blog dedicated to ABEL 8 2004-2005 (fall semester)
Greetings in the name of Jesus!
What has God been doing in my life this semester?
Teaching me the definition of service.
Mark 10:42-45
42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
We are not of this world. C.S. Lewis writes in his book Mere Christianity, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." King Solomon had it all, wisdom, riches and relationships.
We are His, so we must live. What am I supposed to do? Live in such a way that points to Christ; show the people around me who He is.
How has God used our SG in my life this semester?
Teaching me how to serve. Through Abram, despite my circumstances or what I can do, God does the work. I am grateful to be a part of what He is doing in the lives of our members.
My SG experiences go here…
Genesis 22 The Lord Will Provide
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,
"Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,
"Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood.
Spider-man 2 convictions...
if i had to sum it up, i've been learning to serve and growing a heart to die for my small group ministry.
lately i've been staying up, way late. well...actually most of the semester. tonight was no different. my daily schedule is so wack right now. i want to go to bed early and wake up for MP, but it just hasnt been happening. this semester i barely made it to two MPs a week. one of them was required, which makes me sad. i used to go every morning and to all the other prayer meetings. it's not that i equate going to church meetings to holiness or being a good Christian, there's a whole lot more meaning to it all than i want to take time to explain right now.
so tonight i completely rearranged my room. i like it. too bad i dont have a digital camera, i would have taken a before and after. i cant even take an after. so you'll have to come visit me and see. i think the only people who will notice the change are my roommates (apartment mates?) and my servant and coservant. maybe my small group members will notice if they're observant enough, but other than that, not many people have been visiting my room lately. is that a good thing? i admit it, i was a pimp, playa, prostitute, however you want to say it, back in the day. but Jesus redeems! AMEN.
i've been spending a lot of time on xanga and thefacebook lately too. i have more important things to do, but those things keep me so enticed and occupied. maybe i'm building up things to give up for lent. that's terrible! i need to love God NOW. peace and God bless!
[Peter Parker has chosen to live his life. By his own wisdom, he gives up Spider-man because he only sees the hurt people he loves will have to endure knowing the truth. Aunt May rebukes him with the Truth, which points not to our selfish wisdom, but points selflessly to others (Matthew 22:39).]
Aunt May: Kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people; setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero...The one that taught them to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us; that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want most. Even our dreams...he needs him.
iBboy81 (1:25:28 PM): i may take a nap
iBboy81 (1:25:36 PM): or watch more spider-man 2
SMILEy PriS sy (1:25:48 PM): haha
SMILEy PriS sy (1:25:53 PM): spiderman 2 is so cheesy
SMILEy PriS sy (1:25:54 PM): omg
SMILEy PriS sy (1:25:56 PM): so corny
SMILEy PriS sy (1:26:06 PM): but a lotta guys like it...so maybe u'll like it too
SMILEy PriS sy (1:26:09 PM): too early for a nap
iBboy81 (1:26:10 PM): no way, dude it's awesome
SMILEy PriS sy (1:26:14 PM): watever
SMILEy PriS sy (1:26:17 PM): SO corny
SMILEy PriS sy (1:26:20 PM): he duzn't say anything
iBboy81 (1:26:30 PM): but the story says a lot
SMILEy PriS sy (1:26:30 PM): like..the script is so fake
iBboy81 (1:26:42 PM): well it is a comic book movie
iBboy81 (1:27:35 PM): the coRniness is worth the parallels it has to the Christian fight
iBboy81 (1:29:19 PM): just look harder into the deeper meaning of things
iBboy81 (1:32:43 PM): doesnt that make you wanna watch it again?
SMILEy PriS sy (1:39:02 PM): the girls says 'i love u" and he says "thank u"
SMILEy PriS sy (1:39:09 PM): it duzn't make any sense
SMILEy PriS sy (1:39:12 PM): watever
MJ: I love you. [Peter can barely hold in his his desire for her love] So here I am, standing in your doorway. I've always been standing in your doorway. [MJ touches Peter's face] Isn't it about time somebody saved your life? [long breath taking pause] Well, say something.
Peter: Thank you, Mary Jane Watson. [they kiss; theme music begins; sirens; look into each others eyes; MJ smiles; Peter pauses]
MJ: Go get them, tiger. [Peter smiles; theme music escalates; exit Spider-man; MJ moves from love to fear]
[MJ rescues Peter. All along, Peter thought he was saving others... ("For God so loved the world...") How can he respond with love without awknowledging who he was? He was selfish and prideful...he was in need of a Savior. Peter's thankfulness shows that realization.]
God really spoke to me the first time i saw this movie. everytime i watch it i see more of God's love, how much He is chasing after us and my desire to fight increases. no wonder this is my first DVD!
if you want to see it, i will prayerfully watch it again with you.
.