the stuff that eats away at the body of Christ

too often, too often does grievances in the body give birth to distrust and division. how is it that we receive grace but fail to offer it? how is it we receive love but fail to give it? why are congregations more caught up in appearances then touching the heart?

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; come and offer you gift" - Matthew 5:23-24

Can we be a generation that stands together? Please, I plead with you. It breaks my heart each time I see a congregation walking on eggshells, when leadership is more caught up in their stature and position than being obedient to God. C'mon family, let's be a generation that stands together, transparent with one another and pours out the Father's heart to each other.

And perhaps, there's no grievances, but you either lack fellowship or you've been unwilling to invest into a community. The body of Christ is a family, you know? Just as much as it pleases the Father for you to know Him intimately, it pleases Him to see His children living life together, helping one another, seeking him together.

i write this from my heart, because I believe in this generation and I believe that when the body of Christ stands united, we can and we will change the world. Don't believe it? think of this - when there is unity amongst the parents, there is authority in the family; when there is unity amongst the leadership in a church, there is authority in the congregation; when there is unity amongst the churches, there is authority in the city. Where there is trust, love and heart after God, put into action, lived out in one's life and with those around, people will look to those people, groups, congregations, churches, with respect and people will listen. Imagine what God can do with a generation that stands together? Oh baby! :) Let that thought brew.

with much love,

herm

Life Principles to Remember

In the closing words of my iron ring ceremony, I was left with these life principles to remember and I think they are simple but very important to remember to do.

1. Always be on time
2. Do what you say you're going to do
3. Finish what you started
4. Always remember to say please and thank you
   

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see so clearly

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing Your praise
Than when we first begun

A wretch like me.

To what extent do we realize our wretchedness? The more I realize, the more amazing is His grace. Hallelujah.

Grace teaches us to fear, and it is by that grace that our fears are relieved. Hallelujah.

Better is one day in Your courts then a thousands elsewhere. And when we've been there then thousand years, we sing His praises yet still. Ah, the glory that is due upon Him. Hallelujah.

Amazing grace indeed.

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

a devotion to

Excerpt from today's Utmost for His Highest, and a good reminder.

If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another....

...once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.

Limbo Summer

Let's see if I can revive this blogspot...

So I found out from Petro-Canada that I'll be working in Mississauga and that my start date has been pushed to September (as opposed to the initial June start). So now I have an entire summer off! I haven't had a summer off for more then seven years!

I finish school at the end of April, have convocation in June and start work in September. So aside from a week of traveling with parents to Waterloo for my convo, I have to find something to do for the summer.

Considered Options?

1. Grad Trip
This would be awesome, but the main impediment is money. I can argue that I'll make it all back when I start working, but meanwhile, the wallet's quite dry. But if I do a grad trip, I'm considering either (1) a cross-Canada trip, (2) an Euro-trip or (3) an Asia trip.

2. Missions Trip
This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but never had the chance to do. Why do I want to go on a missions trip. The obvious is to reach out to the lost; as well, I want to be have my eyes opened to a different context. I've always had the thought of full time ministry at the back of my head, so this will be a way to test the waters. If I do go, I need to start looking and applying now!

3. Find a part time job in Montreal
If I decide to do neither options 2 or 3, I would most likely be spending the summer in Montreal. If I do that, then I would probably want to find a part-time job, most likely at Starbucks (which is something I've wanted to do for fun for a while now).

4. Other Option Not-considered yet
Is there something else I can do?

After being without an extended break for the past seven years, I don't know what to do with free time. Options options options...

Worship in Spirit and in Truth. What does it mean?

Over the past year, one of the biggest things that has been of particular re-realization for me is that our life of intimacy and relationship with God is foundational. Over time, I've been sidetracked with serving and only knowing the Word. These are important aspects of our walk with the Lord too; however, it is the aspect of relationship with God that is primary.

Now with respect to the question, let us start off with the passage. The setting is the all familiar well where Jesus talks to the Samaritan women. During the conversation, Jesus says many things, including the focus of discussion, worshiping in spirit and in truth. In the paragraph which Jesus addresses this, it is important to realize what He says at the former part of the paragraph, in order to fully grasp the later part. The first thing he says is that "a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem". In Old Testament times, worshiping on the mountain and in Jerusalem was significant because it was where God was present. This passage of scripture sets up a bit of foreshadow of what's to come, and I believe that specifically is the receiving of the Holy Spirit (which Jesus speaks about later on in the book of John) - I'll discuss this more later. Secondly, Jesus says in v. 22, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know". From the limited knowledge I do have, the Samaritans had idol worship. What exactly did they represent? I think Jesus answers it - They didn't know. This sets up a question. If they're not going to worship on this mountain and in Jerusalem, where God is assumed present, where are they going to worship?

When getting to know anyone, it starts off with knowing the facts about them - who they are, what they have done. I see these as the points of "truth" - head knowledge if you will. That's why it's so important to read the Bible. But knowing someone goes beyond just head knowledge, as there is an aspect of your spirit that is tied to it. In Exodus, God communicates with Moses and explains to him in lengthy detail how to construct the temple and all the things that go into it (Ex. 25-30). He tells him the dimension of the materials, what materials to use, where they had to be from, the priest, the incense etc. Then Moses repeats this entire detail again (Ex. 35-40). Why is this so? God's holy and the temple and the place where he resides must be perfect. The temple is where God's presence if found on Earth. No detail can be missed out, it has to be perfect. And then you turn to the New Testament, and throughout the latter part of the book of John, Jesus talks about us receiving the Counsellor of Truth, the Holy Spirit. Paul further says, in 1 Cor. 6:19, "Do you not that know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own". We are now that same temple in which the presence of God is found.

Now having said all that, let's go back to the point of the spirit. In each one of us, we have the Spirit of God, which leads us and guides us, if we allow and invite Him to. It's an intentional action. You can only really know someone to the extent to which he or she reveals themself to you. I see God having done that and doing that in two ways. First, He has revealed himself to us through the Word (the bible) - the aspect of truth. Secondly, He is continually revealing himself to us through the Holy Spirit which we all have - the aspect of spirit. Both actions (reading the Word and knowing Him personally through the Spirit) need to be intentional. If you don't pick up the bible and read, you can't know (in truth); as well, if you don't take the time to spend with God through the Spirit, you can't know (in spirit).

Jesus follows, in v.23-24, to answer the question of "Where are we going to worship if not on the mountain nor in Jerusalem". The answer is in spirit and in truth. Unlike the Samaritans, we know who we worship. I know I've spent the above paragraph talking about knowing God, but it is crucial that we know God before we can worship Him. We can't worship what we don't know. So in the same manner of knowing God, we worship Him.

Ask and ye shall receive

Since last semester and throughout this semester, I've been praying for the opportunity for ministry amongst my classmates and opportunity to share with them... And here's how God's answered:

During our lifesong (outreach event) meeting last week, we actually had to revamp the entire script and storyline, introducing some new aspects and characters. Towards the end of the meeting, they were discussing of asking to see if there was anyone who wanted to share their testimony. Then someone brought up that it would be nice that if they could tie their testimony somehow to the drama.. and then someone else said that it would be hard cuz you don't want to "force" the testimony to fit the the drama - it's their story afterall. At that point, I just freak out in my mind.. cuz as i looked at the storyline and people present in the drama and I realized that's MY testimony, my life is encompassed into the drama. In the past, lifesong has been "take someone's testimony and model the drama around it".. well, this time it's like they took a randomized bunch of characters and put a storyline together.. and it's like a perfect parrallel to my life!!

So i'm sitting there while annie (the lifesong co-ordinator) asked "is there anyone in room that wants to share?".. and in my mind, i'm like "NOOOOOO...", freaked out in standing of standing in front of a large crowd of ppl i don't really know.. and then there's God saying "you ask, you receive" :P...

crazy thing was that, that very night before the meeting, i had dinner with mike (a friend of mine) and was sharing with him that exact verse "you ask and you will recieve" with the preamble that your intent is in the glory of God... and the amazing thing is that, not only does he answer you, but he answers in a way that you don't expect and it's that much more awe-striking..

and then ccf friday.. we studied that passage as well (matthew 7)....

so yeah.. that was last week.. i made my official decision to share my testimony yesterday.

God is crazy amazing?? OH YEAH! :D

So for those of you reading this, you can rejoice in God's awesomeness with me.. and as well, pray for me as I speak that evening. Lifesong's gonna be March 3, 7:00PM. Pray that God will speak through me and use me, and the entire lifesong.

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done...
What do you say?!
BRING IT!!!!! THAT'S RIGHT... BRING IT!!!! OH YEAH :D