Today was Sunday.

I woke up this morning and celebrated Christmas just like most of America and Europe, December 25th, 2005, Sunday. I’ve done this for over twenty years and never really thought about it, but today was different. You see, today was Sunday, that’s all, just Sunday. Not Christmas, not the Sabbath, nothing special, just another Sunday. Over ninety nine percent of the country woke up today with nothing special on their minds. It was just another day for them, just a regular weekend day. I woke up with the minority, that .09% that was celebrating the birth of the Savior of the World. How amazing is it that God would become “Emmanuel”, God with us. That term has meant so much to me this past month. I looked out the window this morning and was heartbroken that no one here knew. It’s not the day I wish they knew about, it’s Emmanuel I want them to know. Yet there were over 3 billion people today that lived just another Sunday. God is with us, yet they don’t know. I went to a restaurant today and met a man that had never heard of Jesus Christ. He knew nothing about him. If this stark reality doesn’t grip your soul, then you are not being obedient to the Great Commission and the Great Command. Who is going to tell them??......

Gospel of Power or just of talk

Paul says in Corinthians that the Kingdom of God is one of power not just of talk. He also says in Thessalonians that the Gospel came to them not just with words but also with power. I see things here that are different and I wonder, have we reduced the Gospel to one of just talk in our own North American culture. I have no answers, only thoughts, but something seems different between some of the "Gospel" presentations at home and the Gospel that I see being spread here.

My Christmas Bush

Of course I have to have a Christmas tree! Even if it does give Charlie Brown's tree a run for his money. I found this tree in my apartment although I'm pretty sure it is missing a top...yeah, I'm positive about that. It's more like my Christmas bush.

Danger Ahead!

Would God purposefully put us in danger…of course. If it is for a higher purpose or a nobler purpose. Our life may be in danger, but our soul is secure.

"I'm Mick and I love Jesus"

That is what it all boils down to. The older we get, the smaller our world gets, until we see it clearly and it is just about loving Jesus. This is what matters. We tend to make things complicated, but in the end this is it. I want to be known for nothing else.

"i'm josh and i love Jesus"

Majesty

Let me try to place you in the mysterious place where I was over Thanksgiving weekend, and where we have all been many times in our life. I found myself standing on the top of this large hill in a sheep pasture. There were no lights to be seen and the sky was crisp and clear. I love the stars but on this night I saw more stars than I have ever seen before. I saw stars in the Orion constellation that I can’t see at my house in Pennsylvania. My mind was blown yet again. As I stood there I realized that the stars have caused so many questions since the beginning of time, and zero answers. They are one of the biggest mysteries, and when I look at them I too sense the mystery. The stars seem to prompt in me a longing for the divine, as I’m sure they have in many people since there were people. I have no answers and I don’t think I want answers, cause when I look at the stars I feel so small, yet at the same time so very loved because I know the hand that made the vast array of stars took more time and effort in forming me. And that is good enough for me.

That's a lot of Power!

Sometimes I have hard days where I don’t want to be where I am and I don’t want to do what I’m doing. But I’ve been constantly reminded and I can’t shake the thought of the billions of people who have never heard of Jesus and even more billions who maybe have heard of him but within the context of their own religion, like Islam. When those billions of people have names to them, it sinks in. Take Emin for example. He knew there were two parts to the Bible, and that some of it was written by Abraham. And that’s all. He doesn’t know the claims Jesus made, he just considers him a prophet. At moments like these, if the Holy Spirit is guiding you, your heart feels burdened and overwhelmed with love, just like God’s heart. You mind wonders where to begin and the thought of teaching him everything seems so hopeless, but then you are reminded of the power of God and the power of Cross. I don’t speak with fancy-schmancy words to persuade and convince. I simply tell of Jesus and the cross.

Moo

The Call of Jesus is not a cattle call.

Words would only ruin these pictures.

Mr. 'Time'

God does not and has not changed. The God of the first testament is the same God of the second testament. He is just as just and just as merciful. Sometimes the God we see written about in the first testament is very difficult to understand, especially when there are verses that seem that God is being too harsh on people who don't have a chance. There is a very clear picture of the just side of God. The merciful side of God is also very evident. When the second testament comes into play, we are surrounded with love and mercy. (These are very very quick sketches). In some sense God appears to be different, but I know this to be not true.

When a human is born he enters a unending cycle of learning. From the moment he starts crying he is flooded with information and he learns. This never stops, and the older he gets the more of life he sees which helps him to understand it better. He will never know all there is to know, but he does continue to learn. Maybe all of time is like one person's life. When 'time' was born there was Adam and then Abraham and Moses and God started with who he was and that 'Sin is Bad.' There was nothing written, only the experiences of a few men. As 'time' grew older, he learned more about God as God was continually teaching about himself and revealing himself. God revealed himself to the full extent in Jesus, and 'time' is still learning and understanding him. 'Time' will never have God figured out, because if he were to figure out and understand God, then God would cease being God

Full Circle Part 2

Power in Simplicity and Mystery. In the past, I have taken the power out of the Good News by trying to explain everything down to a T (don't get me wrong, knowledge is good and we should know what we are talking about). However, tonight I realized something.

God gave me the opportuninty to share the Good News by explaining why I celebrate Christmas, to my lifting partner and his younger sister. With the language barrier I told of the Good News of God coming to live with us, to save us. Sure there is more to it, but this is the Gospel message. The power of the Gospel is not in my clear and full explanation, but in God's Spirit. I will do my part and obey God's Spirit and it is God that will explode His words in their soul when they least expect it.

The Cirlce

Sometimes I come full circle and realize that studying and reading all the time is really of no point. As Ecclesiastes says, the most important thing is To fear God and obey what he says. And that single thought is so very refreshing.

The Real Church

Jesus' Invitation: Come and Follow
Jesus' Closing Mandate: Go

Some 'churches' invitation: Come and Listen
Some 'churches' closing mandate: No


It seems we build churches that become nothing more than hiding places for the faithful while pretending that our actions are for the good of the world.

I'm glad I have no 'church' to hide in right now.

*These thoughts come from a book I just finished reading*

Sweet Sausage with Walnuts....I DON'T THINK SO!

It's not what you think it is. This really is food, at least I hope it is because I ate half of it.



“Ingrdients: Walnut, sucrose, grope juice, flour, starch, acid’s regulator. NUTRITION USEFUL: It’s rich with the protein, Fat, B vitamins, phosphorus and potassium. It affected as a blood maker, and nutritive for brain cells, because cantaining of E vitamins, un saturated fat and Flovanoides. Of energy. Its perfect source.

Store in a cool dry place away from strog light & odours. Production is appropriate to Turkish food codex.”


I typed this exactly as it was written. I don’t know about you, but that ‘grope juice’ sounds kinda scary. I ate the thing and I’m not sure what is going to happen to me. I'll keep you posted should I begin to grow any beefy arms or lose any valuable body parts.

Unecesary Prayer

Maybe we spend to much time praying for ourselves just because we are blind to what God has done.

"I AM dead and buried with Christ, and risen too and ascended....God reckons (to consider as being) me so and tells me to reckon myself so."


Often we pray when we need not. And because we need not, we see no results and because we see no results we pray more all the while we didn't need to pray to begin with.