In Spite Of...

Good Afternoon!

Well, Fay is out of the way, but there is a small chance Gustav comes to visit this Labor Day Weekend. (Sorry, I tried to find something that rhymed with Gustav, but I got nothing.)

A conversation this weekend led me to think about the story of Rahab and the 2 spies she harbored (found in Joshua 2). I have been thinking about that fact that she lied to the King of Jericho and yet everything seemed to work out perfectly. The spies got away and the Israelites eventually conquered the land.

... so did God overlook that lie? Did he allow it simple because it would benefit the spies?

Brother Andrew had a policy when taking Bibles into foreign countries: he would not lie to the guards when asked if he Bibles. Why? Because lying is a sin.

So, let's call it for what it was. Rahab lied. Why then did God bless the situation? Because He is in control and sovereign and merciful and gracious.

And even when I think of my own life, isn't this true? How many times have I figuratively shaken my fist at God in defiance and received blessings in return? That's not this say that this is God's modus operandi, but in His mercy, He chooses to bless us. I look at my life now, and I see how many blessings I truly have, and I am blown away. If we truly got what we deserved, we would be in Hell, right? So this truth is applicable in our lives. In spite of our sin, God chooses to bless us, and He's the simple reason why: He loves us.

Then, don't we need to make it our effort to please Him in return? 2 Corinthians says that we should make it our goal to please God. How many goals do we have? Get an A in this class; save money; get prepared for the future. So many goals. Well, add one to the list... Please God. Make it your goal to please Him because He loves you and blesses you.

MTI

"Relational NOT Religious"

"When sharing our faith, its like introducing a friend (Jesus Christ) to another friend." - Josiah Fernandez

Vanity

Hello, Hello... Hola!

Then there is something about vertigo, but I guess that's just for Bono.

How are you all fairing with Fay? I thought she was held at bay. But hey, I enjoyed the 2 days off or work... mmm-kay. Tomorrow should be a great day, just like it were May.

I've spent my past to days watching foreign films and attempting to write a 16 page term paper by next Monday. Oh boy, the excitement is unbearable. But I am getting antsy and want to leave the house and do something. Hopefully tomorrow, though.

In any case, the issue of vanity has really been on my mind and how we all try to control our appearances - especially in today's day and age of photoshop and digital manipulation. We all have this perfect image in our minds of how we should look and get fussy if this ideal is not somewhat met. I think it's especially pervasive amongst women. Girls feel such an enormous pressure to control their appearance because they need to assimilate to the "girl model" that society and media idolizes. So what if a picture makes you little different, that's the beauty of it! Guys aren't exempt either. What makes this issue even worse is that we have gotten to a point where we actually let this control our actions. We forego our desires in order to control our appearance.

"Oh, I can't go because I don't have the right pants."

Sorry, can't make it... bad hair day."

"Please delete that photo, it makes me look fat."

I could keep going... but it's not just about appearance. Maintaining our reputation also falls into this category. So how do we change it?

Well, this problem is only the surface issue. The root of it extends in our identity in Christ. Knowing where we stand in God's eyes, it will not matter how anyone else perceives. Now, I am not going to cease my personal hygiene routine because I could careless what other people think; that's just absurd. But what I am getting at is this: knowing that I am created in God's image supersedes any other opinion. We were specially created in the womb by God.

Perhaps the saddest part of all this is that we have allowed this issue of appearance above the necessity to be there for friends. It's a manifestation of selfishness.

MTI

It's Friday, but Sunday is coming!

Good evening all!

Here is a question to ponder: how do you think the disciples felt during the 3 days Jesus was dead? Were they dejected and depressed? Did they fully trust and rely on the words of Christ? Did they doubt? I'm sure all those elements were involved at one point or the other.

The disciples had two positions to assume on the day after Christ's death. They could believe or not believe. Notice that if the disciples had solely focused on the fact that their Lord was dead and buried in some man's tomb, they certainly would have been dejected and depressed. They would have doubted His authentic messiahship had they not taken solace in His words.

Ok, so here is my point... Lately, I get the feeling that we can sometimes get lulled into having what I call spiritual myopia. We live in the moment and lose sight of the freedom found in the liberating words of Christ. Aside from the biggies, whom we will marry and what we will study, we tend to concentrate on the here and now. It's understandable (because that is precisely how the majority of society lives) but it is not justifiable (because it's flat out wrong). Many of the commands we are given span over our entire life. They are indefinite (i.e. be holy, walk in the Spirit, pray without ceasing) so it is easy to see how we are expected to be looking ahead.

As an aside, one skill that is severely lacking in today's day and age is self-analysis. We fail to introspectively dissect our intentions and motivations. Without this technique, we cannot know what areas of our lives need improvement. Where do I constantly fall into temptation? In what areas do I need to practice more patience? This is absolutely necessary for us not to lose sight of what's ahead. How can I be expected to be constantly walking the spirit if I am not recognizing what interrupts my relationship with Christ?

Back to the disciples: In the moments following Jesus' death, His followers had to decide whether or not they were going to look beyond what they see and act upon what He had said - trusting that He would resurrect. I'm sure things seemed bleak in the moment, but they were not focusing on that day. They were looking ahead. They were looking past the 3 days he would be lifeless.

In the 18th century, if I am not mistaken, there was a Puritan preacher who delivered a famous sermon. His one and only point was this: It's Friday, but Sunday is coming.

It's Friday, Jesus is dead. There are many people mourning and weeping. It's devastating. But you know what? Sunday is coming. His resurrection is nigh. His glorious appearing to reconcile the situation is a mere 3 days away. Ecstasy and jubilation is not far off.

We must look past the here and the now and live life with an eternal and lasting perspective. Don't lose sight of the purpose in life. Don't get lost in the triviality and monotony of the everyday. So yea, let's avoid spiritual myopia. Use the corrective lens of the Bible to restore your vision. And don't worry, that analogy, albeit true, is corny even to me, the King of Corny.

MTI

Sad News - Serene Bean is CLOSING! :-(

The Serene Bean is CLOSING!!! - It was where this all started...

Some of us are meeting TONIGHT (Thursday, 8.7.08) at 7pm for one last CCA get together at the Serene Bean. ALL are welcome to join us...

CCA will STILL meet on Saturdays. We just need to decide where. Do you know of any good Coffee Shop (not a StarBucks) in the Woodstock area? Let us know :)

Well, see you at the Serene Bean one LAST TIME :,-)

Acts 16:25

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Acts 16:25

What this verse makes me think is that rejoicing or how bad the situation is, is a state of the mind. When we think about it no situation is too tough or too bad for GOD to find a solution to. I think that some of the worst situations we're in do not compare to some of the things that happened to Paul and the apostles. Yet in the middle of being in jail they were singing and praising GOD.

Faith in God

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
Hebrews 11:1
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"Being sure" (convinced) is an intellectual state of being. When we are sure of something it will affect our emotions and eventually our actions. It is dangerous to reverse this process and allow our emotions to lead our intellect and our lives.
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But how can we be "sure" that what we believe is correct or that the One we are trusting in is Real and Trustworthy?
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All the faith-acts of the people in Hebrews 11 are based on their belief that God exists (He is Real) and that He is Good.
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And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
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Therefore He is worthy of our Trust and Faithful obedience.
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How do I know He is Real? Should I just believe in Him like kids believe in Santa Claus or the ancient Greeks believed in their mythical gods?
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No, my God - the God who had revealed himself through the Bible - wants us to use our heads (our reasoning skills) to come to acknowledge his existence and goodness (Isaiah 44:6-19; John 10:37-38).
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Here is a very brief summary of why I believe in him:
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1) Nature itself cries out that the Creator God exists and is good. Side by side Creationism is a more reasonable explanation of the beginning of life on earth than evolutionary theories.
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2) Natural Law and Philosophy

• 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
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  Cosmological Argument - order and beauty in the world
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  Teleological Argument - design and purpose in the world
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  Law of Cause and Effect - "Every effect must have and adequate cause"

After we conclude that God is Real and Good, He expects us to follow his commands by faith, just like Abraham and the others did. Abraham considered God faithful (Heb. 11:11) therefore he humbly obeyed him (Heb. 11:8-11).

For me, there is enough reasonable evidence to believe in God, to believe in the Bible as his revealed thoughts for mankind, and to believe in Jesus Christ as his Son who died and rose again for the salvation of the world.

Mandy