Today or Tomorrow

          Today, I came to the end of another season of my life. High school - or as close as I ever got to high school. I wrote my last exam at the community college, spent my last half hour out in the sun in the middle of campus, and took my last regular bus ride - here, anyway. There will be plenty of exams in university, plenty of hours spent sitting in the sun, plenty of time spent on the public bus. Unless the system changes drastically in the next three months, which I don't expect it will.
          My strange high school/running start/grade status combined with my distance from the school has meant that I hold almost no loyalty to the school that I've now attended for 6 quarters. I'm normally pretty ready to be loyal, so it was strange not caring about sports or campus life at all. I certainly did not expect to miss it at all (okay, I still don't). But I walked out of building 7 today and headed for the grass and was hit with a feeling of nostalgia. As much as it has been merely a stepping stone to my next stage of life, I have lived here. I have many good memories and met people who have influenced my life significantly. It's because of Char and CeCe that I have developed a love for biology and am choosing to minor in it so as to provide some interest amidst my chemistry major. I met Blake in my first quarter and have attended school and walked through life with him since then; he is a part of many of my sunlit memories spent out on the grass. I made new friends: Sofia, Kellan, Chloe, Alyssa, Dung, and many others. I fought with microbiology, laughed over calculus, and debated which 8 out of 40 people should survive the alien invasion (thanks to MFC-J, an inspiring English teacher). I have learned and grown and laughed and fought and loved and lived in the last two years. I won't miss the bus smell, the noise of the commons, or inadequate "microbiology" lab, but I will miss the sunrises over the mountain, the study room in building 15, the web cafe, the random pieces of art, and our building 13.
          I know that countless memories are yet to be made. I have a host of new experiences waiting for me: big city, dorm life, AFROTC, lots of chemistry classes, some biology and art classes, new friends, new opportunities. Right now, I'm working through financial paperwork, placement tests, possible class schedules. I should hear back about my dorm and roommate assignment in a couple of months. The realization that I'll be moving out soon is always at the back of my mind. I'm ready for it. I know where God's leading me - for now.
          It's really easy to give an answer when people ask what I'm doing next year. "I'm going here to study chemistry and then into the Air Force." Those are my plans and I tell them so. But it's been on my mind that the Bible pretty specifically say NOT to do that.

"13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know [b]what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” " James 4:13-15, NASB

 I have plans and I have been seeking the Lord's guidance the whole way, and He has directed my steps. All the same, I am still a vapor, or a mist as the ESV says (it's mentally challenging to put a verse in a version other than I've memorized). I don't know what tomorrow will bring. I have plans, but God may yet direct my steps another direction. Wherever He leads me, I am excited to follow. And If the Lord wills, I will go here to study chemistry and then into the Air Force, and I will live and make memories along the way.

The Average American

According to the New Strategist, the Average American...

• makes $735/week
• has a landline telephone
• says he/she is in very good or excellent health
• is overweight
• believes the effects of global warming have already begun or soon will 
• is currently married
• lives in one of the top 50 metropolitan areas
• lives in a house built before 1975
• watches 2 hours and 49 minutes of television a day
• drinks alcohol regularly
• pays his/her credit card bill in full each month
• has been to college, but does not have a college degree
• believes in God without a doubt 
• favors the death penalty
• believes in evolution
• wants the government to spend more on education, health care, and the environment
• does not know which political party controls the House of Representatives

• The Average American Household contains 2.6 people, owns 2.28 vehicles, 1.6 dogs, 2.1 cats, and 2.3 birds, and is $75,600 in debt (including the mortgage).
• The Average American Man, between the ages of 30-39, has black hair and a BMI of 29 at 5'9".
• The Average American Woman, between the ages of 30 and 39, has brown hair and a BMI of 26.4 at 5'4".

     Right. Enough statistics.  You don't even have to read all of those to see where I might be going with this post. I fit... let me count... 3.5 of those. That's 17.5% if you want another statistic. No, I didn't just choose statistics that don't match me. I guess I'm not an Average American. In fact, I don't think I know a single Average American. That's interesting, given those facts are based on us.  Where are all the Average Americans described above? I daresay nowhere.

     Each person is an individual.  Each person has passions and hobbies, history and personality.  That is something that no statistic can capture.  Yes, 52% of the population might enjoy scrapbooking (I'm making that up), and that means the enjoyment of scrapbooking is a trait of the Average American, but even that number means very little. One person's scrapbook looks completely different from another person's because each scrapbook reflects the individual who spent time creating it. 

     The Average American is a bunch of numbers that eliminate our uniqueness. Whatever it is that makes me, me, can't be captured in the Average American because it's me, and I'm not Average.  I'm more than Average.  Yet... we still seem to be chasing after this American Dream of keeping up with the Average American (commonly named Jones).  We want to fit in, to be like everyone else. Everyone else, in my opinion, is boring, impossible, and even contradictory. 

     God created each and every one of us. We simply have to look around at creation to see that He has an abundance of creativity, and He applied that creativity to us as well. Psalm 139:13-14 is an oft-quoted passage, but it comes from one of my favorite Psalms and is beautiful each and every time it is used: 

For You formed my inward parts; 

You knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are Your works;

my soul knows it very well. 

     You are not average. You are uniquely, wonderfully you, and you are loved by the One who created you as an individual. 

     Now, I do want to note that I wrote this Average American post from an American point of view mostly because it was easiest to find American statistics. The same message applies, though, to South Africans to Germans to Venezuelans to Malaysians and to any person anywhere.

References:

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx

http://press.experian.com/United-States/Press-Release/new-study-shows-multiple-cars-are-king-in-american-households.aspx

http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-570.pdf

http://www.newstrategist.com/store/index.cfm/feature/57_15/50-facts-about-the-average-american.cfm

No, I'm not going to write them up in MLA format. 

Too Highly

     I am prideful. Coming from that, I am perfectionistic, over-achieving, and sometimes vain.  As a result of these, especially the first two, I am confident and fairly successful.  Those might be looked at as positive characteristics, but I struggle with humility, am quick to judge a poor performance of myself or others, and consider myself entitled to high achievements. Lo and behold: I'm human. 
     I'm not proud of this (not proud of my pride?), but it will probably be a lifelong fight to overcome myself, something I know I'll only ever be able to accomplish by God's grace.  I find it ironic that I tend to be good at almost everything I put my mind to, that this has caused me to be proud, and that this pride is what causes me to be bad at something: humility.  
     Now, I said almost everything. I am capable of everything to some extent, but I definitely have some places where I don't have an inborn talent. For example, my sister, Teresa, is a way better athlete than I am. She does the workout videos with Dad and she can run a mile a lot faster than I can and she excels at soccer and track and netball. It always frustrates me when something reminds me that she's more athletic than me because I wish I could be like her, but I can't.  Another example is music; my lack of the ability to play an instrument doesn't cause as much frustration as sports do, maybe because I can sing, but it's still an area in which I'm not especially talented. I watch Matt play the guitar and I'm fascinated by the movement of his fingers, or another friend will talk about music theory and playing classical piano and most of what he says goes straight over my head.  I'm just not as strong in these fields as in others. 
     My frustration is the wrong reaction. Multiple places in the Bible it says the body is made up of many parts, and each has its own function. In Romans 12 it says
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. (Romans 12:3-5, NLT, biblegateway.com)
     Um, message from the Lord to me at all? This has really been striking me as I've read through and memorized Romans this year for Bible Quizzing. "Don't think more highly of myself than I ought to think." A better reaction would be to support those who have talents different than mine and cheerfully accept help when they offer. 

Distractions of bickering

     This post is definitely a reflection.  It's an issue I've noticed, but haven't formed a complete opinion on yet.  I'm still thinking through it.
     I think humans like bickering.  Or we just like being stubborn in our opinion, and that leads to bickering.  It tends to be over petty stuff such as what color the walls should be or what we should eat to be the healthiest.  We aren't exempt from this as Christians - have you heard about those people who think you can't be saved unless you're baptised?  Or, *gasp*, what about those who think we're predestined and have no free will?  How about those who are all up in arms over whether women should have long hair or not.  I absolutely refuse to join in my siblings conversations about what the end of the world is going to look like.

     It seems to me like we're caught up in the fine, legalistic details and are distracted from the pure, simple, wonderful truth of the gospel.  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.  Each of the things which distract us are a minimal part of the Bible.  Should the end of the world make any difference how we live today?  Should we get so caught up in hair length that we forget our call to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all Christ has commanded us?
     See all my question marks?  Maybe it's okay to be really opinionated on these issues.  I have opinions of my own on them.  It just seems like they are causing a divide in the church of Christ, causing us to miss out on the beauty of Christ's amazing, loving gift.  And that's something that I think is not okay.

An Unfinished Story: The Ninth Lesson

The ninth lesson: John unfolds the mystery of the Incarnation

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.  John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.  The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.  He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
(John 1:1-14, NLT)

An Unfinished Story

Phillip Godfrey

It was a night in December, cold December when a light came into our world,

A light sent from up above us, one night Bethlehem beheld.

But is that night in December all we remember of the light heaven chose to send?

An unfinished story is what we are hearing, but we can determine its end.

For he was sent to protect us, he was meant to direct us like a star shining overhead.

He pointed the way to heaven so clearly with what he said.

But will the world ever hear him, gather near him as a guide, guardian, and friend?

An unfinished story is what we are hearing, but we can determine its end.

Rejoice, all the angels sang, rejoice, as the church bells rang.

Would we hear them say were they here today?

This is an unfinished story, filled with glory such as we cannot comprehend.

A wonderful story is what we are hearing but we can determine its end

Rejoice, all the angels sang, rejoice, as the church bells rang.

Would we hear them say were they here today?

This is an unfinished story, filled with glory such as we cannot comprehend.

A wonderful story and we have been given the chance to complete it,

A chance that we must not suspend.

The chance to complete it the way we would like it to end.

Rejoice!

I Got Proof

Kareem Manuel feat. Lecrae

If you go through the Bible consisteAnnotatently (that means read it)

Realize there’s no inconsistencies, start looking at things differently

When a soldier in his infantry looks at Genesis 3

God said it was him, the messiah that crushed the head

Of the serpent as I read, saw it all come to a head

Told of the suffering at Judas’ hand

The promise seen through Abraham

Prophecies Isaiah said, all fulfilled through Christ who bled

The Da Vinci code or Zeitgeist film

Couldn’t convince me not to die for him

Without their fame and prominence

Their arguments don’t make no sense

How you gon’ convince me that I’m simply a product of chance?

That the Big Bang came, and made a monkey that done made a man?

If you want to follow theory or die you got...?

Then there’s clearly nothing left to be said

Cus Christ is alive, rose to the sky

While all your truths are surely dead

[Hook]

I got proof, I got proof, I got proof

That he’s still living

I got proof, I got proof, I got proof

That he is risen

And this is why I die, why I live my life

For the sake of Jesus Christ, cus I believe that he’s alive

[Lecrae]

Witness not based on what I witness

But due to the word of an eye witness

But get this I don’t wanna wanna miss this

Business is serious like sickness

Arguments get me weary, man

They don’t use any history

All they have is a theory mayne

Why they tryin’ to Da Vinci me?

I spit a couple flows, did a couple shows

Met a couple bros who was all into doin’ no-nos

That and they into reading pros off of Dead Sea scrolls

Come on bro tell me that don’t sound loco

Cus Jesus died, took our sins into the sky

And a hundred times five seen him in the flesh alive

And the light in Paul’s eyes got him on his knees cryin’

Mention Jesus died tonight, runnin for his very life

They think that’s a lie, but Paul really died

Like millions other Christians who gave their life up for Christ

Hook

They wanna know why I’d die for him

Confused on why I ride with him

Got questions about Christian living

He’ll answer like Iverson

Heard me say Christ in all my songs

Dude run up on me like what if I’m wrong

I said I’m not then I saw his jaw

Stretch out and lay on the floor

He asked me how so I told him more

Christ in the clouds, and people saw him

Witnesses told them their report

Got them killed still they held on

To what they knew was no mistake

Got crucified, burned at the stake

If this wasn’t true, then dude I say

Would you die for what you knew was fake?

So I hope this hitting home, I ain’t reached this on my own

But why I preach him in every song

If he ain’t rise then find his bones

Been looking in the tombs, still looking in the ground

Keep searching bro, no where to be found

I ain’t Sherlock, but homes I’m found

So believe he ain’t no where around

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Eighth Lesson

The Eighth Lesson: the wise men are led by the star to Jesus

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

    are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.  Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
(Matthew 2:1-9, NLT)

On this Feast of Epiphany, the day following the twelfth day of Christmas,  I want to share two songs: a traditional rendition of We Three Kings and a less traditional version of Little Drummer Boy, the second being sung by a group making their way into the spotlight.

We Three Kings

Sung by Jennifer Avalon

Little Drummer Boy

Sung by Pentatonix

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Seventh Lesson

The seventh lesson: the shepherds go to the manger

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
(Luke 2:8-20, NLT)

Angels We Have Heard on High

The Piano Guys

(This is one of my favorite groups - not traditional, but definitely beautiful)

Angels we have on heard high

Sweetly singing ore the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains 

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo 

Come to Bethlehem and see

Christ whose birth the angels sing

Come adore on bended knee

Christ the Lord the newborn King 

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo 

See him in a manger laid

Whom the choirs of angels praise

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid

While our hearts in love we raise 

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria, in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Sixth Lesson

And now, after a brief interlude of family and food, I will continue with the unfinished story.  It seems to me appropriate to continue this after Christmas, after the commercialism has reached it's peak, after our attention moves away from lights! sweets! gifts!  Although it is still the same story that has been broadcasted for the last six weeks, year after year, don't allow yourself to become tired of it.  It is so important, no matter what time of year we tell it!

The sixth lesson: Luke tells of the birth of Jesus

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

(Luke 2:1-7, NLT)

Away in a Manger

Casting Crowns

Away in a manger, 

No crib for His bed 

The little Lord Jesus 

Laid down His sweet head 

The stars in the bright sky 

Looked down where He lay 

The little Lord Jesus 

Asleep on the hay 

The cattle are lowing 

The poor Baby wakes 

But little Lord Jesus 

No crying He makes 

I love Thee, Lord Jesus 

Look down from the sky 

And stay by my side, 

'Til morning is nigh. 

Be near me, Lord Jesus, 

I ask Thee to stay 

Close by me forever 

And love me I pray 

Bless all the dear children 

In Thy tender care 

And take us to heaven 

To live with Thee there

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Fifth Lesson

The fifth lesson: the angel Gabriel salutes Mary

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
(Luke 1:26-38, NLT)

A Baby Changes Everything

Faith Hill

Teenage girl, much too young

Unprepared for what's to come

A baby changes everything

Not a ring on her hand

All her dreams and all her plans

A baby changes everything

A baby changes everything

The man she loves she's never touched

How will she keep his trust?

A baby changes everything

A baby changes everything

And she cries!

Ooh, she cries

Ooh, oh

She has to leave, go far away

Heaven knows she can't stay

A baby changes everything

She can feel He's coming soon

There's no place, there's no room

A baby changes everything

A baby changes everything

And she cries!

And she cries!

Oh, she cries

Shepherds all gather 'round

Up above the star shines down

A baby changes everything

Choir of angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

A baby changes everything

A baby changes everything

Everything, everything, everything

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

My whole life has turned around

I was lost but now I'm found

A baby changes everything, yeah

A baby changes everything

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Fourth Lesson

The fourth lesson: The prophet Micah foretells the glory of little Bethlehem

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,
    one whose origins are from the distant past.
The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
    until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
    will return from exile to their own land.
And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
    for he will be highly honored around the world.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Phillip Brooks, 1867

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth 

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

O morning stars together

Proclaim the holy birth

And praises sing to God the King 

And peace to men on Earth

For Christ is born of Mary

And gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wond'ring love.

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heav'n 

No ear may hear his coming

But in this world of sin

Where meek souls will receive him still

The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem

Descend to us, we pray

Cast out our sin, and enter in

Be born in us today

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell

O come to us, abide with us

Our Lord Emmanuel!

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Third Lesson

The third lesson: The prophet Isaiah foretells the coming of the Savior

The people who walk in darkness

    will see a great light.

For those who live in a land of deep darkness,

    a light will shine.

You will enlarge the nation of Israel,

    and its people will rejoice.

They will rejoice before you

    as people rejoice at the harvest

    and like warriors dividing the plunder.

For you will break the yoke of their slavery

    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.

You will break the oppressor’s rod,

    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.

The boots of the warrior

    and the uniforms bloodstained by war

will all be burned.

    They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us,

    a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

    And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace

    will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David

    for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

    will make this happen!

(Isaiah 9:2-7, NLT)

Messiah (For Unto Us a Child is Born)

Handel, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The Second Lesson

The Second Lesson: God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the Earth be blessed.

     Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. "This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.  And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

(Genesis 22:15-18, NLT)

Who But You (Abraham & Sarah)

Various Artists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEmnjRKitFA

Too little too late, his time has come and gone

Is that what they say when I walk by?

I've got a little more grey, my steps are slow and long

And the promise you've made fades in the moonlight

I see a star; You see the Milky Way

I see one man counting sand

But you see generations

Who, but You, would ever choose

To dream Your dream in me?

Tell me who, but You, would dare me to

Believe what I can't see

Who, but You?

You'd think by now, it wouldn't bother me

The hush from the crowd when I walk by

And you'd think somehow, I'd let my heart believe

It's time to let go of lullabies

I see a star; You see a galaxy

There's just one hope, just one way

These arms will not stay empty

Who, but You, would ever choose

To dream Your dream in me?

Tell me who, but You, would dare me to

Believe what I can't see

Who, but You?

So call me crazy, call me a fool

You alone can do the things You promised to

You are Yahweh, I'm just a man

I'm counting tiny grains of sand

Placing every promise in Your hand

Who, but You, would ever choose

To dream Your dream in me?

Tell me who, but You, would dare me to

Believe what I can't see

Who, but You? 

Great and mighty God, I believe, I believe You

Keeper of the stars, I believe, I believe You

"An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

An Unfinished Story: The First Lesson

     I must first start with a disclaimer: this was not an original idea of mine.  "An Unfinished Story" is based off of a bulletin from a church service I attended in South Africa.  I will give credit to individuals throughout the series, but the bulletin is from St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Linden, from the 18th of December 2011 at 6:30 pm.  I edited to make it more modern.

The First Lesson: Humankind rebels and is separated from God

      When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.  Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
     He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
     “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
     The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
     Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

     Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed
    more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
    groveling in the dust as long as you live.
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
    and you will strike his heel."

     Then he said to the woman,
“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
    and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
    but he will rule over you.”

     And to the man he said,
“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
    whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
    All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
    though you will eat of its grains.
By the sweat of your brow
    will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
    from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
    and to dust you will return.”
(Genesis 3:8-19, New Living Translation (NLT))

Remember, O Thou Man 

by Thomas Ravenscroft, 1611

 Remember, O thou Man, 

O thou Man, O thou Man, 

Remember, O thou Man, 

Thy time is spent. 

Remember, O thou Man, 

How thou camest to me then, 

And I did what I can. 

Therefore repent. 

 Remember Adam's fall, 

O thou Man, O thou Man, 

Remember Adam's fall 

From Heaven to Hell. 

Remember Adam's fall, 

How we were condemned all 

To Hell perpetual, 

There for to dwell. 

 Remember God's goodness, 

O thou Man, O thou Man, 

Remember God's goodness 

And promise made. 

Remember God's goodness, 

How his only Son he sent 

Our sins for to redress. 

Be not afraid.

Missionary kid

     Some people call me a missionary kid because I lived in South Africa for two years.  I've stopped bothering to correct them, but it's not entirely true, in the commonly accepted sense of the word.  Living in a different country doesn't make you a missionary - your lifestyle and support do.  Having a businessman father (albeit for a humanitarian company like World Vision) who moved his family around the world doesn't make me a missionary kid.  I just got an opportunity to live somewhere else, an opportunity most people don't get.
     Most people would say a missionary is someone who leaves home, is supported by other people financially while they are serving, and is promoting a religion in some way or another.  Like our friends the Taylors, working in Swaziland right now, being supported by people in the states who donate money on a regular basis, doing the work God has called them to.  But while I left home and I am a Christian, Dad had a job which was paying for us to be in South Africa.  So I was not and am not a missionary kid.
     Yet.... am I?  This is the point in this post where I really run the risk of being cliche.  There's a man standing on the corner holding a sign saying "hungry."  There's a girl who responded to a newspaper ad requesting a nanny and who was subsequently trafficked into sex slavery.  There's a teenager crying because her sister, after helping a stranger get home, was killed in a car crash .  We have mission fields. 
     I think this message becomes cliche when we start referring to our comfort zones as our "mission fields."  Yes, you can certainly help those around you.  But there is unbearable suffering right here, right now, in your backyard.  You just have to intentionally stretch out and touch it.  God doesn't call all of us to the jungles of Brazil.  But neither does he call any of us to remain in our "mission field."  He wants us to find a mission field, where we love with God's love and hurt for those He hurts for.  What are you called to?

Hold your tongue!

I had a soccer game two days ago.  In said soccer game, we were tied 0-0 until the last five minutes.  Soccer being what it is, some rough playing was happening.  The ref wasn't trying to give us talking to's or anything, no one was getting hurt that badly, he was just calling it out when he could.  

How-eeevvverrrrrrrrrr........
the parents didn't agree
the players didn't agree
the coaches didn't agree
our team didn't agree with their disagreement
our team didn't agree with the ref
our team didn't agree with the other team
and so everyone badmouthed.

I find it so frustrating.  Please excuse any bitterness in this post and try to listen to my message - why can't we just hold our tongues?  We hurt people with what we say and think nothing of it.  We are quick to judge without knowing the person, and even quicker to express our judgement, whether it is a positive or negative one. 

In James it says "the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining our whole bodies, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell...no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God." (James 3:6, 8-9 ESV)

This is so true.  SO true.  But that does not make it acceptable.  It is not an excuse.  We still need to strive to say nothing that is not pure, helpful, uplifting.  That's my challenge: hold your tongue.  

Guest post: Teresa - Be Different

Differences

     Ummm. Hi. Sara's asked me to write on something, because she couldn't find anything to write on.  I've never really done this before, (maybe once?) so I'm not sure how it will turn out. Much different than the way Sara and Malea would post, but I'll give it a go anyway. 
     So, something I, and most likely all of us, am trying to do is to fit in. To not stand out. To not be different. Sometimes we hold back from doing our best, or make a decision that maybe wasn't the best choice, or hurt someone else so you're not seen with them, all because we don't want to be labeled a freak or unpopular. The Weirdo. 
     But what if God wants us to be different? You can see it all through out the Bible. The first reference I found was in Genesis 6. Noah.  He was different. He was righteous. And probably not very popular about it. I mean, he built an ARK in his back yard. Can you imagine? He would be the definite winner of "Laughingstock of the neighborhood." And he worked on it for 120 years! But his reward was great. He was saved from the flood that killed all the other people and animals. He made a covenant with God. Would you rather be laughed at and live, or not do anything and die?

     Or what about the Israelites? God called them out to be a set apart people. He enabled them to defeat nations 2-3 times lager then themselves. He gave their enemies into their hands. He preformed miracles for them. He did stuff that made other nations tremble in fear and wonder who these people were. He made sure that they were noted as different. 
     But if Jesus wasn't the odd guy out, nobody was! While everyone else was cowering behind the pharisees, he confronted them to their face and told them how very wrong they were.  Everyone hated the Gentiles, and he said that they, too, were allowed to believe in God. He cared for people not worth caring for, cripples, lepers, blind men. He did miracles. He raised the dead. He could explain the bible better than the teachers could. He had people calling him Lord.  The worst thing he did was he claimed to be the Son of God! 'GASP!' That really sent the 'righteous' people recoiling. Yep! Jesus claims the title of Different!  God wants us to be like Jesus. He wants us to follow Jesus's example. 
Look at the following verses. They both say something about being different. 
              Romans 12:2a
                   Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
             1 Corinthians 3:3
                    You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

      Romans 12:2 is clear. We need to stop following the patterns of this world. 1 Corinthians 3:3 hints that we should stop acting like mere men, not called to do anything to change the world men who can't be called disciples of Jesus. 1 John tells us not to worry if we are different like this.
             1 John 2:17
                   The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

     The world will not be remembered. The people who laughed at you or called you names will die and they will be forgotten. But if you have changed the world, loved Jesus, been different, you will live forever.  Also, if you look back at people who have dared to be different, see how they are remembered. We learn about them, who they were and what they did. And we don't remember the people who mocked them. For instance, David Livingstone, or Martin Luther.  
     David Livingstone discovered Africa. But people tried to stop him from going, saying he would get killed by the savages, or the diseases that ran rampage. He took a chance and went anyways. Now, we have Africa to remember him by, and nobody knows off the top of their head who told David Livingstone not to be different. 
     Martin Luther started the protestant movement. The Roman Catholic church were the dissuaders in this case. Martin Luther was put under house arrest, but he still managed to create a new church and the archbishop who is responsible for house arresting Martin Luther- Well, I don't know his name. I've never read it.  And if you know of Sara's love for books, I'm the same way. And I have been given some strange looks (My mom calls them 'third eye' looks) when I say I can read a book or two in a day, no problem. 
      So go out there and change the world. And if people give you third eye stare because you are making a difference, just hold you head high, smile, and wave. Be who you are. Don't hold back anything.