Christmas Present

I've had an awesome Christmas Break so far. It's everything I've expected: waking up in the afternoon, eating lunch, knitting, playing piano and guitar, reading a book, watching movies with my family, reading more, then falling to sleep at one in the morning, only to wake up the next day at one in the afternoon and continue the beautiful schedule.

Today I finished "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis. I read it to get used to his style of writing because I endeavour to read "Mere Christianity" which I got as a Christmas present from my parents. After finishing the former, I thought myself prepared to read the latter, but to my surprise (which is silly for I shouldn't be surprised), Lewis' writing style is much more developed and quick in his "adult" literature than in his "children's". Therefore, in an attempt to understand his book, I will blog about it. Here goes nothing :)

Be prepared for over analysis and questions that you are welcomed to answer.

I even found myself rereading paragraphs in his preface, so I will start there.

In his preface to Mere Christianity, Lewis explains that the book will not be about different denominations, but focused on what the Christian belief is. He notes that he believes the word Christian means someone "who accepts the common doctrines of Christianity." I suppose the book will continue on to explain more about what he thinks the common doctrines of Christianity are. He then goes on to explain that people extort the word Christian into a descriptive word of which it is not, making it a useless word (he took a long time trying to explain this, but I was left reading the paragraphs over again and still am trying to understand this)

"It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ...We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge. It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense." I suppose I could question this statement, but I would probably be upturned by those who actually know what they are talking about.

Another statement I found rather questionable (in a sense) was "When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian." This brings up questions like: "Why would that man accept a doctrine he would rather not live by?" or "if we all fall short, then what would make a Christian a 'good Christian'?" ...etc...etc.

His last couple paragraphs of the preface explain that Christianity is like a hallway with many doors. Each door represents a different denomination, and the hallway represents the common doctrine of Christianity. You as a Christian are to find which door is the truth, not which door suits you best or is the prettiest.

Book One is entitled "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe": Chapter One entitled "The Law of Human Nature." Lewis does a good job of explaining that like the Law of Gravity, there is also a Law of Right and Wrong. People try to disprove this by saying that there is no set Law because different people have different morals and so forth. I think what Lewis is trying to get at is that though people have different opinions on morals, there are still morals.
Next Lewis explains that every human breaks the Law. This is closely followed by the human making excuses for his or herself.

I've read on more and could probably explain more, but I've decided to limit my blogging to questions that I'm faced with in the book, or else I'll probably end up spending the night at the computer desk.

Anyways...I like it so far and hope to gain something from it.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

(google pic of CS Lewis)

Bathroom

I happen to go to a school whose tax money is used towards "smart boards" rather than kleenex. I've had to go to the bathroom to grab toilet paper for my nose about four times today, because some of the teachers don't supply it either. (Plus I don't want to share my yuckyness with the rest of the class.)

Anyways, I had to make a trip to the bathroom for toilet paper once more towards the end of the day. I had to go to a bathroom at the other side of the school because the one near my class was being used. Whilst I was blowing my nose, my friend came out of the bathroom stall. She told me she had a prayer request that she couldn't tell me earlier. She gave me a pack of kleenex too and told me God had supplied two needs in that bathroom.

It's interesting sometimes how God supplies for our needs in ways we wouldn't come up with for ourselves. Just think of Joseph in the Bible. He was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was thrown into jail by a master who cared about him. He was forgotten about by the Pharoah's cupbearer. But God had plans, and Joseph became Pharoah's right hand man and was able to help Egypt through a famine.

So yeah, today was pretty legit. :)

(google pic)

To-Do Lists

"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."
-Colossians 3:2

I was just thinking about how excited I am to go to heaven. I don't necessarily want to die, but wouldn't it be great never to be sick again or to walk the streets of gold and see Jesus?! I start to think about being in a huge assembly where gads and gads of spirits are praising God's name in their own language. It intrigues my mind.
The Bible says that we are supposed to keep our mind set on the race before us.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1-2

This verse pictures the life of a Christian as running a race with their eyes fixed on Jesus.
I really like lists and checking things off of lists. Each day, I make a to do list in my school planner. What's hard for me is not making God a part of my to-do list, but making Him the goal of all my to-do lists; basing my life on the goal of Jesus Christ.

(picture is yet again from google)

Do It For God

Tonight was a little frustrating. Wednesday is the night my youth group comes together to fellowship with eachother, learn about God, and worship God through song. I am on the worship team which is a blast! I enjoy using my God given talent to worship Him and help others worship him too! Tonight it was a little hard to concentrate though.
My church is pretty big when it comes to youth events. We have a gym, a relatively large sanctuary, a bunch of different little classrooms, some offices, and two floors which both open up to a stair well. On Wednesday nights, the youth group usually takes up the lower floor. Nothing is usually on the top floor for relatively good reasons which were overlooked tonight (aka...it's echo-y up top and you can totally hear everything that is happening upstairs when you are downstairs).
Tonight was the first acoustic night ever since the worship band got Joey (our new drummer, of which I am super duper excited about having!!) We were rather excited about having a djembe play for the first time with two acoustic guitars and a bass (because it sounds relaxing). Plus we were going to play Christmas music.
Upstairs, there just happened to be a banquet in process. Actually the banquet was over, the kids were playing charades. So all throughout "O Holy Night", we heard random words and cheerings yelled out. It was somewhat humorous, but mostly distracting. There is a time to be funny and a time to be serious (kind of like Ecclesiastes says...but anyways). I had to take a deep breath afterwords because I was not very happy about the people upstairs who obviously didn't notice the people downstairs or the noise that seemed to grow louder and louder from their exciting charades. (Ironic, isn't it? Noisy charades?)
Now that I look back at it. I was being super selfish. I was thinking only about myself and my youthgroup whose worship was being interrupted. What I could have done, was play with hope. Hope that our worship would be heard upstairs and that some of those people upstairs would be lead to think about God in such a noisy, commercial, "holiday" time as Christmas in America. Maybe they could possibly be thinking about God in a world filled with lies about how this "Holiday Season" is filled with Santa Claus and Salvation Army bell ringers and Christmas trees and presents and finals in school and "Holiday" break and on and on. Now that I think about, I really do hope that God made an impact on one of those persons' lives through our youth group's worship. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Perhaps, next time, instead of complaining and being selfish about worship team, I could play as if I were playing for God.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves"

-Philippians 2:3

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

-Colossians 3:17

(the pic is from google)

Gossip Girl

"Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things." -1st Timothy 3:11

Gossip. Talking idly about others personal affairs. It's a sin. It's a problem. If you go to a high school, watch television, listen to the radio, or just go to any place with people in general, you are most likely to hear gossip. These sensational, personal (most likely exaggerated) "facts" that you hear are hurtful. Though they may start out as a secret, the person who has the "facts" against them is most likely to find out. Above all, it is a sin, therefore you shouldn't do it.

I struggle with gossip. I need to ask forgiveness for it. At times like these when I mess up, I feel so blessed to have an Advocate named Jesus Christ who washes away my sin. Though I can't take back the angry words I have said, I can learn from them. I just pray that I will never fall into that sin ever again!

"Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." -Psalm 51:1-2

(i got the picture from google)

Encouragement

"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." -Psalm 56:3

God is all powerful. Whatever struggle you go through, decision you have to make, mission trip you are called to go on, person you have to forgive, broken heart you have to tend to, joyful moment you get to be a part of, unplanned circumstance you have to walk through, whatever situation you are in, He will always be there. He has always been. He's everlasting and so incredibly powerful that we cannot fully comprehend it. He has a plan for us. We should not fear.

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'" -Jeremiah 29:11

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." -Deuteronomy 31:8

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
Your perfect love is casting out.

Even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life,
I won't turn back. I know You are near.

And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me,
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?

Oh! No, You never let go! Through the calm and through the storm,
Oh! No, You never let go! Through every high and and every low,
Oh! No, You never let go! Lord, You never let go of me."
-Matt Redman

From the Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
Should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Neverending, Your glory goes beyond all days

Your will above all else
Still my purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Neverending, Your glory goes beyond all days

In my heart and my soul
Lord, I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord, let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Neverending, Your glory goes beyond all days
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord, my soul cries out

~Hillsong

The Magnificat

During Christmas time, Christians like to stop and remember Jesus' birth and how it impacted our world. So many beautiful characters surrounded His birth like the angels, the Magi, the shepherds, and Jesus' mother: Mary.
Mary was a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph at the time God sent Gabriel to tell her that she would be the mother of Jesus. In the Jewish religion, it was very looked down upon to not be married and to be pregnant at the same time. This is the sacrifice Mary, a virgin who found favor in the sight of God, had to make. And she did in the form of a "bondslave". She praised God when she knew she would be looked down upon!

"And Mary said: 'My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.'" -Luke 1:46-55

How hard it would be to be shunned from your friends, neighbors, your religious leaders, and your fiance to obey God! But God told Mary to be the mother of the One who would save the world, and she obeyed.
We can learn a lot from Mary about being humble, obedient, and trusting of God. She gave up her dignity to be obedient and that truly makes her beautiful.

"And Mary said, 'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.'" -Luke 1:38a

Patience

God is amazing.

Lately, He has been teaching me so much about patience, and it is wonderful. In my Bible study, He has been revealing words from scripture about patience and how He is patient and how we as Christians are supposed to be patient.

God reveals His patience through the fact that we, as humans, are alive. Don't you think if God were not a patient God, He would have totally destroyed the world a long time ago? He loves us so much that He not only wants us to have a relationship with Him, but He waits for us to have a relationship with Him.

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

Remember what I had said in an earlier post about how the Isralites turned their backs on God over and over and over again, and yet He still forgave them?

"They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; so they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; and You did not forsake them." -Nehemiah 9:22

God is just so remarkably patient! For thousands of years, humans have always sinned against Him, and yet we are still here, and He still forgives us and allows us to have a relationship with Him!

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness." -Psalm 103:8

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.." -Ephesians 5:1

It is beyond me to be patient like God, but as a Christian I am called to follow in His footsteps and be like Him, as a child would imitate someone they admire.

"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving eachother, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." - Colossians 3:12-13

Being patient is definitely not easy to do, but with God's strength You can definitely do it. Pray for His comfort and His protection. He will not hold back something that He wants to give!

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" - Matthew 7:7-11

I have had my fair share of trials with patience, and it is a daily struggle. Sometimes I fail completely (just ask the people I wasn't patient with!), but with His help I know I can be as patient as He desires me to be.

"For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy." -Psalm 63:7

(i posted a picture of a fisherman because i've heard that you have to have a lot of patience to have such a hobby)

Revelation Song

Last night I had one of those spiritual revelations where you touch upon the meaning of life.

Lately I have been so focused on school work, GPAs, class rankings, ACTs, finding scholarships so I can afford college next year, music, what people think of me as a person, among many other things that I had almost totally forgotten what really matters. Well, actually, I hadn't forgotten. He was there by my side all along, but I just chose to make other things my priority.

"..for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord." -1st Thessalonians 3:8

It's funny and sort of sad, now that I think about it. I am just like the Israelites in the book of Judges. Every single time they would turn their backs on God for the same reasons, and God would always send a just form of punishment their way. The Israelites would relent and fall on their faces before God again, and He would forgive them and let them prosper again. But, being human, they would turn their backs on God because they thought that their way was more promising. How many times can I attest to this happening in my life? Yeah....a lot.

The writer of Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about the meaning of life. He found that money, wisdom, pleasure, labor, even life cannot suffice for fearing God and keeping His commandments.

I will always be a sinful being while I am in life on this earth. Yes, "the old things have passed away", but I am still bearing this sinful body while I am here on earth.

The thing that makes me hopeful is this: I have freedom and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. He died on the cross and bore my sin upon Himself as a perfect living sacrifice so that I can have a growing relationship with God and a life with Him in eternity. How awesome is that?!

Does this mean that I should sin as much as I want? No way! Though works aren't what brought me salvation (deliverance from an eternity seperated from God), they go hand in hand with faith.

"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." - James 2:17

Anyways...I probably explained too little about some things and probably explained some things without their proper justice, but I hope you followed me. Like I said before, I see in pictures. The picture I see in my head right now is me dancing with Jesus in heaven someday, and I'm thinking that's how it should be.

"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2

(the picture is of a willow tree figurine. i adore them very much and think it shows what my mind is picturing very well)

My thoughts are in pictures.

I am perfectly incapable of blogging my thoughts. I can't put what I am thinking into words on a silly computer, except for right now, I suppose I am communicating that I am frustrated as to not being able to type anything that sounds the least bit intelligent. You see, my mind sees in pictures. If I were a type of book, I would be the National Geographic one in the very back section of Barnes and Noble, filled with faces of Indian children, Chinese rice farmers, and sheep. If I give you directions from one place to another, they'd consist of 'turn at the Panera Bread' or 'take a left after the church' instead of street names and numbers that I can hardly remember anyways. The trouble is I can't speak in pictures...and you could argue interpretive dancing, but I do none of that....I assure you. I could try to convey my thoughts to you, but they might be a little scrambled at the least. Here goes nothing...
I was thinking...what of favorite verses? How can one verse speak to you over others? I can understand that something like the Great Commission could influence you more than the third verse out of the first chapter in Matthew: aka Jesus' geneology. Is this how different denominations formed? By taking one verse and making it more important or influential than all the others? My favorite verse is Psalm 73:23 because it got me through the muckiest part of my life on earth thus far.
"Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand."
This verse reminded me that God was (and still is) always by my side through every journey I will ever go through.
That is definitely not all that I have to say, because my mind is a never ending vortex of thoughts and thoughtlessness, but I shall end this "post" by saying: good luck if you endeavor to read my blog and God bless you :)

plus: if you ever see a picture on my blog, it's usually from google :)

Hand Hugs

Psalm 73:23 is the reality of my tomorrows. I will always mess up because I am a human, but God will still hold my hand because He is love.

"Nevertheless, I am continually with You,

You have taken hold of my right hand."

With God by my side, I know I do not have to fear my future because He has a plan. It's like that one song goes,

"Your will above all else,

Still my purpose remains."

How beautiful is that, when the God who creates the whole universe and the whole realm beyond the universe, has a plan for you and for me?