World Geography Song Lyrics

Do you know the continents?
Do you know the continents?
Tell me if you can.
There's North America,
South America,
Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Don't forget Australia.
Don't forget Antarctica.
Do you know the continents?
Do you know the continents?
Tell me if you can.

Drowning

Cold hands are choking me as I struggle to breathe. I'm kicking and panting, flaring my arms, whatever I can do to stay afloat. The water from the ocean that once use to sting my eyes have been clouded by fearful tears of my own. My body is tense from this new revelation. I woke up at 4AM. I couldn't sleep anymore. Turned on the lights, sat up, and read. It was then that God revealed to me where I was, a deep ocean of sin all around me. Sharks can't be that dangerous. Seaweed tickles but can't trap. Only a few feet more and then the soft sand at the bottom. Lies! Lies! Lies! And so with revelation came belief. I am terified! "Lord, save me!" Just moments before, content in my (I thought) beautiful aquarium, I am thrashing around, eager to be taken out. Pulled down by the seaweed. Scoffed at by the sharks, waiting for my demise. Down, down, down... Wait. A hand. No, a strong arm. Stronger than I've ever known. Gentle, too. The water slowly falls away from my face, ocean and tears. He alone resuscitates me.

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Romans 5:6-11

No analogy is perfect. It is not sin that kills, but the wrath of God because of sin. God must punish sin. He is perfectly just and perfectly holy. That's why it's so amazing. The Judge gives up His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, so that He might also be the Justifier. And so we are saved from God's wrath by God's Sacrifice for God's glory.

Ginny Owens knows how I feel...

I'm caught in a crossfire
Between pride and fear
And my heart isn't bullet-proof
I know where I'm going
But I can't get there from here
Is there anything you can do?

I'm in pieces
Think of something clever
I'm in pieces
Put me back together

These monsters of malice
Keep egging me on
Till all my defenses disappear
I dine in their palace
They follow me home
But I don't want them here

I'm in pieces
Emotionally severed
I'm in pieces
Put me back together

Rescue me
From the incomplete
Come and be
Be my missing peace

I'm locked in the basement
Who holds the key?
Something tells me you do
I'm shards on the pavement
Just shattered debris
I need you to be my glue

("Pieces" from Long Way Home, by Ginny Owens)

but also...

My thoughts and meditations
My loudest declarations
My every inclination
I bring to you
My faith and my religion
My folly and my wisdom
My heart's many dimensions
I bring to you

Everything I have
You have given me
So take this life, I give it back
Make it all that it should be

My search for satisfaction
My doubts and my distractions
My words and my actions
I bring to you
My journey and my story
My failure and my glory
And all the things I've dreamed for me
I bring to you

My yesterday, my future
What's certain and what's unsure
And all that's in between
I bring to you

("I Bring Everything" from Long Way Home, by Ginny Owens)

Rescued, glued back together and then my humble sacrifice...

"And I said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I! Send me."
Isaiah 6:5-8

Preparation

Overwhelmed pretty much covers it.

Raccoons

Two little raccoons enjoy eating the stored-outside cat food. Something needs to be done. They simply aren't afraid of us. And I'm beginning to think the little whippersnappers are actually cute.

Commissioning...

It is a humbling circumstance to stand before a church family who loves and supports you in every way and be commissioned for specific service to the Lord. Pastor Max, our missions pastor, introduced me and gave a brief explanation of the ministry the Lord has led me to in Chuuk. Then Pastor Jones, our pastor emeritus and on the Micronesia ministry committee, led in prayer. The entire pastoral staff and the board of elders laid hands on me while the congregation stood. Pastor Jones told of how it was a "great moment" in the "life of a church" to send out "one of our own" that has grown up in this church, that God would use this church to help form my heart and mind. He prayed for safety of travel and physical health as well as a quick adaptation to the climate and culture. But he also prayed for the students the Lord will give me and that God would use me to change their lives for all eternity.

Pastor Charlie, our senior pastor, included in his preaching today on taming the tongue how teachers will be "judged with greater strictness" (James 3).

Pray for me, please.

Somehow, I thought that God would/could just "magically" change my heart and sanctify me without sacrifice, suffering, or complete surrender. On one hand, I feel like a retard thinking that I'm sacrificing anything at all... I think of Jim Elliot and the ten Boom family and James Frasier... they lived lives of sacrifice. And I want to be like them in order to please the Lord who saved my soul from eternal punishment but I want Him to do everything and me to sit here... and do nothing. And I plead and beg for the easy way out, "Kill me now, Lord! Wouldn't it be easier for both of us?" And then I get mad and frustrated at my selfishness and sin and claim I hate it. But if I really did hate it so much wouldn't I stop sinning? Why can't I just stop? I say I want to stop but that can't be, because you do what you ultimately want to do, right? And I realize all over again that I am in desperate need of a Savior. I'm in desperate need of grace... and grace alone! If His love and grace were dependant on my works... I would die. So then it is based on faith. Do I believe that His grace is sufficient even when I actively participate in sin? How am I to know I'm being sanctified? I am prideful enough to say that I am a "better" person than the years before. But I say that it is all the work of the Holy Spirit so that is truthful boasting, right? But then I compare myself to Christ instead of to what I've been and, as I told my mom the other day, "That makes me depressed!" I am wicked. But is even that wrong thinking because the Holy Spirit is at work within me and the blood of Jesus Christ covers my sin even as He is intercedeing for me? ...And I compare myself to other people. If I just acted like so-and-so my life would be better and I wouldn't sin as much and I would have better relationships and I wouldn't make a fool out of myself as much I do and on and on and on... So it all goes back to grace. God is holy, holy, holy. How can I even pray to Him? How can I even ask to be cleansed? "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no man can boast" (Ephesian 2:8-9). So I must have faith that the blood of Jesus Christ covers all sin and that His promised Holy Spirit is at work and that He will finish that which He started and He will come in the end as King, just as He said. I believe this. And as Dr. Wong so wonderfully reminds me, "Faith is a gift of God... a means of enjoying grace..."

Do you ever think like this?

Whack, Slam, Crash!

Lots on my mind lately: Christmas (concerts, teaching, eve & day), Micronesia (preparation, teaching, lifestyle), communication (new roommate, missionaries, sister, friends), EE (oral and written test, Praise the Lord for David and Darby's salvation!), Grandma (Bible study leader, talk at circle meeting, clean house, weed garden, put up Christmas deco.), Mom (fix computer, wrap presents, fix Christmas tree lights, create prayer card), and the list goes on (pray, clean room, Cynthia, Isaias and Annie, thank you notes, marriage, Sunday school, pick up Kayti, babysit Tagues, etc.)

We all have busy lives, not just me. I understand that. But last night I was hit with reality. It's good to be hit with reality. The Holy Spirit uses it to renew my mind. There's no stronger conviction than reading the Bible; there's no stronger encouragement than reading the Bible.

So I've been reading Hebrews, a great book, of course. And many of us know what chapter eleven is all about, right? ...Right? Maybe not... I suggest reading the whole chapter, err, the whole book for that matter. But here are verses 13 through 16 from chapter 11 (suggestion: read slowly and carefully):
"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city."

Most of you who know me, know that the beginning of Colossians chapter three is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Reality with Jesus Christ.

I am to be living for heaven constantly. That's what life here is all about - living for the unseen. Live for heaven. Constantly. Do everything because you know that you will see your Savior face-to-face. Do everything for Him because you know that you will be where you never deserved to go. Live for that homeland. Even more, live for the King of that homeland.

The Uttermost Parts of the Sea

For my Micronesia ministry I have a new blogspot. I'll be updating here too, hopefully, but communicating about my mission at http://theuttermostparts.blogspot.com

"Yes. No. Never absolutely."

"It was every day implied but never declared." --Marianne Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility

"Might God sometimes take from us our love because we love too much? I don't think so. Surely it is impossible to love 'too much,' for love is from God, who is Love. Usually we love too little and too sentimentally. Our love, God-given though it be, is usually mixed up with possessiveness and selfishness. It needs strengthening and purifying. Human love is often inordinate, which means disorderly, unregulated, unrestrained, not limited to the usual bounds. If we love someone more than we love God, it is worse than inordinate - it is idolatry. When God is first in our hearts, all other loves are in order and find their rightful place. If God is not first, other loves, even those which are in no sense sexual, easily turn into self-gratification and therefore destroy both the lover and the beloved."
--E. Elliot, The Path of Loneliness

better than Starbucks

just finished my fifty cent hot chocolate which i bought from two little girls and their little brother a couple streets down on my way home... their delight was the best part

...more E. Elliot wisdom

"Happy the race of men, if that love were to rule your hearts which rules the heavens!" wrote Boethius from the dungeon where he awaited his death in the fifth century. I wanted to be ruled by that Love, but found myself in danger of being ruled by a lesser.

...

I wanted to know Christ. ...this ambition was going to cost me something. I began slowly to learn that Christ can be known only in the path of obedience. "Every man who knows my commandments and obeys them is the man who really loves me, and every man who really loves me will himself be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and make myself known to him."

Obedience proves love, and love opens the heart to knowledge. Never a day goes by that does not bring fresh opportunities to know Him - if only we will do what He says. It is easy enough to give assent to the principle, once it is pointed out. It is not so easy to recognize our chance to put it into practice, especially when that chance comes in an unpalatable form. This huge unfulfilled desire - a means for knowing Christ? I could not see it that way.

...

"What do you want more than anything else in the world?"

Jim Elliot was the first answer that sprang to mind. But I had not forgotten my ten-year commitment (God help me, I could not change it). Hoping I spoke the truth, I answered, "To know You, Lord."

"Do you want My will, at any cost?"

The truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I couldn't pull any wool over God's eyes. Was it yes to this question?

"Yes, Lord."

...

(In her college days, before Jim, she had written this...)

Perhaps some future day, Lord, Thy strong hand
Will lead me to the place where I must stand
Utterly alone.

Alone, O Gracious Lover, but for Thee;
I shall be satisfied if I can see
Jesus only.

I do not know Thy plan for years to come,
My spirit finds in Thee its perfect home,
Sufficiency.

Lord, all my desire is before Thee now,
Lead on, no matter where, no matter how -
I trust in Thee.

...

C.S. Lewis wrote,

"In awful and surprising truth, we are the objects of His love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the "lord of terrible aspect," is present: not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artist's love for his work and despotic as a man's love for a dog, provident and venerable as a father's love for a child, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes."

...

...for the Lord of Hosts is absolutely sovereign. He holds power over the universe, He hold authority over my life - not because He usurps the rights with which He endowed me in creation, but because I had specifically asked Him to be Lord of my life. I had prayed as earnestly as a child and a teenager and a woman can pray, Thy will be done. The coming of this transcendent authority into one's life is bound to be an active thing, an immense disruption at times.

...

Yet I have come to understand even sufering, through the transforming power of the Cross, as a gift, for in this broken world, in our sorrow, He gives us Himself; in our loneliness He comes to meet us, as in George Matheson's He came as the Love that would never let him.

In His death Jesus Christ gave us life. The willingness of the Son of God to commit Himself into the hands of criminals became the greatest gift ever given - the Bread of the world, in mercy broken, thus the worst thing that ever happened became the best thing that ever happened.

...

(And another journal entry from her college days.)

Lord, I do once more acknowledge, with all my heart, that I am Thine. No claim have I upon this life, past, present, or future. I am all, all Thine own. Thou hast said, "Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine... I will be with thee... I am the Lord thy God... I have loved thee... I am with thee." Therefore, O dear Lord and Master, Redeemer, Lover, Friend, Beloved, do Thou work out Thine entire will in my life henceforth at any cost, in the time that is left to me on this earth. How short that may be I do not know at all, but I trust Thee. "Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart." "He shall preserve thy soul."

(excerpts taken from chapters 5, 6, & 7 of The Path of Loneliness)

E. Elliot wisdom

"We may be earnestly desiring to be obedient and holy. But we may be missing the fact that it is here, where we happen to be at this moment and not in another place or another time, that we may learn to love Him - here where it seems He is not at work, where His will seems obscure or frightening, where He is not doing what we expected Him to do, where He is most absent. Here and nowhere else is the appointed place. If faith does not go to work here, it will not go to work at all."

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

~George Matheson

"Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus..." Hebrews 3:1a "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." Hebrews 5:7-8

Learning to Trust

God's been teaching me to trust Him. Not by Him saying, "See, you should have trusted me," when I don't and then something happens and I realize I should have. Really nothing has happened, well, perhaps a few things. With my desire to trust and, by His grace, knowledge that I will praise Him no matter the circumstance, He is ever so gently and ever so intelligently teachig me to trust Him. I could be a fool and get mad and turn from Him and take things into my own hands, oh how small and clumsy they are to God's sovereign hands! By His grace, I will praise Him still... Yes, I will praise Him still...

God is good. God is gracious. He sacrificed His Son for me while I was yet a sinner. There is no greater thing than to be saved by the grace of God for the glory of God.

"But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." Psalm 73:28

"Pride and Prejudice"

I've read the book three times, seen the black and white movie once, seen the 5&1/2 hour version too many times to count, and have now just come back from seeing this newly released one which all the critics have been raving about. Why does this fictional story interest me so much? Why do I admire Mr. Darcy so much? His riches? Certainly not. His looks? Decent but "not handsome enough to tempt me." Perhaps his confidence, his unceasing love, and his willingness to sacrifice anything for the sake of that love. And compared to Gilbert Blythe? Of course, Elizabeth and Anne are beautiful.

Read http://www.diebeforeyoudie.blogspot.com/ on "Reforming Marriage"...

Thanksgiving

"And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'"

Revelation 7:11-12

Amen and amen and amen! (So let it be and so let it be and so let it be!)

smiles galore

The quote from my previous post was from "You've Got Mail" that I gave to my mom for her birthday. We've watched it five times in two weeks!

My mom bought me a sweater from Banana Republic for Christmas. She said it wasn't her favorite. She said it looked like something out of Little Women.

I get to see Tim and Raquel on Guam! This is just absolutely wondeful. I never would have thought that this would ever happen in the whole wide world but here it is... happening! Woohoo, woohoo, woohoo!

Praise the Lord for laughter, rejoicing, family, and friends!

peaceful excitement

these are the classes i will be teaching at mizpah:

sophomore world geography
junior world geography
senior advanced english
senior speech
New Testament survey

"i... can't... help... myself..."

My Great God - The Great God - The One and Only Creator of the Universe!

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works."
Psalm 73:25-28

this was something else, not the fly

i found something earlier today while i was cleaning my room... i wondered where it came from and why i had kept it around but wasn't using it... now i don't even remember what it was... where did all this junk come from?

moth and dust... err, more like fly and dust

yesterday, cynthia and i were reminiscing... i have a dead fly, in a plastic bag, in a box, which was given to me by cynthia, which she found on her sister's bed, while she was talking on the phone to me... and it all happened years ago... and i never threw it away... why is that?

"God and Me" ...written to a friend

I know He is faithful but I continue to learn to trust. I've been pleading for certain things, certain answers, certain questions to be able to be dissolved, no matter what the answer knowing I will praise Him still. But it is so hard for me to patiently wait for the answer. How I long to be perfectly content by trusting Him! Pray for me!

Notes from Brother Lawrence

"That we ought to give ourselves up to God, with regard both to things temporal and spiritual, and seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of His will, whether He lead us by suffering or by consolation, for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned." ... "That to arrive at such resignation as God requires, we should watch attentively over all the passions which mingle as well in spiritual things as in those of a grosser nature; that God would give light concerning those passions to those who truly desire to serve Him."

The Mercy and Grace of God Almighty

"The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard; 'Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it - the Lord is his name; Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against the siege mounds and against the sword: They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them adundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.'"

Jeremiah 33:1-9

GRRRR...

I hate sin.

Faith and Repentance

Lyrics by Dr. Wong

Faith is gift of God,
A means of enjoying grace.
Faith is receiving Christ,
Trusting in His saving work.
Faith is turning from sin,
To the righteous ways of God.
Faith can please the Father,
It can overcome the world.

...

Lord, give me more faith, more repentance, more knowledge of Your grace, more knowledge of Your Son, more knowledge of the sanctifying work of Your Spirit, more knowledge of Your Word... and, Lord, make me to obey... for the advancement of Your kingdom, the love of Your people, and the praise and glory of You.

...

S. Ferguson on Repentance - Psalm 51

"You have not yet considered the greatness of the weight of sin."

Repent ...so that more people will return to God.

- recognize your failure
- gaze upon the true nature of your heart in all its evil
- you must know the "appalling sinfulness" of your own heart in order to experience the grace of God
- sin is serious and has impact on your life
- ask forgiveness - "blot out my transgressions"
- it is God who we sin against hence whom we must ask forgiveness from
- David's sin was the "utter unfitness" of being in the presence of God
- repentance is rooted in God's amazing grace
- David could not do anything - no sacrifice would suffice - it was according to God's steadfast love - it is God who must have mercy on the sinner
- repentance is the beginning of joy
- rejoice in forgiveness - it's this that transforms your life - SING!
- the whole of the Christian life should be repentance - until the end when we'll be transformed

3 days

Friday breakfast.
Dorm chapel.
Last packing.
Drive home.

Saturday sleep.
Going shopping.
Cleaning room.
Getting ready.

Sunday church.
Talk Uganda.
Eat lunch.
Travel preps.

Much to learn...

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,
'My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is diregarded 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 to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they 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

"...but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

In one month I will be in Uganda. Our first day of youth camp will be coming to a close. I will have been surrounded by little black faces and little black hands touching my arms and hair. I am so excited I can't even say anything. I pray to the great God of the universe, the Lord Almighty, that I will proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to every person I come into contact with in Uganda.

I also need to turn in my internship application for World Impact.

L-O-V-E

"The loving nature of God is the basis for his creative and redeeming activity. He created man because he is love and desired a being designed on his own pattern so that he could love that creature and be freely loved in return. When man rejected this loving approach of God, breaking that relationhsip, God continued loving because God is love by nature. And so we have the story of redemption. Love became incarnate. Thus all of life finds meaning in being loved by God and loving him." -Robertson McQuilkin

Mambo Sawa Sawa!

Mambo Sawa Sawa is the traditional greeting for Uganda, Africa. It means "my day is better because I see you." Isn't that cool?!

In less than six weeks I will be a college graduate and living in Uganda!

May Christ alone be praised!

Jesus says, "I'm coming. Are you ready?"

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:29-31

One Solitary Life

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty.

Then for three years he became an itinerant preacher. This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him.

He had no credentials but Himself.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth - the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

But three days later this Man arose from the dead - living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race. On our calendars His birth divides history into two eras. One day of every week is set aside in remembrance of Him. And our two most important holidays celebrate His birth and resurrection. On church steeples around the world His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death.

This one Man's life has furnished the theme for more songs, books, poems, and paintings than any other person or event in history. Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honor of this One who gave His life for us.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this...

One Solitary Life.

Life's Happenings...

Graduation - May 14th
Uganda - May 15th-June 22nd (approx.)
World Impact - fall '05-fall '06

"In his heart a man plans his course,
but the Lord determines his steps."
Proverbs 16:9

by John Greenleaf Whittier

"I know not what the future hath of marvel and surprise,
Assured alone that life and death God's mercy underlines.
And if my heart and flesh are weak to bear the untried pain,
The bruised reed God will not break, but strengthen and sustain.
No offering of my own I have, not works my faith to prove;
I can but give the gifts He gave, and please His love for love.
And so beside the silent sea I wait the muffled oar;
Nor harm from God can come to me on ocean or on shore.
I know not where His island life their fronded palsm in air,
I only know I cannot drift beyond His love and care."

AFRICA

Lord willing, I'm going to Uganda this summer!
www.sosministries.com

turning 21

All I can say is Praise the Lord!
Why?
Because some how, by His wonderful amazing grace and goodness towards me, He has put tons of people in my life that love me. And beyond that, people in my life that see Jesus Christ through me! It is all Him and I rejoice in the knowledge of His justifying me and sanctifying me.
May all praise be His as my Creator, Redeemer, and Friend!

Being a Child of God - ADOPTION

1. Adoption is the basis of our salvation - John 1:1-13, Ephesians 1:3-5, and Colossians 1.
2. Adoption is the basis for our relationship with Christ - John 3:16, Galatians 4:7, and Colossians 3.
3. Adoption is the basis for our relationship with God - Hebrews 5:5-10.
4. Adoption is the basis for ou relationship with the Spirit - John 3:5-6, Galatians 4:6, and Romans 8:15-16.
5. Adoption is the basis for Christian conduct - Matthew 5:6 and 6:9.
6. Adoption is the basis for Christian prayers - Romans 8 and Hebrews 4.
7. Adoption is the basis for Christian hope - Revelation 2.

...Because of this we should be at rest and at peace.
We should be characterized by security and hope.

Ephesians 2:1-10

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carryig out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

James 1:1-18 - Persevering

"It is a glorious thing to remain standing." After all the trials and tribulations of the world and the devil and to still praise Jesus Christ!

• it is ultimately God's perseverance with me and for me, ultimately for the glory and praise of Jesus Christ
• "Where does my help come from?" (Psalm 121) "My help comes from the Lord." - the Creator and Sovereign God
• God works perseverance in me (Phil. 2)
• It is Christ who keeps His sheep.
• perseverance and endurance produce characer therefore trialsmust come in order for us to be made into Christlikeness
• you must stand taking the pressure - perseverance is the divine ability to stand
• e.g., Daniel 1-3, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
• you must believe in God's purposes and sovereignty and that you will receive "the crown of life"
• then wisdom transforms that knowledge - and all you must do is ask for wisdom with faith and you will learn of the amazing generosity of God
• you must know and allow Christ to have full Lordship of every part of your life
• humble yourself (1 Peter 5:6-7)
• don't ignore the blessings
• we must persevere in temptation: first it's attraction (twisted adoration for the false, untrue, wayward - very often in seeing something), then deception, then conception
• we must "[Hide] your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" - resist at the beginning - do not be deceived
• and know above all else that God is unchangeably good
• God is good all the time. All the time God is good. How do I know? Because He did not even spare His only Son, Jesus Christ.
• God has now supernaturally given us rebirth and something to hope in - persevere!
• we will receive the crown of life, our character will be built, we will be like Christ

Persevere and in the end we will be perfect in Christ and everything will be worth it.

And we will thank God for all of eternity!

"Beautiful Scandalous Night"

Words by S. Hindalong, Music by D. Daugherty

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

Follow Christ to the holy mountain
Sinner, sorry and wrecked by the fall
Cleanse your heart and your soul
In the fountain that flows
For you and for me and for all

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

On the hillside you will be delivered
At the foot of the cross justified
And your spirit restored
By the river that pours
From our blessed Savior’s side

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree…

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by his blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night…

Miraculous night

Calling and Kingdom Impact

What is the purpose of learning/of Christian education?

• the building and establishing of the kingdom
• in oder to demonstrate the character of God in a fallen world

- we must have a concern for meeting the needs of the people of the world - we must be selfless - your jobs should not be for self-interest

--exercise a holy service to God and to one's neighbor--

Psalm 51 - Repentance

"You have not yet considered the greatness of the weight of sin."

Repent ...so that more people will return to God.

- recognize your failure
- gaze upon the true nature of your heart in all its evil
- sin is disregarding the glory of God
- you must know the "appalling sinfulness" of your own heart in order to experience the grace of God
- sin is serious and has impact on your life
- ask forgiveness - "blot out my transgressions"
- it is God who we sin against hence who we must ask forgiveness from
- David's sin was the "utter unfitness" ofbeing the presence of God
- repentance is rooted in God's amazing grace
- David could not do anything - no sacrifice would suffice - it was according to God's steadfast love - it is God who must have mercy on the sinner
- rejoice in forgiveness - it's this that transforms your life - SING!
- the whole of the Christian life should be repentance - until the end when we'll be transformed

Glorifying God

Glorifying God is the primary purpose of everything.
I represent His glory now here on earth - God dwelling in me (Phil. 2).

What does it mean to glorify God with my life?
Confessing Jesus as Lord.
- embracing, honoring, accepting His truth
- to reject Christ is to refuse to glorify God - the preaching of Christ is for the glory of God (Rom. 1:5 & 3 John 7)
Aiming your life @ that purpose (to glorify God).
- this should be why you live
1. prefer Him and His Kingdom above all else
2. be content to do His will no matter what the cost
3. you suffer when He suffers - when God's Word and God's Truth is dishonored
4. you're content to be outdone - be bold to preach Christ

2 Corinthians 4:7-15
You must give up your life for the people, the grace, and the glory of God.

Glorifying God

go here

http://www.diebeforeyoudie.blogspot.com/

quotes from the journals & letters of David Livingstone (i presume)

"Let us seek - and with the conviction that we cannot do without it - that all selfishness be extirpated, pride banished, unbelief driven from the mind, every idol dethroned, and everything hostile to holiness and opposued to the divine will crucified; that 'holiness to the Lord' may be engraven on the heart, and ever-more characterize our whole existence."

"...Oh Jesus, fill me with Your love now, and I beseech You accep me, and use me a little for Your glory. I have done nothing for You yet, and I would like to do something..."

by "Brother Roberts"

"The deadness which periodically afflicts the believer is never total but always partial. It is, however, a serious disease of the soul and weakens him in every way. He prays still; but his prayers are languid and formal. He goes through the motions of all spiritual duty; but he is uneasily aware that all is not well with himself. He feels like a man in a dream or in a daze. A film of worldliness has somehow coated over every faculty of his heart and mind. He tries to shake off his lethargy but finds it alamingly difficult to do so. He no longer lives consciously upon the life that is in Christ but goes through the routine of service to God more because he ought to do it than because he wants to.

One lesson we may learn from it is that our souls, being clogged with corruption, are constantly deceiving us into a state of formalism and hypocrisy. One day we seek Christ with all our hearts and find him. But then we imperceptibly decline in earnestness. We cease to pant after God. We do not pursue him till we find him and get his felt presence. Next we grow accustomed to living at a distance from him. When months, perhaps, have gone by we become guiltily conscious that something has gone wrong with our relationship with God. The sun of righteousness does not shine upon our hearts. A damp mist or fog has covered the landscape of the soul and God is enjoyed only in theory but not as a present reality. All this is a sure sign that we have unwittingly drifted into formalism. We have lost our ardour and are following afar off.

A time of spiritual death is not a thing to be taken lightly by us as Christians. When the soul sleeps the owls of the night fly abroad. Temptations flit across the believer's life with sevenfold mischief. It is the harvest time of the devil when we follow Christ from afar. Now Satan sees the hour he has long waited for in which we sleep on the lap of carelessness. He will strike when the iron is hot. He will, if he can, approach us at that hour with the shears to cut off our locks of consecration and render us a blow which we may never recover from all our life.

When we feel deadness of heart, we are to look for the remedy only by repentance. Repentance ought to be a believer's daily and hourly companion. Brokenness of heart and tenderness of spirit should be the hallmark of our whole character. Every emotion we have needs to be sweetened and purged with this spirit of penitence. But, though this is true as a general rule of life, there is a place for special repentance in our experience when we find ourselves spiritually dead. It is in repentance that our deliverance lies.

We make no spiritual progress apart from repentance. When we come to our Bibles and to good books, or else to prayer and preaching it will be found true that we get good and feel God's blessing in proportion as we handle these means of grace with tenderness of heart and with self-abasement. It is not the having of spiritual privileges which yields the advantage or confers the blessing upon us. It is the having of a humble heart and an exercised spirit as we handle the things of God."