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My husband became a man....This past weekend Ben went on a men's retreat (see photos). On the way there he killed a bear by hitting it with his truck. While he was there a bunch of guys went target shooting so of course Ben joined in the fun. It was the first time he shot a real gun. So between killing a bear and shooting a gun we joke that he became a real 'man,' the funny thing is that he didn't do them in the right order :)
By the way, the video playing to the right is joshua Wallker's video. He was one of our students in Titus Project Montana last month. We sent the team out to Ukraine and this is a video that they shot after teaching a course called Bible Overview in a Bible School there. check out his amazing website at: http://joshuajordanwalker.com/site
LibertyJust doing a little reading and I came across this quote:
"For example, America was founded on the idea of liberty, but we have taken that to the extreme. Originally, the word meant 'the right to do what is right.' But this postmodern society has changed its meaning so that, for many people today, liberty is defined as 'the right to do whatever I want to do.' However, true liberty will not cost others their liberty."
This is really interesting ... both from the perspective that America's founders possibly held to that definition and that it has changed SO much. What do you think is the better definition? How should a society define liberty? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Complaining"Remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." (Numbers 11:6)
As I read through Numbers 10 and 11 today I could relate with the people of Israel back then. It has been hard to be in a weird place of transition here in Canada. We're home for a little longer than planned and feeling a little bit out of place. It is very easy to slip into a mindset of 'remember in Taiwan...' Just today I was thinking about the great yummy slushy drinks we could get for only $1 just down the road from our apartment.
But God knows where we are and where he wants us. And if I've learned anything from the book of Numbers, it is that God is just like a parent: complaining is not pleasing to him. When Cassie whines because she isn't getting what she wants it is a little bit annoying, I admit it. But how often am I just like her? It was a good reminder to me to be thankful and appreciate right where I am and all the great things that I have here for this time! Something I've Learned This WeekThe men's group at our church meets every Wednesday evening. We chat for a bit, get up to date on each others' lives and spend the last hour reading from a consecutive passage in the Bible and talking about it. We just recently started Exodus and some of the guys have never read it before, which usually makes for some interesting discussion. But discussion without change of thought or lifestyle isn't worth much. So here is something that I have learned and also am trying to put into practice.
Learn
Moses was afraid to obey God. He didn't want to go back to Egypt. He didn't want to lead the Israelites to freedom. He didn't believe in himself. He made excuses (some valid, some not). But eventually he did obey. The first time, it didn't go too well. But he persevered through some difficult situations. And in the end, Moses succeeds - in a big way. Pharaoh is quite the opposite. Of course, he didn't want to obey God either. But unlike Moses, he disregarded God completely and suffered much. In fact, he became so adamant against God that he even ignored the pleadings of his officials, who had eventually changed their views. And in his selfishness and stubbornness, he brought catastrophe on his own people.
Change
So now I've learnt something that I need to put into practice. That is, as I make choices throughout the day, I begin to do what I know is right (obedience) because I know it is for my good. So when Cassie is being cranky, I take her for a walk to give Mom a break. When the driver on the highway doesn't want to let me in, I don't freak out at him, I take a deep breath. When the room is a mess, I don't wait for someone else to clean it up, instead I initiate tidying. Well, it could sound like I never make bad decisions or disobey on purpose. I still do. But being reminded regularly makes me more aware of my choices during the day. God doesn't beat me over the head about my mistakes but instead he forgives me and reminds me that I will have another opportunity to make the right choice. And that, brings a smile to both of us. Awesomeness"There is no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness." - Po the Panda!
I really enjoyed the movie - "Kung Fu Panda" - all 4 times I've watched it in the last two months. It ranks right up there with Aladdan! That's no mean feat... Anyway, I don't know if you've seen the movie but its all about a Panda who becomes the Kung Fu master and has to save the town from the evil Tai Lung. Anyway, its super funny - at least to me! But right at the beginning he is dreaming about being a Kung Fu master and as everyone is gawking at him and saying how great he is, he makes this quote - there is no charge for awesomeness and attractiveness!
So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I realized as I was praying for a friend this week - that even though Jesus is SO awesome and attractive - he doesn't charge for it. He is easy to be with, fun, passionate and beautiful and he does everything he can (without stepping over the "choice" boundary) to be with us. No charge. He's not out to make a buck. Not out for his own gain. Not out for any selfish reason. He's the epitomy of humility and selflessness. And he's awesome! No charge! Pleasing peopleToday I think I will give you a little glimpse into my heart.
About a week ago Ben and I were at a big group gathering when Cassie started to really cry (her little digestive system is still growing and sometimes she gets bad gas). She was crying really loud so Ben took her to the other room. I could still hear her wailing and so after a few minutes I got up and went to them. Ben asked me why I came since she didn't need both of us, so I actually lied to him and said I thought maybe it was time for her to eat. Now I knew it wasn't time for her to eat yet so as I walked back to my seat I started to think about why I gave him that answer. After the meeting we went home and I told him that I had lied to him and we sorted out why I would have done that. We figured out that the reason I really did get up was because I cared about what people were thinking as they watched me sit there while Cassie was crying. Going a little deeper, I discovered I was insecure what people think of me as a mother because I still am involved in my work here and I don't stay at home with her all day but instead bring her with me. This was really good for me to discover these deeper feelings early. I have now found peace that I am going to be the best mom to Cassie I can be, following the path that God leads me down, which currently still includes teaching and training people to study the bible.
There is no need to live to please people, because it isn't healthy and realistically it is simply impossible.
Instead of people pleasing I choose to pray and obey.
ps. Speaking of people pleasing do you think the Bombers will be able to please their fans this year with at least one win? Let's have hope for the 24th against the Stampeders!
Never stop growing...I don't mean physically (although as I wait for this baby I feel like my tummy is growing and stretching by the hour).
I'm reading a book called 'Teaching to Change Lives' by Howard Hendricks. He tells a story of an 86 year old woman.
A good friend of mine just told me she is going to be going to University again to get her masters. My mom flew across the ocean to be with us and is experiencing a brand new culture. Another friend told me of life change she will be making that takes a lot of courage... and we will be learning to be parents (hopefully soon!)
Learning (for the sake of growth not just job placement or advancement) makes our experience in life deeper. So keep making goals and pushing yourself to learn new things, even though as we grow older risks and learning seem scarier and scarier. Don't let fear hold you back. So what new thing are you going to learn? Learning to be a TeacherHave you ever driven down the road, looked in your side mirror with a quick shoulder check and proceeded to change lanes only to hear the blast of a horn beside you? The car was in your blind spot and you didn't even see it. After that your heart races and you think, oops, next time I had better look closer.
Teaching is a lot the same way. We all have blind spots. I may get up to teach a seminar and I have no idea that I am repeating the phrase 'Does that make sense?' about 50 million times. The students may be painfully aware though as they stop paying attention to what I am saying and start counting how many times I say something. We've all heard teachers like this :)
This past week (and for the next two) we have learned about teaching: how to do it, how not to do it, we have had to do it, and we have been evaluated on how we do it. It has been an AMAZING week so far, and while it hurts the pride hearing about those blind spots, it is much better than swiping the car (or hindering students learning). I could write a lot about this past week, but one thing I have learned is to 'not say too much or you will say nothing at all.' So I want to share that anyone who is a teacher, or who would aspire to teach, should read the book '7 Laws of the Learner' by Bruce Wilkinson. It has already revolutionized the way I will forever teach in the future and I am only half way through. This book is highly worth the investment of time and money! If I had only done Titus Project to be recommended this book it would have all been worth it! Whether you have never taught but want to or have been teaching for years, this book should be the next on your list of books to read!
Okay, I am now done advertising for this book- don't worry I wasn't paid a thing:) You can see it on the booklist on the side.
Have a great week everyone! For those in Winnipeg, try to stay warm, we notice that it has been FREEZING!! 6:00am thoughtsJet lag has its blessings, like waking up at 5 in the morning with total energy! That is one part that I wish would go on forever, but being tired at 5:30pm and ready for bed is a little challenging :) Anyways, this morning, up early as usual, I was reading in the bible , the book of Romans, chapters 3 and 4. I realized that SO many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, have a misunderstanding of what God loves.
4:4 says, "Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to the one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness."
And a few verses earlier it says,
"...the righteousness of God through faitfh in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (3:22-24)
God is not impressed when we say, look God, we've been good, helped these people, didn't murder anyone etc. Because then salvation isn't accepted as a gift but as something we think we have earned. What He loves is humility, when someone can realistically evaluate their lives, see all the bad things, and accept Christ's death on their behalf. That is called faith. What I have noticed in myself and my friends is that it is often easy to accept that grace at the beginning of our journey with Jesus- accepting His death and salvation. But afterwards we start to feel like our works will earn His love, and when we fail He is disappointed. Yes, He gives us commands in how to live for our own health and the health and lives of those around us, but it often takes more faith to keep trusting God's love and grace the longer we are Christians. I was strongly reminded by God this morning that He loves me when I continue to have faith in His love and goodness even when I can see all the dark ugly spots in my life. Summer SurpriseWe have just finished five weeks studying through the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. It was rather surprising to see that the people described could struggle with so many of the same things we often struggle with like feeling unloved and unknown by God. The answers God gives his children are both encouraging and challenging. It was a wonderful group we had together from a variety of positions in life, each with unique struggles and blessings. We were blessed to be able to host them and hope and believe that they learned as much from us as we did from them. Thank you!
Our summer has been filled with visiting and memory making and we're so glad to have the opportunity to do so. We plan on enjoying every opportunity we can! Revelation & SeinfeldLast week we had the renown 'Steve Gregg' teaching us about the book of revelation. Now obviously I can't (nor would you want me to) write everything that we learned, but there was one thing that stood out to me. This book was written to a group of churches that were undergoing persecution for their faith. It was a vision that Jesus gave to one of His disciples (John) as a comfort to them that God sees, He is soveriegn, and one day there will be justice. It is hard to understand because it is written in such strange language and pictures, but that was a familiar way of writing to the people of that day. It would be like Jesus posting a blog today :) He used the language of the times to speak comfort to His people! That is just a little tidbit from our week.
On a totally different note I want to tell you about the video playing. My great friend Jill was telling us that her old roommate could dance just like Elaine on Seinfeld. We love Seinfeld (at least almost all the episodes) so we thought this would be funny to see. Jill's friend Stephanie was willing to film it and sent it to us, and of course we had to share it with you- hope you get a laugh! A bounce in the step...I know we are winding it down here a little but last week we spent a couple of days on the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi.
It ends with a powerful question for us in our own day to day lives. The people were saying, "it is vain to serve God, what do we profit by keeping his commands? The arrogant prosper and those who do wrong put God to the test and escape." Maybe I'm the only one that asks this question but my feeling is that I'm not. Often the quick and simple thing to do is not the right one but even I often take the short road.
A good example of doing the right thing was some of our friends who rented a car and then banged it up just a little, it probably could have passed inspection. But after some worry and some prayer they made the right decision to take it in and pay the fine. Yeah, it cost them a few bucks but in this event they have complete freedom, no one can point a finger at them and say guilty, not even themselves. Their shoulders light, they walk with a bounce in their step.
I want to walk with a bounce in my step. Lord, remind me when I'm about to take the easy road instead of the right road so that I can walk with a bounce in my step, with the joy that comes from freedom. Some thoughts by BenIn the past I have often considered that God seems to be different in the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT). There is so much war and warning of judgment that it seems like thats all that is in the OT. This time of studying the prophets (the people who foretold the future and preached against sin) has really opened up my eyes to see how inaccurate that is. In every book by a prophet, there is a passage describing the love and compassion of God.
God doesn't change, not even his message changes. His message was always 'believe that I will bring you salvation and then live like you've got it, in joy and honesty, because you did, because you can do nothing to deserve it'. His message continues to be the same. God does the job of saving us, it is our job to respond to it. The same way someone responds to someone who loves them, that is the response God is seeking from us. And ultimately if we do not agree that it is He alone that saves then where will we turn for salvation?
It is a good day to thank God that he brings me salvation. Today I again choose to give my heart over to you, I did not earn your love before, I will not earn it now, but I am so glad that you do love. I would be dead without it, I am alive because of it. I will love you God by loving others. Pride or HumilityLast week we studied a BIG book- Isaiah! I think that was the most work we have ever had in a week, but it was great! The main idea of the whole book is that the Israelites needed to trust God for both their physical and their spiritual salvation. There is a contrast in the book between the King of Ahaz who is given the option of trusting God for deliverence from his enemies, but because of pride chooses not to. And then there is Hezekiah who also is confronted with the same choice and in humility he relies on God. The book is really one huge contrast between those who trust God in humility and those who refuse to acknowledge God in their pride. There are these amazing restoration passages and prophesies of a coming Servant. Here are a few that encouraged me this past week:
Why do you say O Jacob, and speak O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"?
Have you not known, Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:27-31)
Another one that is so cool is the detailed description of what the 'Servant' will do written 650 years before Jesus:
He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:3-6) Titus Project StoryWell folks, we are in the home stretch- two more months and we will have completed our training, having gone through every book of the bible verse by verse using the inductive method. We are getting excited to go out and give after receiving so much! As we prepare for working with Titus Project in Taiwan we are motivated as we read different accounts of those working with Titus Project. Many of you are involved and are part of sending us overseas to do this work. We also want to encourage you as you have persevered through this past year with us. We want to share a story with you from someone who is serving with YWAM in the Titus Projet. In order to share this story we need to take out the country, but it is a country in the continent of Africa:
"Our seminars in _______ were hugely successful and well-attended so I'll admit when we arrived at one particular seminar we were a little disappointed that only ten people showed up. We were very tired from teaching in another village, but despite our weariness, we gave everything we had. We were encouraged by the responsiveness of our students. We learned that the entire leadership of the church was present; all were very engaged in class, giving wonderful answers to our questions. At the end of the two-day seminar the pastor stood up and told us that he just came back from finishing seminary two weeks before, and had been discussing with his elders his desire to incorporate expository (verse by verse) preaching into the church by teaching the Bible book by book. This type of teaching is very rare in _________ since there is little Bible training and most pastors don't use the Bible at all when they preach and teach. This pastor was excited about expository teaching but he shared that he felt frustrated that he did not have a framework by which to study and then teach it to his people. HE TOLD US THAT GOD MIRACULOUSLY ANSWERED HIS PRAYERS BY SENDING US TO SHOW THE LEADERSHIP HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE GIVING THEM A FRAMEWORK TO FOLLOW AS THEY TAKE THE CHURCH IN A NEW DIRECTION! I can't express with words how in awe we were of what God did. Our sovereign God, in His divine timing, sent us there at that time as a direct answer to this pastor's prayers and we had the honor of being able to give them a foundation for the future."
We are excited to be used in ways like the above in this coming year, thank you for sending us and believing in this much needed work overseas! Just some questions...This week as we studied wisdom literature I discovered that much of the wisdom literature in the Old Testament (and the New for that matter) deals with how to make wise decisions not only for oneself, but also with the perspective of how it will influence the whole community. This is a very different way of thinking in light of our individualistic, western society. Out of this week I wrote a poem about my thoughts and feelings and thought I would share them. Just some questions… Is it all about me? Am I that main character in a life full of secondary characters? My decisions, when I make them, who do I consider? Do I think how they will affect my family? my friends? my church? my neighbourhood? my city? Would I lay down my life for my friend? What about a stranger? Does God care about how I treat my neighbour? What about the one two doors down? The next street? The poor area of town? The rich area of town? I don’t want to be reactive, but proactive… to decide to do something, think up a new idea, take initiative to do something kind to another. Not be thanked, not to feel good about me, but to bless THEM. Am I responsible for the others around me? Even just a little? I have allowed myself to be numb? close my eyes? walk by without a word? without helping? Is this bondage? I hear ‘you can’t live for others.’ Why not? Jesus did. Actually He lived AND died for others. I can anticipate your thoughts, because they are my thoughts… Won’t you be pulled a million directions? Get used? Never be happy? Yes! Without God, yes. But walking with God’s gift of the Holy Spirit brings wisdom: when to say yes when to say no when to wait. The superficial relationship won’t do this, but true intimacy and abiding will. God wants the best for others… and for me…. and He knows how to bring this to pass.
Xie XieXie Xie means Thank you in Chinese (prenounced Shie Shie). However, I was prenouncing it Che Che which means older sister...oops! Everyone had a good laugh at that!
Bright and early sunday morning we drive to the Pastor's house. She has a beautiful large living room that can hold a lot of people. What they do is they use a church building on Saturday nights for a service, but on sunday mornings they meet together in her home to have a deeper study time. We were the ones facilitating this particular week. Were we nervous? A little, but during the time of worship at the beginning God met with us and calmed our nerves. It is amazing how we could worship in our heart while the rest of the people sang a different language, but we were unified! The sincere worship and love was so refreshing by this little group of believers.
We were next up and after an introduction from Wendy our staff leader we had them reading the book of Philemon in Chinese, picking out the main characters, learning about slavery in Roman times and applying all the principles to their own lives. It was really cool to see that even though there was a language barrier they really picked up the main points of this tiny book in the bible! We were blessed to enjoy lunch with them half way through, yummy fish, rice, and beef! Even though their culture generally inhibits public participation they really were all taking part and thinking/answering all our questions!
Thank you so much for your prayers. One of the girls was a brand new Christian and shared with us that she now wanted to learn how to read the bible and apply it to her life- that is what this is all about! Helping people discover for themselves all that God has for them! There were so many times when they were working in groups that Ben and I said, 'This is what drives us and gives us joy!' This was just a little taste of what awaits us in the future, and boy are we excited! Taiwan, here we come... Who's the King of the Castle?It is good to learn from others mistakes.
This week we were studying 2 kings, Saul and David. They both disobeyed God and experienced the consequences of it. One rejected God and went his own way and one repented and returned to God. From the outside their experiences were quite similar but on the inside, one experienced hope and refreshment and the other experienced torment.
Sometimes I like to think I can do what I want but at the end of the day I end up regretting it and find myself realizing that the best way is to obey God, then I experience freedom and joy inside. What was right in their own eyes...In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes. Judges 21:25
I want to reflect on what I have been learning and I hope it is okay to share this with you.
This week we are studying the book of Judges. It is interesting because it follows right after Joshua and the two stand in contrast to each other. In Joshua God leads Isreal into the promised land so that they can be a light to all the nations around them and show the nations who the One true God is. The book is a story of victory as the people obey God and follow his direction. The next book Judges is the total opposite, Joshua the godly leader dies and the book is one defeat after another with people not obeying what God said. In the end there is a brutal story of a gang rape and instead of the different tribes of Israel working together they are fighting each other. When I was putting a title to this book I wanted to call it "One big Mess!"
It is actually very sad but the key to what happened is in the phrase, "all the people did what was right in their own eyes." It repeats this phrase over and over in Judges. I was reminded how when I stop reading the bible and applying it to my life as the standard for living (instead of my feelings, what is right in my own eyes) that is when my life becomes a mess. But when I read, study and follow God's ways then I live in freedom and victory.
In a bigger sense we can see that in our society. As people live by their own standards, what is right in their own eyes, and we remove any sense of right and wrong (truth) then society spirals downwards. When we look at the rate of crime, abuse, broken families etc. sometimes I want to say "This is one big mess!"
The difference now is that God isn't focused on transforming a political situation so that we abide by His standards of love, justice, selflessness and mercy- but instead he has given us His Word and wants to transform the society person by person, heart by heart! In my own life I am challenged to be one who 'does what is right in God's eyes' and help others by letting them discover for themselves what God's Instruction manual (Bible) says and how to obey it.
The book of Judges has just spurred me on to remind me how important it is to teach what we are going to be teaching all over the world, so that people have an alternative to doing 'what is right in their own eyes' and so that they can truly live in victory instead of defeat.
Thanks for listening to my reflection on what has been going through my heart and mind this week. Who?If I was telling you a story about a friend of mine, and you and I were not that close, I probably wouldn't bother mentioning who my friend was. For example, "my friend and I were out for dinner yesterday when such and such happened". Now if you and I had a close friendship I would probably say instead, "My friend John and I were out yesterday, you know John, he's my friend from work, anyways John and I were out..."
Ok, its the simplest example I could come up with but this is what I learnt this week - when you get to know someone, spend time with them and care about them it is expected that you know their name. Many of us think of God, the intelligent force or whatever out there, but few of us - me included often - realize that He, God, shared his name with us so that we might know him. He wants to be known by us. Exactly that, He isn't some unnamed force, but rather he has a name, I AM WHO I AM. Ok - so maybe the name isn't like Ben which is pretty simple and explained but it gives us a glimpse of how big He really is - He chooses who He wants to be, He doesn't change like shifting shadows, He loves justice, He is filled with love and kindness, He is willing to be known. I want to know him. |
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