New Blog!!

I am moving my collection of thoughts to a new blog. With a new design. And a new theme. Delete this one from your bookmarks and news feeds. And add Not My Own

Why I love Gmail

• I can search all my mail and find just what I am looking for.
• Filters and labels. I can filter incoming mail based on certain info and send it directly to the archive. Add a label to it and then it shows up under the label and not in my inbox. It makes things so organized. Perfect for me and my need for organization.
• I jumped on board soon enough and got the email addressES I wanted. Yes, I have three gmail accounts, each with a name I love.
• NEW- gmail themes. There are simple colors as well as pictures. It's like a background for your email.

If you don't have gmail, you should check it out. It's pretty sweet!

57 hours

I have worked at my job for 10 months minus 4 days. For the past 3 months I have been living and working in the houses with the students as their Housemother. My job is far from normal, in the things I do as well as my time off. I get the days off while the students are at school and work in the AM and PM. My day(s) off are Wednesday and every other Thursday; I work the "weekends."

I always knew I worked over 40 hours a week. I was always afraid to calculate how many hours I work per week. I knew it would not make me like this place.

Well, I am working on planning time off and, since I was calculating things, I decided to see how many hours I work per week. 57 hours per week; 49 on the ones where I get Thursday off. Here is the breakdown of my days:

• Sunday: 7:30a-5p = 9.5 hrs
• Monday: 8a-9:30p, with hopefully 2-3 hours off = 11.5 hrs
• Tuesday: 8:30a-12:30p (sometimes 2p), 4p-9:30p = 9.5 hrs
• Wednesday: 6a-8:30a = 2.5 hrs
• Thursday: 4p-9:30p = 5.5 hrs
• Friday: 6a-8:30a, 4p-9:30p = 8 hrs
• Saturday: 6a-11a, 4p-9:30p = 10.5 hrs

On weeks where I have two days off, I work 2.5 on Wednesday, 0 on Thursday, and 5.5 on Friday for a total of 49 for the week.

I also went and calculated how much I get paid per hour. I won't share it, but it's not a fun number. I was already not liking this place for other reasons and now I have a few more things to add to my list.

I "signed"* a contract for 2 years and I won't keep it a secret, I'm leaving as soon as those two years are up. Unless God pulls rank.....please no

*I was supposed to sign a contract but never did....

Second Sermon: Jesus Christ

This is the written copy of the sermon I gave earlier this morning. If you would like to see the facebook account that I created for this sermon, log into your account and search for "Jesus Carpenter" Please, in the friend request, send a message mentioning this blog.

Last time I was up here I spoke on the foundation of Christianity: Jesus Christ and him crucified. I figured the next logical step was to share about who Jesus is. I have been reading through the gospels, taking notes on the person of Jesus; not the things he said but who he was. For the 1071 verses in the book of Matthew (the only book I have completed studying so far), I made 240 observations about who Jesus is. And I came to the quick conclusion that simply going through these points would be boring. So I made a facebook for Jesus. Not one as if Jesus lived today, but one based solely on the book of Matthew. So, let's go check out his page.

Sex: Male- well, that I knew
Birthday- December 25th- again, old news
political views: this comes from 22:15-22. Jesus is being challenged by the Pharisees about paying taxes to Caesar. In short, respecting a foreign ruler. His answer tells us two things: one, he could read a trap and had an answer which set him free and two, he respected the government of the time by doing as requested and giving back what was theirs
Religious view- man this was a tough one. All the things Jesus spoke about were his religious views. How was I going to narrow them down? I ended up just referencing the greatest commandment. All of the law and the prophets hang on loving God and loving man.

My main focus in reading Matthew was to find out who Jesus was. Therefore, the personal information section of the facebook account was more what I was looking to fill out.
Activities- Jesus did a lot of things, including some of the big ones here.
Healing- Jesus healed by speaking and by touch, when his disciples were unable to, after an anger outburst in the temple. Jesus had a desire to heal and He was able to help all those who came. People came with diseases, pain, demons, seizures, paralysis and each one was healed. Jesus had the desire and power to heal others from physical and spiritual ills.
Teaching- well, Matthew contains the Sermon on the Mount, so it's no surprise teaching was one of his activities. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach off of things that go on around him. There must have been something important in the words he said since he was talking often.
Traveling- From birth, Jesus was moving all over, mainly throughout Galilee. Jesus wasn't kidding when he said the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Whatever he had to say wasn't meant to stay in one place. And it couldn't be with the way some people treated him.
Ah, one of my favorites-giving smart people reality checks. So many times Jesus set people's reality. The lies they have told themselves about how they are living are revealed. A good example is the rice young man who claimed to follow all the commandments. But he was unwilling to give up all he had to serve God. Now, this man knew there was something more- that's why he asked Jesus. He just hoped it wasn't his one weakness. Too bad, it was and Jesus had no problem letting him know the truth.
Explaining the law- This is what most of the Sermon on the Mount is about- correcting the beliefs about the law and setting the bar even higher. Jesus also clarifies the law for the priests who have twisted it.

Those activities are all fine and good, but we still don't have a good picture of the person of Jesus. Let's check out the things that interested him.
Time alone to pray- Jesus was constantly surrounded by people who wanted to hear him teach and who wanted to be healed. But Jesus needed to be alone; a time to recharge and spend time with his Father. He withdraws after he hears of John the Baptist's death and then later after feeding 5000 people. And of course, there are the prayers in the garden before he is taken by the guards. In the hard emotional times in his life, Jesus goes to be alone and pray.
Stories and parables- That's about the only way he taught. Jesus took every opportunity to teach using these stories, which helped his listeners. The stories and parables, though maybe hard to understand today, meant a lot to his listeners. He wanted them to get it!
Faith in others- “your faith has healed you” “do you believe I can heal you?” Faith is what he looked for when he was healing. Faith was what he asked of Peter when he stepped on to the crashing waves. Faith was what he challenged those who wanted to follow him; would they give up what they had to follow this man?
Guiding people to God- there isn't much about the connection between Jesus and God in Matthew, but Jesus does call all who have ears to hear. He teaches them so that on judgment day, they can say they do have a relationship with God and not be disowned.
And Jesus loved it when people would listen and respond. The best way to see this is when he leaves when people don't listen. He doesn't spend his time with the priests trying to correct their teaching. He spends time with the sinners who accept his words.
Of course, there were many more things that Jesus was interested in, but these are some of the highlights from Matthew

The about me section. I didn't fill this out as things Jesus would say about himself, but rather my summary of him.
First, he is confrontational. Man, when he gave out those reality checks, they were pretty harsh. In chapter 23, he lays into the teachers of the law and Pharisees. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” Now that's a confrontation!
Along those same lines, we can see in Matthew how Jesus challenged people's beliefs and actions. He didn't let them stay where they were at in their faith, but set a higher bar for them and called them to it. While the harsh confrontations were generally to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus challenged both people he knew little, such as the rich young man mentioned earlier, and his own disciples.
To round out his possibly standoff-ish personality, Jesus was also very welcoming. He taught and healed the crowds that came to him. He called people to him, not only his disciples, but also all who are weary and burdened. Even when people aren't called and come through the roof while he is teaching, Jesus heals and forgives. If you come to him humbly and with faith, or the desire for faith, he will welcome you and help you. But when you judge or lead people astray for the Truth, he will be harsh.
It all comes down to his passion. It is this passion that drives him to overturn the money changers tables in the temple. It is this passion that drives him to call out the hypocritical priests. It is this passion that drove him to heal and teach and guide people to God. His passion was for his Father and for others. Sounds like the great commandment? :)

So, I have this new Facebook friend named Jesus Carpenter with all these qualities. But we all know being facebook friends doesn't mean a whole lot. You may already be friends with the person. Or you may not really know the person and add them to stalk them. Each one of you has a friend invite waiting from Jesus. And I'm not just talking about facebook. He is calling everyone of you into a real relationship with him; one that goes much deeper than words on a computer screen. Get to know him; not the stories you think you know or the Jesus you think he is, but who he really is. Will you find that on his facebook page? Nope. Check out the first four books of the new testament and find out who he really is. Some things may surprise you.

The face behind the mask

There he stood in front of us, staff and students alike, and shared his journal from the previous week. It was more than just a glimpse behind the mask; the war mask was gone completely and he stood there as the man God had created him to be, though still a boy growing into the tailor-made clothes and title. His calm, confidence and eloquence of words were nothing new. But the words out of his mouth were drastically different.

A little more than a year ago I heard a strong-willed, intelligent and bitter teen go on and on about why anarchy was the best "form" of government and the non-existence of a god. He bragged about the games he played with previous counselors and his confiscated personal journal was impressive in the amount of anger and bitterness it contained. He was intimidating to a brand new counselor who had been "warned" of his ways.

Yet I did get a glimpse behind his mask during the final weeks of the summer as he faced his emotions and tears found their ways to his eyes. I will never forget that counseling session.

But the seed that was planted by one was watered by another as God made it grow. And grow it did until that week when it broke through the ground and budded. There he stood in front of us and shared of demons and internal dragons, of crying out for help from those who promise it and the rage that grew when it was not delivered, of finding wings to soar and once binding chains now broken from the wall ad used for clearing a path.

"There is only one path before, yet I act as though it forked. One day it will be clear, or so I hope. Many see the spirit within, if only I could too...The day will come when I will awake within myself and be set free. Sooner than later...Insanity is often described as trying the same thing expecting different results. I would have to say it is knowing the right path, but not taking it."

I was one who could see the spirit within. I knew beyond doubt that God would get this kid and use him for great things. I let him know I was praying for him and encouraged honesty when he talked about God with me. I just had no idea when.

Earlier that evening he had told me randomly that I would enjoy what he was sharing later in the service, but he wouldn't tell me what it was as he printed it off. I changed subjects, or so I thought, and asked how his faith was.
"Good," he said plainly.
"Let me rephrase- describe your faith," I tried again.
"It's there," he responded, as simply as the first time; so simple that I knew it was true. But how much faith? And in what exactly?
"What is your faith in?"
He looked at me and smiled a bit: "My Father."

I don't think I really believed him at first. I knew what he meant, but...could it really be?! My disbelief slowly faded and was replaced by excitement I tried to control. He was so calm and matter-of-fact, as if it was normal. But it was a big deal and yet...normal...expected...right.

There he stood in front of us, telling us in his own way that he had given up fighting and hiding and accepted the love of his Father. I sat listening calmly, but filled with the excitement that comes with seeing a great promise fulfilled. The seed that was planted by his family and watered by constant letters from friends from his youth group and staff who were patient with him had slowly been growing by God's power. Now seeing the fruit, there was nothing I wanted to do more than praise my Father for what He had done and allowing me to be there when it happened.

My God is so BIG so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do!

My First Semon

The following is the written version of my sermon. I know I changed it some as I spoke.

What is Christianity all about? You hear about it every Sunday, every evening for devos, in Bible class. You may even call yourself a “Christian”. But what does that really mean?
I want to thank all of you in Bible class who turned in an answer to this question and for the staff who were willing to answer my randomly asked question. Here are some of your answers:
“relationship with God”
“having a loving father caring for you”
“god and faith”
“being good and having faith”
“living your life to the glory of god”
“love and faith”
For most of those, I think I could find scripture to back it up. However, what if we wanted to reduce it down to two things that “are Christianity” to share with others, what would you pick? Katelin, I want highlight your answer because it is such a good lead-in for my topic today. “It's about Jesus Christ and how he came to earth and died on the cross to save us from our sins.”

Katelin, you are on the same page as Paul when he went to Corinth to preach to a new church in a city known for its wealth, culture and moral corruption. Paul writes them later, reminding those in the church what it was like for him when he first came.

Chapter 2 starting in verse 1
“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”

There it is: Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul didn't concern himself with prayer, fasting, church attendance, or “good” living. Paul had knowledge of theological topics as can be seen later in this letter and others, but in the beginning of his preaching, he did not make that his focus. Just two simple things: Jesus and his death. What is so important about these two things that made it all that Paul needed to know?

Let's take a look at Jesus. Hopefully it is obvious that Christ is an important part of Christianity. After all, it is where that name comes from.
What do we know of Jesus Christ? Quite a bit if you include the old testament prophecies, the gospels about his life, and the references to him in the letters to various churches. We know about his lineage, little about him growing up, teachings, dinner dates, fishing, healing, death and resurrection. To go into all that we know about Jesus would take much longer than 20 minutes and I have been sternly warned about my time limit. Maybe another time. But one thing that is interesting to notice is that Paul states he was proclaiming “the testimony of God's” yet didn't say he resolved to know about the Creator or the Almighty God. He came sharing the knowledge of Jesus. In case you didn't already know this, there is a connection between Jesus and God. It's almost as if God were this being that is SO beyond us that we have little to no hope of understanding or explaining. Yet, when Jesus came, he was both the Son of God and the Son of Man. While we cannot understand God, we can better understand Jesus since he was human like us. He is the “image of the invisible God”, as Paul writes in Colossians. That is just one reason Jesus is worth being in Paul's narrow focus of preaching.
And then, of all the things in Jesus' life, Paul made his focus his death. What is so important about Jesus' death that it deserves to be talked about as a separate topic? I get to bring up my favorite verse in the Bible to answer this. Matthew 27:51- “At that moment (as Jesus died) the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” This curtain kept people from coming into the presence of God at any time. Access was only allowed one day a year by one person, the high priest. With his death, access was granted to any person at any time. We no longer face God's wrath, but his peace. Why? The holes in our relationship with God have been patched by Jesus' blood. We can now have a normal relationship with Him. (these are Paul's words from Romans 5)

Now, for all of you who just had my words go in one ear and out the other, here is a visual of the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians. (brought to you by Wordle.net) What stands out in the first two chapters? God, Jesus, Christ, Spirit, Lord, and wisdom. Some of those come later in the passage. And can you see “crucified” there next to the “su” in Jesus?

Both Jesus Christ and his death is what Christianity is about. It is all Paul preached as he started a church in an unlikely city. It is what he reminds the church of as their focus has shifted to differing beliefs and divisions in the church. I guess I could stop here and make sure that I'm under the 20 minutes. After all, I already answered the first question about what Christianity is.

But there is more that can be found in the how and why.

How did Paul preach? Pretty much like me right now- weakness, fear and trembling.

I am reminded of one of my favorite books, which has now also been made into a movie. In Prince Caspian, The prince, along with the pevensies and Narnians, have defeated the evil and wrongful king. Now it is Caspian's time to reclaim the crown. Aslan asks him about this task:
“Welcome, Prince, Do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the Kingship of Narnia?”
“I- I don’t think I do, Sir,” said Caspian. “I’m only a kid.”
“Good,” said Aslan. “If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been proof that you were not.”
Caspian was humble and therefore ready to lead Narnia.

The same is true of Paul as he went to the Corinthians. He was humble and weak and his words were unwise and unpersuasive. But he went anyway and preached what he knew because he was called.

Why did he go if he felt weak and unprepared? Because it wasn't about him! Paul is talking about God and he knows that he deserves none of the credit in Christianity. In chapter 1, Paul makes this clear as he attacks the issue of divisions in the church based on the man that each group says they follow. Paul preached in weakness so that the focus would be on the Spirit's power, not his own; so that their faith would be in God and not Paul.

Christianity is not about Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, names mentioned in chapter 1. It's not about John Stott, Charles Spurgeon or Billy Graham. It's not about Mr Harden, Mr Friesen or myself. It is about God: Jesus, the human with the fullness of God, his death, his wisdom, his power. As George MacDonald said through the character of Thomas Wingfold in one of his books: “For Christianity does not mean what you think or what I think concerning Christ, but what IS OF Christ. My Christianity, if ever I come to have any, will be what of Christ is in me; your Christianity now is what of Christ is in you.”

I want to leave you with a little “so what” as an application for knowing that Christianity is all about Jesus, his death and God's power and wisdom.

Those who claim Christianity: Make sure you have the right focus, both in how you live and how your share the message of God. Make your Christianity all about Christ and His death, God's power and wisdom.

Those who reject Christianity: Make sure you are rejecting the right thing. If Christianity is all about Jesus and his death and God's power, that is what you must ok with rejecting, not Christians. But don't reject something without knowing about it- that is just arrogant.

Reminders of Home

Recently, I have been feeling like my whole life revolves around this little campus on the mountain in Jarabacoa. It is frustrating when all of my time is spent working, doing things I don't have time for while working, and preparing for other jobs I have volunteered for.

But today on my time off this afternoon, I have had a chance to "get in touch" with things back home. I was listening to my favorite radio station from home while I did some other work things. And now I have the Taylor football game on (ugly, I know, but it's still a bit of home). This has improved my day :).