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| This is my lame version of Blogspotting. For your reading pleasure, and hopefully your sanctification - here're some interesting happenings and articles in Christiandom and our nation. (-) Famous, or infamous religious-right leader Reverend Jerry Falwell has passed away. A blogger puts his death and legacy in positive perspective here. (edit) Two more interesting blog posts regarding Falwell's passing. Definitely worth the read, they examine the not-so favorable legacy he has left behind and explore the question of how we should remember our heroes. (Including Jonathan Edwards and Martin Luther King, Jr.) [Source: Between Two Worlds] (-) Theologian Douglas Wilson, has an exchange (debate) with Christopher Hitchens, who was ranked #5 on a list of "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy and Britain's Prospect. It's interesting to see how Hitchens constantly avoids the central issue - as an atheist there is an apparent self-contradiction in his system of thought. Three parts so far, part 1, part 2, part 3. (-) Three believer's were recently murdered in Turkey, at first reportedly horribly tortured and massacred. It was said they were stabbed hundreds of times, and tortured beyond imagination. Read the corrected letter, it turns out they were indeed tortured and killed, but not to that degree. It's definitely sobering for us westernized Christians who find it easy to be lukewarm in our faith, and a reminder for us to pray fervently for our brothers and sisters overseas. (-) A renewed challenge to really use our minds, and think to the glory of God. (-) Something every girl, even guys - should read. (-) Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler was on Larry King Live this past monday, among other religious figures, discussing the issue of God in Politics. With a Mormon candidate running for President, and a current President who obviously shows his faith affects his politics, this is a pretty interesting issue. There's a transcript available online. Hope you will read and enjoy =) Sure beats most other reading material out there on the 'net. I have no idea if you found this post helpful, if you did maybe I'll keep doing this. If not, I'll probably keep doing this anyways =) | | |
| I've been feeling compelled as of late, to update my Xanga.
Xanga is a wonderful thing - you can keep in touch with friends (or at least stay informed ABOUT them) with relative ease, and many of them at that. So for the first time in a while, I'll post for the actual reason xanga is useful - to update you about myself!
Life post-college is very systematic and quite opposed to the loose do what you want when you want college-life I had less than a year ago. While I do miss the college life dearly, and my AACF compadres, I wouldn't give up what I have now.
Many exciting things are happening at church - Rick Holland is speaking for us at our church retreat in May, our basketball ministry is going steady with non-believers hearing the gospel every week, our young adult ministry has just about blown up in the past year and it's been absolutely amazing.
Personally, since graduation God has grown me in ways I would never imagine. The glory of Christ weighs heavier upon my heart and conscience, and when Paul writes "For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus" I can resoundingly say YES! Christ is glorious! The world should know it, and by all means, so help me God I should live it!
Perhaps that may sound like a case for boasting, but I'll have you know that a deep sense of Christ quite naturally leads to a deep sense of one's sinfulness. Oh I see more and more every day how incredibly sinful I am! Even my best moments of "ministry" and "loving others" are mixed in with pride! Even my deepest meditations upon Christ can have sin creeping around the corner. I can't wait until heaven, where worship and delight will be pure and unmixed! But all that is to say, that I am wretched - and anything good that comes out of this lustful body of mine is from Christ!
Why God blesses, and gives such abundance is out of my league to even think about. I can give you a textbook answer, but it's simply mind-blowing to receive grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy; it simply can't be understood. Christ is breathtakingly glorious, and I'm still awestruck at how He has enabled me to perceive that.
That's basically the quick and dirty update on my life, which is essentially not mine. Ain't that a crazy idea. I'm also going to Kyrgyzstan this summer with my church, please pray for us and let me know if you want a support letter (another empty ploy to get eprops!)
Since it's midnight Sunday evening, way past my bed time now, I'll now be very selfish and try to get the most personal benefit out of this post by requesting this: When you remember me please pray for me, pray your heart out and pray like you've never prayed before, and also pray for the future wife I may never have. =)
No poor creature stands in need of divine grace more than I, and none abuse it more than I have done, and still do.
Oh, and though Christ is king, eprops are still fun. Give them liberally please =) I haven't talked to so many of you in so long! Lets have a powwow shindig and go crazy
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| Letters from Iwo Jima
I saw the movie tonight. It's good, what you'd expect from the movie. Perhaps it doesn't grip you and move you in the certain ways you would expect it to - but it is definitely another sobering look at war, and at those who fought. It is definitely a sad, humbling experience.
It doesn't take much to realize that all my own problems don't amount to a hill of beans, and this movie is another clear reminder of that. The worst problem I had ever faced in my life is incomparable to the problems and difficulties people face in situations of war.
I think all too often I watch a movie like this and many different things run through my mind. Things like "I can't believe people did that" or "I can't believe people are capable of that," or positive thoughts about the bravery and resilience of the human will.
But I think what it all comes down to, is how mind blowing the humbling of Christ is. Wait, what? How did I jump to Christ's humility all of a sudden? I'm going to keep it real short, here's the shortest explanation I have haha, I need to sleep and get up for work!
I've gone through problems, you've gone through problems - and you know what, they're going to be small beans compared to the problems those japanese soldiers have gone through.
I think I just wanna use one example:
You ever feel like being single is tough? That the relationship you're in is tough? That rejection from that girl or guy is tough? You ever feel like your "heart breaking" is so bad that it's imaginably the worst thing that could ever happen to you?
What about being married to your pregnant wife, having the army knock on your door and take you away? What about leaving your wife, knowing that you will probably never come home - and she knows that too, think about that moment of farewell. What about when the soldier is AT war? Writing back to his wife in hopes he'll see her, in anticipation of the war being over? What about when the soldier is about to die, he knows it - and all he can do to comfort himself is to write to his wife who will never be able to read the letter?
What about the wife who lost the husband and is now widowed with a child? Think about that time in Saving Private Ryan where the mother gets notice that multiple sons have died! Man that stuff is crazy to even imagine.
Comparing our problems to those make our problems seem infinitely minute don't they?
Now take that a step further and consider what Christ has done. He is God Himself, the "radiance of the glory of God," he "upholds the universe by the word of his power." Yet what did he do? He became a MAN to redeem us. Not even a majestic man, mind you. The God of the universe did not come clothed in beauty, which he rightfully could have been - "he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."
The God of the universe relegated himself to be be "despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces." He knowingly, lowered himself that he would walk upon the earth and face more anguish and suffering than those soldiers at Iwo Jima.
Those soldiers, they were proud to be defending their homeland. Though confused and scared at times, they all would defend their homeland, they would die for their family and home. But there's a striking contrast in Christ, who died for those who were enemies with him.
How infinitely more brave, more courageous, more glorious is the death and work of Christ. Our problems are small beans compared to what the soldiers faced, but what the soldiers faced were small beans compared to what Christ did!
This is a perspective I need to be reminded of constantly. But honestly - my problems won't be solved by telling myself "my problems don't mean anything compared to Christ, forget about them." Because when you sleep and wake up the next day, you still have your problems to deal with - however menial and small they may seem compared to Iwo Jima, compared to Christ.
But we have to maintain the eternal perspective, that when you think of Christ's humbling, his work on the cross, our problems are put into perspective. They can be approached with the correct attitude, a grateful heart that our greatest problem sin has been conquered - and all these menial problems which are actually consequences of sin, can be easily handled and conquered with Christ in our lives! Thats the only way we will view our problems correctly, "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
Hebrews 12:3-4
Letters to Iwo Jima was good. Hopefully if you watch it, along with any other crazy historical movie that shows the gravity of sin and the gruesome nature of war, it will point you back to Christ.
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| Is this possible?
When I graduated junior high, a friend wrote in my yearbook "I still can't believe you graduated!"
Another friend had written something similar, short and sweet, "Don't be gay, Johnson!"
Ah the confidence my friends had in my academic pursuit, and my
sexuality. Fast forward 8 years later, to 2006 - and it's not too
different! Allen and co. had a wager tha t I wouldn't get a job until
february, but here I am in December - with a JOB!
I work as a Lease Accountant at the VCA (Veterinary Centers of America)
and no... contrary to what people may have said, I do NOT work at a
vet. VCA owns a whole load of hospitals so I work at their corporate
headquarters, look them up on NASDAQ they're under the symbol WOOF haha.
So praise God he's provided me with a job, and it's out in West LA around UCLA so we can still chill yo.
Just wanted to update ya'll on my life, I figure it was about time =)
I'll leave you with this, my friend gave me a t-shirt with this design on it:
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| Who goes out to monterey park for thanksgiving dinner?!?!
Fob families like mine.
Gobble gobble, it's time to eat some lobster for thanksgiving =P
happy black friday shopping you crazy peeps.
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