Jesus’s Sacrifice for us. August 21, 2009

He was despised and rejected by men

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

Isaiah 53: 4-7, 10

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God is so faithful to us! August 18, 2009

At Fuller, I’m taking my first Old Testament class on the Prophets.  Right now we are going through Ezekiel and I remember when I was interning at Wesley Foundation in UGA how much I liked the passage that God will restore us:  removing our hearts of stone to having hearts of flesh.. (Ezekiel 11:19)

so many times I see how much we need for God just to restore us.  Our hearts are “prone to wander” and we are always selfish, sinful and wanting to serve and worship other things other than God in our lives.  Even though God has been faithful to us, we have not served him as Our God.  He has not been ENOUGH in our lives.

However, I never thought to read the full context of Ezekiel.  How often do we like certain Scripture passages without really knowing the story behind it?  Well, in Ezekiel, God is angry with his people ! Again and again they have sinned, worshiped other gods, and done what he hates after He has saved them, restored them, protected them… it is  vicious cycle of a God who loves us, yet hates when we sin simply because in his justice, he cannot stand for sin to go unpunished!

Well God in his great love and mercy is telling the people of Israel that he wants to restore them… even after they have disobeyed and turned their back to him over and over.  how many of us could continue to love someone after they have constantly rejected us and turned their back from us?

My heart grew so tender when I see God’s words in Ezekiel.  No matter what we have done to him, He still wants us, still wants to restore us.  He wants us to be his people and Him to be our God.

What a great love I cannot fathom.

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ” (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

soloist August 14, 2009

i watched the Soloist tonight.. and am so overwhelmed by the world we live in.  90,000 homeless people living just 30 minutes away from me in downtown LA.  right next to Fortune 500 companies…

this movie is so good because to me, it really penetrates the heart of needed restoration for all people.  we are all broken people.  we all have a story.  those who are homeless most likely have a mental illness..

it’s times like these where i feel like the things i worry about are so insignificant.  when you look around at the needs of injustice, oppression, people who are destitute, you feel a sense of urgency for people to be restored.. to be healed.. to have purpose, meaning….and to have hope in Christ.

my heart is definitely stirred… and the questions is:  what can i do about it?  what am i going to do about it?

in the movie, LAMP is a nonprofit org that helps those who are facing long-term homelessness get back on their feet, especially those who have severe mental illness. http://lampcommunity.org/

may we all continue to have our hearts break after what breaks God’s heart.. and be stirred to action.  to think of things beyond ourselves.   to bring the Gospel in action……

Be Joyful Always August 7, 2009

———————————————————

“You will keep in PERFECT PEACE

those whose MINDS are STAYED ON YOU

because they TRUST in YOU”

~Isaiah 26:3

———————————————————–

lately, God has been teaching me more and more about my favorite verse be joyful always.

i truly believe that God calls us to be joyful, and not happy on purpose.

happiness is something we feel when something in our circumstances goes well.  happiness is fleeting because once our circumstance changes, then we are not so happy anymore.

joy is not something we get from our circumstances, but through an inner joy that only comes from God’s Spirit in our lives.

how many times do people feel according to their circumstances?  i often hear myself as well as others say..

“if only my circumstances were different… i’d be happier..”

“if only i was with someone else…life would be easier..”

if only i got this or had that or didn’t have that happen to me…. fill in the blank”

we are so consumed with being dictated by our circumstances!

God promises peace to those who…. change their circumstances?

no!  to those who KEEP THEIR MINDS FOCUSED on God!

I believe with all that I am that MOST of OUR LIVES is spent negatively NOT BECAUSE OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

BUT BECAUSE OF OUR MINDSET.

If we keep our minds focused on God and his goodness, then I believe we can truly stay joyful always.

Praise God who keeps His promises and blesses us when we are obedient because we are walking in His ways!

rejoice always.

In Loving Memory July 24, 2009

Lee Lee Lee

August 1, 1993 – July 22, 2009

I will always love and miss you.  You are the best dog a girl could ask for.

A DOG FOR JESUS
(Where dogs go when they die)

I wish someone had given Jesus a dog.
As loyal and loving as mine.
To sleep by His manger and gaze in His eyes
And adore Him for being divine.

As our Lord grew to manhood His faithful dog,
Would have followed Him all through the day.
While He preached to the crowds and made the sick well
And knelt in the garden to pray.
It is sad to remember that Christ went away.
To face death alone and apart.
With no tender dog following close behind,
To comfort its Master’s Heart.
And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn,
How happy He would have been,
As His dog kissed His hand and barked it’s delight,
For The One who died for all men.

Well, the Lord has a dog now, I just sent Him mine,
The old pal so dear to me.
And I smile through my tears on this first day alone,
Knowing they’re in eternity.
Day after day, the whole day through,
Wherever my road inclined,
Four feet said, “Wait, I’m coming with you!”
And trotted along behind.

Rudyard Kipling

Never Alone July 15, 2009

I’m writing a paper on the importance of Solitude according to Henri Nouwen.  In my own reflection, I think about how important it is for me to have a deep abiding in Christ, to fully know His truth, His promises, His love for me.  It is only in that deep abiding that I can love others, and have the freedom to not be so easily swayed by the messy and painful circumstances in this world.

whenever I do anything, I always have music in the background.  One of the songs that came on was Jadon Lavik’s “Never Alone”  I found his lyrics truly powerful and pertinent to what God is also teaching me

This world can sometimes paint a hopeless picture
With only glimpses of what could be
But I believe these are perfect plans
By the God who will redeem
So I’m left to face the trials
All my hope is fixed on you
I’m so thankful for your spirit that guides me
In this world that I walk through

And I am never alone never forgotten or an afterthought to you
Oh and I am never alone not left to my own strength to make it to make it through

God never leaves it up to us to live this world in our own strength, because if we do, we will not last very long.  It is only in a deep abiding in Christ, allowing him to be our strength, that we can live IN and not OF this world, and LOVE those in it.

Come to Jesus July 12, 2009

i want to perform a lyrical dance to this song one day….

Come to Jesus …

Sing to Jesus…

Fall on Jesus…

Cry to Jesus…

Dance for Jesus…

Fly to Jesus ………….and live!

love July 11, 2009

I went to a wedding today where 1 Corinthians 13:4-9 was read, but I really liked the translation it was in:

love is patient, love is kind.

love is not envious, not boastful, not arrogant or rude

love does not insist on its own way

love is not irritable or resentful

love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth

love bears all things, love believes all things,

love hopes all things, love endures all things.

love never ends.

I am so overjoyed when I think of God’s definition of love.

a love that seeks the betterment of the other..to bring out the other person’s best…

a love where in a marriage both people are seen as a TEAM…

to be so much more effective for God’s kingdom more together..

than on their own.

a love that says “i assume best out of you and want the best for you” even though we are imperfect..

a love that always points us towards Jesus… to fall more in love with Our Savior.. Our Creator.. Our Lover..

the very One who put us together.

what God put together, let no man separate!

May we all rejoice and live out a love that never fails.

Managing Your Emotions July 2, 2009

Who’s the Boss, You or Your Emotions?

by Joyce Meyer

The daily ups and downs of our emotions are one of the major struggles we have with our relationships. Instead of riding the emotional roller coaster, we need to become stable, solid, steadfast, persevering and determined people. If we continue to let our emotions rule over us, there’s no way we’ll ever be the person we were meant to be. Of course, none of us will ever be totally rid of emotions, but we must learn to manage and control them—not let them control us.

Life is no fun when we are controlled by feelings. Feelings change from day to day, hour to hour, even moment to moment. Not only do they change, they lie. For example, you may be in a crowd of people and feel that everybody is talking about you, but that doesn’t mean they are. You may feel that nobody understands you, but that doesn’t mean they don’t. You may feel you are misunderstood, unappreciated or even mistreated, but that doesn’t mean it is true. If we want to be mature, disciplined people, we must be determined not to walk according to what we feel.

People often ask me, “How can I know for sure whether I’m walking in the truth or walking according to my feelings and emotions?” I believe the answer is found in patience. Emotions urge us toward haste, telling us that we must do something and do it right now! But godly wisdom tells us to wait until we have a clear picture of what it is we are to do and when we are to do it. We need to be able to back off and view our situation from God’s perspective. We need to make decisions based on what we know rather than on what we feel.

July 1, 2009

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

–Reinhold Niebuhr