A beautiful bright morning

Today is a new day, that's cool. It reminds me of what Oswald Chambers says on February 29th in my utmost for his highest. I remembered it and checked on the internet and found this quote

Lord, that I may receive my sight." Luke 18:41

What is the thing that not only disturbs you but makes you a disturbance? It is always some thing you cannot deal with yourself. "They rebuked him that he should hold his peace . . . but he cried so much the more." Persist in the disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself; do not deify common sense. When Jesus asks us what we want Him to do for us in regard to the incredible thing with which we are faced, remember that He does not work in common-sense ways, but in supernatural ways.

but that wasn't what I was thinking of, I thought that he said something about this leap year day being like just an extra day from God to use for his glory. Maybe I dreamt that. But either way it's kind of cool when we begin to think about every day, every dollar a gift from God. Is God "a harsh man who invests where he has not sown?" even if he is, let's use all the talents that he's given us for his profit. I was listening/watching Mike Bickle in a onething podcast video, and he said "I used to say all the time when somebody wanted to talk to me and they said "Hey Mike are you busy?" I would say "Everyone with a vision is busy"". I thought that was a neat thing to say even though it isn't always true and we should in a sense not be busy but just totally resting in God and being led by the spirit even if it seems so slow. But I really like that answer because we need to be people of purpose. Not getting distracted but with a clear vision of what is important.


Last night I went to a bible study led by a guy named Chad who studies the bible for like three hours a morning. It was a really beautiful time and powerful. We started talking about the doctrines of election, and it just made me wonder at the majesty of God to be so in control and loving and merciful to us. We have done nothing deserving of his mercy, not even choose him

John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to

It made me begin to realize the power of prayer like never before because God is Soveriegn over all then prayer really is the only way to really bring about change. It should be as natural to the christian as breathing, and as needed.


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Then here is a really good article by one of my favourite rappers. He is in a rap group where all four of them are pastors and really see it as a calling and not just entertainment. Take the time to peep this cat and his heart. Don't sleep on this one!

http://www.theambassadoronline.com/articles_view.asp?articleid=14099&columnid=1914

A good Quote

I won't say much that has been happening with me quite yet but here is a really good quote to think about.

soren kierkegaard once wrote, "the matter is quite simple. the bible is very easy to understand. but we christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. we pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. take any words in the new testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. my god, you will say, if i do that my whole life will be ruined. how would i ever get on in the world? herein lies the real place of christian scholarship. christian scholarship is the church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good christians without the bible coming too close. oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living god. yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the new testament."

Be killing sin or it will be killing you

My last post seemed to me to be more morose and serious. I was listening to a Kris Valloton sermon and he said "Seriousness is not a gift of the Holy Spirit". Haha that made me smile. Life lately has been really interesting, this last week I worked 66 hours and this week I am working 72, it is far easier this week though and even kind of fun. There are a few people that get angry and swear at me because of some of the company's policy's and I misheard this one lady and she got very mad but those examples are very few and far between. Most people are really joyful and kind, how can you have a bad day when 100 people end their phone calls by telling me to have a good day?
I love how in the christian life we are always going from one extreme to the other by accident. We need to shy away from total seriousness and reverence all the time and also a constant "party" atmosphere. One misses out on the majesty of God and the other on the abounding life there is in him. Jason upton says "Who you are is always more important than what you do". God's been teaching me how important a right heart attitude is, and out of that flows works. Faith without works is dead, and yet works without faith or love are nothing. "Let me be real with you God, please transform my heart."

all who are thirsty

There's a prayer night at my house tommorow night, for those who actually know me you are invited at 7:30. I need some time with friends and God.

This last week I worked 66 hours at a call center, one night as I went to sleep I could still "hear" people talking to me with Newfoundlandian accents asking when their order will be coming in. It's a huge blessing of a job though, they give me up to 72 hours a week and a good wage. I could never work there for a career though, it just feels so meaningless. Helping people feed their materialism, and hunger for more possesions. It's a bit better at Christmas where people are actually thinking of others, but it's a weird sort of "people thinking of others" where people get in fights over presents and swear on the phone when they don't get what they want. I guess selfishness corrodes the heart to the place where that which is beautiful becomes dross.

I did learn a few good spiritual lessons this week though

Just Ask
It's amazing what is available to a person if they just ask about it, or in a restaurant if they complain about it. At the place where I work people can get all sorts of things if they just ask for the right thing. God is kind of like that it's his "job" so to speak, or "nature" would be a better word. His nature is generosity, just look at the cross the greatest gift to mankind ever. Then look at our nature on any other birthday we give the birthday boy the gifts but on Jesus' we just give each other gifts and even try to forget that the whole reason we're celebrating is Jesus' birthday. Not that there's anything God needs that we could give him, except maybe obediance and childlike devotion. Speaking of childlike devotion it's interesting how kid's let themselves get distracted with cool things. I think we should be like that with God, instead of so focused in one area just notice something that we can be thankful or ask God for, which will remind of us something else. "So it is with those born of the spirit, they are like the wind. No-one knows where it comes from or where it is going". And as such I don't really know where I was going with that thought. But yeah, if you don't know if something's available (from God) just ask.

Looking Forward to something better
Man, today I was looking so forward to this weekend that any tiredness, or irritants seemed meaningless in comparison because I knew there was only 1 day left this week. This week was also good because I came to the end of my rope a lot with frustration and other things and I could only turn to God. He humbled me a fair amount but I still need a whole lot more. I am fascinated by the concept of complete humility and meekness, and also total boldness (Psalm 34) says "The righteous are as bold as a lion" or a psalm near there. We need to make nothing of ourselves and yet be so confident in who we are in God that nothing will faze us or move us. How many times have I sang "I will not be shaken" only to be shaken by circumstance or emotion? Also what does this verse mean "He who has suffered in his body is done with sin?" 1 Peter 4:1 that sounds like a really sweet deal. Let me know if you guys know the answer. God bless everyone!

p.s. This guy is amazing

Did God forget how to do the Impossible?

This weekend has been a really good break. I am kind of dreading and eagerly anticipating next week. I am going to be working 66 hours at Sears Call center and I have never really had regular job like this before or worked that much so I hope that I can handle it all right. I went to church today in Regina and my parents and my friend's parents became members. It's cool, it's almost too bad that it had to come to that, I'm not talking specifically but in general. Why couldn't people just genuinely repent and be saved and have leaders that spend so much time in the word that all heretics get ignored because everybody knows the word so well that deceit is right away seen for what it is. I love meeting people who are so spirit-led that they choose a course of action that makes no sense to those around them but a few months later it seems so obvious that what they did was right. George Fox and St.Patrick are two people that really convict me, just reading about their lives.

The thing that God has been showing me lately though is that, so many times I use reading as an excuse from action. I read christian books or websites and think that I am growing, and I am growing but if I spent all this time in prayer and the word of God instead life would be so different. But at the same time never before have I just rested in the grace of God as much, I feel no condemnation from him. As we trust and surrender to God I think he will take care of the important things. We just need to stay surrendered and look to be led by his spirit. I will end with a quote I read from this site fuegodedios.com it is so true. This guy actually came and spoke at FIRE and my roommate lived in his community for about 7 years. have a great end to the weekend everyone! Encourage one another daily.

Why do we not speak with that same simplicity, that same urgency and that same absoluteness? I believe it is because we do not believe it as absolutely as Paul did, nor do we live as if we believe it. We are simply not occupied with the things that are eternal, and therefore we are unable to persuade men. We need to press mankind to come to terms with eternity even though they will accuse us of being dogmatic, narrow-minded and intolerant, and yet that will be enough to intimidate many of us to silence. There is nothing more embarrassing and intimidating to the modern Christian than to be considered narrow and dogmatic. It did not, however, intimidate Paul. Eternity is not a narrow concept. The world needs to be disturbed by people who cannot contain themselves, who are beyond the issue of taste, politeness and good manners, who burn with the reality of eternity and who take every opportunity to express the things that are Divine.

Our absoluteness is the very height of offence to a world that is relativistic and pluralistic. They do not want to be told that there is anything that is absolute, that there are only two alternatives, but they need to be told, not by people who bring [only] the correct doctrine but by those who come with a burning conviction. Do we really believe that God has fixed a Day in which He will judge the world in righteousness? Our apostolic task is to bring an unwanted and unwelcome message to an indifferent world, and it is a message we can only bring in the same proportion that we can demonstrate it. It is not enough to be 'correct'. We have to come to them, as it were, from the eternal place."
Art Katz in "Apostolic Foundations"