Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
King Jesus
Today's sermon was over Philippians 2:9-11 which is "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." My pastor pointed out that at some point we all, every created being including angels, dead and alive people, fallen angels, will confess that Jesus is Lord - the question is not if, but rather when and under what circumstances. Some will confess him as Lord and Savior, coming when he calls, and being given eternal life, will worship him forever. Others will not come but will someday be forced to call him Lord. He will not be Savior to those people, but rather a terrifying king of the world who demands their bowed acknowledgement and sends them to eternal death in righteous judgement. Revelation 19 speaks of Jesus as the warrior king - and how terrifying he will be then.
In light of all that, how amazing and kind and full of love is his patience with us. We are given days, months, years, lifetimes to believe he is our savior when we don't even deserve a moment. In light of the way that he hates sin and does not tolerate it, how patient he is in our feeble attempts at right living. How wonderful it is for those of us who call him Savior that he is the author and perfector of our salvation - rather than us. He is the beautiful king who calls us to his rest, so that he might do the work of saving us... Wow.
Like Moses tells the Israelites (Deuteronomy 30:19 - 20) "...I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life..." and like the old hymn says, "Come thou weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall, if you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all...I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms, in the arms of my dear savior, oh there are 10,000 charms."
In light of all that, how amazing and kind and full of love is his patience with us. We are given days, months, years, lifetimes to believe he is our savior when we don't even deserve a moment. In light of the way that he hates sin and does not tolerate it, how patient he is in our feeble attempts at right living. How wonderful it is for those of us who call him Savior that he is the author and perfector of our salvation - rather than us. He is the beautiful king who calls us to his rest, so that he might do the work of saving us... Wow.
Like Moses tells the Israelites (Deuteronomy 30:19 - 20) "...I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life..." and like the old hymn says, "Come thou weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall, if you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all...I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms, in the arms of my dear savior, oh there are 10,000 charms."
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Kenya, here I come!
Hi friends! I leave for Nairobi in 1 week (!!!) so I thought I'd give you some Kenya information.
Kenya is part of East Africa - on the Indian Ocean, bordered by Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Kenya is roughly twice the size of Nevada.
Highest elevation: Mount Kenya (where glaciers are found!) at 5199 m
Capital City: Nairobi
Climate where I will be (as it varies throughout the country): 60's in evenings/mornings, 80's in day; the rainy season will just be beginning when I arrive
Population: approx. 33,829,590
- approx. 42.5% of population is under age 14 and the median age is 18
- approx. 6.7% of population suffers from AIDS (2003 est.)
- high literacy rate of approx. 85.1%
Religions: 45% Protestant, 33% Roman Catholic, 10% Indigenous beliefs, 10% Muslim
Official languages: English and Swahili (there are numerous native tongues spoken throughout the country)
Some exciting natural wonders include several national parks as well as a Giraffe Centre and and animal orphanage - you can see lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes and many many other animals in these different parks.
Some famous people/movies made in or about Kenya: Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen); I dreamed of Afrika by Kiki Galman (not sure if that's the right last name)
Fun Swahili for: hello = jambo; friend = rafiki; safari = journey
Just a taste...I'm so pumped, what a fantastic place to adventure in!!!
(all info from the CIA World Factbook and the Lonely Planet Guide to Kenya)
Kenya is part of East Africa - on the Indian Ocean, bordered by Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Kenya is roughly twice the size of Nevada.
Highest elevation: Mount Kenya (where glaciers are found!) at 5199 m
Capital City: Nairobi
Climate where I will be (as it varies throughout the country): 60's in evenings/mornings, 80's in day; the rainy season will just be beginning when I arrive
Population: approx. 33,829,590
- approx. 42.5% of population is under age 14 and the median age is 18
- approx. 6.7% of population suffers from AIDS (2003 est.)
- high literacy rate of approx. 85.1%
Religions: 45% Protestant, 33% Roman Catholic, 10% Indigenous beliefs, 10% Muslim
Official languages: English and Swahili (there are numerous native tongues spoken throughout the country)
Some exciting natural wonders include several national parks as well as a Giraffe Centre and and animal orphanage - you can see lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes and many many other animals in these different parks.
Some famous people/movies made in or about Kenya: Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen); I dreamed of Afrika by Kiki Galman (not sure if that's the right last name)
Fun Swahili for: hello = jambo; friend = rafiki; safari = journey
Just a taste...I'm so pumped, what a fantastic place to adventure in!!!
(all info from the CIA World Factbook and the Lonely Planet Guide to Kenya)
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Dia de Amor (de san valentin)
First, good news: I found my dog Jesse! Somebody picked him up and took him to the pound. So now he has a microchip in his neck (which kinda sounds scary and big brother-esque, but since he's a dog, who really cares) so if he runs away again, they just scan him and call us.
Second, Happy Valentine's Day friends! or Single's Appreciation Day! - whichever it is for you. Note that I say Single's APPRECIATION, not awareness...
I have been hearing A LOT lately the "Valentine's Day is a hallmark holiday" whining and I have decided that I have something to say to all you knuckleheads who say things like that (especially the guys who use that as an excuse to weasel their way out of doing anything on V day) (girls too though, you don't get out of this either):
1) Regardless of whether you have a "valentine" or not, Valentine's Day is about loving the people in your life a little bit more obviously than usual. It clearly does not have to be about romantic love only (although if there is romantic love in your life, you ought to do something about it). It is about being more purposeful about telling people that you love them.
2) I saw about 30 sec. of Tyra Banks talk show today and she said (to all the single ladies watching) that it didn't matter whether you had a valentine or not, this was all about loving yourself and being ok with being single. While I agree that we've all got to be ok with single-hood on V day, it is most definitely NOT about loving yourself. Valentine's Day is about loving OTHER PEOPLE to the very best of your ability.
3) If you're one of those whiners that roses and chocolates are too typical and hallmarkish, therefore you will not be doing anything for V day, I have oh so many choice words for you. I'll leave those out...but I will say that you should figure out how to do something not so typical for your loved one(s). For instance, the best made-me-feel-loved flowers and gift I ever received were tulips and a handwritten note. Why is it so hard to show people some extra love ONE DAY a year? Gee whiz people, this should be a good holiday that isn't about us, especially since we are loved so well all the time by God - do we not have a little extra to flow over to others?!
Whew, off the soapbox, I did want to include a thank you to all of you who have worked so hard to encourage me and to make me feel loved for the past 6 mo.... I have been unceasingly amazed by God's care of my heart through other people.
And finally, only 2 weeks (TWO WEEKS!!!) till Africa!!
Second, Happy Valentine's Day friends! or Single's Appreciation Day! - whichever it is for you. Note that I say Single's APPRECIATION, not awareness...
I have been hearing A LOT lately the "Valentine's Day is a hallmark holiday" whining and I have decided that I have something to say to all you knuckleheads who say things like that (especially the guys who use that as an excuse to weasel their way out of doing anything on V day) (girls too though, you don't get out of this either):
1) Regardless of whether you have a "valentine" or not, Valentine's Day is about loving the people in your life a little bit more obviously than usual. It clearly does not have to be about romantic love only (although if there is romantic love in your life, you ought to do something about it). It is about being more purposeful about telling people that you love them.
2) I saw about 30 sec. of Tyra Banks talk show today and she said (to all the single ladies watching) that it didn't matter whether you had a valentine or not, this was all about loving yourself and being ok with being single. While I agree that we've all got to be ok with single-hood on V day, it is most definitely NOT about loving yourself. Valentine's Day is about loving OTHER PEOPLE to the very best of your ability.
3) If you're one of those whiners that roses and chocolates are too typical and hallmarkish, therefore you will not be doing anything for V day, I have oh so many choice words for you. I'll leave those out...but I will say that you should figure out how to do something not so typical for your loved one(s). For instance, the best made-me-feel-loved flowers and gift I ever received were tulips and a handwritten note. Why is it so hard to show people some extra love ONE DAY a year? Gee whiz people, this should be a good holiday that isn't about us, especially since we are loved so well all the time by God - do we not have a little extra to flow over to others?!
Whew, off the soapbox, I did want to include a thank you to all of you who have worked so hard to encourage me and to make me feel loved for the past 6 mo.... I have been unceasingly amazed by God's care of my heart through other people.
And finally, only 2 weeks (TWO WEEKS!!!) till Africa!!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
getting seasick
Well, sad news in the baby fras world lately...
First, my parents took my little sister to art school in cali this week. Not that that's sad because I'm way excited for Hani (that'd be the sister) to go to Oxbow this semester - it is going to be such a great experience and it will be so good for her future in art. The sad part is that I miss her a lot already! Han and I have become pretty great friends over the last few years and it's been nice to be around for the last month...but alas, now she's all grown up and gone off to school, sniffle sniffle. Oh well, guess that's the way life goes, that whole growing up and moving away thing...I certainly did it and will probably be doing so again sometime in the near future.
The other sad news is that my dog got out our gate and hasn't come home yet...he got out yesterday morning when I put him and our other dog out for breakfast and then went to work. The new dog, Lola, was waiting for us at the front door. The old dog, Jesse, is nowhere to be found. The really sad part is that he's pretty lame - really bad hips, pretty deaf (don't know if he can hear the cars coming!), got cataracts (probably can't really see the cars either), and has got all kinds of tumors growing on the inside (we think - he's just kind of ... lumpy...these days)... so what I'm saying is, he's basically helpless. He's always come home before when he's gone on a little adventure so I'm worried! Poor Jesse, I want to save you! We've had ol' Jesse for somewhere around 12 years I think so he's really a family member... and he's so old and decrepit lately, I kinda doubt he can fend for himself very well.
So, about that seasick thing (see title), I've decided that hard things in life are a little, maybe a lot, like body surfing in big waves. Sometimes you jump just right and find yourself on the crest of the wave, either floating over or swimming towards the shore effortlessly. The crest times are the good times. Other times you find yourself in the trough, desperately trying to wipe the salt out of your eyes before another wave comes and pummels you, swirling you around in wild water that doesn't have a distinguishable up or down... Sometimes you were on a crest and then, suddenly, you're in the trough and you don't even really know how you got there and you just can't quite jump high enough to catch the waves that keep crashing over your head. That seems to be the way my life (or outlook on it) has gone for the last month and a half...or maybe the last year and a half, I don't really know. What I do know is that I have been absolutely longing for some peaceful waters lately. There was a beach in Panama that had the stillest water I've ever seen in the ocean...normally you wouldn't think still water in the ocean is very desirable, but there was one night that I spent floating (the water was salty enough that floating was basically effortless) for probably an hour or more, watching the sky change from blue and clouds to gold and purple and beautiful sunset to stars and black...just floating, thinking, watching the sky, praying... and in my mind that memory is what I think of when I think of complete and utter peace. And at the moment, I want out of these crazy waves and into that still ocean, I want to float, not struggle, I want the salt to get out of my eyes! I don't want to be seasick anymore!
First, my parents took my little sister to art school in cali this week. Not that that's sad because I'm way excited for Hani (that'd be the sister) to go to Oxbow this semester - it is going to be such a great experience and it will be so good for her future in art. The sad part is that I miss her a lot already! Han and I have become pretty great friends over the last few years and it's been nice to be around for the last month...but alas, now she's all grown up and gone off to school, sniffle sniffle. Oh well, guess that's the way life goes, that whole growing up and moving away thing...I certainly did it and will probably be doing so again sometime in the near future.
The other sad news is that my dog got out our gate and hasn't come home yet...he got out yesterday morning when I put him and our other dog out for breakfast and then went to work. The new dog, Lola, was waiting for us at the front door. The old dog, Jesse, is nowhere to be found. The really sad part is that he's pretty lame - really bad hips, pretty deaf (don't know if he can hear the cars coming!), got cataracts (probably can't really see the cars either), and has got all kinds of tumors growing on the inside (we think - he's just kind of ... lumpy...these days)... so what I'm saying is, he's basically helpless. He's always come home before when he's gone on a little adventure so I'm worried! Poor Jesse, I want to save you! We've had ol' Jesse for somewhere around 12 years I think so he's really a family member... and he's so old and decrepit lately, I kinda doubt he can fend for himself very well.
So, about that seasick thing (see title), I've decided that hard things in life are a little, maybe a lot, like body surfing in big waves. Sometimes you jump just right and find yourself on the crest of the wave, either floating over or swimming towards the shore effortlessly. The crest times are the good times. Other times you find yourself in the trough, desperately trying to wipe the salt out of your eyes before another wave comes and pummels you, swirling you around in wild water that doesn't have a distinguishable up or down... Sometimes you were on a crest and then, suddenly, you're in the trough and you don't even really know how you got there and you just can't quite jump high enough to catch the waves that keep crashing over your head. That seems to be the way my life (or outlook on it) has gone for the last month and a half...or maybe the last year and a half, I don't really know. What I do know is that I have been absolutely longing for some peaceful waters lately. There was a beach in Panama that had the stillest water I've ever seen in the ocean...normally you wouldn't think still water in the ocean is very desirable, but there was one night that I spent floating (the water was salty enough that floating was basically effortless) for probably an hour or more, watching the sky change from blue and clouds to gold and purple and beautiful sunset to stars and black...just floating, thinking, watching the sky, praying... and in my mind that memory is what I think of when I think of complete and utter peace. And at the moment, I want out of these crazy waves and into that still ocean, I want to float, not struggle, I want the salt to get out of my eyes! I don't want to be seasick anymore!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)