Ezra 3 - Rebuilding

In this next step of the RENEWAL process, the exiles who returned, gathered as one in Jerusalem to REBUILD the altar and the temple.  They sacrificed burnt offerings and once again observed the sacred festivals in accordance to the Law; and essentially began to worship again, even before the foundation of the Temple was laid.  This shows that truly God does not live in temples made by human hands, and those who worship Him only need to worship in spirit and in truth.

When they began to build the Temple, they once again used cedar logs from Lebanon, showing that they wanted to use the best material.  And, after the foundation was laid, they gave praise and thanksgiving to the LORD. 

However, there were some who had seen the first Temple built by Solomon which was more glorious but had been destroyed by the Babylonians; and they wept.   Yet, Haggai 2:3-4 says "‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty."  God encourages them saying that what was really most important was not the building itself, but what it represented - His Presence among His People.

What we see in this passage, is that Worship, Praise, and Thanksgiving are of utmost importance in the rebuilding step of the renewal process.  And that we can be encouraged that He is present with us.

Commissioned for World Change

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:18-20)

In the sermon on Sunday, my pastor said that the command in the Great Commission is actually "make disciples", since "go" is really better translated "as you go" or "having gone", with the idea of "as you are going along in life".   In the verses leading up to the Great Commission (vs 16-17), it shows that availability and worship are important to fulfilling the mission.  And vs 18 tells us that we are able to do it, because of His authority.

A disciple is a believer and learner (a learning believer and a believing learner).   A disciple is baptized (identified with Christ) and taught to obey His commands.  "Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" references the Trinity; for "name" is singular; but Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are plural - one God, Three Persons.  The NT talks about three types of baptism:  1) John's baptism, which was a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Messiah, 2) Jesus's baptism for which He fulfilled righteousness not for Himself, but for us, and 3) believer's baptism, which is confessional to declare identification with He death, burial, and resurrection; and with His righteous life.   We are not "done" when we believe and are baptized; we need to continually obey His commands until He comes again, when we are like Christ is His fullness.  When Christ said "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age", the "Telos" or "end" is the consummation when He returns.  This shows us that the presence of the resurrected Christ in our lives is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission.  "We are called by Him Who has ALL authority to reach ALL nations to teach ALL commands for ALL time."

Potluck

For my small group potluck, I made the sausage with broccoli over rice.    The fully-cooked smoked sausage was easier for prep (didn't have to grill it first) and it actually looked better for "presentation" since it had more color.  Using only the broccoli crowns, and just cubing the stalks to include with the rice is good.  But, the best change I made was to add the tomato-based sauce.  I still cooked the rice separately - and actually, basic rice with nothing else, would be okay, since there is so much to that would go over it.   It turned out that the brown rice was better than the white rice also.  I again pan fried the broccoli separately as well as the sausage.  For the sauce, I mixed cubed tomatoes with tomato paste and a lot of herbs (onion, garlic, cilantro, basil, parsley, and cumin; along with salt and pepper) - diluting with water as needed.  Then I put the broccoli and sausage back in and simmered.  It turned out to be quite tasty; and the presentation was really good also.  It even still tastes good after it has cooled off.  This is definitely a keeper, for a potluck dish option.

For the next potluck, I came across a Chorizo Cornbread recipe that looks like it would be good:
Ingredients:
1lb chorizo
2 boxes jiffy cornbread mix
3 eggs
milk
1 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
Cook the chorizo in a pan over medium heat, making sure to use a wooden spoon and break the meat up into as tiny pieces as possible.  While you’re doing this, start working on the cornbread.  Prepare according to package directions, but add an extra egg (this helps keep the whole thing together).  Mix cornbread mixture until barely moistened, and then stir in remaining ingredients gently.  I like to put these into little bitty muffin tins to make them all the more bite-sized.  Fill muffin tins 3.4 full, and then cook 10-20 minutes, depending on pan size.

Some alternatives in this recipe would be to use ground beef instead of chorizo; and instead of the extra egg, can mix in whole kernel corn and creamed corn.  Then layer the corn bread mixed with the two types of corn, the cooked meat with onions, the cheese, the rest of the corn bread mixture and top with cheese again; and bake as a mexican cornbread casserole.

4-May Update:
The Mexican Cornbread for yesterday's potluck turned out quite well.    I just browned the ground beef with onions and taco seasoning.   Then mixed the cornbread (2 boxes) according to directions and added one can of creamed corn and one can of whole kernel corn.   Then layered half the cornbread mixture with the meat and then topped with the the other half; and baked according to directions.  At the end, sprinkled shredded cheese on top.  It was very moist and the whole kernel corn makes it seem more "homemade".   The only thing that might use some changing, is that the meat, when baked becomes darker and harder.  Not sure if seasoning with salsa or taco sauce during browning would help, since it may cause the cornbread to change colors.
NOTE:  Be sure to grease the baking pan so that the cornbread won't stick to the pan (butter works well with the cornbread)

Pre-ABC

I hosted a pre-ABC yesterday for my friend's birthday - it was a good time of fellowship and encouragement.

For dinner, I made sweet Italian sausage with broccoli over rice.   I cooked the rice with onions, garlic, and cilantro; grilled the sausage and then sliced it; pan fried the broccoli and set aside.   Then, put the sliced sausages back in the pan and cooked until done and added the broccoli back in.  Served it over the rice.    It turned out fine; except that next time, it probably would be better if there was more of a sauce.   It would help give the rice more flavor.

For dessert, I made an individually-sized 2-layer carrot cake and cupcakes; with cream cheese frosting and sprinkled grated carrots on top.  Used creme brulee type ramekins for each layer.   It worked well, except, next time, it probably would be better if there were more frosting between the layers.  I wrapped up the cupcakes in a to-go package, with a birthday message on a brown paper bag.   It was fairly simple, but turned out nice - something I would probably do again.

Ezra 2 - Returning

Often when we come across a long list of names in Scripture, the tendency is just to scan it and skip over it quickly.  However, this list in Ezra 2, of the people who were part of the first group to return from exile back to the Promised Land after Babylonian captivity, are not only listed here, but also in Nehemiah 7.  This seems to indicate that there is merit in looking at this list more closely, since it was significant enough to be included in the Bible not just once, but twice.

The list includes the leaders (e.g. Zerubabbel, and the high priest Jeshua), families, people from certain Judean cities, priests, Levites (including singers/musicians and gatekeepers), servants, and even those whose geneology couldn't be verified.  Some observations that can be made from this list are that:

• There are both traditional Hebrew names as well as foreign names - so there may be some who were given Babylonian names or some who were possibly born while in exile in the foreign land, etc
• Men are listed as heads of the family but the group would have included the women and children as well
• These were likely mainly from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (aside from the priests and Levites), since these were the ones exiled by the Babylonians   (e.g. Ater = left-hand, may refer to the Benjaminites who were known for being left-handed - ref Judges 3:15, 20:16)
• Some of the Bethlehemites may have been ancestors of Jesus
• Only 4 clans of priests returned (there were 24 set apart by David in 1 Chron 24:7-18) - the priests were consecrated to the Lord and were the descendents of Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi
• Levites who returned were a relatively small group - maybe they viewed their tasks as "menial" for their duty was to help the priests (1 Chron 23:28).   Additional Levites were the singers and musicians (descendants of Asaph) and gatekeepers - as mentioned in 1 Chron 25 and 26
• There were a relatively large number of servants (both temple and descendants of the servants of Solomon) who returned, indicating that they likely had good relations with their masters
• There was a fairly large group of people who were part of "Senaah" (means "thorny"), which may indicate a group that was less favorably considered (e.g. maybe the land was thorny, which would indicate that it was not good for farming or raising livestock) ; and there were those whose geneology couldn't be verified - so this group of returning exiles wasn't just the elite 
• This group of about 50,000 listed is estimated to be only about one third of those who were exiled by the Babylonians (that group numbering about 150,000) - so, there were many who, for whatever reason, chose not to RETURN at this time

Overall, this list shows that geneology was important and that the Israelites still kept track of the family lineage and what town they belonged to (which becomes important when tracing the line of the Messiah).  This also validates Scripture by the detail included, indicating very real people, giving us a better picture of who returned with this group.  This shows that God knows his people personally. And maybe this group was even being honored for being among the first to answer God's call to pick up and return to the Promised Land, according to His Plan.  When God calls His People to fulfill His Plan, would I be part of that first group to respond?  Or would I be part of the second group (like the ones who came with Ezra) who waited to see how things went for the first group?  Or would I wait even longer before answering God's call and be in the third group (like the one under Nehemiah)?  Or would I not respond at all (like those who never returned)?  I think by nature, I would wait and be part of the second or third group; though, in my life, I have seen where God sometimes moved me to be part of the first group, like a pioneer.

And then, the first thing recorded in the passage, that they did after returning to the Promised Land, was to go to the site of the temple and give freewill offerings.   Afterwards, they settled in their own towns; like in the beginning of the time of Judges once again, right after conquering and settling in the land under Joshua's leadership.

It is interesting that in the midst of this whole list, there are a couple of verses that show something important in this first step of the renewal process.   Verses 62-63 say "These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim."  In Returning to God, we are to evaluate areas in our lives that are "unclean", areas in which we may have compromised.  And we should consult the Will of God, which was what the Urim and the Thummim were used for.

Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10a)

This verse hangs in my entryway, yet it really stood out as I read it during devotions.  In the midst of all my busy-ness, it is a good reminder to "Be Still".   Another aspect of this verse, as pointed out in the devotional, is that we often like to ask God "Why?".   Yet, like God's response to Job, we should not be so concerned with "Why?" but trust in the "Who"; for He is the Creator who is Sovereign and Almighty.  So, at times when we are about to ask "Why God?", it may help to stop and just be still and know that HE IS GOD!

Church and Leadership Summit

It was a full but also fulfilling Sunday at Church.   The sermon built on the Easter celebrations of the resurrection of Christ, by covering the 40 days of post-resurrection appearances.  While the disciples went home, not really believing at first, when the women reported the empty tomb; it later becomes clear that there is ironclad evidence for the resurrection:

• There was only a short time lapse between the resurrection and the writings, so the writings were based on eyewitness accounts, not circumstantial evidence.  And there were no dissenting views, except the one lie that was recorded about the guards being paid to say the body was stolen.
• Peter, James, and Paul were unlikely candidates to testify to the resurrection due to shame and brokeness after denial, skepticism during Jesus' lifetime, and being the "least of all"
• Appearance to many people at different times - twelve disciples and 500 people at one time - all with the same story

The twelve post-resurrection appearances of Christ were to:

1. Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:11-18) - though she was still looking for a dead body (NOTE:  "In the Garden" was written with Mary's encounter with Jesus in mind)
2. The other women (Matthew 28:9)
3. Men on road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32; Mark 16:12-13)
4. Simon (Luke 24:33-35; 1 Corinthians 15:5)
5. The eleven disciples in the Upper Room (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
6. Thomas and the disciples (John 20:26-31; 1 Corinthians 15:5)
7. The disciples on shores of Galilee (John 21) - Jesus reminded them of the real calling
8. 500 people on mountain top in Galilee (Mark 16:15-18; Matthew 28:16-20; 1 Corinthians 15:6) - Jesus gives them all the Great Commission
9. James (1 Corinthians 15:7) - he became a leader of the Church in Jerusalem despite being a skeptic before the crucifixion
10. The disciples (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8)
11. Disciples before Ascension (Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:5-53; Acts 1:9-12) - Jesus tells them He will be coming back again
12. Saul - special encounter after the Ascension 

Then for the Leadership Summit, I just consider it a privilege to be included as part of that.  I have much respect for my Pastor and Assistant Pastor, and it is wonderful to be able to learn from them and to see their vision for the church as revealed to them by God.

My Pastor talked about how churches can be in any of the following:

• INCLINE - where the mission is emphasized (e.g. L.E.A.D.)
• RECLINE - where programs are emphasized
• DECLINE - where structure and policy are emphasized

It is our goal to continuously be in INCLINE.  A Church should be a growing Movement with power, not a decreasing Institution that is calcifying.  A Church also needs to reach outside of its four walls, and go into all the World.

As Youth Pastor talked about multi-generational engagement, relationship building, and discipleship; we were reminded that one of the most identifying characteristics of being made in the Image of God is that we are to be Relational, like the Trinity is.   He gave the Apostle Paul as an example of someone who exhibited many relationship roles - evangelist, mentor, writer, etc.  We also spent time defining Discipleship - like an "intentional relationship where Christ is the foundation", "equipping and training", or "being 1) identified with Christ and 2) progressing toward Christ-likeness (living it out)."

There were a few things that I also noticed.  At my church, we represent the oversight areas with the acronym "A WIFE" (for the Church is the Bride of Christ):

• Administration
• Worship
• Instruction
• Fellowship
• Evangelism

When we were asked to break up into our Ministry Teams, I realized that I could join either "A" for being on the elder selection committee, or "W" for being on the AV Team, or "I" for teaching class.   While I may peripherally be involved with Fellowship and Evangelism, I'm not formally involved with either at Church.  There are interesting things I could learn about myself upon further analysis of that (e.g. those are not my stronger areas personally either).

Also, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors was leading the last section of the summit; I was surprised that he did not have as strong leadership skills as I thought he did.  It gave me a different view of this person that I had great respect for, from afar.  This teaches me something about my "thorn" as well.  While I am waiting for God's best for me, I realize that my standards are high and there really are not many whom I have ever met who embody that.  Just Saturday night, I started the process of "letting go" of the person I was praying about during the week.  In some ways, I can see that I really can be more effective for God as I am; and that I should be content in my circumstance.

Ezra 1 - Introduction

After the dark period of exile due to sin and rebellion against God, the Book of Ezra is about the chance for RENEWAL for the people of Israel.   A chance to Return to the Promised Land, to Rebuild the Temple and Wall, to Restart, Rededicate, Repent, etc - essentially, a chance to be Restored.

Ezra 1:1 shows that in God's great mercy and love, renewal and restoration was all part of His Plan as prophesied in Jeremiah 29:10-11 "This is what the LORD says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"  How beautiful! Our God is a gracious God!

In chp 1, we see God moving the hearts of Cyrus King of Persia, of those to return from exile, and of the neighbors, to bring about His Plans.  Even the Temple treasures that were plundered are returned.  And this was all prophesied hundreds of years earlier through Isaiah:  "This is what the LORD says—...I am the LORD, ...who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’... who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ (Isaiah 44:24a,26b,28)

What encouragement it is to know that when I have fallen, I can find renewal; and God will be at work through the rebuilding and restoration process, according to His great Love, Mercy, and Grace.

Dad's Birthday 2012

For my dad's birthday this year, it was interesting planning and preparing the food.  Because of the timing, with the get-together scheduled during Easter weekend, the grocery shopping was done a week earlier and the menu had to take that into consideration.   Following is what was served:

•  Kimchee - this radish one was tastier than the traditional cabbage one
•  Fish Hot Pot - using a chicken stock (from teriyaki chicken bones and skin) as base, added napa cabbage, mushrooms, silken tofu, mock abalone, and Alaskan polluck.  While it is good served over rice, it was also able to be like a soup as well.
• Clams with Black Bean Sauce - the Black Bean sauce was considered salty, so might need to be diluted more next time.  Also, mistakenly, cooked clams were used.   Next time, it would be better to use fresh clams.  Garlic and ginger did help enhance the sauce.
• Chicken with Celery - this was not a very popular dish, probably because it is not so special.  However, it was not bad, with the marinated chicken breast pieces with Asian sauce and cornstarch.
• Stir-fry Vegetables - used a broccoli, cauliflower, carrots mixture, added with snap peas, baby carrots, water chestnuts, and mushrooms
• Mao Pao Tofu - kind of a staple now
• Spinach with Mushroom soup -  using a chicken stock with celery, carrots and herbs (green onion, garlic, ginger) as base and mixed in spinach and soaked dry sliced mushrooms - it was "fine" but nothing astounding
•  Asian Chicken - baked chicken with an Asian marinade sauce, which was actually quite tasty
• Garlic Shrimp - had originally intended to add this to the hot pot to make a seafood hot pot; but, decided to serve it as a separate dish since the shrimps were jumbo and made for a good dish on its own
• Carrot cake - baked a cake and topped it with a coconut pecan frosting; served with banana cream pie

Not counting the soup or dessert, that would be considered 8 dishes, which I'm told is a good lucky number for celebrations.

Class Series

The last series in my class finished right before Easter; and I'm about to start the new one this coming Sunday.  It was nice to have a break; and to let God help me work through dealing with the critics.  I think I'm ready to start again, especially with the encouragement from Psalm 44, rather than trusting in my own "weapons", letting God deliver victory over adversaries.

In the last series, it was interesting to be review different aspects of Who Christ Is through the Gospel of John.  We looked at Jesus as the Word (John 1:1), the Creator (John 1:3), the Source of Life (John 1:4), the Light of the World (John 12:46), the Son of God (John 3:16-18), the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the Son of Man (John 3:9-13), the Bridegroom (John 2:1-11), the Savior (John 4:42), and the Messiah (John 11:27).  A few interesting points and highlights from the series:

•  Christ being the WORD and Creator are tied together in that "He spoke it, and it came to be" (Psalm 33:9a).  The vastness of creation declares the glory of God (Psalm 19:1)
• While the sun, moon, and stars were not created until the fourth day, in verse 3, when God said "Let there be light", it was like lighting a blank canvas to start His artistic work of Creating
•  The speaker talked about Christ creating all things, including governments both good and bad ("thrones or powers or rulers or authorities" Col 1:16).  Yet, to be absolutely correct, when He created everything, it was GOOD.   It is man's sin that causes the fall to BAD, though God does still retain authority over all
•  Because He is the Source of Life, apart from Him, there is death ("for the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:33a)
• Many of the characteristics of Christ are displayed together - life-light, light-creator-word, etc
•  Jesus, as the Son of Man, is the fulfillment of Jacob's dream of the ladder ("the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:51b) as the bridge connecting Heaven and earth
• During the "Bridegroom" lesson, there was a comment about being distracted by how much the speaker said he loved his wife (though he just used it as a illustration to show that it was nothing compared to the love Christ has for the Church)
• We need Christ as our Savior because of the Law, our sin, Satan, and the judgment.  We were reminded of the beautiful passage in Jude 24-25:  "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." 
•  In the Christ as "Savior" lesson, we had a discussion on the definition of SIN.   I think the best definition comes from Romans 3:23  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  The most often word used for SIN literally means to miss the mark; and that mark is God's standard of perfect holiness.  Anything that falls short of that would be SIN.
• Closing with Jesus as the Messiah or Christ, the "Anointed One" appropriately led into Easter.  He was the Promised One from the Beginning, and through His suffering and resurrection is salvation of blessing

The new series will be in the Book of Ezra on "Renewal".    Because of my area of focus this year, I was drawn to Nehemiah as a clearly evident person of prayer.  Yet, because Ezra and Nehemiah were considered one scroll, it seemed to make sense to start with Ezra, to get the "full picture" leading into Nehemiah.  (Not so coincidentally, there will be a series that is planned in between to be taught be another person in my class, who said he chose the topic of "Prayer"). 

In outlining Ezra, the themes that seemed to recur were along the lines of second (or multiple) chances, restoration, starting again, etc.   So, going along with the prefix "re", which means "again", it was decided that the title of the series would be "renewal" (which means to restore, revive, rebuild, begin again); and the titles of each chapter lesson would give a overview along those lines:  Return, Rebuild, Restraint, Restart, Rededicate, Recognition of God's Hand at Work, Request through Prayer, Repentance, and Reparation.  In applying that to our own lives, when we need a renewal in our relationship with the Lord, we would need to RETURN to God, REBUILD the relationship, RESTART even when we encounter RESTRAINT from opposition, REDEDICATE ourselves to God, RECOGNIZE His Hand at work, make REQUESTS through prayer, REPENT, and make RAPARATIONS as needed.

In putting that into practice personally, starting with my RENEWAL motivated on Good Friday, I have committed to fully RETURN to God, REBUILD parts of my life that have been broken by sin, RESTART teaching again in spite of the critics, REDEDICATE my life and service to God, RECOGNIZE His Handiwork (my perspective on the critics, encouragement through Scripture, God's breakthrough, etc), make REQUESTS through prayer (my focus this year), REPENT, and make REPARATIONS (e.g. using the nail as a symbol for a reminder, reviewing and evaluating all that I do, etc).

Whirlwind

It's been a whirlwind of activity the last few weeks, and I'm going to attempt to capture some of the notable highlights here.

Sometimes we take care of one task and it just creates new additional tasks.   Like when I was finally able to see my doctor and my eye doctor.  I now have to make appointments for some follow-up, look into reducing the risk for mascular degeneration, etc.

A couple of Fridays ago, I had a chance to go to the FISH's Women's Night Out with Moriah Peters, Barlow Girl, and speaker Judy Hampton.  I was really impressed with Moriah Peter's maturity despite her young 19 years, and her strong message on purity.  I enjoyed the talents of the keyboardist for Barlow Girl.   And, the speaker reminded me that the characteristics I value most in friendship are a sincere faith in God and being open, honest, and direct.

On Palm Sunday, in light of the fact that context often affects our perspective of a situation, my Pastor's sermon showed how Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem was actually "un" triumphant.  While, the Messiah's entry into Jerusalem was God's plan from the beginning, and every Jew should have expected it (Zech 9:9), Jesus's entry was not the main event (the crowds were there for Passover), the people went to see Jesus primarily because of His miracles, and the Pharisees were intent on not only killing Jesus but even Lazarus (to remove the "evidence" for one of His more amazing miracles).  Entering on a colt, Jesus fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy, showed His authority of circumstances and people (with how the colt was acquired), and displayed His deity (with a never-ridden colt, satisfying requirement of never worked and never worn a yoke from Deut 21:3) and ownership .  So, Jesus is in control of all things, rejection and suffering have always been part of His Plan, and while He is the Creator of all things, He is in the habit of borrowing (stable, home, tomb, colt) => What do we have that the Lord "needs" that we need to give to Him?  He will use what we willingly give.  Yet, Christ wept for Jerusalem, because they failed to see the Truth (not everyone participated in the triumphal entry and the disciples and the crowd did not understand the true meaning and significance).  For us, our mission should be God's mission.

Just a humorous quote from my Pastor:  "The Word of God holds together with precision better even than a Swiss Watch."

This all led up to Easter weekend, which was amazing.   I recommitted my life and service to God, was touched by Good Friday and Easter Sunday services, had a chance to serve, and spent time with my good friend and sister in Christ.  I also had Easter lunch at Claim Jumper, with some of her friends  (and had a really good Ahi Spinach salad too).  

There is one thing that has been constantly on my mind since yesterday - wondering what is God's Plan in the area of my thorn.   This guest musician in the band for Easter worship was someone I had met a few times before when he played at church - Christmas and rehearsals, and one time accompanying the youth band.  While he seems shy, quiet, and very humble, he's always attracted my attention.  My interactions with him have been natural and comfortable; and, I was motivated to say a prayer for his walk with the Lord.  We shared our first hug yesterday, and he initiated.  He even remembered my name.  I continue to place my thorn on the altar of my life.  May God's will be done.  Amen.

Easter 2012

"He is Risen!" -  "He is Risen Indeed!"

It's been a wondrous Easter weekend, celebrating Christ's resurrection through which we have our Living Hope!  Like my Pastor said in his sermon, "Easter cuts through the fog of human uncertainty, global problems, and individual suffering to offer a hope that cannot be diminished by any circumstance or any complexity."  This Living Hope: 1) is a gift from God, 2) will transform, and 3) is anchored to the Resurrection of Jesus   (1 Peter 1:3)  It is imperishable, unspoilable, reserved for us, guarded by God, and leads to joy.  And, Biblical Hope is a certainty that what we hope for will come to pass.

From one sermon on Hope at my church to a sermon at another church on no more Fear, it shows the power of the resurrection.  The pastor said that the opposite of Fear is PEACE.   Using the Matthew 28 passage, he pointed out that when Jesus is with us, we have nothing to fear.   The undeniable truth is that because Jesus has risen, we don't have to be afraid for Jesus has conquered death and fear; and He wants to transform us (Matt 28 ends with the Great Commission).   Also we have the assurance of the accuracy and reality of Scripture, which is supported by evidence of names, facts, and prophesies fulfilled.   The Bible has no errors and is testable.

The verse that stood out during devotions in Psalm 44 was verse 8:  "O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name".   After talking about not trusting in our own strength, but rather trusting in God, the Psalmist closes the section with glory and praise to God!

Good Friday 2012

It was such a Blessed Good Friday that I just had to blog, even though it's been a long day and it's quite late at night (almost tomorrow in fact).   Still, while the thoughts and emotions were fresh and new, I wanted to put as much of it into writing as possible.   And then I also realized that a lot has happened since I last wrote; and I want to include much of that also  (but maybe next time)

I went to three Good Friday services today - noon at my church; and then two in Fullerton with my friend who was playing violin for the services.  I also had a chance to spend some time with another friend who joined me in the service.   After three services, I finally feel ready for Easter.   It was like God broke through my hardening outer shell.   I have re-committed my life to Christ, and I brought home a nail from one of the services as a symbol to remind me that Christ suffered and died on the cross for my sins.   I want to live my life set apart in holiness for HIM.

Ever since the challenge from the critics and some things going on in my life, I feel like I've been somewhat going through the motions.   Yet, starting from my devotions in Psalms, as I read David's words, crying out to God, it was clear to me that I needed to do that also.   And in the services today, I had a chance to do that.  As my friend played her solos; and when one of the singers sang "Lord Have Mercy", I was in tears.    Just as a musician's faith is reflected in their music, similarly, a teacher's faith is reflected in their teaching.   How can I teach effectively, if I am not learning directly from God by walking closely with HIM?   My desire is that when others see my life and my service, that they may see God in me.  Amen!

My Pastor's Good Friday message illustrated the pictures painted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 5:6-10 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!":

1. "powerless" - like being a patient in a hospital room, for sin makes us terminally ill => through Christ, we are healed
2. "sinners" - like being an addict in a crack house in living hell through moral failure => through Christ, we are delivered
3. "justified" - like being a person guilty and faced with the death penalty in a courtroom => through Christ, we are acquitted
4. "saved from God's wrath" - like being in the cemetery, for we deserve death, a death of the soul forever, separated from the presence of God => through Christ, we have life
5. "enemies" - like soldiers in a battlefield, because of sin, fighting the Living God in a battle we have no way of winning => In Christ we have peace

And by bridging the gap between us and the Father, Christ enables us to love one another.

Today's devotional passage is in Psalm 42, the words used for one of my favorite worship songs:
"As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God."
Yet, it is the chorus that was repeated in vs 5 & 11 which stood out for me this time as I ready the Psalm:
"Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God."
 What words of wisdom - to place our hope in God and praise Him, when we are downcast.

I feel like that's exactly what I was able to do today.   I had communion twice, and I had a lot of time to reflect in the services - focusing on what Christ did on the cross for me; and the hope that I now have in HIM.