Waiting doesn't always mean not doing.
We wait for a lot of things in this life. We wait for the tooth fairy, presents at Christmas, the homecoming dance, the first kiss, senior year in high school, college graduation, falling in love, the first real job, the wedding day, the first promotion, the first child. And on and on and on.
I'm not good at waiting. Unless I can watch TV until it happens. And I think watching TV constitutes as doing nothing (productive).
While we wait for things, we cannot let life pass us by. We must work diligently at the tasks at hand. God has put us on this earth to work for his glory. And He enjoys when we take delight in Him, and wants to give us the desires of our heart.
But, as Chad would say, God is God and we are not. He's the Sovereign one, in control of our present and future. And sometimes we must wait for our true desires. We must trust that we will receive them in God's timing, which is always good.
I really want to get married someday. But I have to trust that this will happen in God's timing, if at all. I don't doubt that I can glorify and serve God in marriage. At this point in my life, I think I could, and I'd like to. It is going to be a bigger challenge than I realize right now, that's for sure. But God knows what's best for me, and I trust that. And, I have to trust it may not happen at all. If it doesn't happen, it's for God's glory. It's not because I am flawed or unfit, and it doesn't matter to me what others think about it, only what I think about it. If God decides to be glorified more in my life through my service to Him in singleness than in marriage, then so it will be.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Church.
Last Sunday, during a sermon at a church in Des Moines, I had several really good thoughts that I will attempt to share. I honestly don't remember much about the sermon but I wrote down several statements that were in my head. One statement (paraphrased) that came from the Pastor was "The church is not the end - 'this is as good as it gets, there is nothing more to hope for.' "
I don't even remember why he brought this up, but the statement, and idea, stuck out to me. As a new Christian, it was so easy for me to get wrapped up in the weekly church service. It was a joy to experience true fellowship, sincere sermons and meaningful music. As I've continued to go to church each week and grow immensely in my faith, I see that even Hillside, which I idolized for several years, has flaws. Any church will. And maybe in every church there are people that need to be reminded that church is not the end.
I don't think we should expect the church to provide a person a weekly, consistent spiritual high. This expectation puts too much pressure on the pastor, worship team, even on the congregation. Time for the cliche 'If the church was perfect you couldn't be a part of it.' It's our responsibility to bring ourselves into the presence of God in times outside of the church service.
Every Sunday in church, the scales threaten to tip towards complacency. The movement is often so subtle we cannot notice. We start to feel that church is the end, the crown, the goal. We walk through the doors of familiarity, surrounded by kindness and warmth, and we rest in the comfort. We strive as a church to be familiar, comfortable and kind- which we could be to outsiders, yes, and fellow Christians, too. But we can't let that comfortableness distract us from the goal of serving and glorifying Christ in whatever capacity he wants. Sometimes that is getting involved in and serving our local church. Sometimes it is serving our community in addition to or instead of. I think the trouble is when we consider serving in our church the end-all-be-all. We must be conscious of the community in which we live, and consider how God might be calling us to reach out to them.
I don't even remember why he brought this up, but the statement, and idea, stuck out to me. As a new Christian, it was so easy for me to get wrapped up in the weekly church service. It was a joy to experience true fellowship, sincere sermons and meaningful music. As I've continued to go to church each week and grow immensely in my faith, I see that even Hillside, which I idolized for several years, has flaws. Any church will. And maybe in every church there are people that need to be reminded that church is not the end.
I don't think we should expect the church to provide a person a weekly, consistent spiritual high. This expectation puts too much pressure on the pastor, worship team, even on the congregation. Time for the cliche 'If the church was perfect you couldn't be a part of it.' It's our responsibility to bring ourselves into the presence of God in times outside of the church service.
Every Sunday in church, the scales threaten to tip towards complacency. The movement is often so subtle we cannot notice. We start to feel that church is the end, the crown, the goal. We walk through the doors of familiarity, surrounded by kindness and warmth, and we rest in the comfort. We strive as a church to be familiar, comfortable and kind- which we could be to outsiders, yes, and fellow Christians, too. But we can't let that comfortableness distract us from the goal of serving and glorifying Christ in whatever capacity he wants. Sometimes that is getting involved in and serving our local church. Sometimes it is serving our community in addition to or instead of. I think the trouble is when we consider serving in our church the end-all-be-all. We must be conscious of the community in which we live, and consider how God might be calling us to reach out to them.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
legacy.
From Campus Crusade Staffweb:
"Dr. Joon-Gon Kim, founder of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, has gone home to be with the Lord on the morning of September 29, 2009. He was 84 years old.
Dr. Kim, a visionary and a faithful man of God, has been totally committed to reaching every person in Korea, and the world, for Christ. Many have come to know him as a person who loves God and had the capacity to think big for God, and have been deeply influenced by his passion for the Great Commission.
Steve Douglass says of Dr. Kim, "Campus Crusade for Christ mourns the loss of a superb spiritual leader. God used him mightily in our ministry and beyond. We all mourn with and pray for the family, staff of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ and so many other members of the Body of Christ in Korea who counted him as a faithful friend." "
Within the first decade, Campus Crusade went international in establishing a partnership with Dr. Kim in South Korea. In the next 40 years, the country grows from receiving missionaries to being a sending nation with 270 staff serving in 23 countries.
"Dr. Joon-Gon Kim, founder of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, has gone home to be with the Lord on the morning of September 29, 2009. He was 84 years old.
Dr. Kim, a visionary and a faithful man of God, has been totally committed to reaching every person in Korea, and the world, for Christ. Many have come to know him as a person who loves God and had the capacity to think big for God, and have been deeply influenced by his passion for the Great Commission.
Steve Douglass says of Dr. Kim, "Campus Crusade for Christ mourns the loss of a superb spiritual leader. God used him mightily in our ministry and beyond. We all mourn with and pray for the family, staff of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ and so many other members of the Body of Christ in Korea who counted him as a faithful friend." "
Within the first decade, Campus Crusade went international in establishing a partnership with Dr. Kim in South Korea. In the next 40 years, the country grows from receiving missionaries to being a sending nation with 270 staff serving in 23 countries.
Promise.
Bethany Dillon had this as her facebook status today:
"This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." 1 John 2:25
What a great verse. It's so simple, but thinking about this promise makes me think about all the things that God promises to us and all the things He's been faithful in providing. And I also want to say that the numbers in this verse reference represent the day we celebrate Jesus' birth 12/15 :)
"This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." 1 John 2:25
What a great verse. It's so simple, but thinking about this promise makes me think about all the things that God promises to us and all the things He's been faithful in providing. And I also want to say that the numbers in this verse reference represent the day we celebrate Jesus' birth 12/15 :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Brother Andrew.
Andrew van der Bijl, also known as Brother Andrew, is a Christian missionary famous for his exploits smuggling Bibles to communist countries earning him the nickname "God's smuggler". Brother Andrew was born in the Netherlands, the fourth of seven children. He was raised Dutch Reformed and studied at the Bible Training Institute in Scotland.
A visit to the underground church in Poland in 1955 led to many more ventures into several Communist countries, home to persecuted Christians. Two years later, Brother Andrew traveled to Moscow in a new Volkswagen, given to him by a mentor couple, full of Bibles and spiritual literature, in violation of laws banning religious literature. "He often placed the material in plain view when stopped at government checkpoints, as a gesture of trust in God's protection" (from God's Smuggler). He later founded Open Doors, and the Volkswagen became a signature of the organization.
In the 60s, Andrew visited China, hostile towards the Christian religion, Czechoslovakia, with no religious freedom, and Cuba, after the revolution. In 1976, he wrote a book about spiritual struggle in Africa and encouraged congressional action. Brother Andrew also focused on the Middle East, visiting Lebanon, Israel and Palestine several times.
The first edition of 'God's Smuggler,' was written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published in 1976. The book tells the story of Andrew's early childhood, Christian conversion and adventures as a smuggler.
In the book Light Force, Andrew writes about Arab churches that "express great delight because of the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad, because they feel the church in the Western world at large is ignoring them. Also he visits some alleged Palestinian terrorists that were deported to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preaches the gospel to them." (wikipedia). His seventh book, Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, was released on July 1, 2007.
A visit to the underground church in Poland in 1955 led to many more ventures into several Communist countries, home to persecuted Christians. Two years later, Brother Andrew traveled to Moscow in a new Volkswagen, given to him by a mentor couple, full of Bibles and spiritual literature, in violation of laws banning religious literature. "He often placed the material in plain view when stopped at government checkpoints, as a gesture of trust in God's protection" (from God's Smuggler). He later founded Open Doors, and the Volkswagen became a signature of the organization.
In the 60s, Andrew visited China, hostile towards the Christian religion, Czechoslovakia, with no religious freedom, and Cuba, after the revolution. In 1976, he wrote a book about spiritual struggle in Africa and encouraged congressional action. Brother Andrew also focused on the Middle East, visiting Lebanon, Israel and Palestine several times.
The first edition of 'God's Smuggler,' was written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published in 1976. The book tells the story of Andrew's early childhood, Christian conversion and adventures as a smuggler.
In the book Light Force, Andrew writes about Arab churches that "express great delight because of the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad, because they feel the church in the Western world at large is ignoring them. Also he visits some alleged Palestinian terrorists that were deported to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preaches the gospel to them." (wikipedia). His seventh book, Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, was released on July 1, 2007.
Dirk Willems.
Dirk Willems, a martyred Anabaptist, was born in the Netherlands in the 1500s. He was rebaptized as a young man, and rejected infant baptism that was practiced then by Catholics and Protestants in the Netherlands. This rejection, along with his devotion to his new faith and rebaptism of others in his home, led to his condemnation from the Roman Catholic Church. Somewhere along the way, he in imprisoned.
During his escape, Willems flees across a frozen lake. Risking recapture, he turns back to save the life of his pursuer, who had fallen through the ice. He was burned at the stake near his hometown on May 16, 1569. Today, he is one of the most celebrated martyrs among Anabaptists.
During his escape, Willems flees across a frozen lake. Risking recapture, he turns back to save the life of his pursuer, who had fallen through the ice. He was burned at the stake near his hometown on May 16, 1569. Today, he is one of the most celebrated martyrs among Anabaptists.
Friday, September 11, 2009
unknown.
"The reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn't worth propagating."
Author Unknown. But I think they may have been to a Lutheran Church before.
Author Unknown. But I think they may have been to a Lutheran Church before.