for our God and the glory of His kingdom. He has given us the anointing to be spotless and undefiled in the blood of His Son. Let us not be distracted by carnality and greed. If you ignore this teaching, you are not disregarding us but your Owner and Master, whose Spirit is given to you for your innocence, righteousness, and sanctification. Honor your Lord in utmost purity.
Purity is about forsaking yourself in order to show that you belong to Jesus. Walking in integrity shows the world that His glory is alive in your life.
Andrew Murray writes in A Deeper Fellowship With God, "As long as a man, a Christian, is under the power of the flesh, he is continually denying Jesus. You always must do one of the two, you must deny yourself, or you must deny Jesus"
Thank the Lord for the giving of His Holy Spirit to sanctify us.
Here's a paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:17 done after a word study
You are in Christ as an unused Divine work. Your previous moral condition has been crushed; a fresh foundation has arrived.
Earlier this week, we did a word study on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, including a paraphrase that was meant to minister to us. I learned a lot from looking at the key words of this passage.
Here's my paraphrase:
For the glorification of Christ Jesus, we are begging you, as dearly loved brothers and sisters, that you would live by the standards we taught you, so as to please our Master. You are doing this already, but we exhort you to examine your hearts and every aspect of your lives, so that you could gratify the Lord even more abundantly. Be assured that these standards are given in Christ's authority. For it is God's will that you would dedicate yourself to honor, purity, and transparent and unadulterated living. Set yourselves apart as witnesses for authentic grace and unclouded judgment. Renounce all sexual vice; debilitate and undermine them in Jesus' name. Claim, govern, and conduct your body as the home of the Holy Spirit. Deprave your body of the vulgarity of this world; flee corruption and do not be spoiled by the mundane. Do not use your body to give in to your longings, cravings, and weaknesses, so that you would not rob your brothers of the manifestation of God's grace in Christ. For the Lord will avenge all these things. Purity is for our God and the glory of His kingdom. He has given us the anointing to be spotless and undefiled in the blood of His Son. Let us not be distracted by carnality and greed. If you ignore this teaching, you are not disregarding us but your Owner and Master, whose Spirit is given to you for your innocence, righteousness, and sanctification. Honor your Lord in utmost purity.
Purity is about forsaking yourself in order to show that you belong to Jesus. Walking in integrity shows the world that His glory is alive in your life.
Andrew Murray writes in A Deeper Fellowship With God, "As long as a man, a Christian, is under the power of the flesh, he is continually denying Jesus. You always must do one of the two, you must deny yourself, or you must deny Jesus"
Thank the Lord for the giving of His Holy Spirit to sanctify us.
Here's a paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:17 done after a word study
You are in Christ as an unused Divine work. Your previous moral condition has been crushed; a fresh foundation has arrived.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Here Comes Sandy
Hurricanes. Never experienced one. I've been a midwestern girl all my life. Although the brute of the storm shouldn't get to upstate NY, we're on flood warnings, and the weather has taken a turn for the cold and rainy and foggy. We may lose power. I am doing well, and we are preparing for the worst.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)