Sunday, November 15, 2009
I've Moved
so, i've moved over, making it easier to remember (who cares about transliterated greek phrases you've made up that are supposed to be highly significant, unless you're still in Bible college?) and hopefully, easier to keep up with.
check it out: http://layingearthlyhopeatheavensdoor.blogspot.com/
and check back in a month or two. i'll surely have posted something by then. :)
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
I'm Really Not All That Spiritual
I don’t tithe because I want to be obedient, or because I’m under conviction to, or because I’m on staff at church. No, I must confess, my reasoning is a lot less spiritual than all that.
How nice it would be to have an extra chunk of cash to be able to spend on visiting my family in the Midwest, or to go on an exotic vacation to somewhere I haven’t been, or even just to save up for a rainy day! But while those are certainly priorities in my mind, another priority is helping things grow—whether that means my struggling orchid (do these plants ever thrive?) or the ministries at my church.
Yes, God is glorified when we help people, but I must admit, that’s not really my reasoning. I like for people to think of our church as a helpful place, a place that has the manpower, the facilities and the finances to be able to help our community. I’m a little shallow—I want people to like our church.
And I must confess, I’m not as compassionate as Bob Varden or Greg Lazzeroni, who love to help people through Food Help. I’m not even as compassionate as
But I can volunteer to help with activities that I am good at. I can buy groceries to donate. I can pray for God to provide for our ministries. And I can give money. Because I would hate for any of the ministries that I believe in to not be able to continue for lack people or resources. I know our budget is tight, and we are working to cut down our expenses, but we’re also needing our members to be committed to our church, (aka, the Bride of Christ), to seeing that our ministries continue forward.
I want Food Help to continue. I want our student and children’s ministries to thrive. I want to continue participating in fellowship events. I want for us to be able to continue growing spiritually through Bible studies. I want our facility to continue being available for community groups. I want to continue blessing Christ-followers around the world through our Worldwide Outreach. And I really want to be able to enjoy air conditioning on Sundays!
So in a nutshell, I tithe and give offerings so that we can continue ministering at the corner of 4th and New streets. After all, what good is it for me to come to church, if I don’t become an active part of what is going on here? (And trust me—we have a lot going on here; I see it going on all week!)
Plus, and I guess this is a bit of a spiritual reason, but when I arrive at my true home, I really want my Father to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!...Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Ecuador 2009
Days 1-3
Days 4-5
Days 6-8
Tuesday began with our familiar routine--we got up for breakfast, shared in a time of devotions, and began working. The guys (Kyle and Tyler) got to continue the difficult task of sanding down steel beams which were covered in rust (because of the heavy rains during the beginning of the year). The girls continued plastering, sanding, and painting. After a morning of those activities, we helped serve the kids who come each weekday for the lunch program (there are 35 kids that come to eat lunch here each day), and then we taught them a brief lesson, with a corresponding craft. This week we've talked about the importance of being part of the family of God, how we are a new creation in Christ and how we shine light in a dark world.
After the first 8 days, things got crazy and I didn't have time to write more about our last 4 days. Needless to say, they included a lot of sad goodbyes.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Creed
I cannot say my creed in words.
How should I spell despair, excitement, joy and grief?
amazement, anger, certainty and unbelief?What was the grammar of those sleepless nights?
Who the subject? What the object? –
of a friend who will not come, or does not come,
and then
creates his own eccentric special dawn:
A blinding light that does not blind.Why do I find you in the secret,
wordless places where I hide
from your eternal light?
I hate you.
I love you.
I miss you.
I wish that you would go
and yet I know that long ago
you made a fairy tale for meAbout the day when you would take your sword
and battle through the thicket of the things I have become.Your kiss to life…my Sleeping Beauty
waiting for her Prince to come.Then I will wake
and look into your eyes
and understand.
And for the first time
I will not be dumb
and I shall
say my creed
in words.--Adrian Plass
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Of All the Bigoted Things to Say...
Today's pick:
"Did you know that our new president is in favor of kids having sex in school?"
And they all sadly shook their heads at the dismal state of the world.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Harry Potter, At Last!
I've been asked which volume is my favorite, but in all honesty, since I sped through them, I could not choose one over the other; the story all blends together, as a whole. However, I did discover something to become a favorite, although you may find it quite odd to get this from the books: I have come to a deeper appreciation and greater admiration for Gary Oldman as an actor. Sirius Black easily became a favorite character, and since I'd already seen the movie, his being came alive in my mind with the semblance my eyes had already taken in. (And to have done such a superb job in Batman simply added to my gratitude to him as an actor, having portrayed those characters so vividly.)
Thursday, August 07, 2008
It's Summer...!
Today I've been wanting to listen to Christmas music, specifically Relient K's "Let it snow, baby, let it reindeer."
Something about certain Christmas songs, especially original songs, stir something in me. (For those of you who aren't aware, I absolutely do NOT like Christmas music, at least not the same 30 carols that everyone with a record deal seems to record. Write your own stuff, don't just regurgitate the same crap with a personal little "twist".)
Christmas in the middle of summer? Yeah. For the first 18 years of my life, that's when I celebrated it.
I miss Mom.
Friday, July 18, 2008
A Silver Teapot
Since when did we become a thrift store?