Frightening Statistics
- Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
- Fifty percent of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
- Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
- Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
- Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
- Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.
- Almost forty percent polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry.
- Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.
And to think, this is the pastoral work environment I am called to be in! YIKES!!!!
From Mark Driscoll - Death by Ministry (Part 2).
*Consider also statistics for Pastors’ Wives!
What I Fear Most
God providing me with what I need.
I’ve been meaning to post this, but I was weary that if I did then I may as well have jinxed myself. So, I hope this isn’t a foreshadow of what is to come.
More than anything right now, I am afraid of God giving me what I need and want. I think it would be easier and I would be less burdened if I don’t get the desires of my heart. For if God provides, there would be so much more responsibilties on my shoulders. And in as much as I want these additional reponsibilties and even as they are signs of personal growth, I am unsure as to whether or not I can handle the extra load under my care, leadership, and control.
So there you go. I think I just jinxed myself. ~sighs~
Words of wisdom from Dawson
“In life, you don’t find too many people with the ability to give you butterflies, so when you do, tell that person, otherwise life would be like living in your own personal prison.”
“If I could give everyone one piece of love advice, it would be once you find the one you’ve spent your whole lifetime searching for, don’t give them up without a fight. Never let them just walk right out of your life. Whatever you do, don’t ever let them go. Hold onto them with all that you’ve got, because you have no guarantee that they’ll be back. So, don’t make the mistake that I have made. Don’t just watch them leave. It could be the last time you ever see them. Don’t look back on it and regret not saying the words you needed to say, or doing the things you needed to do. Because the feeling of regret will never leave you.”
“If there’s anything you should do before you die, allow me to suggest something: look into someone’s eyes, someone who you really care about. Really look at them, just look at their face, their eyes; take them in. Breathe their breath into your lungs at a moment when they’re the most happy….and I promise you, I swear, you’ll never see anything more beautiful than the expression on their face….or the one on yours.”
Music Monday
As a late Music Monday feature, this song comes from one of my favorite artists, growing up in my high school years! And it’s from one of my favorite old CDs — I actually had it stolen with my old CD player but I loved it so much that I bought another copy 
The following song is one of the most pure and powerful tracks off the album.
Just To Have You
by Jennifer Paige
Lyrics here: (more…)
Sure and Steady
From Grey’s Anatomy - Season 3, Episode 25 “Didn’t We Almost Have It All?”
Preston Burke’s wedding vows for Cristina Yang:
Cristina,
I could promise…to hold you, and to cherish you. I can promise to be there in sickness and in health. I could say, ‘til death do us part. But I won’t. Those vows are for optimistic couples. The ones full of hope. And I do not stand here, on my wedding day, optimistic or full of hope.I am not optimistic. I am not hopeful. I am sure. I am steady. And I know that I’m a heart man. I take it apart, I put ‘em together, I hold them in my hands. I am a heart man. So this, I am sure: you are my partner, my lover, my very best friend. My heart, my heart, beats for you. And on this day, the day of our wedding, I promise you this: I promise you to lay my heart in the palm of your hands. I promise you me.
Now that’s one powerful wedding vow!
If I were to fly…
According to aircanada.com, for one-way trip on August 4, 2007:
Toronto, Pearson Int’l (YYZ) to Chicago, O’Hare Int’l (ORD);
Chicago, O’Hare Int’l (ORD) to Louisville (SDF).
(fyi: I hate Chicago-O’Hare… last time I was there, it was a complete nightmare!)
Passenger Type
Adult
Flight 1 - Departing airfare (Tango Plus)
143.00
7.50
Taxes, Fees and Charges
20.00
U.S.A Transportation Tax
16.81
U.S Agriculture Fee
5.57
Canada Security Charge
7.94
Canada Goods and Services Tax (GST/HST #10009-2287)
10.71
September 11 Security Fee
2.78
U.S.A Immigration User Fee
7.79
Total airfare and taxes before options (per passenger)
222.10
Number Of Passengers
1
Grand Total - Canadian Dollars
$222.10
So, the cost of plane ticket is $143, and all the extra fees equates to $79.10. Meaning, fees equal to over half the price of the ticket itself must be paid just to make the airplanes & airports look safe and secure :S Ridiculous!
Benny Hinn exposed on CBC
A 40minute review of Benny Hinn and His ministry and the waste of money he spends on Himself and his family at $20,000 a night in europe and luxury hotels and travel.
(HT: Symphony of Scripture)
Only to be with you
This just came to mind: a classic U2 song. The lyrics says everything… my sentiments exactly. In that sense, and in that sense.
I have climbed highest mountain
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
Facts on St. Valentine’s Day
2.2 million
The number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.
25.3 and 27.1
The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men, respectively, in 2005. The age for women rose 4.2 years in the last three decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 3.6 years.
57% and 60%
The percentages of American women and men, respectively, who are 18 or older and currently married (includes those who are separated). (more…)
5 Pick Up Lines to Get You the Girl
- Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?
- If you stood in front of a mirror and held up 11 roses, you would see 12 of the most beautiful things in the world.
- If I could rewrite the alphabet, I would put U and I together.
- I’m sure glad I brought my library card, ’cause I’m checking you out!
- Inheriting eighty million bucks doesn’t mean much when you have a weak heart.
(Source)
Hoping for some kind of sign
Self-explanatory:
Lonestar, where are you out tonight?
This feeling i’m trying to fight
It’s dark and I think that I
Would give anything
For you to shine down on me
How far you are
I just don’t know
The distance I’m willing to go
I pick up a stone that i cast to the sky
Hoping for some kind of sign.
What’s going on?
Today
Earlier today, I had an interview with HP (Canada) at their Markham location, near Hwy404 & Hwy7. The interview was for an Inbound Call Centre Representative job, and overall, I think it went very well. I had some good conversations with the coordinator and team lead about the position, about their expectations and my own career goals. The salary isn’t great, but it is Hewlett Packard, and at a fairly convenient location, so it looks like a good opportunity to learn and use my skills. I’m looking forward to hearing back from them.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, or rather, later today, I have an interview with the City of Brampton, early in the morning at 8am, for a GIS Technician 6-month contract job. This one looks like a great opportunity to use my education and the skills I developed at Ryerson and from working at the City of Toronto. The pay is good and the location is still commutable–so I’m crossing my fingers and praying hard for this one also! As a 6month contract, it work out to be great for my schedule to start my M.Div at Southern in the Fall (Aug) term.
Later this afternoon, after the interview in Brampton, I have to head out east to a little town called Picton, for an interview with the County of Prince Edward for a GIS/Planning Technician job. It’s another government job, so it should be good… the pay is decent, but the only downside is that it is in Picton–out in the middle of nowhere, about 2.5hrs east of Toronto. From what I gather, it is a full-time permanent position, so I guess this is fairly enticing on the long-run… but I really cannot forsee myself moving to a hick town even semi-permanently. Nevertheless, I want to work hard at this interview too, and pray that God will provide what is best for me in this time.
Applying for seminary
My application to Southern Seminary is almost complete. Hopefully, my pastors will have the Recommendation for Admission and Church Affirmation forms filled out, and I can mail out everything by the end of the week. I feel like I’m kind of also delaying my last edits of my Autobiographical Essay… I guess part of me is just kind of sad that the time has come to finally move on and away from Toronto. Even though there are many things incompatible between me and my church, especially in terms of theology, and despite there being some not-completely resolved baggage here… God is telling me that I need to strive forward toward the goal He has set before me. I have made a home out of this city since 1987, and it is bittersweet to be leaving–no matter when this may be. Please pray for me as I complete all the parts of the application, and my heart in this time of slow transition. I just got a receipt in the mail from Ryerson saying that my transcript was mailed to Southern on the 25th, so at least that’s one thing that’s already on its way down south.
New Blog Design
I’ve been working on a new blog design. For the past few months, I’ve been re-thinking my purpose for this blog and how I write what I write. I haven’t done so lately, but a lot of times in the past I’ve written long posts and even series of posts about theology and church-related issues in the form of fairly expositional articles. I intend to continue to do that, but as have been suggested, I need to work on contextualizing my knowledge and the things I’ve read in laymens terms that regular-folk can understand! I also know that I’ve never really had a purpose for my personal blog here at sixsteps.org, but I intend to have a solid purpose for my blog once the re-design is finished. Part of the purpose will be to live out a humble orthodoxy in this blogsphere, and especially showing my readers and related parties that I say what I say because I love them. So in this, please pray that I could show you that I love you, that my words could sound less arrogant and more humble; I share with you all that I have learned from His Word because I genuinely care for your well-being.
I don’t have a specific timeline for when the new layout will be out, but at this very moment, I’m hoping that it will be complete by Ash Wednesday / the beginning of Lent, whenever that is. I don’t want to rush things and nor release the new layout parts at a time… but I think Ash Wednesday would be a good goal for the time being.
“What does this mean?”
I am currently thinking too much, and should be reading more instead, so I can rid myself of thinking too much. This is a very good time for me to be reading deep into theological issues, like atonement and the emerging church, because I am just making things so much more complicated for myself. I think that it’s just because of everything above that is putting so much pressure on me psychologically, spiritually and emotionally… that to even be reconsidering this and thinking about this stuff again is really putting the drama back into my head. Just the other day, I was telling my friend that I was living a very drama free life… but now, only a few days later, I feel like there’s drama going on in my head even though there’s nothing going on in my life really.
The words of Chantal Kreviazuk come to mind: what if it all means something? I hate hypotheticals, so let’s just discard the hypothetical part of this question and go head first into tackling this: does this mean anything? what does it mean? Do I want it to mean something?
Ahhhhhh
Something is going on in my head. It’s weirding me out, how I’m not understanding things–or rather, just thinking too too much. I don’t know why this brain of mine is doing what it’s doing: making muddy something that’s clear. Maybe it’s just that, clear as mud! I just need some time to zoom out and process everything that’s led up to this point in time, to analyze what’s been and how I feel about that. (Excuse my expletives here. It’s more of a note to self)
Scatter brain
The 2007 calendar year has started, so I wish you all a very holistic, blessed new year!
I returned from Urbana06 on Monday night and from shipping off my sister back to Waterloo earlier today/Tuesday, so I am still collecting my brain-cells that have been stretched to its limits the past week trying to process what God is calling me to do in terms of going to seminary for an M.Div and obeying God’s call on my life to pulpit/preaching (pastoral) ministry.
Since Urbana06, I made a few plans and decisions, but right now I’m not feeling to well physically so I’ll write more later. My dad recently caught a lil cold and has been sneezing, and so it seems I’ve caught a runny nose & sneezing from him. NOT GOOD–considering I gotta lead worship this weekend at my church’s English Ministry Winter Retreat. ~ahhhh
I’ve got lots more to post in reflection about Urbana, but please forgive me and stay tuned for something more concrete. Have a look at my archived posts while you wait. I’ve got loads of reading to catchup on and start (since I bought a good number of new books at Urbana), so that’ll keep me fed spiritually while I recover from this cold.
I am about to start a new blog purposed for writting out my prayers to God… I’ve concluded that my personal prayer life can become more disciplined if I can put it into visible words on screen, and so I’m adding this to my spiritual disciplines. I doubht I’ll link this to the public, but if you want access to it or are in need of prayers, please email me.
Time for reading and rest.
Grace and peace to all who are at Passion07. I am joining you via the online video stream & am praying for the work God is doing in your hearts.
SDG,
A.
Top Ten Signs You May Not Be Reading Your Bible Enough
10. The preacher announces the sermon is from Galatians and you check the table of contents.
9. You think Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the ’60s.
8. You open to the gospel of Luke and a World War II savings bond falls out.
7. Your favorite Old Testament patriarch is Hercules.
6. A small family of woodchucks has taken up residence in the Psalms.
5. You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn’t listed in either the concordance or the table of contents!
4. Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand, ‘Who gave you that stuff?!’
3. You think the Minor Prophets worked in the quarries.
2. You keep falling for it every time when your pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums (and Second Hesitations).
1. The kids keep asking you too many questions about your usual bedtime story called, Jonah the Shepherd-Boy and His Ark of Many Colors.
(HT: Call To Die)
Why are so many girls stuck up?
“I’ve been trying to find a girlfriend for a while at my church, but so many are either snobby or stuck up. Do you have any advice to “break the ice” so I could see if they’re really snobby, or possibly nice?”
No, I did not ask that aloud! LOL… This was a popular questioned examined @ Boundless. Check out the answer here.
I don’t know
I write this post reflecting on some things a friend of mine wrote earlier, and also just as an accumulation of a few things that have been building up.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been having a good number of talks with my sister. The other night we ended up talking about what kind of person I would like. I kind of brought it upon myself, because honestly, I’m just in a zone, in state of mind, where I have realized that I don’t know.
I don’t know what I want.
We talked about external things, and more specifically outward appearances. I just shared that there are various types of styles: ones who wear tight lowrise jeans with leather boots that have that fluffy trim, and a puffy winter jacket with a faux fur fluffy trim; the kind that brushes their hair over their ears every 3 minutes just to express their girliness; there’s the ones who wear sneakers and t-shirts all the time; there is the cutsy adorable asian types who can be very hard to resist because of their nagging; there is the proud chin-up I-know-I’m-hot and I-want-things-my-way wearing brand/designer name clothes all the time kind; there’s also the kind that looks nice and good and seems very good & religious but probably have alterior motives and a loaded past; there’s a kind that takes real good care of themselves physically by working out and wearing Lululemon athletica clothing all the time to show off what a great bod that they’ve worked hard to get; I could go on and on… but there’s also that one kind who is the typical pure princess type who never goes anywhere without a complete matching outfit and a shiny purse even if she’s only out for coffee or grocery shopping.
I can’t for the sake of me figure out what I like or would want. Mentally, I have just put it all off and thrown it all out. I’ve watched a lot of tv, and every character I see seems outwardly attractive somehow but all the while still have a huge downside/baggage/issues attached to them. I don’t care to figure out what I want; I don’t feel like picking and choosing a type, or finding a mix and a match of a type.
I simply don’t know what I want, in terms of the person’s outward appearance. My own wardrobe changes from week to week, day to day, depending on how I feel; sometimes I feel flowery, other days I feel like standing out with a bling shirt, or with some T that has a humourous sentence, and other days I feel prepy or plain simple. I would hope that my significant other would match well wardrobe wise with how I look. Afterall, we often express ourselves and how we are feeling by our dress and I hope that there is truthful expression in it–not just laissez-faire I-don’t-care how I look.
All the outward means nothing, that appearances are deceiving, especially if there’s no humility, grace and a heart after God on the inside… but the inside, I have previously ranted about, which is hard to find. Very hard. It’s been suggested that I just go to seminary and find a semarian gal who thinks and is interested about those churchy things and all the while is an idealistic/romantic as myself. I am very much just ready to do just that, for the sake of the gospel and my call to ministry of course! It’s just that the outward just seems more tangible right now, something I can see, but it also can be a negative thing in that it may seem like I am filtering first via the outwardly. But the truth is, I recall saying this to a friend about a year ago: it doesn’t matter how hot you look, if you can’t earn my trust then I will not open my heart to you.
I heard from a friend that the worse feeling other than loneliess is feeling lonely and feeling like you are alone in feeling that way. Being alone in your loneliness. I don’t think I am in this kind of a state at all, only that I cannot get a grasp on what I want from this life and the things that would make me happy. I wonder why there are so many people who seem to just have it easy in terms of relationships, and then there are ones like myself who seem to have it soo much harder; often I feel cheated by God out of a good thing… but then I remind myself that everything on this earth is by grace, so I shouldn’t complain, right?
And as hard as relationships are & knowing that it will always take lots of work, I just want it all to be easier, less complicated, less mind-numbing head-aching, and more natural, easy flowing, simple, second nature.
It’s like, what do you do when the world throws you a lemon: do you make lemonade, or do you add vodka? What if you don’t want lemonade or vodka, but rather iced tea? Or a long-island iced tea, which has lemonade, vodka, and iced tea? This is such a conumdrum that I even have a hard time figuring myself out. Consider Christmas: what do I want for Christmas? If I could put that into words, I probably would have gotten it already. I have tried not to desire earthly things and wordly treasures, and just set my desires on things above and making a difference for God through being a good servant of Christ… but something is still missing, lacking, “not there” yet.
And it just kills me from trying get a goodnights sleep for a long time now. When you fall asleep, or at least when I do, I try to dream about this ideal situation, dream life, a picture of what it all should be like… some sort of hope for tomorrow that will put me to sleep. However, I cannot come up with any images or pictures to fall asleep to, I don’t have that something to look forward to waking up. It’s just blank. Tabula rasa. And it’s not that I don’t have any life goals or ambitions–coz I do–but I just don’t know… I really wish I could wrap my head around it.
Maybe I’m still so scarred that I can’t even put my heart on my sleeve; bottling it all up; unable to trust anybody with my true heart and soul to let anybody in. Where do I go from here? I don’t know.
Where are the godly women?
In God’s kindness to us, He doesn’t just nourish us, He has provided an infinite variety of foods that not only keep us alive, but that also taste good to us. In the same way, God has graciously given us physical attraction, chemistry, and pleasure to make marriage and its unique intimacy that much sweeter to us. That’s good and right.
Enjoy those things, but don’t be a slave to them. Desire them, but have a realistic idea of what those words mean in a fallen world, and the limited role they should play in one of the most important decisions of your Christian life. Remember, “the movies” aren’t real, and they aren’t the standard. It’s not that attraction makes no difference, but it shouldn’t make the difference.
What should make the difference? Well, the Bible talks about the characteristics of godly men and women. These are the things that the Lord Himself considers to be good attributes, or, to use a different word, “attractive.”
Is your potential spouse clearly a believer in Jesus (2 Cor. 6:14)? Does he/she exhibit the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5)? Does he/she show clear regard and care for others? Does he/she show evident love for God in how he/she spends time and money, how he/she interacts with others?
Women, is this a man you respect? Could you envision yourself submitting to and following him over the course of your lives together? Do you believe he will care well for you and your children? Will he serve you above himself and encourage your spiritual growth, as he is called to do in Ephesians 5? Is he growing in the characteristics of biblical manhood (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 3)?
Men, do you believe this woman will care for you well and be a good mother and discipler to your children? Is she growing in the characteristics of biblical womanhood and what the Bible calls “true beauty” (Proverbs 31, 1 Peter 3, Titus 2)? Do you envision her being supportive of you in whatever ministry God may call you to?
-Scot Croft, “Brother You’re Like a Six“
I live in a postmodern era, where everything I know about God has been boiled down to seeker-sensitive, Purpose-Driven, God wants me to be rich, contemplative spiritualy, and “emerging”.
My life centers around the church, and what it means to be a cross-bearing Christ follower. As one who is in the process of planning to attend seminary in the (distant near) future to prepare for pulpit ministry, and as one who is a tad right-of-center theologically, it is dog-gone hard to find a godly woman–one who is more than less equally yoked to me. I mean, seriously, where are the godly women?
One who is Reformed in their understanding of salvation, who has a high view of the God’s sovereignty and Scriptural sufficiency/inerrancy, one who can explain the 5-points of Calvinism, who understands postmodernity and has a less-than-favorable position about the Emerging Church… I see that there is currently no one who meets such criteria–who loves what I love, who is passionate about what I am passionate about, who talks about what I love talking about, who would be willing to sacrifice their career to humbly serve God in supporting mine.
I’m not making a “list” here, but just saying that in order for the relationship to really work, these are things that will preoccupy my mind, of which I will have tantrums and yap endlessly about. I’m a theological-geek/dork/nerd who isn’t even a seminarian yet! I mean, honestly–what kind of girl would care about such things?, nevermind have a position on them! No person would ever truly fulfill any list, so I won’t even bother trying to make one up–we all are not perfect, but the question is whether or not one is perfect for me… whether or not we are perfect for each other.
I don’t ever want to “settle” for the next best thing… I always strive to attain the best thing there is (at the time), and do much in-depth research before getting it: whether it be a job, technology, or a relationship. Too often, I see people around me settle into a long relationship since very early on… and they end up not fighting/arguing because they know they the other is good enough, even though it’s not all that they planned on / wanted in the first place, even though he or she wasn’t what they had in mind. These people don’t want to ruin a good thing, and just want the security and stability of a constant relationship–I mean who doesn’t want security and stability right!?!
When I see a couple like this who are basically moderately satisfied with their relationship, I know they deserve better, and they both know it themselves too, HOWEVER, neither of them wants to go through the stress and anxiety of having big fights or breaking up and starting over in another relationship. To me, it’s a sad tale that is all too popular like McDonalds: it tastes good, but it doesn’t really fill you up… it’s like, “I’ll settle for you, even though you are not the best thing for me.” I don’t ever want to be in a position like that.
Hence, these days my sleeping hours are out-of-sync, and I really do not know how I can fall asleep.
There is nobody.
I don’t know when it started being like this, but it was recent, within the past 3 months… the feeling more recently intensifying over the past month. As long as I can remember, there has always been somebody in mind, a picture in my head that I fall asleep to, an image that gives me hope, a vision that drives me to live for tomorrow.
Right now however, there is nobody. And these days, I just lie silently thinking about nothingness until my mind is too tired to think anymore, and then I fall asleep. OR, I just watch tv until I’m too tired and finally doze off.
There is no longer any target in front of me that I am aiming for. It is a very weird, awkward feeling, not having such a prospect to strive for… it’s been a long time since I have been like this. Even though I know this is what is needed in this time of my life, I sense of disappointment still surrounds me as I see everybody else around me with their target in sight (even my younger sister).
And so, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, and yet it feels so much like I am running aimlessly in a direction–but the road ahead of me is dark, and I cannot see the road that is front of me. Nevertheless, may your Word be a lamp to my feet (Psalm 119) and the path upon which I walk (Psalm 19).
Personal Ad
Personal Ad:
Single Christian male (SCM) seeks single Christian female (SCF) to love as Christ loved the church, to give himself up for her to make her holy, to love as he loves himself (Eph. 5). SCF must be absolute physical knockout (no one scoring below 9.0, please), must love to talk about church, theology and worship, willing to become a Pastor’s wife, and must possess a laundry list of pre-decided personal characteristics so completely that SCM is convinced no better option could possibly be available within the next decade. If you think you could be the one, join me for Bible study & prayer.
ROFL–half-jokingly. But seriously, check this out.
Time and space
“There are times when even the best of us have trouble with commitment, and we may be surprised at the commitments we’re willing to let slip out of our grasp. Commitments are complicated. We may surprise ourselves by the commitments we’re willing to make. True commitment, takes effort, and sacrifice. Which is why sometimes, we have to learn the hard way, to choose our commitments very carefully.” (M.G.)
A lot of people these days have their entire future planned out to the finest of finest details. Everything and anything… every single tiny little aspect: who they will date, when they would start dating this person, where they will go on dates, who will drive who, what they will wear, what they will talk about; which grad school they will go to after graduating, the specific occupation they will do, whether they will move out of their parents home and live by themselves, what car they will buy (used or new); at what age they would get married, how they would propose or say yes, the type/scale of wedding they would want, the number of levels on the wedding cake, an approximate number of guests that would be present rounded off to the nearest 10; where they would go on their honeymoon, which church they would go to, whether or not to move into a new/used house/condo/apartment, how many kids they would have, what their names will be; how long they will work until they would retire… etc etc etc (the list could go on).
Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
This fairytale that too many of us too often paint for ourselves in our minds is simply unrealistic–a stark contrast to the picture that James paints for us in chapter 4 of his letter. The reality is that God wants us to wake up to reality–that nothing is certain; that there are no absolutes in this earthly life and no constant in this world we live in. Except God. (But we all know this… right??) We all have to wake up and smell the coffee–the fact that we really in essence do not have much control of our lives at all. This ain’t just me being a Calvinist; I’m serioius. We can make plans, to do this and to go there, but we can never really know if it will turn out that way. Whatever it is that you have invested in–whether it be stocks or bonds, a house or a person–everything could fall to pieces in an instant, out of the blue, and you would never EVER have seen it coming.
We must not take pride in our plans, for such is sin… on the other hand, we must also not be complacent or slothful in making the most out of every opportunity, knowing that the days are evil. It is an imperative for us as Christians to do everything we do as if working for the God Himself, doing it all in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, giving thanks and glory to the Father through Him. That is our mandate; that is our life purpose… to live a life worthy of Him and His calling and His gracious gospel.
Everything that happens is by His grace. All that has happened is because of His unmerited, undeserved favour… his mercy and lovingkindness. God didn’t have to, but He did. Him being “Holy, Holy, Holy” requires justice to be served, hence our wrath and judgment to be poured out upon us. I don’t know why God elected me, chose me, before time began… to die for me, to forgive me, to wash me clean, to make me right with Him, to save me, to give me new life. This gift is so precious; this love is so amazing; this grace unending. Thank you for having mercy.
I don’t know why things have turned out this way… I’m talking about, you know, just, everything. Nothing ever turns out the way I want it to: not my school marks, not my jobs, not my relationships, not my family life, not even how church is run. It’s kind of disappointing and sad. And yet in the middle of all this… I am slowly, maybe too slowly, on the way to realizing that life is vapour and I am just a mist; I’m here for a little while but one day I will just vanish away. The Spirit is telling me… “If the Lord wills it, you will do it.” And somehow, even while I am feeling a bit anxious about what tomorrow holds, I have sabbath rest. Sabbath. Rest.
“I should have called… I want us to work, but it’s just, complicated. I think I need a little time to… take some space… to clear my head.”
(Source)
Phriday Photos
So it looks like I will NOT be moving to Michigan, as I did not get a job offer. And thus the search continues… I am somewhat disappointed, and yet another part of me is like, pheew, don’t have to struggle through such huge move yet. Interestingly enough, it may seem that I will have a chance to attend & even help out with Campus Challenge 2007 since I will be here! For now, Urbana 06 is in the horizons.
My family dropped my mom off at the airport early this morning… she’s left for San Francisco to visit her younger sister there for a few days, and then she’s off to Hong Kong to visit her mom (my grandma) and her other siblings, until January 17 in the new year. So it looks like I have the house all to my self for a while =D
Recently, it has come to my mind that I have a hard time trusting people… more less anybody and everybody. I don’t know how this came to be, but I feel reluctant to tell anybody how I really feel about anything, my hopes and dreams, plans and ambitions, even how I am processing and thinking through every situation/circumstance to get to what I am thinking. I feel like I cannot trust anybody with this heart of mine… fearful that my trust will be broken. Those unreliable, unfaithful, uncommitted, unthankful, materialistic, self-centered types. In this skinny shell of my body, I have are my words–solid as wood.
I know sometimes I have a hard time opening up to some friends I have known for a long time, those I’ve grown up with… I think it’s with these kind of friends that it’s the hardest to get to truly know better & grow in friendship, just because we know a lot of the nitty-gritty details about each other already. I guess what I mean to say, is that if you are a friend and I have neglected and been complacent in opening up and talking to you–know that I do care, and love you as a brother/sister in Christ… it’s just that I am in a stage where I cannot initiate friendship, and need you to take the first steps. I know it’s a bit critical of me to do such a thing, but I need proof from you first that you are trustworthy. Once I can trust you, and this ain’t a black to white transition, I can tell you everything–if you really wanna hear it (just be aware that I may possibly be melo-dramatic & a Charismatic Calvinist).
50 amazing but useless facts
The word “queue” is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.
Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and worms like fried bacon.
Of all the words in the English language, the word ’set’ has the most definitions!
What is called a “French kiss” in the English speaking world is known as an “English kiss” in France.
“Almost” is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
“Rhythm” is the longest English word without a vowel.
In 1386, a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off!
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath
There is a city called Rome on every continent.
It’s against the law to have a pet dog in Iceland!
Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!
Horatio Nelson, one of England’s most illustrious admirals was throughout his life, never able to find a cure for his sea-sickness.
The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present at all important meetings of the University of London
Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people
Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, everytime you breathe!
The elephant is the only mammal that can’t jump!
One quarter of the bones in your body, are in your feet!
Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different!
The first known transfusion of blood was performed as early as 1667, when Jean-Baptiste, transfused two pints of blood from a sheep to a young man
Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!
Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin!
The present population of 5 billion plus people of the world is predicted to become 15 billion by 2080.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only ONE testicle.
Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a “Friday the 13th.”
Coca-Cola would be green if colouring weren’t added to it.
On average a hedgehog’s heart beats 300 times a minute.
More people are killed each year from bees than from snakes.
The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.
More people are allergic to cow’s milk than any other food.
Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.
The placement of a donkey’s eyes in its’ heads enables it to see all four feet at all times!
The six official languages of the United Nations are: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.
Earth is the only planet not named after a god.
It’s against the law to burp, or sneeze in a church in Nebraska, USA.
You’re born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.
Some worms will eat themselves if they can’t find any food!
Dolphins sleep with one eye open!
It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open
The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is 9000 years old!
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds
Queen Elizabeth I regarded herself as a paragon of cleanliness. She declared that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not
Slugs have 4 noses.
Owls are the only birds who can see the colour blue.
A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 69 years!
A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!
The average person laughs 10 times a day!
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
Asides for 2006.11.03
Canada now has 3.5G wireless, as Rogers launches HSDPA in the GTA!! (HT)
Try the new search engine called Ms. Dewey–she’s pretty purrtty! Try searching for President Bush, gmail, or Yo Mama and she’ll give you some attitude =D (HT)
At the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary last week, C.J. Mahaney came to speak 3 messages:
- “Grace and the Adventure of Leadership” (1 Cor. 1:1-9)
- “Leadership in the Local Church”
- “Cravings and Conflicts” (James 4:1-2)
Leadership and humility synonymous in Scripture, Mahaney tells..
This week’s Chapel services featured John MacArthur speaking the Mullins Lecture series:
‘Headship of Christ under assault’ MacArthur says…
+ Article in TIME reports on “How to Get Teens Excited About God“,
& check out this video of Elmo singing/dancing to Nelly Furtado’s Promiscuous!
