Everything went wrong. Nothing really shine. We didn't really see ourselves useful.
Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you."
That burden feeling wasn't always true, for it could be another way around. We have to be cautious when we inspect our connection. For our connection is the only reason we shine. We may shine because we properly connected to the source and the source to us.
Our light blub may not function because it was broken or because it wasn't connected properly. We often assumed that the light blub was broken. We assumed that someone lacked the potential. We assumed that the person didn't try hard enough. In Acts 15, Paul thought that it's better not to bring John Mark with them because he "had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work", but Barnabas disagreed. So they both had to go his ways. Paul took Silas and Barnabas took John Mark. As the result, they shined. John Mark may not be the right connection for Paul, but he was the right connection for Barnabas. And Silas may be the right connection for Paul. So they shone!
Barnabas is a wise and patient guy. He took the broken Saul and discipled him into Paul. When Paul thought that John Mark is useless, Barnabas also took him away from Paul and discipled him. It wasn't that Paul was broken or that John Mark was broken, but that they weren't in the right connection.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Straight A's or F's
Straight Achievers may feel like a straight Failure whenever a day began with a zero and ends with a zero. We all needed to accomplish something tangible. Strength Finder 2.0 says, "No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied." And it warned us that, "As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out."
The book of Psalm (27:14) says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."
Achievers may whine, "Do I have to wait? Do I have to end my day with a zero? Do I have to literally fail?"
The Lord spoke with a BUT, casting out our questioning. He spoke to us in Isaiah 40:31, "BUT those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
It does have it's benefit- supernatural stamina increases.
The book of Psalm (27:14) says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."
Achievers may whine, "Do I have to wait? Do I have to end my day with a zero? Do I have to literally fail?"
The Lord spoke with a BUT, casting out our questioning. He spoke to us in Isaiah 40:31, "BUT those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
It does have it's benefit- supernatural stamina increases.
Monday, October 17, 2011
10,000 Buried Attempts
Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."
He tried many different ways to get a light blub to work. Some of them would light for few seconds and then they went dead. Some of them didn't work at all. It was until the very one light blub worked that he began to get it to public. He wouldn't sell the failed ones. He kept it a secret and waited. He documented every case. He continued.
I don't know what God has put into your heart. But I know that God had created Thomas Edison for this purpose. He was created to invent the light. He knew that there had to be a way. It probably took him few years of burying his attempts. He didn't know how to get to his goal, but he knew that he got to do it.
Jesus leaned down with millions of buried sins, yet he had to finish the crucification.
He tried many different ways to get a light blub to work. Some of them would light for few seconds and then they went dead. Some of them didn't work at all. It was until the very one light blub worked that he began to get it to public. He wouldn't sell the failed ones. He kept it a secret and waited. He documented every case. He continued.
I don't know what God has put into your heart. But I know that God had created Thomas Edison for this purpose. He was created to invent the light. He knew that there had to be a way. It probably took him few years of burying his attempts. He didn't know how to get to his goal, but he knew that he got to do it.
Jesus leaned down with millions of buried sins, yet he had to finish the crucification.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Untouched Doorknob
This distrubing thought may come to us like this:
There were few doorknobs within the room that lead to somewhere. We were in a meeting with few people. With our sisters and brothers. We felt disturbed by the difference. We feel that we were not agreeable. We couldn't stay in the room with them. They had it their own way and we had it our own way. There is no solution to this meeting. It's all pointless. We thought that we got to forget them and get on to somewhere else. As we approached the doorknob to open the door, the conscience came to us, "If you open this door, then you will never reach to your destination. For you are where I want you to be. Stay." We fought against it for the situation seemed impossible. We paced and circled the room with anguish, our mind were still on the doorknob. We paced. We circled. God patiently waited.
We finally get this- that we had only two choices:
(1) We may continue to pace and circle with the determination not to touch any doorknobs, yet our mind were on them. We didn't act in disobedience, but we dwell upon them. "In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God (Ps 10:4)."
(2) We could let go of them to live in obedience- to dwell upon the Living Word. "How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them (Ps 139:7)!"
Let us pray 1 Chronicles 29:18 prayer, "Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of Your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to You."
There were few doorknobs within the room that lead to somewhere. We were in a meeting with few people. With our sisters and brothers. We felt disturbed by the difference. We feel that we were not agreeable. We couldn't stay in the room with them. They had it their own way and we had it our own way. There is no solution to this meeting. It's all pointless. We thought that we got to forget them and get on to somewhere else. As we approached the doorknob to open the door, the conscience came to us, "If you open this door, then you will never reach to your destination. For you are where I want you to be. Stay." We fought against it for the situation seemed impossible. We paced and circled the room with anguish, our mind were still on the doorknob. We paced. We circled. God patiently waited.
We finally get this- that we had only two choices:
(1) We may continue to pace and circle with the determination not to touch any doorknobs, yet our mind were on them. We didn't act in disobedience, but we dwell upon them. "In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God (Ps 10:4)."
(2) We could let go of them to live in obedience- to dwell upon the Living Word. "How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them (Ps 139:7)!"
Let us pray 1 Chronicles 29:18 prayer, "Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of Your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to You."
Friday, October 14, 2011
Live Poorer, Richer Perspective
Do you ever intentionally reduced your grocercy halfway down? Try Live 58. Do you ever walked shoeless toward the church and stood on the stage to lead the songs shoeless? Try Toms. Or do you ever trimmed down your lifestyle? Try Junky Car Club.
It's been a week since I started a $100 month committment of grocercy, which is a halfway down of my usual grocercy. It's set for October 7th to November 7th. It's a 31 days committment. So far I've spent $27.91 on grocercy. Keep it in mind that I have to spend only $25 weekly. This week I discovered some ways to use up all of my foods. I even used up my Forbidden Rice, which is expired two years ago, to make a delicious black rice pudding and a delicious sweet potato rice pudding with raw chocolate nibs. I felt spoiled when I enjoy eating my food more than ever. I'm richer with food creativity.
Last Wednesday night National Community Church hosted the special all churches prayer and worship night at Barracks Row. As I neared my flip flops broke apart. I fixed it. It broke apart again. I grabbed them and walked barefoot for few more blocks. I led ASL worshipping shoeless. Then I even cautiously walked thirty minutes toward home feeling the texture of the sidewalk and the road. One Day Without Shoes was totally interesting! Especially when I learned that the sidewalk of Stanton Park is the roughest and ouchy. Don't walk your dogs shoeless there! And don't call your dog the "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who had to play a minor league game in his stockings due to blisters from the new pair of spikes, for we don't want to invent dog shoes. I'm richer with sidewalk textures.
It's all about getting richer with perspective.
It's been a week since I started a $100 month committment of grocercy, which is a halfway down of my usual grocercy. It's set for October 7th to November 7th. It's a 31 days committment. So far I've spent $27.91 on grocercy. Keep it in mind that I have to spend only $25 weekly. This week I discovered some ways to use up all of my foods. I even used up my Forbidden Rice, which is expired two years ago, to make a delicious black rice pudding and a delicious sweet potato rice pudding with raw chocolate nibs. I felt spoiled when I enjoy eating my food more than ever. I'm richer with food creativity.
Last Wednesday night National Community Church hosted the special all churches prayer and worship night at Barracks Row. As I neared my flip flops broke apart. I fixed it. It broke apart again. I grabbed them and walked barefoot for few more blocks. I led ASL worshipping shoeless. Then I even cautiously walked thirty minutes toward home feeling the texture of the sidewalk and the road. One Day Without Shoes was totally interesting! Especially when I learned that the sidewalk of Stanton Park is the roughest and ouchy. Don't walk your dogs shoeless there! And don't call your dog the "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who had to play a minor league game in his stockings due to blisters from the new pair of spikes, for we don't want to invent dog shoes. I'm richer with sidewalk textures.
It's all about getting richer with perspective.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Holy Suicidal
Jesus told his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow." He told us the same thing today.
Like the disciples, we eagerly joined the beginning of the journey. We lived radically for the Christ. We compared ourselves with the disciples. We thought that we understood what it means to take up the cross and follow him and we thought that we had reached the destination. We were ready!
Along in the way, we stopped in triumph. We thought that we have taken up the cross. But God reminded us, "a thousand years in your sight are like a day that had just gone by." God told us, "My timing is more accurate than your timing. My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." In His sight, we didn't reach our destination yet. There's much more to come. Yet we didn't understand. He asked us to pray for one more hour. Yet we slumbered.
When the time had come for the cruxification, our wee image of God shouted, "That's holy suicidal!" We ran and hid. We didn't understand that the triumph isn't here but near. We didn't understand that Jesus had to die. We didn't understand that at the Garden of Gethesemane we had to die to ourselves in order to enter the Garden of Eden bountifully naked.
As we came naked from our mother's womb, we shall return naked.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Deaf/ASL Ministry Website
I'm doing a bit of researching of Deaf ministry websites this morning. I decided to link few websites and link my thoughts here.
The Rock Church & World Outreach Center - San Bernardino, CA
I love this church! I attended this church with my family for 7 years, the longest ever! When we first attended this church, the usher was willingly to write us many pages of the sermon! My mom passed it to dad, then to my brother, and then to me. Pastor Cobrae later announced about the need of ASL interpreter, about whether anybody in the church knows some signing language. One hand raised. That was Jay. She only knew the basics. So my mom taught her as she interpreted. She picked it up through action! But it took few years before the Deaf ministry began to expand slowly with few committed Deaf members and few interpreters. And now the Deaf ministry continues. Reality.
Willow Creek Community Church - Chicago, IL
My current church, National Community Church (NCC), is strategically aligned with Willow Creek Assocation, which is part of this church. This associate had been providing a small group training for NCC members. I once tried to meet up with Deaf ministry leaders there on way to Wheaton, IL for IgniteASL project, but we were tight with our schedule. The connection cafe is where they will support the Deaf by providing interpreters by their request. Resourceful.
Creekside Ministries - Fishers, IN
I find it odd that this church isn't called a church nor a ministry, but ministries. It's a plural. If you look closer, you will learn that this church is a blend of 200 Deaf and hearing people, bridging the gap between two different people group, which resulted in a ministry where the people are willing to step out of comfort zones! This ministry is an unique ministry in nation wide. This ministry had been in my head for few years now. I will need to pay a visit! The weekend of Thanksgiving? Reconciliation.
It takes complexion to develop an integrated ministries. But it is possible with the Christ, Paul believed in this and he wrote, "neither jews nor gentiles, neither males nor females, neither slave nor free, but we are one through the Christ."
With our prayers and our actions, we could have an integrated ministries in DC of 200 Deafies and Hearies! Maybe with few churches involved. Reality. Resouceful. Reconciliation.
The Rock Church & World Outreach Center - San Bernardino, CA
I love this church! I attended this church with my family for 7 years, the longest ever! When we first attended this church, the usher was willingly to write us many pages of the sermon! My mom passed it to dad, then to my brother, and then to me. Pastor Cobrae later announced about the need of ASL interpreter, about whether anybody in the church knows some signing language. One hand raised. That was Jay. She only knew the basics. So my mom taught her as she interpreted. She picked it up through action! But it took few years before the Deaf ministry began to expand slowly with few committed Deaf members and few interpreters. And now the Deaf ministry continues. Reality.
Willow Creek Community Church - Chicago, IL
My current church, National Community Church (NCC), is strategically aligned with Willow Creek Assocation, which is part of this church. This associate had been providing a small group training for NCC members. I once tried to meet up with Deaf ministry leaders there on way to Wheaton, IL for IgniteASL project, but we were tight with our schedule. The connection cafe is where they will support the Deaf by providing interpreters by their request. Resourceful.
Creekside Ministries - Fishers, IN
I find it odd that this church isn't called a church nor a ministry, but ministries. It's a plural. If you look closer, you will learn that this church is a blend of 200 Deaf and hearing people, bridging the gap between two different people group, which resulted in a ministry where the people are willing to step out of comfort zones! This ministry is an unique ministry in nation wide. This ministry had been in my head for few years now. I will need to pay a visit! The weekend of Thanksgiving? Reconciliation.
It takes complexion to develop an integrated ministries. But it is possible with the Christ, Paul believed in this and he wrote, "neither jews nor gentiles, neither males nor females, neither slave nor free, but we are one through the Christ."
With our prayers and our actions, we could have an integrated ministries in DC of 200 Deafies and Hearies! Maybe with few churches involved. Reality. Resouceful. Reconciliation.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Self-Shepherding (Part 2)
Continued from Self-Shepherding.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned- every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the inquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:6
I once shepherd an one digit flock with my older brother in Big Island. We were 9 and 11 years old, holding a pointed 7-foot stick, who lived in the farm among the donkey, cows, chickens, and sheep for only six months. We were free to wander around and pick some nuts, avocado, blackberries, and some other fruits from the trees. Our mother, who grew up in farm, volunteered to skin the sheep that were shot for the dinner. So we watered the bleeding areas as we watched her skinning the sheep that was hooked up. An unforgettable experience!
That sheep should have been us, but Jesus Christ took the inquity of us all upon himself. He died for us so that we may have Christ in us that shall never sleep. To have Christ in us is to be the Anointed. Naturally we all shall experience the storms in our lives, but with Christ those storms will cease. It's just like how Jesus Christ went through the storm asleep on the boat. Jesus was sleeping, but Christ was aware of the situation. Thus, Jesus Christ woke up calmly and commanded the storm to cease.
Will Christ in me wake me up during the storm?
I certainly had several sleepless nights that had changed my life direction. I would toss and turn with a heaviness. I didn't understand yet I knew before waking that I was in the invisible storm. I just knew that I had to get up and do a prayerwalk around the house or grab some clothes and go out. I didn't know why I had to take a prayerwalk, but Christ in me knew. I often found the answer I was looking for through the prayerful night, which had ceased the invisible storm before I went back to sleep.
It doesn't end here. Those nights often led to those daytime decisions. Jesus continued his ministry. I immediately followed through my decisions. Like those sheep, we have gotten lost. But with Christ, we self-shepherd ourselves back to the flock.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned- every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the inquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:6
I once shepherd an one digit flock with my older brother in Big Island. We were 9 and 11 years old, holding a pointed 7-foot stick, who lived in the farm among the donkey, cows, chickens, and sheep for only six months. We were free to wander around and pick some nuts, avocado, blackberries, and some other fruits from the trees. Our mother, who grew up in farm, volunteered to skin the sheep that were shot for the dinner. So we watered the bleeding areas as we watched her skinning the sheep that was hooked up. An unforgettable experience!
That sheep should have been us, but Jesus Christ took the inquity of us all upon himself. He died for us so that we may have Christ in us that shall never sleep. To have Christ in us is to be the Anointed. Naturally we all shall experience the storms in our lives, but with Christ those storms will cease. It's just like how Jesus Christ went through the storm asleep on the boat. Jesus was sleeping, but Christ was aware of the situation. Thus, Jesus Christ woke up calmly and commanded the storm to cease.
Will Christ in me wake me up during the storm?
I certainly had several sleepless nights that had changed my life direction. I would toss and turn with a heaviness. I didn't understand yet I knew before waking that I was in the invisible storm. I just knew that I had to get up and do a prayerwalk around the house or grab some clothes and go out. I didn't know why I had to take a prayerwalk, but Christ in me knew. I often found the answer I was looking for through the prayerful night, which had ceased the invisible storm before I went back to sleep.
It doesn't end here. Those nights often led to those daytime decisions. Jesus continued his ministry. I immediately followed through my decisions. Like those sheep, we have gotten lost. But with Christ, we self-shepherd ourselves back to the flock.
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