Hey Guys,
There are (at least) two errors a Christian can make with regards to pleasure: idolatry OR ungodly fear of idolatry. I'm not talking about sinful desires but the simple joys in life like marriage, children, careers, good food/wine, ministries, and hobbies. Most believers are, I assume, well aware of the dangers of the first error, but perhaps not as many are aware of the dangers of the second. The first leads to ungodly attachments while the second leads to ungodly asceticism, the rejection of good gifts of God and mistaking self-denial for holiness.
I recently came to realize that I harbour some serious fears of idolizing marriage through a very grace-filled conversation. I irrationally feared that a happily married life would distract me away from God and was gently warned that such a guarded approach to relationships is doomed to fail. It's as if knowing God doesn't owe me, a sinner, even one millisecond of that kind of happiness (true) yet wishes it for me (also true) fills me with feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and fear rather than humbled thankfulness. And there lies the heart of the problem, I STILL struggle with accepting grace! This idea was further underlined during a weekend church conference on the beatitudes. The word Jesus used for "blessed" (makarios) has a secondary meaning of being happy/fulfilled. In other words, God desires our delight and happiness. The key is basing our happiness on godly values. If my desire for marriage is based on the display of Christ's glory, the sanctifying work of raising a family, genuine delight at the prospect of raising godly children, experiencing love and intimacy with another Christ-centered human being. If these are the kinds of reasons my desire for a wife is based on, then there's no reason for me to feel ashamed, believe myself unworthy, or live in constant fear of idolizing a wife God Himself wants to give me.
Ecclesiastes reminds us that earthly joys and pleasures are God's gifts, meant to inspire praise and thanksgiving. Whether the error lies in idolatry or fear of idolatry, the solution to both is the same: Thankfulness. Genuine, humble, grace-filled thankfulness as we constantly acknowledge God as the source of all good things in our lives. Encouragement for the week, whether your struggle lies in idolatry or fear of idolatry, be filled with thankfulness to God for the many blessings in life - refuse the enemy any foothold for condemnation.
Have a very happy Wednesday!
Edward
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to the deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:1-4
"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11
Epic mullet guy manages to salvage that annoying Friday song into something that actually sounds good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw8IEd3LDzg
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Happy Wednesday (Assumptions) (03/16/2011)
"So Haman came in, and the king said to him, 'What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honour?' And Haman said to himself, 'Whom would the king delight to honour more than me?'" Esther 6:6
Hey Guys,
I've been slowly making my way through the book of Esther and came across a story familiar to perhaps many of you. In this hilarious encounter, Haman (the antagonist) believed the king intended to pay him honour when the king intended to honour Mordecai, Haman's enemy. Of course, Haman lists what he thought to be appropriate treatment for himself only to have his words backfire as he was promptly ordered to do for Mordecai everything he prescribed. The main point I pulled from this passage is the automatic assumption Haman made concerning who the king "delights to honour."
Can you relate to Haman's presumptuousness? Continuous belief that we are the object of other people's conversations/thoughts/moods (whether positive or negative) is an unhealthy and prideful preoccupation. The world does not revolve around us and assumptions to the contrary often lead to baseless conclusions. Our minds can turn misunderstandings into insults, platonic compliments into flirtation, and a general bad mood into bitterness specifically directed at our persons. It constantly amazes and saddens me how such assumptions can completely dictate how I view or act towards people as I hold grudges against phantom insults.
What's worse, after I've determined the assumption to be false, it often fails to change my attitude towards them! This suggests that my distaste is, more often than not, the fruit of my own sinfulness that predisposes me to hold untrue assumptions to begin with.
I am TOTALLY aware that people are not perfect. Some people in our lives ARE in fact annoying, or rude, or inconsiderate, or offensive, or racist, or hippocritical, or judgmental, or emotionally draining, or needy, or bad tempered, or controlling, or any spectrum of complaint you could possibly list about the human race. I think we should take wise steps to protect ourselves, but I also firmly believe that it is unfair to allow ourselves to think (or worse, to gossip) untrue things about these people in our lives.
Encouragement for the week: in humility consider the possibility that you might not be the center of everyone's world; be wary of baseless assumptions that so often colour our relationships in ugly shades; and may we extend grace to sinful humanity as recipients of God's grace towards our own sinful nature.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." Exodus 20:16
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
Cutest puppy EVAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8G4YgQyEMk&feature=related
Hey Guys,
I've been slowly making my way through the book of Esther and came across a story familiar to perhaps many of you. In this hilarious encounter, Haman (the antagonist) believed the king intended to pay him honour when the king intended to honour Mordecai, Haman's enemy. Of course, Haman lists what he thought to be appropriate treatment for himself only to have his words backfire as he was promptly ordered to do for Mordecai everything he prescribed. The main point I pulled from this passage is the automatic assumption Haman made concerning who the king "delights to honour."
Can you relate to Haman's presumptuousness? Continuous belief that we are the object of other people's conversations/thoughts/moods (whether positive or negative) is an unhealthy and prideful preoccupation. The world does not revolve around us and assumptions to the contrary often lead to baseless conclusions. Our minds can turn misunderstandings into insults, platonic compliments into flirtation, and a general bad mood into bitterness specifically directed at our persons. It constantly amazes and saddens me how such assumptions can completely dictate how I view or act towards people as I hold grudges against phantom insults.
What's worse, after I've determined the assumption to be false, it often fails to change my attitude towards them! This suggests that my distaste is, more often than not, the fruit of my own sinfulness that predisposes me to hold untrue assumptions to begin with.
I am TOTALLY aware that people are not perfect. Some people in our lives ARE in fact annoying, or rude, or inconsiderate, or offensive, or racist, or hippocritical, or judgmental, or emotionally draining, or needy, or bad tempered, or controlling, or any spectrum of complaint you could possibly list about the human race. I think we should take wise steps to protect ourselves, but I also firmly believe that it is unfair to allow ourselves to think (or worse, to gossip) untrue things about these people in our lives.
Encouragement for the week: in humility consider the possibility that you might not be the center of everyone's world; be wary of baseless assumptions that so often colour our relationships in ugly shades; and may we extend grace to sinful humanity as recipients of God's grace towards our own sinful nature.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." Exodus 20:16
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
Cutest puppy EVAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8G4YgQyEMk&feature=related
Monday, March 14, 2011
Happy Wednesday (Souls) (03/09/2011)
Hi guys,
I usually have a fairly good grasp on where to go with these emails; but every now and then I end up with just a vague idea/truth, and I'm stuck fumbling for words to explain why I think it's important. What I've felt reminded of recently is that people have souls. A simple truth, yes, but one with massive implications on how we should do life.
Genesis tells us that we are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. Every person born, lived, and died today was created to display God. A woman's beauty is not there to satisfy my eyes but to display God. My mother's selfless devotion to our family is not there for my convenience but to display God. A future marriage/family is not there to satisfy my needs and significance, but to display God. I find myself in constant need of that reminder, the tendency is always to see my own needs and desires first. That kind of selfishness tend to forget that the people in my life have souls and see them merely as an end towards fulfilling my needs and wants. Internalizing this truth that people are made in the image of God and have immortal souls should FREE us from an unhealthy preoccupation with seeing our own needs met and allows us to see the needs of others. It is a wonderfully liberating world view and one that, I would attest, leads to greater happiness. I think one of the first steps in building a gospel community that guides its members towards Christ-likeness, requires we see souls in each other.
I think seeing souls in others is an essential component in ministry and evangelism. A friend once said that ministry needs to be more than projects, it needs to be about people. Another friend, with regards to his research about homosexuality during seminary, said that this was not a dry subject for him, but that he sees the faces of his homosexual friends as he's reading the bible and works of godly men and as he tries to understand how best to minister to them. I agree with them. How knowing that our nonbelieving friends and family have either heaven or hell bound souls should move us to greater efforts in our evangelism.
Lastly, realizing that WE ourselves have souls should motivate us! What are we feeding our souls? Do we stuff ourselves on entertainment, on inflated opinions of ourselves and our needs, on the lie that our happiness and comfort is of the highest, absolute importance? Or do we feed our souls gospel truths that lead towards maturity in Christ; the humility to place others before us and count God's glory as weightier than our own?
Every drop of humanity, you and me included, are given by God an immortal soul. Encouragement for the week, see that soul in ourselves and in each other and act on that truth.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them." Genesis 1:27-28a
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." Philippians 2:3-4
"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11
Break dancing baby. Its not just a kid being cute, he's actually got mad moves..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiNUkDnDMFA&feature=rec-LGOUT-farside_rn-2r-18-HM
I usually have a fairly good grasp on where to go with these emails; but every now and then I end up with just a vague idea/truth, and I'm stuck fumbling for words to explain why I think it's important. What I've felt reminded of recently is that people have souls. A simple truth, yes, but one with massive implications on how we should do life.
Genesis tells us that we are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. Every person born, lived, and died today was created to display God. A woman's beauty is not there to satisfy my eyes but to display God. My mother's selfless devotion to our family is not there for my convenience but to display God. A future marriage/family is not there to satisfy my needs and significance, but to display God. I find myself in constant need of that reminder, the tendency is always to see my own needs and desires first. That kind of selfishness tend to forget that the people in my life have souls and see them merely as an end towards fulfilling my needs and wants. Internalizing this truth that people are made in the image of God and have immortal souls should FREE us from an unhealthy preoccupation with seeing our own needs met and allows us to see the needs of others. It is a wonderfully liberating world view and one that, I would attest, leads to greater happiness. I think one of the first steps in building a gospel community that guides its members towards Christ-likeness, requires we see souls in each other.
I think seeing souls in others is an essential component in ministry and evangelism. A friend once said that ministry needs to be more than projects, it needs to be about people. Another friend, with regards to his research about homosexuality during seminary, said that this was not a dry subject for him, but that he sees the faces of his homosexual friends as he's reading the bible and works of godly men and as he tries to understand how best to minister to them. I agree with them. How knowing that our nonbelieving friends and family have either heaven or hell bound souls should move us to greater efforts in our evangelism.
Lastly, realizing that WE ourselves have souls should motivate us! What are we feeding our souls? Do we stuff ourselves on entertainment, on inflated opinions of ourselves and our needs, on the lie that our happiness and comfort is of the highest, absolute importance? Or do we feed our souls gospel truths that lead towards maturity in Christ; the humility to place others before us and count God's glory as weightier than our own?
Every drop of humanity, you and me included, are given by God an immortal soul. Encouragement for the week, see that soul in ourselves and in each other and act on that truth.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them." Genesis 1:27-28a
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." Philippians 2:3-4
"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11
Break dancing baby. Its not just a kid being cute, he's actually got mad moves..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiNUkDnDMFA&feature=rec-LGOUT-farside_rn-2r-18-HM
Happy Wednesday (Prayer - again) (03/02/2011)
Hey Guys,
Last sunday, i had the honour(?) of being prayed for by an elderly, Chinese lady with regards to a future Mrs Lin. Her parting words was an insistence that I prayed for said wifey on a daily basis. First, a quick side note. The lady obviously said what she did out of good intentions, so I accepted it gracefully; but lets be careful when we attempt to encourage single Christians in this way, lest you (un)intentionally imply that they are somehow incomplete until they're married. I believe single believers play a valuable role in the kingdom of God and disagree with the notion that, despite being satisfied in Christ, I would need a spouse in order to be truly happy. Having said that, onto my main point.
Apart from being an awkwardly loud, and (noticeably) public announcement of my singleness (to the amusement of several middle aged, Asian ladies outside Ranch 99), her final admonishment actually served to remind me of something important. For just a second after she told me to pray for my own future spouse, my immediate thought was this: Did God not already predetermined that, if I were to marry, who my wife would be? If so, what is the point of me praying about it. Then my mind expanded on the thought: What then, if all outcomes are pre-written, is the point of prayer at all? Right then I realized I was treading dangerous, ungodly grounds. Have you ever thought this way? There are many good reasons why we should pray even though God already knows how it'll all play out.
- God delights in our prayers when they're prayed in faith. Prayer is thus an act of worship.
"...the prayer of the upright is His delight." Proverbs 15:8b
- Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship. A relationship requires conversation in order to grow, and prayer is that conversation.
- Prayer reminds us of our dependency on God and dispels the illusion of self control we so love to hold onto. It does this by making us aware of answered prayers and seeing all good things as gifts from God. Without prayer, any good thing in my life is more easily viewed as the result of my own effort rather than God's grace. God hates that kind of arrogance.
- Prayer allows us to humbly accept God's will when it is contrary to our own. It is certainly easier to shrug off disappointments in life if our desires went unsaid before God, yet how little faith it takes go about our days in this prayerless lifestyle? If our primary reason for lack of prayer or hope in God is a fear of disappointment from a God who loves us, then we've damnably missed the point!
"I say to God, my rock: 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?' ...Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:9-11
- Lastly, the idea that because God already decided how things will play out prayer is unnecessary, is a faulty one. It is a matter of cause and effect. While the events in history are foreknown and predestined by God, they will not come to pass without a cause, therefore even causes (such as prayer) are preordained. Prayer is therefore a cause by which the events prayed for can come to pass. By way of analogy, God may ordain my life be spared from being trapped in a hypothetical burning building, but He could also have ordained that my salvation come from a fire extinguisher and the presence of mind to fight off the panic and use it. The fire extinguisher is the cause and my life being saved is the effect; without using the fire extinguisher, I die. So it could be with the success or failure of our marriages, whether or not we find a job, whether our future children will be godly or not - God uses our prayers as the causes to such effects. I do not fully understand how prayer would lead to, say, a future wife; but I choose to believe, by faith, the words of James when he said:
"You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." James 4:2-3
John Piper has a wonderfully confusing article on this subject in the form of a short conversation between a prayerful and a prayerless man.
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/prayer-and-predestination
Encouragement for the week, dare to hope in God and work to develop a prayerful lifestyle. It matters.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
Stunning display of BMX awesomeness, thanks to sister for showing me this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw
Last sunday, i had the honour(?) of being prayed for by an elderly, Chinese lady with regards to a future Mrs Lin. Her parting words was an insistence that I prayed for said wifey on a daily basis. First, a quick side note. The lady obviously said what she did out of good intentions, so I accepted it gracefully; but lets be careful when we attempt to encourage single Christians in this way, lest you (un)intentionally imply that they are somehow incomplete until they're married. I believe single believers play a valuable role in the kingdom of God and disagree with the notion that, despite being satisfied in Christ, I would need a spouse in order to be truly happy. Having said that, onto my main point.
Apart from being an awkwardly loud, and (noticeably) public announcement of my singleness (to the amusement of several middle aged, Asian ladies outside Ranch 99), her final admonishment actually served to remind me of something important. For just a second after she told me to pray for my own future spouse, my immediate thought was this: Did God not already predetermined that, if I were to marry, who my wife would be? If so, what is the point of me praying about it. Then my mind expanded on the thought: What then, if all outcomes are pre-written, is the point of prayer at all? Right then I realized I was treading dangerous, ungodly grounds. Have you ever thought this way? There are many good reasons why we should pray even though God already knows how it'll all play out.
- God delights in our prayers when they're prayed in faith. Prayer is thus an act of worship.
"...the prayer of the upright is His delight." Proverbs 15:8b
- Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship. A relationship requires conversation in order to grow, and prayer is that conversation.
- Prayer reminds us of our dependency on God and dispels the illusion of self control we so love to hold onto. It does this by making us aware of answered prayers and seeing all good things as gifts from God. Without prayer, any good thing in my life is more easily viewed as the result of my own effort rather than God's grace. God hates that kind of arrogance.
- Prayer allows us to humbly accept God's will when it is contrary to our own. It is certainly easier to shrug off disappointments in life if our desires went unsaid before God, yet how little faith it takes go about our days in this prayerless lifestyle? If our primary reason for lack of prayer or hope in God is a fear of disappointment from a God who loves us, then we've damnably missed the point!
"I say to God, my rock: 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?' ...Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:9-11
- Lastly, the idea that because God already decided how things will play out prayer is unnecessary, is a faulty one. It is a matter of cause and effect. While the events in history are foreknown and predestined by God, they will not come to pass without a cause, therefore even causes (such as prayer) are preordained. Prayer is therefore a cause by which the events prayed for can come to pass. By way of analogy, God may ordain my life be spared from being trapped in a hypothetical burning building, but He could also have ordained that my salvation come from a fire extinguisher and the presence of mind to fight off the panic and use it. The fire extinguisher is the cause and my life being saved is the effect; without using the fire extinguisher, I die. So it could be with the success or failure of our marriages, whether or not we find a job, whether our future children will be godly or not - God uses our prayers as the causes to such effects. I do not fully understand how prayer would lead to, say, a future wife; but I choose to believe, by faith, the words of James when he said:
"You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." James 4:2-3
John Piper has a wonderfully confusing article on this subject in the form of a short conversation between a prayerful and a prayerless man.
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/prayer-and-predestination
Encouragement for the week, dare to hope in God and work to develop a prayerful lifestyle. It matters.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
Stunning display of BMX awesomeness, thanks to sister for showing me this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw
Happy Thursday (Rejoice) (02/10/2011)
Hey guys,
As some of you have pointed out, it's been a rather long hiatus since my last email. There's a couple of reasons for this: busyness, computer at work dying on me, but perhaps the most prominent and honest one would be a lack in my devotions of late. As I've mentioned before, these emails are a tremendous blessing to me as an accountability system; if I am silent, chances are I am not growing/learning and am quickly reminded. For this I thank you. The terrifying part of drifting from Christ is the turtle-like speed at which it takes place. It starts off with compromises, neglect of worship and study, and eventually leads to sins and temptations. You do not notice the drift until you're hundreds of meters offshore. This is where I am. Apologies if I've recently lied the words "I'm doing fine" to any of you who've asked. This morning, after weeks of telling myself i needed to press back into Christ, I started swimming.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." 1 Peter 1:8
While I still professed love and faith in Christ these last couple of weeks, I had no joy in either my love nor faith. That kind of joyless christianity leads nowhere. If loving Christ means experiencing him as precious, then for me to say I love him yet hold no joy in that love would be a lie. Nobody can honestly claim to love their spouse yet not take joy in that claim, and Christ is infinitely more lovely than a (possible?) future Mrs Lin. By the same token, so great is the grace extended in God's promises that for me to reluctantly trust in Christ for my salvation would be like an apathetic response to a billion dollar debt cancelled. It's just not possible, if these promises are truly believed, a debt greater than a billion dollars has been cancelled for me and I should not be able to trust in Christ without excitement.
Beyond prayer or church attendance or bible studies, the heart of christianity is to love and trust in Christ and to rejoice in that love and trust. There can be no true love nor faith without a deeply positive feeling. This is NOT to say love and faith are merely based on emotions alone, but it IS to say that joy is an absolutely essential component in both. Encouragement for/from Edward this week: Take moments to be joyful at the fact that you're saved and that God is good. If the Spirit is alive in you, reflections on Christ's character, deeds, and promises in your life should move you towards a deeply joyful feeling towards God that refuses to allow any drifting and, for those of us who have drifted, draws us back towards the shore.
It is good to be swimming again, happy Thursday!
Edward
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth..." 1 Corinthians 13:6
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4
Animals talking with English accents = awesomeness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6I1_o6vrY&feature=player_embedded#
As some of you have pointed out, it's been a rather long hiatus since my last email. There's a couple of reasons for this: busyness, computer at work dying on me, but perhaps the most prominent and honest one would be a lack in my devotions of late. As I've mentioned before, these emails are a tremendous blessing to me as an accountability system; if I am silent, chances are I am not growing/learning and am quickly reminded. For this I thank you. The terrifying part of drifting from Christ is the turtle-like speed at which it takes place. It starts off with compromises, neglect of worship and study, and eventually leads to sins and temptations. You do not notice the drift until you're hundreds of meters offshore. This is where I am. Apologies if I've recently lied the words "I'm doing fine" to any of you who've asked. This morning, after weeks of telling myself i needed to press back into Christ, I started swimming.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." 1 Peter 1:8
While I still professed love and faith in Christ these last couple of weeks, I had no joy in either my love nor faith. That kind of joyless christianity leads nowhere. If loving Christ means experiencing him as precious, then for me to say I love him yet hold no joy in that love would be a lie. Nobody can honestly claim to love their spouse yet not take joy in that claim, and Christ is infinitely more lovely than a (possible?) future Mrs Lin. By the same token, so great is the grace extended in God's promises that for me to reluctantly trust in Christ for my salvation would be like an apathetic response to a billion dollar debt cancelled. It's just not possible, if these promises are truly believed, a debt greater than a billion dollars has been cancelled for me and I should not be able to trust in Christ without excitement.
Beyond prayer or church attendance or bible studies, the heart of christianity is to love and trust in Christ and to rejoice in that love and trust. There can be no true love nor faith without a deeply positive feeling. This is NOT to say love and faith are merely based on emotions alone, but it IS to say that joy is an absolutely essential component in both. Encouragement for/from Edward this week: Take moments to be joyful at the fact that you're saved and that God is good. If the Spirit is alive in you, reflections on Christ's character, deeds, and promises in your life should move you towards a deeply joyful feeling towards God that refuses to allow any drifting and, for those of us who have drifted, draws us back towards the shore.
It is good to be swimming again, happy Thursday!
Edward
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth..." 1 Corinthians 13:6
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4
Animals talking with English accents = awesomeness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6I1_o6vrY&feature=player_embedded#
Happy Thursday (Fight) (01/06/2011)
"Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way...so that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing." 1 Peter 3:7-9
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ...a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hey Guys,
For the record, yes, I AM writing this because I've been in a few fights recently. People have differing opinions, values, and priorities. Because of this, fights are inevitable. I've always loved how the bible is honest enough to assume fights do occur and instead of telling us to never argue, it teaches us to be loving and humble when we do. Below are a series of habits that I found helpful on past battlefields. I do not always do them perfectly, but these are some of the targets that I aim for as I strive to live biblically. My hope is that in sharing these with you, they may serve you well in future/present conflicts.
Wisdom: I am constantly learning to pick my battles wisely, not every issue is worth fighting over. Surrender is sometimes the better option. Also, I am often tempted to foolishly point out the flaws of the person I'm fighting with (eg trust issues, etc) that I perceive to have caused the fight. In my experience, digging at the person's personal problems mid-fight always worsened the situation. It's never effective, yet I do this so often!
Patience: Silence serves better than words at times. It is often wiser to stoically take in verbal abuse as opposed to defending against every accusation in the heat of the moment. Even more importantly, I needed to learn my limits and when to temporarily pause the discussion. There are times when I've had to tell the other that I needed to stop because I was getting close to boiling point and did not want to say hurtful things that I do not mean.
Humility: During breaks between fights, I look for faults (mine not theirs). I am in a constant struggle against the tendency is to shift blame off of myself and onto others. I look for ways that I initiated or continued the conflict, for patterns of arrogance and stubbornness, and ways that I was unloving. Once that's done, I pray and bless them as scripture calls us to do.
Peace: Apologizing is an art form. To time it right, not too soon (they're still angry) and not too late (they stop caring). To be genuine. To do so without bringing up their faults but to focus entirely on my own. This may seem to give the impression of weak willed submission, but in actuality it demonstrates maturity and is generally well received and reciprocated.
Encouragement for the week: when you get into arguments, do so w/ love, humility, and reconciliation as your goals as opposed to being right.
Have a happy Thursday!
Edward
extremely ungrateful, yet adorable baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSudpyEU9w
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ...a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hey Guys,
For the record, yes, I AM writing this because I've been in a few fights recently. People have differing opinions, values, and priorities. Because of this, fights are inevitable. I've always loved how the bible is honest enough to assume fights do occur and instead of telling us to never argue, it teaches us to be loving and humble when we do. Below are a series of habits that I found helpful on past battlefields. I do not always do them perfectly, but these are some of the targets that I aim for as I strive to live biblically. My hope is that in sharing these with you, they may serve you well in future/present conflicts.
Wisdom: I am constantly learning to pick my battles wisely, not every issue is worth fighting over. Surrender is sometimes the better option. Also, I am often tempted to foolishly point out the flaws of the person I'm fighting with (eg trust issues, etc) that I perceive to have caused the fight. In my experience, digging at the person's personal problems mid-fight always worsened the situation. It's never effective, yet I do this so often!
Patience: Silence serves better than words at times. It is often wiser to stoically take in verbal abuse as opposed to defending against every accusation in the heat of the moment. Even more importantly, I needed to learn my limits and when to temporarily pause the discussion. There are times when I've had to tell the other that I needed to stop because I was getting close to boiling point and did not want to say hurtful things that I do not mean.
Humility: During breaks between fights, I look for faults (mine not theirs). I am in a constant struggle against the tendency is to shift blame off of myself and onto others. I look for ways that I initiated or continued the conflict, for patterns of arrogance and stubbornness, and ways that I was unloving. Once that's done, I pray and bless them as scripture calls us to do.
Peace: Apologizing is an art form. To time it right, not too soon (they're still angry) and not too late (they stop caring). To be genuine. To do so without bringing up their faults but to focus entirely on my own. This may seem to give the impression of weak willed submission, but in actuality it demonstrates maturity and is generally well received and reciprocated.
Encouragement for the week: when you get into arguments, do so w/ love, humility, and reconciliation as your goals as opposed to being right.
Have a happy Thursday!
Edward
extremely ungrateful, yet adorable baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSudpyEU9w
Happy Wednesday (Prayer) (12/22/2010)
Hey Guys,
I've been reading Church Planter by Darrin Patrick, with a few guys from church. It is a blunt little book that starts off by pointing out what qualities good church leaders should and should not have. I'm embarrassed to admit I lack so many good traits and entertain so many bad ones. Perhaps the most notable deficiency I've come across thus far in this self examination is a rich, private prayer life.
Many people are excellent at public prayer. The author insists that the real gauge of spiritual maturity is not the quality of my public prayers but my private ones. This is alarming to me. The beautiful and eloquent lines that flows so easily I pray publicly contrast starkly with the barely coherent, choppy, overly emotion driven, inconsistent brief snatches that characterize my private prayer life. I've noticed this lack in the past but have never been THIS convicted. I was rudely reminded that Jesus essentially likens my prayer pattern to that of the pharisees! Be careful of mistaking such infrequent prayer habits as intimacy with God, the way close friends/family sometimes go for periods without needing to say anything. The truth is, when I fall into such shoddy patterns of prayer I'm rarely in tune with God.
The main objective of prayer is NOT to submit requests, to ask for guidance/help, to thank him, or even to repent of sins. The main objective is and always should be to know God. To know his character, to know what he thinks of me, to know the grace he has extended over my life, and to grow in intimacy with him. I am lovingly reminded that this is not possible with sporadic 30 second prayers.
Encouragement for the week: Look to your private prayer life. How about this, just before I click "Send" on this wednesday email, I'll take the time to pray in a proper and coherent way as I normally would in public. Those who empathize with my deficiency do likewise after you finish reading this email, deal? Lets pursue an active private prayer life.
Happy Wednesday and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Edward
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:5-6
A Hunter [blank] a Bear (type in whatever in the blank)
http://www.youtube.com/user/tippexperience
I've been reading Church Planter by Darrin Patrick, with a few guys from church. It is a blunt little book that starts off by pointing out what qualities good church leaders should and should not have. I'm embarrassed to admit I lack so many good traits and entertain so many bad ones. Perhaps the most notable deficiency I've come across thus far in this self examination is a rich, private prayer life.
Many people are excellent at public prayer. The author insists that the real gauge of spiritual maturity is not the quality of my public prayers but my private ones. This is alarming to me. The beautiful and eloquent lines that flows so easily I pray publicly contrast starkly with the barely coherent, choppy, overly emotion driven, inconsistent brief snatches that characterize my private prayer life. I've noticed this lack in the past but have never been THIS convicted. I was rudely reminded that Jesus essentially likens my prayer pattern to that of the pharisees! Be careful of mistaking such infrequent prayer habits as intimacy with God, the way close friends/family sometimes go for periods without needing to say anything. The truth is, when I fall into such shoddy patterns of prayer I'm rarely in tune with God.
The main objective of prayer is NOT to submit requests, to ask for guidance/help, to thank him, or even to repent of sins. The main objective is and always should be to know God. To know his character, to know what he thinks of me, to know the grace he has extended over my life, and to grow in intimacy with him. I am lovingly reminded that this is not possible with sporadic 30 second prayers.
Encouragement for the week: Look to your private prayer life. How about this, just before I click "Send" on this wednesday email, I'll take the time to pray in a proper and coherent way as I normally would in public. Those who empathize with my deficiency do likewise after you finish reading this email, deal? Lets pursue an active private prayer life.
Happy Wednesday and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Edward
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:5-6
A Hunter [blank] a Bear (type in whatever in the blank)
http://www.youtube.com/user/tippexperience
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