What is That in Your Hand?

Today's message during worship was on God's question to Moses in Exodus 4:2 - "What is that in your hand?"  God starts with where Moses is at and what he already has.

The staff represented his work - an instrument of toil and the drudgery of the boring mediocre life.  God then asked him to throw it on the ground, which would be a strange request to a shepherd; but, then God does not use anything until we are ready to let it go and give it to Him.  But, more importantly, it's not about the instrument, it's about the power behind it; and also, God doesn't need our ability as much as He needs our availability.  The snake was a symbol of power for Pharoah; and by the snake from Moses' and Aaron's staff eating up those of the priests of Pharoah, it was showing God's authority.  So, God empowered Moses through the Holy Spirit.

Essentially, the question to us is, will we trust God with what we "have in our hands" and let him take us from the rut of mediocrity to a life of the miraculous?  Let go of what we are holding onto, and let God give life to it.

I do believe that I have let go of all that I was holding onto; and I am trusting God with it ALL.  While things have been hectic lately, there are things that do bring me joy.  Just this morning a friend commented that I looked happy; and I think that was the after effects of the worship at FishFest.  And also this morning, our former music director came back for a visit; so, it was nice to see him and his family again.   And then, I also had the closest interaction thus far with this other person; and I'm enjoying going through this phase of expectation and waiting to see what will happen next.  It is, however, all still in God's Hands.  And, in just today alone, I can see how this can be a distraction - already, it has made me forget things and not be as alert as I typically am.

We also had our Church Annual Meeting.   Like the example in the Books of Acts, as Paul and Barnabas shared everything that God had done through them, wherever they went; our annual meeting is an opportunity to share what God has done, to give glory to Him and to give encouragement.

FishFest '11

Last night was the tenth anniversary of FishFest; and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go.  Some of the highlights were:

• When Bart from MercyMe shared about the story behind the song "Beautiful".   Such a great reminder that no matter what we hear from the world around us, we are beautiful in God's eyes.
• When Mike from Tenth Avenue North shared that our identity is not based on anything other than who we are in Christ.
• That my friend was able to get my CD cover signed by the Tenth Avenue North band
• Finding out that we got upgraded from the Lawn to the Terrace :-)

It was a blessing to see so many Christians (maybe close to 20,000) gathered together in the Verizon Amphitheater to worship God and listen to these great Christian artists (MercyMe, Tenth Avenue North, Third Day, and David Crowder Band (their farewell concert))

Doing the Right Thing

The promo video for "Doing the Right Thing" on the Truth Project website had some really good quotes.  A couple of examples are (not word-for-word):

• Money is not what will make us happy.  Doing the Right Thing will.
• The foundations of corporate integrity are based on personal integrity

Acts 15:1-35

In this passage on the Jerusalem Council, there were a few points that seemed to "jump out":

• The judgment made at the Council clearly showed that Salvation, for Jews and Gentiles alike, is by Faith through grace alone; and not by works of the Law  (And that, in consideration for the Jews and not to promote the other extreme of License, there were restrictions to observe)
• Paul and Barnabas often "reported everything God had done through them"; and so should we, as His witnesses, and to give glory to Him and encouragement to others
• It is neat to see the Holy Spirit at work (vs 28), that even in the discussion of such a divisive and sharply disputed issue, "apostles and elders, with the whole church" were able to come to agreement on the outcome.  This is a reminder of the quote:  "In the essentials, UNITY, in the non-essentials LIBERTY, and in all things CHARITY"
• This is yet another example of the Enemy's attacks on the Church

Father's Day'11

The Sunday worship message this Father's Day was based on the question asked in Genesis 18:14a:   "Is anything too hard for the LORD?"   Of course, the answer is that "nothing is impossible for God; and the cross of Christ is the proof".  A really good reminder, whenever we feel like we are facing anything that seems "impossible".

Some other interesting points in the message:

• In vs 9, when Abraham was asked where his wife Sarah was, it indicated that this was God speaking, because only Abraham, Sarah, and God knew of the name change in the reminder of the covenant (Chp 17:5,15)
• In vs 6-9 are examples of what hospitality looks like:  taking initiative, giving guest honor, doing it willingly, and sacrificing something

Then for Father's Day dinner,  I made the following:

• Appetizers:   The Sweet&Sour Cucumber recipe from my "Chinese" cookbook turned out really well.  The honey and cilantro with the rice vinegar is a good mix - the best pickled vegetable  I've made.  As for the spinach, it was "normal"  (I did use a rice seasoning that had bonito, which added a different flavor)
• Seafood ClayPot:  I used the packaged mixed seafood, and the small pieces don't seem to be so visible in a small pot.   Also, I found that cooking the imitation crab meat over a long time makes it puffy with a strange texture.   In the future, I would use fresh seafood (maily fish and shrimp, probably).  The monk abalone worked well, though.  And, I added napa cabbage, snap peas, and tofu; which are all fine.   Also, it doesn't require such a long time to cook in the clay pot - not like it is for the crock pot.  It is also recommended to fry everything, rather than just boiling from cold.
• The Mao Pao Tofu, Orange Chicken, and Soybean Sprouts were just the normal recipes
• I baked the Teriyaki Salmon (400 degF for 30 min) with teriyaki sauce, green onion, garlic, and ginger wrapped in foil.  It came out a little tough; but, flavor was okay.
• For the stirfry vegetables, I made a mixture of baby bok choy, carrots, mushroom, and snap peas.  It was okay
• For soup, it was a mild napa cabbage, mushroom, and carrots mix

I did get to use my new set of serving dishes, and those were nice.  I like the varied shapes and sizes of the platters; and the ones with depth were good for dishes with sauce.

Amazing Grace

Thank God for His amazing grace.  My church was reminded of that today, when it was announced that our college pastor was asked to resign, because leaders are expected to be above reproach.  As I am able to observe our leadership and elder board, I am grateful that they are leaders that I can trust, to make wise decisions in the midst of difficult circumstances.  I pray that in this situation, we may all reflect and experience God's Love, Mercy, and Grace.  May He cause healing and be at work through this adjustment and transition.  It is also a challenge for me to be watchful and alert to try to remain blameless as a leader.

Acts 14

What became clear about Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14 was that they were committed to their ministry.  Despite being opposed and persecuted in city of after city (Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra), they would continue to preach the gospel and even went back to encourage the believers to remain true to the faith despite hardships, and also to appoint elders in the churches to lead when they were gone.  They cared about the believers in those cities more than their own personal safety; for Paul had even been left for dead at Lystra.  They finished faithfully, having been "committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed." (Acts 14:26b)This concluded Paul's First Missionary Journey.

What great examples to remain faithful in our ministries no matter what we face, to have a heart for others, and to have a strong support system, like the Church of Antioch was for them.

Reminder

Being adrift is akin to idleness in many ways, and I have found that it is not a good state to be in.  This Sunday, my Pastor started a new series on "When God Asks the Questions", and he started with a really good reminder from Genesis 3.  

The serpent, Satan, asks the first question recorded in the Bible:  'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?"'  This was a diabolical question designed to question the character of God; and Eve believed the lies of false promises of immortality, knowledge, and righteousness without God.  Eve fell into the three categories of temptation - lust of flesh, eyes, and boastful pride of life. 

As a result, perfect fellowship with God was broken, fellowship with each other broken, spiritual death entered, and they experienced their first signs of sin's torment.   But, praise God, in Gal 3:3, God removes the curse of sin that came from taking the fruit of this tree and having the block the tree of life, through another tree (the cross).

When God asked the question "Where are you?" - behind the question is the heart of God:

• "Where" => consider your location or distance from God
• "are" => not "were", focusing on present, not where you've been or where you're going
• "you" => not "they", calling you back

What a needed and timely reminder, that Satan tries to tempt us by deceiving us about the character of God; and that sin only really results in brokenness.