Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Happy Wednesday (Encouragement) (06/16/2010)

sup guys,

Roughly a year ago I made a decision that marked the switch between what close friends call "old edward" and "new edward." It wasn't simply a greater effort on my part to be more sociable, which is what it looked like on the surface. It was a decision that people, their lives, and their problems should matter to me. What followed was a storm of me asking for prayer requests and actively pursuing people with encouragements.

For a while now, i've noticed myself drifting from that. while I still retained that social openness, i find myself praying less and less for people and, in general, stopped caring with the same degree of passion. I could blame it on busy'ness of life , but life's always gonna be busy isn't it? That's no excuse. So I've begun praying for myself to return to the same passions and determination to be a blessing I possessed a year ago. I'd like to encourage everyone to join me in this too.

If I can put it in simple words, it's a matter of being considerate. It's about what Paul termed "prophesying," which had relatively little to do with fortune telling (as most ppl understand prophecies) and everything to do with speaking God's truth out of love into each other's lives. It's a gift we should ALL cultivate. I'm reminded of Jesus' mandate to peter right before his triple denial of the Christ, "when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." The wonderful thing about encouragement is the domino effect it has on the christian community. As one person is encouraged, they are in turn, emboldened to encourage others. This is what I want to see. We talk so much about community building and inreaching but before that can get off the ground, we need to start a culture of encouragement.

Encouragement for the week, be encouraging. Speaking from personal experience, I can think of no better remedy for loneliness than making a genuine effort to dispel loneliness in others.


Have a happy wednesday!

Edward


"But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and consolation...the one who prophesies builds up the church" - 1 Corinthians 14:3-4

"We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him..." - 2 Corinthians 7:7

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ...do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." - Philippians 2:1-4

How to pick puppies (taste test at 0:27)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxiESl-VY5E&feature=related

Happy Wednesday (Sabbath) (06/09/2010)

Yo,

a good chunk of this comes from a great matt chandler sermon:

I used to wonder about which day of the week sabbath was; saturday or sunday. According to hebrews 4, sabbath is every single day. Still, the concept of working for 6 days and resting on the 7th is one supported by scripture.

This concept of rest was true back in the days of moses, it is even more true today. Our mentality is so work-oriented that even our fun can become an item on a to-do list. We're constantly aiming to achieve something with our hours. Then there're blogs, twitter, facebook, gchat - we're so plugged into each other's lives yet im constantly hearing about how lonely and disconnected ppl feel.

The sabbath is God's answer to all of that. The day of rest when we unplug from chores and busy ourselves instead with reconnecting with God and people. I think this is the original intent of the sabbath. It's more than coming to church on sunday; it's about long lunches, friendly games of ping pong, pearl milk teas while catching up on each other's lives. It's about finding creative ways to kill each other hilariously in Mario Wii, and praying for each other's struggles. It's about worship, it's about reflection, and it's all ultimately about God.

It was never about pharisaic rules, what you can or can not do. Nor was it about which day of the week it should be. For most, the weekend is handy, but sabbath happens when a group of friends decide to cook together on a wednesday night. I think there's something absolutely holy and God exalting about christians delighting themselves in each other's company.

Encouragement for the week, make a habit of finding time to unplug from all the chores and make time for God, urself, family, and friends. Take walks with no other purpose except to unwind, have dinners/lunches without agenda, pray with the simple purpose of talking to God instead of presenting a list of needs and worries.

Have a happy Sabbath,

Edward

"Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it today... There remains , then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his." - Hebrews 4

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." - Colossians 2:16-17

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." - Mark 2:28


Hallelujah w/ letters to God from kids - cute (thx christina)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTaSVXMtoZs

Happy Wednesday (Teachable) (06/02/2010)

Sup guys,

As many of you know, I've been struggling with my application essay for a few weeks now. Although I submitted various drafts to the scrutiny of a number of people, I found myself resisting a lot of their input. Afterall, this is my life and my essay. what does that person know about what medical schools want to see? isn't that person's grammar worse than mine? before i knew it, i was arrogantly rejecting advice from my own mother! I think that was when i finally realized how pride has taken root in this endeavour right from the outset. Even when i take in suggestions here and there, there was always a resistance - almost as if i'd much rather hear affirmation than justified criticism.

I think one of hte marks of true humility is teachability. to gracefully accept advice from ones we trust. We would never grow if we always refuse guidance from those who have our best interest at heart. It is the same way with God, our pride would make us blind to our own sins as we resist God's guidance. Pride and mistrust is a difficult habit to shed. I think how we view people, our friends and family, is very similar to how we view God. If pride and mistrust prevents us from taking sound advice of friends and family, we'd have no better luck hearing God's criticism.

Encouragement for the week, try to be teachable. be in a place of humility where u're always able to accept possibility of being wrong. Not only does this make you a more pleasant person to be around, you make yourself open to God's sanctifying grace in your life. You would shut out man and God otherwise.

Have a happy wednesday!

edward

"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong." - Anonymous

"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." - Provers 13:10 (how tru dat is...)

"If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." - 1 John 4:20

Not sure if i showed this before but heres another episode of SIMONS CAT! =D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuf61OjvoPQ

Happy Wednesday (Errors) (05/27/2010)

Sup guys!

seems like internet is still funky at work...

Towards the end of matthew 22 the sadducees questioned jesus about marriage at the resurrection. Its a great story, and jesus pwn'd several hundred years worth of human theology, wisdom, and arrogance with a few simple sentences. What i wanted to draw our attention to is jesus' initial response, "you are in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God." how that so accurately describes us! I suspect alot of our errors in how we act and how we see the world/God comes, just as jesus said they did, from our lack of biblical understanding and a lack of trust in God's power.

Active pursuit of God through devoted, daily study of scriptures is the exception rather than the norm - and i completely count myself in this. without scriptural knowledge, we base our decisions and opinions on what people or our heart tells us (a very disney thing to do). yet how does the bible describe our heart? Jesus says that the heart is the source of evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, and so on. The heart is an easily swayed and inconstant guide at best; at its worst, it'll steer us away from Him. It led the sadducees to smugly deny the resurrection, it will lead us to smugly deny the power of Christ in our lives if we do not root ourselves in the truths of God. Cute anecdotes and heart warming messages aside, my sincere and earnest encouragement for the week, get into God's Word!

I'm serious!

Edward

"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." - Psalm 119:97

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalms 119:105

"Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." - Isaiah 29:13-14

kinda nifty video of google chrome browser speed test (thx grace!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4viKjxJqId0

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Happy Thursday (Perspective) (5/20/2010)

Hey guys,


Internet was down at work so sorry for lateness, nevertheless, happy Thursday! Still making my way through matthews. I think in the focused study of any book of the bible, like this or the 40 day reading of Acts we’re now doing at gscc (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Forty-Day-Walk/115344555164488?ref=ts), im often tempted to arrogantly presume to know everything God can possibly teach me. One of my greatest joys in personal devotion is to have that presumption proven wrong over and over again.


I think I finally understand the parable of the workers in the vineyard (mat 20), where various workers were hired to work in the vineyard throughout the day yet all received the same pay – despite different number of working hours. My worldly mind tends to agree with the complaints of the workers who toiled for the entire day yet received the same pay as the ones who worked a single hour. We often voice similar complaints in our daily struggles, like…I’m getting eternal life, but that guy’s getting eternal life AND a lamborghini…that’s not fair! To put things in proper prespective, imagine if the wages given in the parable was $1 million instead of 1 measly denarius…would the workers still quibble over working 8 hours that day instead of 1? Now instead of $1million, imagine eternity with God – our wage for a lifetime of following our Lord. Does it make sense to quibble over ~80 years of devoted service getting the same reward as a deathbed confessor? Rather, the joy of obtaining Christ and eternity should drown out such protests.


To paraphrase a john piper analogy, for us to get eternal life and to still demand a happy, prosperous, pampered, worry-free life is akin to be given the entire pacific ocean and still ask for a cup of water on top of that. Our indignant protests do lose some of their force given that perspective doesn’t it? We just need to see heaven. My encouragement for the week.


Have an awesomost rest of the week!


Edward


“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44


“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23


“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18


baby sloths, butt scratchy at 1:08!! >.< (thx christina!)

http://vimeo.com/11712103

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Happy Wednesday (Prayer) (05/12/2010)

hayo,

this has been one of those ongoing question for me, how exactly does our prayers stack up against the sovereignty of God?

One the one hand, we have exodus 32 where Moses apparently convinces God to not destroy the israelite nation, and jesus himself tells us "ask and it shall be given to you...for everyone who asks receives..." On the other hand the sovereignty of God, namely His in-control-ness over everything that happens, is a recurring theme throughout scripture as well.

so what's the deal? is the all knowing and all powerful God in absolute control or can He be swayed by the flimsy will and prayers of humanity? If he has already decided South Africa will win the world cup, why is each team represented by hordes of praying fans? Ultimately, If he already knows the final results of all our prayer requests, is there any point for us to persist in prayer - to plead for what is already decided? (short answer: Yes)

matt chandler handles this question like this, while God has absolute authority and control over who comes to Him, preaching is a means of accomplishing this divinely appointed will.
"how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? and how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Rom 10:14) Sermons, godly lives, and fellowships thus become instruments in carrying out the will of God in people's salvation and therefore such things MATTERS. Prayer works on the same level, it becomes - in ways i can't understand - instrumental in carrying out God's will and therefore MATTERS.

the correct attitude in prayer should be like that of Jesus in gethsemane, where he earnestly plead with God to take the burden of hte cross from him (knowing full well that the cross must happen) yet submitted to God by saying "not my will but Yours be done." There is a very human, and honest admission of fear and wants in perfect sync with humility and obedience - this is what i think we're supposed to strive for in prayer.

When we pray the words "not my will but Yours be done" do not say it as a fail-safe - as if you need to protect God's existence from unanswered prayers, do it as an acknowledgement of His sovereignty over your life. Praying like this helps us avoid making the objects of our prayers idols in our lives and serves the dual purpose of worship and sanctification.

Encouragement for the week: pray. To actively, honestly, wholeheartedly, and humbly pray concerning the fears, wants, needs and praises in your life.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him...and the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well..." - James 5:13-15

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." - Luke 22:42

In keeping w/ the dancing baby trend...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aswr40bLaE&feature=related

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Happy Wednesday (Rights) (05/05/2010)

sup all,

im fairly sure that this has happened to everyone at least once this week already - where we give our all to love or serve someone and instead of being rewarded with a thank you or gratitude, we unjustly received apathy or even disdain/rebuke in return for our efforts (if u're a parent, this probably occur several times a day).

when we love or serve its so easy to feel like we are owed a certain treatment in return, isn't it? we demand, "how DARE they do this to me, after all i've done for them?!" should we be entitled to gratitude when we serve others? of course! but how we react when this is denied marks us as children of God or of the world. for us to say that we're the better friend, the more generous coworker, the more sacrificing spouse or to demand of others those few denariis owed to us is to ignore our ten thousand talent debt that is cancelled daily because of grace (matthew 18:21-35). we rise in anger at every indignation against us, yet how often do we burn with the same anger at our own sins or short comings?

Paul laid down his rights as an apostle for hte sake of hte gospel - and stoically accepted the corinthian's lack of financial support. I believe he is able to do this because the love and service he provided was for hte sake of the kingdom. he trusted that his reward, his worth, his affirmation, and his needs will be met by a heavenly source so there is no need for an earthly one. I hate how i can get so hurt and angry sometimes when i dont get a simple thank you or invited to an event by a person i've shown kindness to. How i would crave earthly attention and rewards for my deeds. if we knew our Father sees it all and is pleased with us, shouldn't that be enough?

encouragement for the week: dont hurt or burn yourself out and dont be taken advantage of, but in day to day matters be peace makers as you show willingness to surrender your rights and strive to lift up your brothers and sisters as Christ has done for us.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." - Philippians 2:3-4

"If we have sown spiritual seeds among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?... But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 9:11-12

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so...you will abound in every good work... Now he who supplies seed to the sower...will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." - 2 Corinthians 9:7-11


dancing baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSJ41xcUhuw&feature=related

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Happy Wednesday (Suffering) (04/28/2010)

Sup everyone!

What better way to start a post on suffering than mentioning the MCATs? It's finally over and i should have the scores by the end of the month, thx so much to everyone who prayed for me!

A while back i heard an awesome observation made in a matt chandler sermon and have wanted to write about it for the longest time. Hebrews 11 paints this tapestry of faith in israel's history with stories about moses, gideon, and david, etc etc. But then we drop down to v35 where we go from stories of triumph to stories of saints being tortured, imprisoned, and brutally killed. Triumph to suffering in a single verse without even the decency of a transition word. The observation made was that the suffering saints post-v35 were no worse than the triumphant saints pre-v35. In other words whether they triumphed or suffered was entirely in the will of God and not their actions.

I think it's so easy for us to look at sufferings of good people (esp ourselves) and the successes of people who (in our opinion) does not deserve it and question the justice of God. Without intending to, it's so easy to see blessings in our lives as rewards for our services and obedience and our sufferings as acts of punishment from God when NEITHER is the case. Jesus himself said of those who would leave their families and treasures that they would receive back a hundred fold what they've lost in His name in the age to come - our reward for obedience is eternal life, God himself; not the beautiful wife, or obedient children, or prosperous careers. By the same token the punishment for our sins, including the ones we're about to commit later on today, was completely paid for at the cross. For us to say "God is making me go through this suffering to punish me for that sin" is tantamount to us saying the cross was not enough.

I guess the encouragement for the week, for those of us who're struggling, to not look upon sufferings of this life as injustice. Christ having to die for our sins is injustice: gracious and merciful injustice. Suffering in this age is not punitive, rather it is purifying. Also, God would never give us more than we're able, by His grace and power, to handle. Keeping both these truths firmly in mind, I want to be able to see suffering as acts of mercy and love from God and to be able to rejoice and praise Him both in it and for it.

Have a happy wednesday and may we suffer well this week,

Edward

"...who conquered kingdoms...shut the mouths of lions...routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured...while others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawn in two...." - Hebrews 11:33-36

"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" - Job 41:11

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." - Romans 8:18

Kinda wrong, slightly freudian...but very very funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yDDMznsa4A&feature=related

Happy Wednesday (Question) (04/21/2010)

Alrite, i wanted to take a break from writing for a week and instead pose a semi-serious question.

Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons? =D

Have a fantastic wednesday and awesome rest of the week!

Edward

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-GEBXx6NH0

Happy Wednesday (Value) (04/14/2010)

Yo,

some observations i made recently on a person's worth and identity. I think we have a tendency to identify ourselves by the relationships and things in our lives that we value most. There are two ways in which a person or a thing can have value/importance: rarity and intrinsically.

A thing can be valuable by being rare - this is the case with gold, diamonds, or olympic level talent. In human terms this is usually achieved through diligent effort. A student achieves an A in the class - which, as shown by the infamous bell curve, is pretty rare - by studying. Athletes becomes the best at what they do by excelling beyond their peers. In this value system the more rare, the more capable, the more skilled the performance, the greater the value. In this way most people can gain recognition, value, and meaning through working hard - this is probably one of the most intoxicating and addicting part of our labours.

The second way is to have value intrinsically. This is value that isn't based on rarity or effort, it is value that can only be given by others. In other words the thing or person is valuable because someone else thinks of them as valuable. You can find better cars than my '95 green mitsubishi (named Eden) in almost any parking lot, yet I could never think to replace her until the day she dies on me because i have so many memories with that car, and have decided that she is important to me.

In our most treasured and valued relationships, I think our worth should be based on the intrinsic. We're valued because people who care about us believe us to be valuable. We're important to them because, in the same way, they're valuable to us. That value shapes our identity. It makes us proud/honoured to call ourselves this girl's father, or that person's friend. Love gives value to people and things.

We've all heard about how we should identify ourselves as sons and daughters of God. How does that work? When the worst of life hits you, what does being that "child of God" even mean? How do u make that matter or even to believe it? I think the way to feel valued in God's eyes is the same way you would feel valued in your family or friends eyes - by valuing Him. Value gives rise to value. God has decided since before time began that we were worth dying for, we already have intrinsic value (because He said so), each of us are worth one Son to God. But just like how so many young people would miss/ignore their parents' love by failing to value them in return - you will never believe yourself to be of value in God's eyes until you value Him.

Encouragement for the week, seek intrinsic instead of performance value with God and people. Whether life is awesome or the pits for you right now, value God in everything you do. Make much of Him, think of Him, praise and glorify Him - and feel the love of the Father as you delight in your identity as a child of God.

Have a Happy Wednesday!

Edward

"For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also" Luke 12:34

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son" John 3:16

Dolphins blowing bubble rings and playing w/ them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DqgmYi_Dro&feature=related

Happy Wednesday (Truth) (04/07/2010)

Sup guys,

I think most of us have had the term "Postmodernism" preached to us enough times to have a general grasp of wat it means, the denial of objective and knowable truths. While i wouldn't go so far as to say we're completely ruled by postmodern thought, I think this trend tends to make us makes us ask two questions:

- "who are u to tell me what truth is?" (resist hearing truth)

and

- "who am i to tell them what truth is?" (resist giving truth)

its not simply a rejection of authority, postmodernism makes us afraid of truth. It makes us afraid to trust in people who claim to know it, and it makes us afraid to think we might have it. we're culturally disinclined towards giving or receiving even needed criticism and rebuke of any kind, even the term "preachy" evokes a negative imagery in our minds. The simple, counter-cultural act of declaring to the world "I know the Truth" paints bright red targets on our chests.

To paraphrase john piper paraphrasing someone else (-.-v), in the 60s nonchristians would indignantly demand of christians, "how could you believe THAT to be the truth?" nowadays, nonchristians would indignantly demand of christians, "how could you CLAIM to know the truth at all?"

We need Truths in our lives, Truths like God's atoning sacrifice for us and how precious we are in His sight; that God exists, heaven exists, hell exists. Facts such as God being in control over all things, that He is Good and Love, that we can't earn our own salvation. Be able to say, think, and express solid Truths like these because so often, when troubles come into our lives or we're faced with nonchristian friends, it's so unbelievably (ahahah get it? get it?) easy for these truths to slip from us as we fall into the gravity of postmodernism.

Encouragement for the week, believe and trust in Truths. Postmodernism dilutes Truth by treating all truths as soft and malleable, it delights in fusing ideas together and labeling it all as true. It tells that lie to a world in desperate need of rock solid Truths. Dont buy into it.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding..." - Proverbs 3:13

"Then we will no longer be infants...blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ." - Ephesians 4:14-15

"Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." - John 18:37 (that's jesus talking)
____

so wrong and kinda freudian but...kinda, sorta, almost cute....right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yDDMznsa4A&feature=related

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Happy Wednesday (Pleasure) (03/31/10)

Hayo everybody,

It's no surprise that God created appetites and also pleasures to satisfy them, but I wanted to dig at the purpose of pleasure. on the one hand pleasure IS a gift and blessing to His beloved children, on the other (the part we often forget) it is meant to serve as a reminder to worship. pleasure is meant to be God-glorifying when coupled w/ thankfulness. This is why i do not consider as sanctity, the ascerbic denial of pleasure for its own sake - fasting is pointless unless it is coupled with praise.

This is why we say grace before we eat, to take at least 10-30 seconds out of our busy lives to essentially say "hey God, i have food, it is good(?) for me and will probably taste delicious - i get pleasure out of eating this. This is ultimately a gift from You, so thank You." This is, i think, the proper way to experience pleasure - any pleasure. When we delight in art, music, our loved ones, our...ahem...spouses, our strength, and our beauty, we should be just as persistent and genuine in giving God glory through thanksgiving as we do in meal time prayers.

I go on to say that anything outside of that becomes sin. Pleasure for its own sake, without thanksgiving to the God who gave it to you is pride and idolatry. This means a man can be damned for eating a piece of chocolate without an attitude of thankfulness by essentially thinking, "I earned this chocolate, this chocolate is rightfully mine, I deserve this pleasure." Purposefully exaggerated, but on some levels, this IS how we all think when we fail to give God praise. I dont say this to use fear or guilt as a call to worship, but to hopefully show how much grace is accorded us DAILY when we sin by forgetting God. Sin is not simply doing bad things, but also turning morally neutral, or even good, things into idols.

Lastly, given that we're designed to hunger and long for things Eternal, experiencing good and beautiful things and attributing praise to God is the ONLY way to experience true, lasting pleasure. This is because what we're really looking for when we seek worldly pleasures is Eternity. Solomon was able to experience everything the world had to offer in terms of pleasure and his conclusion towards the end of his life was that apart from God, all of it was a meaningless chasing after the wind.

Encouragement for the week, glorify God with our pleasures and appetites through active praise and thanksgiving.

Have a pleasurable week!

Edward

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." - 1 Timothy 4:4–5

"But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." - Romans 14:23

"'Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible for me' - but I will not be mastered by anything." - 1 Corinthians 6:12

After the dentist (thx sandy!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Happy Wednesday! (Linked) (03/25/2010)

hey guys,

a conversation earlier this week reminded me of an awesome sermon. Piper, borrowing the words of Jonathan Edwards, made the point that Christian virtues are concatenated (that is: to be interdependent, linked, connected). This means that you can't simply be strong in one virtue and weak everywhere else; or be strong in almost everything but lacking in one. It's all one packaged deal. In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit - fruit (singular) and not fruits (plural). So its not a matter of growing the fruit of love and another fruit of peace, its a matter of cultivating one tree (you) into yielding one fruit that has all the characteristics of holiness.

I say this because im convinced that it's impossible to have true humility without self control. While the two doesn't seem like they have anything to do with each other, both are characteristics God wants us to cultivate. Thing is...to lack self control (be it with food, video games, relationships, or pornography) is nothing less than the gratification of your own desires. Humility is all about selflessness. You can never be genuinely humble when you have a habit of selfishness.

Another example that i've noticed in myself these past few days, I dont think its possible to love without being hopeful. An unsaved family member, coworkers who drive you nuts, a friend with a bad habit - all these relationships where we believe we're genuinely loving people, but have given up hope in seeing God move in their lives. Where there is no hope, there is no prayer, and therefore no faith - in short, there is no real desire for God to bring about Good in this person's life. Simply putting up with people doesn't seem like love to me, puts a new spin on the phrase "love your enemy" doesn't it? Among many other things, true love hopes; desperately, faithfully, painfully, against-all-evidence-that-says-otherwise-ly hopes. This is tremendously harsh...but any love that is NOT hopeful, or patient, or trusting, or selfless, or perseveres; any love that fails to protect, is an imperfect love. It is not Love the way God Loves, and it is a kind of love that can be distorted and twisted into something harmful.

List can go on and on. My aim is not to put down people's efforts towards sanctity and Godliness. But I want to be aware that i can't split up aspects of my spiritual walk like some kind of homework problem set; to work on patience today and kindness tomorrow. I want to encourage everyone to pursue holiness with this holistic (ahahah get it? get it?) understanding of concatenated virtues. I want the genuine pursuit of Godliness to move us away from posturing and posing and into true kindness that is also joyful, true peace that doesn't forget love, and true gentleness marked by self control.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." - Galatians 5:22-23

"Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

hahahaha, hamsta stuck in a video game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I9xMVbtTdY&feature=related

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy Wednesday! (Maturity) (03/17/2010)

Sup guys,

Hebrews 5:11-14; 6:1-3 (http://tinyurl.com/yk2a98p, http://tinyurl.com/ylalbte)

I've been told that chapters and verses weren't in original scriptures but were a later addition. The same goes for those lil one-line description for sections of bible. Like the one just above Hebrews 6, "Warning Against Falling Away." I often use these descriptions to zero in on passage i want to read and that particular one (above hebrew6) caught my eyes this morning because right below it, i had the "you need milk not solid food" passage highlighted. It got me wondering what food had to do with falling away, this was what I learnt.

The author was lamenting hte lack of spiritual growth in the hebrew church, the analogy used was how they're still stuck on baby food when they should be eating steak. I think it is important to eat spiritual foods that match our state of growth. As a new believer, it isn't wise to dive right into heavy theology/service. It would be like a beginning guitarist refusing to do basic drills and instead tries to learn to play a song that is waaaay beyond his skill level; then, getting discouraged, he quits guitar entirely. I think in teh same way new believers have certain crucial foundations in their understanding of God that needs to be laid, without which they're likely to fall away in times of trials and persecution.

But there's a second warning here in Hebrews 6. I imagine most christians on this list DO have solid foundations in their understanding of Christ. An adult would find no satisfaction in eating baby food alone. In the same way, once that guitarist masters his basic drills - unless he moves onto more advanced lessons, he'd quickly lose interest and end up quitting for lack of challenges as well. To not grow in our spiritual life is to stagnate. We're meant to be challenged in our faith, to continuously seek out new understandings of God instead of sitting on the basic foundations that originally brought us into christianity. Often times i find my spiritual walk to be little more than an endless cycle of sin and repentance. Not that we are to stop repenting, but if that is all our christianity is made up of we'll be stuck in that cycle not GOING anywhere. Humans aren't designed to live unchallenged lives. Being stuck in that cycle without any growth and without constant examples of God's grace/love in our lives as proven by hardships and lessons learnt, we will find our faith growing stagnant and like that guitarist, see little point in continuing in something we're so passionless about. Worse yet, we simply get by on routine and pretense - alive on the outside, spiritually dead on the inside - and deceive ourselves and others into thinking we have New Life.

Encouragement for the week, seek to challenge yourself beyond the barest minimum of christianity. Foundations and basics are important but passion demands growth. There is more to THIS than sin/repentance, I want us all to press on towards greater maturity in Christ and to continuously seek to challenge our faith without taking on more than we're able (by God's grace) to handle. Lets constantly delve into deeper things of God and stretch our capacities to love, to learn, to sacrifice, and to grow.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!" - Acts 2:15

"Then [Jesus] told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine...This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." - John 2:8-11

(happy st paddy's =D)

awesomest gift idea ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9hnZX6eyTA&feature=related

Happy Wednesday! (Holes) (Unused)

Sup guys

no...this is not another painful pun about socks w/ holes in it (apologies to those who had to sit through that last sunday). i was listening to a sermon by cj mahaney earlier this week and something he said in passing early in the message caught my attention. It was not the main focus of his sermon so i missed it in the past but the point kinda hammered home this time around.

He talks about thomas jefferson's efforts to make hte bible believable and inoffensive. In the Jefferson Bible, officially titled Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Jefferson sought to cut out any supernatural events, any references to jesus' divinity, as well as any bits that he considered misinterpretations by the four gospel writers. Using a razor, jefferson cut literal holes in his bible, selected bits and pieces that didn't offend him from the four gospels, and rearranged them in rough chronological order to create a single narrative. The jefferson bible ended with the burial of christ - no resurrection, no pentacost, no redeemed Peter/Paul - Jesus died, period. The End.

while most of us wouldn't be so arrogant as to physically remove/edit bits of the bible, I was reminded that this is in effect what we do everytime we deliberately ignore or conveniently forget laws of God. Isn't it? The bits that we find uncomfortable or offensive are the exact bits we tend to defocus on. Instead we hone in on the bits that talks about forgiveness and grace, the parts that talks about our adoption as children of God, all the highlighted portions of our bibles that give us warm and fuzzy feelings. We crave inner healing and affirmation but avoid conviction like a plague. If not in my own devotions, very definitely in my personal walk, i often find myself deemphasizing the parts of scripture that talks about hating worldly desires, practicing holiness, dying to myself, and taking up my daily cross. Encouragement for the week, let us not treat God's word with contempt in our selective understanding of holy scripture, and pursue with wholehearted honesty the holiness He has mapped out for us.

Happy Wednesday!

edward

"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teachers others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:18-20

Inmates from the Philippines performing Jai Ho (slumdog millionaire)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTMUZ39UHgo&feature=related

Happy Thursday! (Hope) (03/11/2010)

Sup guys,

I wont lie, this is a long one and im not even gonna bother to apologize for my tardiness. Heard this from a Tim Keller sermon (http://tinyurl.com/yeg6nw7) and thought it was awesome enough for me to scrap what i had written up before for yesterday's email and use this instead. highly recommend listening to it as i reeeeally didn't do keller justice here. The verse is 1 Peter 1:3-8 and, as the subject suggests, it talks about hope. Specifically for those who don't have much of it because of sorrow, fear, and worries (probably all of us).

Keller points out that Peter writes both the rejoicing and the experience of sorrow in present tense, meaning both are happening at the same time. Peter tells us to rejoice while in sorrow. How is that possible?! I mean realistically speaking, joy is usually the last thing on my mind when im suffering. There're times in my anger or sorrow when I can barely work up the inclination to even pray, much less remind myself to be joyful. In a world where the average person associates hope/joy with perishable things and suffering with the loss of these very perishable things, this doesn't seem possible. I liked the way verse 4 puts it, our hope is in the imperishable.

I think christians often have a wrong view on the way to handle grief, worries, and fear. Scripture is so full of promises of joy and peace in spite of present suffering that some christians (or at least edward) adopt an almost macho/masochistic approach to suffering. Assuming the suffering doesn't crush them outright, i think we (or, again, at least edward) take the position that it is somehow sinful to grieve and take fear/worry and admitting hurt as an indication of a lack of faith. It becomes worldly to grieve, because we're supposed to be strong in the Lord and appear cheerful, if our outward appearance somehow deviate from that there must be something wrong with us. Spiritual macho'ism mistakenly tells us to "jus have faith, dont cry and dont scream in agony. just be ok and whatever you do, dont cause a scene." This sounds very extreme but there're countless ways this manifests itself: distrust of the opposite gender after a painful relationship, blaming ourselves for tragedies when the fault was never ours, develop an uncaring attitude towards a harsh parent. we come up with all sorts of ways to protect ourselves from grief. While none of these three examples of sorrow management sound particularly joyful/happy, i would argue that they share this in common with each other, they don't allow the person to deal with their grief and hurt in an honest way. Instead, these methods channel the sorrow into anger or indifference and both can be equally sinful. That's just the point, hope ALLOWS us to experience fear, hurt, and grief and be strengthened by it. Verse 7 talks about the refining of gold in fire as an analogy.

Even if we are able to grieve openly, i still think most ppl dissociate joy from sorrow because we dont believe the two can mix. We enter into our faith thinking "well of course ill go through rough times, but if i hold on long enough, God will pull me through to the good times." The thing is, it's not about good or rough times, our joy and hope is founded on something beyond our present circumstances and solely upon our Lord and Saviour (romans 8:18 agrees with edward). If we're only joyful in the good times and not the bad, it hints that perhaps our hopes does not rest solely upon Him. God is with us not just on the other side of suffering but in its midst as well - this gives us reason to be joyful even in sorrow. Living hope makes us sadder and more joyful at the SAME time with the loss of a loved one, or job, or pet hamster, or watever else. It frees us to have the humility to grieve openly but at the same time, since our hopes rest in the imperishable and we know that God is working this loss to our good, we can freely rejoice. Christ is the perfect embodiment of this, we see him grieve openly and honestly, especially in the garden of gethsemane. Yet concerning his most sorrowful and painful experience, hebrews 12 says this of Jesus, "for the joy set before him [he] endured the cross." Jesus was not jus sorrowful in the garden, he was joyful at the same time. weird but true.

But lets get practical now, how do we feel joy when our natural inclination in sorrow won't allow us this? Afterall, this is not a natural reaction. Verse 8 tells us that hope/joy is to LOVE him. I think that's probably the key to all of this. I haven't had the chance to field test this yet myself, but I think the promise is that even in the midst of our sorrow, if we remember how much God loves us and how we love Him, we get filled with that "inexpressible and glorious joy" peter talks about. Dont let sorrow or worry distract you from that love for a millisecond, that's where sin and lack of faith truly lies - not in the worry or sorrow themselves, but in the distraction.

Encouragement for the week, practice this next time life sux for u: Allow urself to grieve/worry honestly, but at the same time remind yourself of hte love between you and God, remember where your hope is, and be genuinely joyful and sad at the same time. This is the only way i can think of to worry/grieve in faith and without committing the sin of idolatry.

Happy Thursday!

Edward

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish... In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith...may be be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..." 1 Peter 1:3-8

Inmates from philippines dancing to jai ho (slumdog millionaire) - awesome way to rehabilitate criminals back into society, they really seem to enjoy themselves =D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTMUZ39UHgo

Happy Wednesday! (Maturity) (03/17/2010)

Sup guys,

Hebrews 5:11-14; 6:1-3 (http://tinyurl.com/yk2a98p, http://tinyurl.com/ylalbte)

I've been told that chapters and verses weren't in original scriptures but were a later addition. The same goes for those lil one-line description for sections of bible. Like the one just above Hebrews 6, "Warning Against Falling Away." I often use these descriptions to zero in on passage i want to read and that particular one (above hebrew6) caught my eyes this morning because right below it, i had the "you need milk not solid food" passage highlighted. It got me wondering what food had to do with falling away, this was what I learnt.

The author was lamenting hte lack of spiritual growth in the hebrew church, the analogy used was how they're still stuck on baby food when they should be eating steak. I think it is important to eat spiritual foods that match our state of growth. As a new believer, it isn't wise to dive right into heavy theology/service. It would be like a beginning guitarist refusing to do basic drills and instead tries to learn to play a song that is waaaay beyond his skill level; then, getting discouraged, he quits guitar entirely. I think in teh same way new believers have certain crucial foundations in their understanding of God that needs to be laid, without which they're likely to fall away in times of trials and persecution.

But there's a second warning here in Hebrews 6. I imagine most christians on this list DO have solid foundations in their understanding of Christ. An adult would find no satisfaction in eating baby food alone. In the same way, once that guitarist masters his basic drills - unless he moves onto more advanced lessons, he'd quickly lose interest and end up quitting for lack of challenges as well. To not grow in our spiritual life is to stagnate. We're meant to be challenged in our faith, to continuously seek out new understandings of God instead of sitting on the basic foundations that originally brought us into christianity. Often times i find my spiritual walk to be little more than an endless cycle of sin and repentance. Not that we are to stop repenting, but if that is all our christianity is made up of we'll be stuck in that cycle not GOING anywhere. Humans aren't designed to live unchallenged lives. Being stuck in that cycle without any growth and without constant examples of God's grace/love in our lives as proven by hardships and lessons learnt, we will find our faith growing stagnant and like that guitarist, see little point in continuing in something we're so passionless about. Worse yet, we simply get by on routine and pretense - alive on the outside, spiritually dead on the inside - and deceive ourselves and others into thinking we have New Life.

Encouragement for the week, seek to challenge yourself beyond the barest minimum of christianity. Foundations and basics are important but passion demands growth. There is more to THIS than sin/repentance, I want us all to press on towards greater maturity in Christ and to continuously seek to challenge our faith without taking on more than we're able (by God's grace) to handle. Lets constantly delve into deeper things of God and stretch our capacities to love, to learn, to sacrifice, and to grow.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!" - Acts 2:15

"Then [Jesus] told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine...This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." - John 2:8-11

(happy st paddy's =D)

awesomest gift idea ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9hnZX6eyTA&feature=related

Monday, March 8, 2010

Sermon: Pursuit of Holiness (03/07/10)

For those of you who dont get it...that's a sock with a hole in it. it's a holey sock. Holey. As in it has an opening in it, but it sounds a lot like the word "Holy," which is how we describe the living God. It's a pun. I made a punny on my first sermon.

I am by no means qualified to talk on the topic of holiness. I stand here as a sinful man. I can give a message on holiness and anyone of you would be right in calling me a hypocrit after im done. This is not modesty, just the plain, ugly, and honest truth. I am arrogant, selfish, lustful, and quick to anger. As preacher once said, "I am not obsessed with holiness because I am holy. I love the holiness of God because it is my only hope. Without his mercy and holiness there would be no restraint to my wickedness." I was given carte blanche by uncle joe to pick any topic i wanted and i choose this one because it is so important to our lives and I think is utterly essential to our understanding of the Apostle's Creed which we've been studying. I want us to get a true glimpse at this God that we believe in. So please pray with me as I ask for God's help to try and communicate the words He wants said.

[prayer]

let me make this clear: this sermon is not simply edward telling you to stop sinning and be more like Jesus. That WILL happen, but it isn't my primary goal. My initial impulse is to give you all a definition of the word "holy" in order to give you a solid framework to hang this sermon on - that's the structured way to do it and I tend to like structure. I decided not to do that though, at least not yet. i want to take holiness in all its angles before coming, hopefully, to some form of conclusion as to what holiness should mean to us and what it means to pursue it. I think most of us have a general grasp of the word "holy." we imagine holiness to be bright lights and clouds in the heavens (we really do, i google imaged it).

I think the word "Holy" has two aspects to it. On the one hand, it has EVERYTHING to do with what you're doing on the computer in the middle of the night, it has to do with the grudges you hold. It has to do with how you deal with pride. Sin and holiness certainly encompasses all of these things. I think moralistic purity is probably the definition most people tack onto God when they think of the word "Holy." But I would argue that this understanding of holiness is insufficient by itself. If we observe holiness in light of moralistic purity alone, God repeatedly breaks His own commandment, "thou shalt not kill." We get nervous when nonbelievers point at stories like the judgement fire poured upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and we cringed at how the earth opened up and swallowed unbelievers. Really, we dont even have to look in scriptures for examples, God has killed every human being since the dawn of time (with exception of two, enoch and elijah). It's called death, it symbolizes everything we hate and fear, and its something we'll all go through with. Yet despite being the author of death, God remains (to use john piper's words) "impeccably holy!" It's not about moralistic purity, at least in the sense that we understand it, its about something higher.

The other, and i think the primary, meaning of the word "Holy," or "Kadesh" in Hebrew, is transcendence and separation. It's the "otherness" of God that is most glorifying. In the vision described in Isaiah 6, we find the seraphims declaring "Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lord God Almighty!" I'm told that the Hebrew language uses repetition as the mode of emphasis, to say something 3 times is like typing in CAP LOCK, size 30 font, bolded, italicized and underlined. It was not enough to say "Holy" or "Holy Holy," they take it up to the third degree - no other attribute of God is praised in this way, not His wisdom and not His power. Only His uniqueness and separation, His absolute VALUE, that human language tries its best to sum up with the word "Holy."

I think the natural human response to God's holiness, as I just defined it, is fear. Ever heard of the term xenophobia? It's the fear of strangers or the unknown. I think if we were to truly encounter God in all his glorious holiness, we'd be struck w/ the worst case of xenophobia imaginable. Consider the disciples's reaction when jesus calmed the storm (Read Mark 4:35). You would think they were afraid of the storm, but we see that their fears became even greater upon witnessing Jesus calming the waves and winds. The disciple's response was based on their fear of the holy. It was not Christ's moralistic purity but His alien'ness that look lustfully at scared the bejesus out of them. Their reaction was not "oooooh...jesus u're sooo holy, u never tell a lie...ooooo." It was more like "JESUS CHRIST, WHAT ARE YOU MAN?!" ...Profanity was intended. we often sneer at how spiritually blind the disciples are. oh we'll usually say that we're no better but a part of us always think we would've done better if we were in their shoes. But really...even if their fearful response was born out of sinful, human nature, they at least saw jesus for who he was. I wonder if we could even lay that claim upon our own perception of christ. Do we even SEE the real Christ. the Holy One of Isra El. Or do we look to the Holy Father as a genie and pout when things fail to go the way we want, do we shake our fist at Him in the midst of tragedy. The only sane response upon a true encounter with holiness is fear and trembling, and this you'll find throughout scripture. There is an aversion built into the heart of sinful man against anything holy precisely because it is so foreign and alien to us. In the words of R.C. Sproul "As long as our gaze is fixed on the horizontal plane of this earth, we have no problem with ourselves. But if we lift our gaze to heaven and contemplate what God is, we will be broken. Security and smugness is annihilated."

Because if holiness defines God's otherness from us, sin defines OUR otherness from Him. Let's face it, our natural selves don't want a Holy God. We want an unholy god that is humanly predictable and does what we expect/want of Him. one that embodies what WE envision as good. We want to create a "safe" god to accommodate our unholy ways, a god we can RELATE to. An idol. God's Holiness means that He IS morally pure, which is exactly why He can not act the way unholy humans expect Him to - can't operate by the same rules - He needs to be separate/above creation. The two aspects of Holiness are interconnected. I really want us to get this, how he is so different from us precisely because of His moral perfection, and our depravity. His holiness means that his moral purity is so far above ours that we don't even understand it and it becomes alien and foreign to us.

(everything he does for the good of those who love him; maxi good)

Holiness won't always appear the way we think it should, that's not God's fault, it's ours. One question nonbelievers often ask to trip up christians is "how could a good, loving and all powerful God permit human suffering? either He wants to help but cant, in which case he's not all powerful; or he could help but doesn't want to and is therefore not good." I think the answer to that lies in the fact that He is Holy. In His holiness, His unique and uncompromising nature of moral perfection, God aims at maximizing Good at the end of all things, even if it means suffering in this lifetime. If there is one way in which God is limited, it is that He can't NOT be God, He can not do anything that would lead to less Good than is possible at the end of time - His Holy nature will not permit Him that. Holiness is the only way I can explain how a Good and all powerful God exists in a suffering world. (present suffering not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us) In other words, God is being Holy when you face rejection, persecution, slander, ridicule, loneliness, depression, and exhaustion; when the worst imaginable thing happens to you, He is being Holy. God was being Holy when he allowed the Haiti earthquake, or withholds rain from famine stricken countries, or choose not to answer prayers of cancer patients....... I learnt earlier this week that three of the villages i recently served in Uganda was hit by a mudslide that killed hundreds of people. Children who took refuge in schools, buried alive; patients who took refuge in hospitals, buried alive; christians who took refuge in churches, buried alive. EVERYTHING destroyed, the economy of the entire district devastated - leaving the already impoverished survivors in even greater poverty... God was being HOLY when he permitted ALL of this because SOMEHOW, in ways we can't begin to imagine, it will all add up to greater Good in the end. Hold ONTO that fact so that when disaster hits your life you have a ROCK to hold onto and won't curse the Holy One of Israel. In the face of suffering believers are given three choices, to shut our eyes and pretend it did not happen, to renounce God's Goodness, or to believe in faith, that He is being Holy in bringing this to pass. I'll push it even further and go on to say that God would be UNholy if he averted/interfered with events such that there would ULTIMATELY be less Good in the end, even if in the short run it would mean Haiti averted, or cancer cured, or......young lives saved. Do you see how uncomfortable that makes us feel? Do you SEE how uncomfortable that makes us feel? This claim I'm making...that God would be unholy and unworthy of our worship if He were to answer some of our best intentioned prayers... We're so accustomed to thinking about "holiness" from a humanity centered perspective... It's not, holiness was, is, and always will be GOD centered. Holiness doesn't come cheaply, not for us, and especially NOT for God. Holiness meant having to allow Haiti, or cancer or bududa, it means allowing children He desperately LOVES to suffer. Holiness meant turning His back on the Son as He was crucified, the most horrific of tragedies to happen in human history, deicide! Never. take. the word. "Holy." lightly. Im not playing word games here with this concept of "Holiness" - to give you all this cool new definition or outlook on this sunday school term. I want us to see this Holy God, to truly SEE Him, and to be utterly amazed at this...being that we gave our lives to and who gave His live for us in order to overcome this separation defined by His very Holy nature and our sinfulness.

Which brings us to the Cross, the ultimate expression of God's love and holiness. I spent all this time to tell you how different, alien and inaccessible God is to us. Now, if uncle joseph and ben will allow me 5 more minutes, I want to spend what little time I have left to tell you how he MADE himself accessible. Jesus made it possible for us to come to the Father (noone comes to the father except through me). To make US holy, a mark of separation from this world, and in doing so glorify the Father and the Son. That was the whole point of the Cross, it's not about us and our salvation, but about God and His glorification. I promised uncle joseph that I would talk about how we should stop sinning and to pursue holiness. so, here it is: everyone ready? you should stop sinning and pursue holiness. hahaha...really, what else is there to say? Is the Holiness of our God not enough? let me leave you a verse to hang this on, (hebrews 12:1-2) Notice it doesn't just say throw off sin, but EVERYTHING that entangles, even morally neutral things. You all know what im talking about. All the idols that we set up in our lives: sports, families, grades, careers, relationships. Everything that is not brought before the cross in submission to the Father's will. Holiness is more than moral purity and more than a list of rules we follow. If you were to ask 10 people what they thought it means to "pursue holiness" you'd get 10 different answers (i know, i tried), but most of their definitions point towards this concept of imitating Christ. Be like jesus, WWJD, 10 steps to being more like jesus - books and cds for sale in the foyer after the service. But what do we really mean when we say we want to be more like Jesus? Are we to imitate his humility in serving others (philippians tells us to do this), or perhaps we need to imitate his unconditional love (1 corinthians tells us to do this too), scripture is FULL of commands that would have us emulate characteristics of Christ and we come to believe this to be all it takes to be Holy. if we could just figure out which traits we're supposed to copy...how very very pharisaic of us. Are we to imitate the traits of Jesus or are we to imitate the very THING that defined his "Otherness," his unswerving dedication, allegiance, and SUBMISSION to the will of the Holy Father when he prays "not my will but your will be done." Holiness, for us, begins with submission. Humility, love, all of that will naturally follow, but they are meaningless, completely unattainable, and dangerously fakeable characteristics for us until we learn to pursue a holiness born of submission.

[prayer]
_____

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Happy Wednesday (Sin) (03/03/10)

Sup guys,

some observations i made about sin this past week:

we tend to treat sin the same way nonbelievers treat addiction when it's really not hte same thing. realization/acceptance is NOT the first step. I say this because to some degree or another we are all aware of the sins in our lives. That knowledge alone has never moved me a single pace and leaves me constantly stranded in the same struggles, how could i call that a "first step?" for me, the first step is coming to terms with the fact that this sin will not satisfy me, and that God is infinitely greater. It is so important that we replace whatever we sweep out of our lives with God. We're built to have cravings and if the emptiness in us is not going to be filled with God, it will be filled with something else - this is the essence of idolatry. basically, we need believe that we actually WANT God more than we want this addiction.

sometimes we would rely on almost anything rather than God when it comes to dealing w/ sin (does anyone else notice this?): accountability, books, tricks, and scarily enough...even prayer. I find my prayers concerning sin so bland and formulaic sometimes and completely devoid of the repentant spirit God is looking for. While accountability, books, tricks and prayers can all be important tools, they'll only take us so far on the surface level. I do believe that at the core of every spiritual battle i fight against sin, after we strip away all the books and accountability partners and advice givers, there are only 3 players: me, satan, and God. I find myself constantly having to ask "who am I allied with?"

each person is ultimately responsible for what he/she does with sin. while absolute blamelessness is not a requirement for God's followers, active pursuit of holiness is. Encouragement for the week, fight sin with God.

Have a happy wednesday,

Edward

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." - Luke 11:24-26

"Be holy, because I am holy." - Leviticus 11:44

This is too cute, i like how the husband shows a naughty side at 1:00.... (thx for sharing this grace!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtyAsiZWktY

Friday, February 26, 2010

Happy Wednesday! (Expectations) (02/24/10)

Hey guys,

As a minor confession, I have an extremely short temper, and tend to get frustrated really easily at the smallest things - this is a part of me that's usually kept pretty well hidden to all but my closest friends and family. I didn't realize until last nite that my chief source of frustration towards friends lies in my oftentimes unfair/unrealistic expectations that come from how kind/well i envision myself treating them and in expecting the same treatment in return. People and relationships are too complicated to be reduced into such a simple system of give and take.

Was reminded of the very definition of love given in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, more specifically the part that talks about how love keeps no record of wrongs. at the risk of heresy, i'd like to add to paul's words and say that love does not keep record of rights either. Love is not about feeling (however subconsciously) cheated or smugly satisfied if i gave more than the other person and super uncomfortable if i gave less. I'd call both extremes "pride," and id lose either way. as a good friend puts it, its only when we rest in God that we're able to truly give freely and unconditionally - which is hte only way to give in love.

I'm not saying that we should let ourselves be mistreated or exploited by our friends, but i highly doubt that my problem lies in friends who're out to exploit me or aren't good/kind enough (FAR from that). The problem lies in my tendency to treat friendship as a currency - and feeling angry each time someone "lets me down," as if i was cheated in some kind of business transaction. It's so subtle how my mind does it too, I honestly had no idea i was keeping scores and it's led to so many arguments and estrangements in the past. sorry to everybody i've hurt in this way, so much more growing up to do...-.-v

Not sure how this could be encouraging to people, i kinda figure this is more of an Edward thing but thought i'd share that lil epiphany w/ u guys anyways in case im not the only one. if u find urself keeping score as well, i encourage you to not do it anymore and learn to communicate ur expectations to others in a way that is loving and gracious.

Anyways, have a happy Wednesday!

Edward

P.S. Humility, it works.

Animation v.s. Animator (part II)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxM1cnphLpw

Happy Wednesday (Rut) (02/17/10)

Sup guys,

I found it interesting that jesus defined eternal life not in terms of quantity (duration) but quality (level of awesome) in John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." In other words, heaven begins with knowing God. It is not only the destination, but also the journey. I think this means heaven has begun already and, if i haven't reached it yet, I should've at the very least crossed the start line.


which brings us to the next point, how do we know God? I'd say the overwhelming majority of the people on this list, and certainly the ones who're persistent enuff to actually read these emails, are christians who've HAD "God experiences" - perhaps several. We go to retreats, conferences, yosemite, etc to have these divine encounters. Yet despite all that, we still struggle daily with our faith (or at least edward does, dunno about hte rest of you). Moses was probably one of the closest person to God in history, yet i find this verse in Exodus 33:13 "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favour with you." WHAT?! dude actually TALKED to God, like, verbally. He's had God's literal presence pass by him. For pete's sake, there was even a talking bush! Moses, despite all of these God encounters, still felt like he needed to know God. He draws a connection between knowing God's ways and knowing God Himself. Nothing spectacular, no fireworks or trumpets, simply knowing the ways of God. In fact, even the word "ways" is translated from the hebrew word for "rut" which must be one of the dullest words in the english language. what i think this means is that the way to know God is the boring, monotonous, tireless discipline of putting sin to death and practicing holiness. "Rut" implies endless, mindnumbing repetition and ironically, is exactly what we sometimes need in order to be passionate for God.

I think that we have come to be over reliant upon mountaintop experiences. In spiritually dry seasons we would try conferences, retreats, new churches/social circles/spiritual practices - any quick fix to get us back to God ASAP, anything to avoid rolling up our sleeves and take up our daily cross. It didn't work for Moses, why should it work for us? God encounters are important milestones in our spiritual journeys; but there are no short cuts, only a well worn path that leads through the narrow gates.


Encouragement for the week, to get rid of this addiction to spiritual highs and to have determined hearts that refuses to stray from the rutted course God's charted for us. I think the promise is that we get to meet God when we do this, sounds exciting.

Have a happy wednesday!



Edward


P.S. hahaha NBA's rendition of jurassic park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPABJd4xos&feature=topvideos

Happy Wednesday! (Sacrifices) (02/10/10)

Sup guys,

(for the purposes of this email, suffering = sacrifice)

a talk earlier this week on the subject of suffering for God led me to reread psalm 51 and made me really reevaluate the things i do/sacrifice for my church. We're promised suffering and hardship if we were to truly follow Christ. we're also promised that our present suffering aren't even gonna begin to compare to the glory that will be revealed in us. What I want to make sure is that the sacrifices i make really are counted towards God's glory and not my own twisted satisfaction. While i shake my head at franciscan monks who'd flog themselves for the purposes of purification from fleshly desires, how easy it is to say to God "look at all that I have done/suffered for You!" Which is silly, since every second and every cent that I count my own never really belong to me anyways.

Wat's amazing is that God's not terribly interested in my offerings, He's interested in me. When God said he wanted our first fruits and the best our efforts have to offer, He's not being greedy. Why would an infinite God possibly need my measly 10%? Rather it is meant to be a measure of an inward transformation. The trap here is to not confuse the measuring stick with the true offering. While He's not all that interested in my 10%, or the time spent in prayer, or efforts to love my neighbours; He is supremely interested in the heart that decides to willingly offer these things. When Paul writes that "each person should give what they have decided in their hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" he's not excusing the reluctant from worship/offerings, he is encouraging them to reach a place where sacrifices made in love comes naturally.

Encouragement for the week: Do not confuse sacrifice with genuine worship, the heart of a true worshipper is one which is broken, humbly repentant, and for whom suffering/sacrifice is not just second nature - but first, third, fourth, etc as well.

May we glorify our Lord even in our sufferings,

Edward

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." - Psalm 51:17

"Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.'" - Genesis 4:6-7

"The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable - How much more so when brought with evil intent!" - Proverbs 21:27


P.S. Cute dog that smiles and wags its tail whenever it's near its owner =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxdh4z94xYM

Happy Wednesday (Division) (02/03/10)

Hey Guys,

I must confess that the issue of indwelling sin has been heavy on my mind these past few weeks. was led to read romans 7 today during lunch and thought i'd share my thoughts.

I think most ppl are familiar with this confusing, tongue twister of a passage (22 "do"s in 5 verses..-.-) where paul describes himself as wanting to do good but doing evil instead. It's a passage that talks about this internal struggle between the flesh that craves sin, and the mind that longs for God. This is me, and i know it is every single believer in the history of our faith. Now, it is easy to respond to this passage negatively because it talks about a defeated [insert your name here], and really - with the tongue twister portion highlighted in my bible - it is usually the only part i focus on, but today i realized that there is a victorious component i've always missed in the past that is so crucial.

While defeat (succumbing to sin) should not be the main experience of the christian life but it is an utterly inescapable aspect, we need to embrace the fact that we will never attain perfection and that we are utterly dependent on God. Righteousness - not the kind we display to the world - but true, God-honouring righteousness (which is the only kind that matters), can only be obtained through faith in Jesus. This does not excuse us to sin, rather we're meant to make war with our own fleshly desires and struggles towards God's holy standards. Do not be alarmed or surprised when sin overwhelms your life because it can and often does happen, whether we realize it or not. The 3 signs of a saved christian is not a spotless life, but a love for the laws of God, a hatred of his/her own sin, and a recognition of the fact that their wretched sinfulness requires a saviour. In other words, a saved christian WANTS to be perfect but knows that he/she CAN'T be, and they embrace this frustration out of love and devotion to God.

Now, i promised you victory in Romans 7 earlier on, and it is simply these two points:
1) My righteousness (and therefore victory) does not hinge upon my works/performance, but upon my faith in God's grace and mercy.

2) Passages like 2 Cor 3:18 and phil 2:12-13 promises that God's working on me to make me more like him; so that if i fall, i can get up and climb higher - victory over the bondage of sin is possible, sin is not something we need to "put up with."

Encouragement for the week: you're a sinner, never downplay or ignore this fact, deal with it. The sooner you do, the sooner you get out of denial and self righteousness, and the sooner you can fall under Grace. This should clothe us in humility and a profound sense of gratitude towards God. Instead of freezing us in fear/shame, it frees us to say to our accusers "YES! You're right, I am such a sinful person, isn't that great?! let me tell you about Grace!" It allows us to serve Him even when we know we're so unworthy w/o feeling like a hypocrit, and it allowed me to (hopefully) encourage you all despite personally struggling through a spiritually dry season.

May we bring Him glory even through our ungodliness,


Edward

"So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." - Romans 7:21

"However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." Romans 4:5

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." 1 Corinthians 3:8-9


P.S. we've all heard of too many cooks in the kitchen, but apparently the same holds tru of hamster wheels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KhkfK12NiQ

Happy Wednesday (Righteousness) (01/28/10)

Hey guys,

better late than never i always said. found myself reading 1 john recently and it's been a pretty convicting few days for me (its a short book, i highly recommend flipping through it when u have a spare minute). I think the passage that stood out to me the most was chapter 3 where john distinguishes the righteous from the sinful. His crieria for righteousness was this: He who practices righteousness is righteous, and he who practices sin is sinful - very plain and simple right? Except, how do we now reconcile the fact that we are forgiven sinner? On the one hand i declare, with confidence, myself to be a child of God; yet on the other I find, as paul did, that "wat i want to do i do not do but what i hate i do." There is still this sinful nature that resides in my redeemed body and pulls on me like gravity. I think the real question from john is how much am i fighting it. I can not honestly claim to be a child of God yet deliberately continue in sin - believing that to be ok. In other words, the practice of righteousness/holiness not a requirement of our salvation, but the evidence of it. I dont have to be perfect, but I must be moving towards perfection.

On a related note, we should make a habit of repentance. this is one discipline that I feel many christians lose touch of - and it disconnects us from teh responsibilities of our sins i think. We tell ourseles that "ok, i messed up, just dont do it again next time" - and leave it at that. usually, in my case at least, this doesn't lead to any life changing progress. Repentance does several things, it is a direct apology to God for sinning against him, and it is also a call to God for help in dealing with the sins in our lives. If we leave repentance out, we're effectively not fighting sin. If we're not fighting sin, then we are practicing it.

Encouragement for the week, make a habit of repentance, and pursue holiness because this desire for righteousness is what marks us as children of God,


Have a great wednesday (all 5 min left of it) and rest of the week!

Edward


"If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faitful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8-9

"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:6

"He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous." 1 John 3:7


creepy genie who plays 20 questions with you to guess person/character u're thinking of (courtesy of ben):
http://us.akinator.com/

Happy Wednesday! (Micah: One who resembles God) (01/20/10)

Sup Guys,

Decided to read micah this morning, if u read carefully u start noticing this pattern of God telling israel/judah to listen to his accusations and declaration of retribution, and then follows it up with a promise of grace and mercy. Through this prophet's words u really get a sense of God's hatred of sin juxtaposed with his love of his children. Micah ends with this graphic image of a loving Father ripping all that would harm his sons and daughters and casting it away from them.

But enough about scriptural poetry, I also love the encouraging message embedded in chapter 4, where man asks of God what he should bring as an offering - and starts listing off sheep, cows, oil - sacrifice after sacrifice. God's response was simply that man should walk humbly with him. More importantly, he makes a promise to show man what is good. This was done, i think, through the example of Jesus who is an exact image of the Father. Jesus himself said that if you knew him, you knew the Father as well. So there is this command in effect, to be good we must follow the example set by Christ.

The early believers at Antioch were so zealous for God that they were dubbed "Christians" which means "follower of Christ" BUT i've also heard it translated as "one who is Christ-like." I dont believe it was because of their spiritual giftings that they were given this title which we tend to take for granted today - afterall, the church of corinth had no lack of spiritual giftings. So often, we get caught up in serving the church, in giftings/callings, and in our responsibilities to our brothers/sisters that we assume we're doing ok spiritually or we become too burnt out to even consider imitating Christ. Encouragement for this week, lets forget about our sacrifices and services for a moment and consider the words of Paul - our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. In humility, love, and serving of each other, let us all strive to resemble our Lord. Jesus was meant to reflect the Father in the same way that we were meant to reflect him. I want to be a Micah.

Have a happy wednesday!

Edward

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to show mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." - Colossian 1:15

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Funny video about tetris, courtesy of Kang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alw5hs0chj0


P.S. Congratulations!! =)

Happy Wednesday (Rejection) (01/13/10)

Hey guys,

It's been a while! Bible reading has admittedly been a lil dry for me recently (could use prayer in that regard) but today's encouragement came from an unlikely source. I was listening to the radio on my drive to work earlier this week and heard an interview of a singer - can't remember the name - who said humans are born with the intrinsic need to create and the intrinsic fear of rejection. He went on to say how these two characteristics are dangerous together because everytime someone rejects one of his songs/creations, he's tempted to see it as a personal rejection.

This is me. while im by no means a song writer or even uber creative, i've felt the sting of rejection many times in the past when one of my projects or endeavours was looked down upon by others - sometimes by people closest to me. The very notion that these criticisms are actual personal attacks coming from beloved friends/family is ridiculous, yet the hurt and doubt we feel with every rejection is still there. I always need to remind myself that my value is not found in my work, but in how God sees me. I think its only by keeping this fact clear in my head that I would be able to stand firm in my identity as a child of God even when my words, works, or intentions are (un)fairly criticized. Keeping that attitude of humility and remembering that we're not meant to be glorifying ourselves will enable us to "all the more gladly boast about [our] weaknesses" and work/create for the simple joy of worship.

Encouragement for the week, rejections will always come, let's hold onto our identity and worth as children of God. The sting of rejection will never pass, no matter how holy we think we are we're built to yearn for approval, but it should not hinder us from loving God and those around us.


Have a great wednesday!

Edward

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour." - 1 Corinthians 3:7-8


Simon's cat has found snow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgmXrARr6aI

Happy Wednesday (Blessing) (12/16/09)

sup guys,

Today's email is completely plagiarized from uncle joseph and tim keller, so if i sound even remotely smart/holy, it's completely their fault.

Christ summarized the law so well when he said it all amounts to loving God and our neighbours. Love is never inactive, it spurs us into action to protect, to edify, and to build. This gave rise to three observations i wanted to share:

1- To know God, like...really know God, is to be remade. It is impossible to walk away from an encounter with him unchanged - he destroys our selfishness and places a piece of himself in its place. Every person who've really encountered God in the scriptures and stayed with him has lost their sense of self and became consumed with a desire to serve him. Keller puts it even more strongly when he said "God will never bless us except to make us a blessing."

2- To be that blessing to others always mean sacrifice on our part. The highest sacrifice we can give is our lives and God demands nothing less of us. If THAT is the standard we're being called to, how much more should we, out of love, be free/generous with our time, money, and skills. To see our relationships not as investments, measured in terms of cost/benefits to ourselves, but as living growth of the Kingdom. Jesus gave us the perfect example of this sacrifice - whenever we fail to burn our lives as a blessing to him/others we're not simply failing to listen to God, we're failing to be LIKE God.

3- To bless others is a blessings for us. I dont mean if we passed out $10 to a homeless person or started tithing at church we'd suddenly get raises at work. I mean that in serving God wholeheartedly, not out of selfishness but because you love him, you can be 101% certain that that love/desire was put in your heart by him - that you are HIS. i honestly can't think of any greater blessing God can give me, in this life, than knowing that i walk with his mark upon me.

Encouragement for the week: Bless and be blessed.

Have a happy wednesday,

Edward


"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you...Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends...This is my command: Love each other." - John 15:9-17

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children...if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - Romans 8:16-17

Surprised kitty! courtesy of christina =D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bmhjf0rKe8

Happy Wednesday (Namesake) (12/09/09)

sup guys,

haha, a lil late for a happy wednesday - been a busy day away from the computer so this was the first chance i had to sit down and actually type this up.

Two quick things i got out of reading romans this week so far:
- "Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship..." Romans 1:5
It was for God's glory that we are saved. we so often fall into the self centered thought that salvation was for us, that grace was given for us. We become like spoilt children who actually believe we're entitled to whatever gifts and attention our loving parents bestow upon us - like it's our...aha...god-given-right. While we're definitely on the receiving end of the benefits of grace i think its important to remember the purpose behind grace and how it was meant to magnify God. Failing that, its so easy to fall into pride/ego and take our salvation for granted. Jus a quick encouragement for us to remember this week that our salvation and our lives are meant to glorify God and not ourselves.

- "the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." Romans 4:17
The other thing i picked up was actually pretty touching for me. That God sees not just who we are, but who we should be; and not just where we are but where we're called to be. There are so many things that i should be but am not: im not completely selfless, im not always loving, im rarely patient, and wisdom seems like a foreign language to me at times. Yet God is so much more patient with me than i am towards myself. He is still busy completing whatever good works he's started in me. Its the same for everyone; while we're not perfect, we are being perfected. Good news for me cause it means i dont have to stay the way i am but by his power, will continue to change and become more like him.

have a happy wednesday (all 30 min left of it) and rest of the week!

edward

"that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

aight...been a while since i posted a hamster video =D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDOsXzfIawI&feature=related

Happy Wednesday (Tasks) (12/02/09)

hey guys!

Lesson learnt this morning/week - take every task given to us seriously:

we're so conditioned to be achievers that sometimes we ignore small, needful tasks because it's "beneath us" - i am constantly guilty of this. So easy to tell ourselves that we're overqualifed for this task or that, as if we could be above doing His work. A simple greeting that sparks a much needed conversation, a word of encouragement that uplifts a troubled spirit, a gentle rebuke that turns a loved one back towards God - any effort that goes beyond loving our own selfish selves.

Or perhaps we talk ourselves out of even beginning any tasks out of fear of ridicule or failure. That's what i love about serving our saviour - it's never about fame or success. A preacher once put it this way: if we are afraid of ridicule or failure, we essentially have an issue with pride. It's always about humility and how that should mean we care more about God's opinion of us than our own or other people's. The kind of humility paul talks about in philippians 2.

I firmly believe that God wants to use each and every person, some for grand and noble deeds and some for small and common purposes - yet each and every person/task (no matter how mundane) is uniquely essential to His grand Plan. He trusts those who are trustworthy. It is pointless to pray for a coworker's salvation when we fail to even show him/her love; worhtless to pray REVIVAL when evangelism isn't even on our minds; and meaningless to pray for an end to world hunger when we guiltlessly walk past a hungry man on a street. If we fail in even small tasks such as these, then how are we even serving our Lord?

Encouragement for the week, do stuff for God, no matter how small or inconsequential it seems - He has this habit of taking even our measly offerings of loaves and fishes and turning it into something awesome and amazing.

Have a happy wednesday (I CAN'T BELIEVE ITS DECEMBER!)

edward

"Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you..." - Jeremiah 1:7-8

"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" - Jeremiah 12:5

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." - Luke 16:10-11

lol a lil corney but here's a poor, lonely guy singing a duet w/ himself ^.^v
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVo-S9ns2_A

Happy Wednesday (Calling) (11/18/09)

Hey all,

some of you are pretty new to my wednesday emails, i pretty much added everyone here cause i figured u mite get something out of it. This email thing started w/ me wanting to encourage some struggling friends in the middle of the work/school week to hang in there and persist in God (with cute hamster videos). It's evolved over the months to become a mini devotional where i share whatever i've been learning recently (but still w/ cute hamster videos). It's been a great blessing to me as i recap (for myself) lessons learnt and i hope it's been eddifying to everyone. If you prefer not to receive these emails anymore pls do tell me, i promise i wont be hurt or upset =)

What i've been learning recently is that God's calling in our lives and ministry needs to take precedence over our own agendas and wisdom. I loosely define "calling" as God's will in all areas of our lives - so it doesn't apply only to stuff like career and ministry choices but to the mundane, like what to wear each day, as well. I briefly shared on this recently with the focus on the "risk taking" aspect, namely faith = trusting in a hand we can't see and to not constantly wait for clear signs to validate a desire in us to do something for God. Not to say signs are bad, but definitely to say that we can't freeze ourselves from doing good simply because we're not sure if God wants it or not - God always wants good.

The focus in this email is more on the "seek and obey" aspect. We're called as christians to put God's will above our own. This leads us to a two fold responsibility: the first is to seek out God's calling in our lives; the second is to obey His will once it's made known to us. The first is done through prayer (preferably not alone) and in simply knowing what God expects of us in every situation (immersion in word). As an example, I'm not saying we need to consult God for fashion guidelines every single morning, but we can choose clothes with a God centered attitude. The second is usually done through gut wrenching, painful humility (at least for me).

As a wise friend told me recently, it's easy to simply take care of a problem yourself, so much harder to ask for help. This is me. Not just in my serving/life in general, but my prayer life too. Encouragement this week - seek out God's calling in all our decisions and problems, give God a real presence in our lives as we turn to Him in all things. Afterall, it's inconsistent for us to claim to entrust our lives and souls to God if we can't even trust him to get us through the little troubles of each day.

"How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" - Isaiah 30:19-21

Rock Climbing Hamsta! <3
(easily a V6 bouldering problem w/ toe hooking action, u go lil guy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krTcfx1QHUY

Happy Wednesday! (Sight) (11/11/09)

sup,

Isaiah 6 is, for me, probably one of hte most referred to passages in the OT. Its a glorious chapter that opens with a vision of heaven but ends with a proclamation of world wide blindness. It was this blindness that drew me to John 9, to the beautiful drama that unfolded there w/ Jesus healing a man blind from birth. Read it!

There was 4 reactions to this miracle:
1- the blind man's thankfulness/loyalty, and his discerning jesus as first prophet, then Lord.
2- the disbelief of his neighbours, people who knew him but couldn't accept his transformation.
3- the parents who, though they believed in the changes in him, kept silent out of fear.
4- the pharisees who responded w/ skepticism and arrogance in claiming to be able to see w/o God.

john is VERY big on light and sight, entire sermon series can be preached on this chapter alone but i think all ill really draw our attention to is this simple fact: we need Jesus to be able to see clearly. Several times in john, people have misunderstood jesus and the events surrounding him because their eyes were spiritually blind (i'll rebuild temple in 3 days, you must be born again, i will give you living water, etc). Each time the people responded in very human ways to spiritual words/events. This is us. The world is so much with us and we're so spiritually blind that we often fail to see God in our day to day life. Prayer and encouragement for this week - that we receive spiritual sight from God to be able to have spiritual reactions instead of human ones. That we'd have Godly perspective in all areas of our lives. That we can accept suffering/hardships so that the work of God might be displayed in our lives.

Have a happy wednesday =)

Edward

"Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing but never perceibing." - Isaiah 6:9

"One thing I do know: I was blind but now I see!" - John 9:25

"I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?" - John 9:27

"For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." - John 9:39

Guy asked for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZy105010SI&feature=channel