Reckless Love at Christmas

Do you know what I love about Christmas? Well, I can list quite a few things: the music, the advent celebrations with the local church, giving gifts to each other out of love, and just getting to be with friends and family over the season. However, I also know that Christmas can be very stressful (I currently work part-time in the retail and wholesale industry, so I can attest to that); it can also be depressing with the loss of loved ones over the years. But I want to focus more on why Christmas is significant to me.

#HardTimes – How Music Shaped My Life

I'm back, baby!

Find Rest

Finding rest and peace seems to be a constant theme in my life. What I mean is, I find that I sometimes get myself worked up over many things when all I needed was rest and peace for my soul. I recently finished my fourth fall semester at the Mount before exams get written, and I know that exams, much like paper writing, can be very stressful. I also know that with the Christmas season upon us now, people are also going to be stressed over what to get their loved ones for the holiday. So, in a world full of stress and pain, how do we find rest and peace? Enter Jesus, the son of God. I know this is rather cliché, but Jesus' words in Matthew 11 come about in my head.

To Cast My Cares

I recently gave a presentation for my animal physiology class. It wasn't a very good one, and it certainly was not among my greatest achievements, so after class, I had felt rather anxious about the whole thing. When I was talking about this with one of my fellow biology students, she reminded me about it wasn't anything to sneeze at and that I may have done better than what I thought I did. And you know what? She was right. More and more, I am starting to really learn and recognize that thigs happen for a reason and there's always something that I can learn from my mistakes (like learning to make more room for finishing homework). I think this is why God told us not to be so worrisome all the time and let anxiety and corrupted emotions get in the way.

Kingdom WHAT?!?

Rejoice for the Kingdom is here!

Kingdom WHAT?!?

         That was the theme for this fall's Inter-Varsity Nova Scotia Retreat. What is the Kingdom of God? Who is the King/Father and part do we play? The past weekend involved three sessions of Bible study in a manuscript-styled fashion where we took a look at the context, the contents and the connections, the three major C's that staff worker Shu Yin Wong was teaching us as we looked through the parable of the prodigal son as well as when Jesus went to the Samaritan town of Sychar. So what did I get out of all of this?

Islands and Vines

I am made to be in a community.

Just think about that for a moment - you and I - we - are made to be relational. It's amazing that God had instilled in us from the beginning that notion of belonging somewhere or with someone that only He can completely fill and fix. After all, He is the embodiment of the perfect relationship - the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because I believe that Jesus died and rose again for my sins, and have accepted Him into my life, I am in a relationship with Him; this also means that I am a part of a community bigger than myself.

Fear and Provisions

Wow, it's been three months since I had written here. The time sure does fly. I guess I should explain a little about what's been going on...

I started a new job in the city about a month ago at Costco, and I am one among a few students working at the front end (what we call the cash register area). It's not too bad of a job, though dealing with customers sometimes can be stressful and annoying, and I also have to be careful about forklifts coming by whenever I have to work a night shift. It's at least some work experience that I can add to my CV.

Though I appear to be doing fine at my job, I sometimes can't help but worry and fear about possibly being fired; I'm on probation, so you're only given a limited amount of time before you can be more solidified in the company - in my case, that's three months. However, thinking through the past months about this fear of not having a job reminded me of a lesson that I had helped teach to some kids at a Vacation Bible School session at church this past week of God being our provider and how He provides our needs.

Lord, I Need You - A Song of Intimacy

There's something about music that draws me more toward God and exemplifies how he makes me stronger in my faith despite how weak I am without him. To me, music is very much therapeutic as well as expressive; it's often how I feel the Holy Spirit move in me. I also find that music has this way of opening me up more to love and prayer. More often, a set of inspired lyrics just hit me at the core, and I just know it. It’s naturally for me to be singing along when I know that deep down, that is what I feel.

Life with God

What exactly does life with God look like? I think that it looks like a life where we are actually listening to God, and understanding that He wants to give us. I also came across this video on the web a few weeks back and thought that it would sum it up better than I could.

More Than Conquerors: Thoughts on Chapter Two

It's been a while since I last wrote about thoughts on the book that I had been reading (More Than Conquerors: A Call to Radical Discipleship). Therefore, I decided that I will share my thoughts on what Chapter Two was about. I still find that this book is getting me to think and reflect. So, here are some thoughts that respond to some study questions from the back of the book.

John 3:16 - The Story of Love

This evening, I was checking through my social news feeds when I found this YouTube video that was shared by a friend. It was rather thought-provoking and a good reminder as to what Christ had done for me. I hope that this will be a blessing to you as well.

God bless,

Alex

Faithfulness and Risk-Taking

Here are some more thoughts as I have been thoroughly studying Chapter One of Simon Guillebaud's More Than Conquerors...

Discussing about faith, I believe that I am rather confident in believing God's faithfulness; nobody can be as faithful as he is. This gives me some assurance that my life is in awesome hands. Though I would admit, it isn't always so easy to put your faith in Jesus. But I had to spend time with him, gradually allowing him to take up more of my heart. I pray that God will be able to mould me more into who he wants me to be, and use me to my best potential.

I’m continuing to learn more about how to handle failure. Failure doesn’t always mean that it’s the end of the line for me; it does however allow me to stop, look back, learn from it and move on to becoming better than how I was in the past. I believe that because of this, I have now become a better person and I am continuing to trust God more when I fall down. Sure, it’s often discouraging to fail and it has often made me question my beliefs and faith, but in the end, I just need to continue learning more about giving Jesus control; after all, he has greater plans set out for me (see Jeremiah 29:11 for context). By focusing more on him, I’ll have a more exciting and intimate relationship with him; I’ll be able to gain a better perception about how my life with Jesus has been an adventure. Speaking of adventure, this whole journey that I’ve been going through with Christ so far has been rather interesting, even though there were some moments that weren’t all too exciting, and some even dark ones; however, God has always managed to get me through it all stronger than before. I’m glad that I am covered by his grace and mercy.

I think God is urging me toward evangelistic and knowledge-based pursuits. This appears to be both appealing and risky to me as it is within my areas of interest and giftedness, and I don’t fully know what kind of outcome will arise from it all. I’m hoping that he will continue to shape and use me as I enter this set of endeavors that he has set out toward me. I also pray that the Spirit will enlighten the path that I am to take next (make it more clear on my next direction to go, as to clarify what I am saying). I know that eventually, things will make sense to me; until then, I’ll have to trust that God is going to be with me every step of the way. I hope that all of this encourages you as you continue on your walk with him everyday.

Take care and God bless you!

Alex

Living a Risky Life

Recently, I began reading through a book by Simon Guillebaud called, More Than Conquerors. This book is similar in theme to More Ready Than You Realize, but focuses more on living the radically changed life that is given through Christ. So, if you want a different take on understanding how God wants us to live our lives, this book would be a good read, especially if you want to see how the Bible can be applied into your life.

Chapter One of this book talks about how life involves taking risks and how living out how God wants us to live is risky business. I would agree with what he is saying there; it's a risky life I'm living, which is following Jesus and trusting him as my Lord and master. I wouldn't be as greatly surprised if I were all of a sudden discriminated and attacked in the future because of my chosen lifestyle. This reminds me of something that Jesus said in the Gospels as he was preaching:

"Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets." (Luke 6:22, 23 NIV)

Here, he explains that even though people around us are going to hate and ridicule us, we know that God is always going to be with us and he wouldn't want us to give up because we are being bullied or betrayed. Yes, it's going to hurt, but we shouldn't let that get the best of us; not only does it hurt us, but it hurts God too and it doesn't get work done to propell the kingdom forward.

I'll be reading through Chapter Two to learn more about how I can live radically. There's always so much to learn about God and what he intends for us. It has definitely been quite an intellectual and spiritual journey for me so far, and I hope that it continues to progress like that and that I will be able to apply what I learn into the world around me.

God bless you!

Alex

More Ready Than You Realize - Overview and Afterthoughts

Now that I have finished reading the main part of More Ready Than You Realize by Brian McLaren, I thought that I would share some of my thoughts about the book as a whole. It has been a while since I last wrote here. I do enjoy writing about things that I am experiencing and learning.

The book as a whole was very well-written and thought provoking. It has allowed me to see evangelism done in a different, more practical way. I like the whole notion that all it takes is a simple conversation to get started. It also got me to learn that how Jesus evangelized was very process-oriented, meaning that the focus is on the journey and the destination, second. Although having milestone moments are great to celebrate, your journey, your walk with God, is what needs more attention.

I find that I am now learning more about how to apply the Bible into my daily life. No wonder they call it the "Living Word": it's so relevant, no matter the time or era. I also like how I can see a bit more about how I can use my gifts and talents to help people learn more about Jesus and what he has done for us. Also, with the verses and passages that were used, I now have a better understanding as to ow evangelism should work.

It's great that I have gotten to share some of the things that I am learning from these Bible studies and from the books that I have been reading. More Ready Tha You Realize is definitely a good, thought-provoking book that helps us to learn about and practice reaching out. I definitely feel ready to try talking with more people who are spiritually searching and trying to find answers to sme of life's big questions.

'Til next time,

Alex

Words: A Piece of Advice

Many of these books have things in common.

I decided to bring in a more personal set of symbols to illustrate something. For example, why is there a picture of books here in this post? What do you think is the whole idea or theme that I am getting at here?

As a matter of fact, there is one thing in particular that they all have in common: words. I find that we use words so often in our daily lives that we have forgotten the power that words hold, written or spoken. All of this is what seems to be coming up to me from James, Chapter 3.

In his letter to Jewish Christians who were scattered all over the earth, he talks about the tongue, and the sinful dangers it holds, its corruptive nature. I find that this portion serves as a warning and a guide for us. For one thing, he expresses the dark nature of the tongue by comparing how we cannot tame it like we can other animals (see verse below).

"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7-8 NIV)"

I think what James is getting at here is that we should be more wary as to how we use our words and how they will affect the people around us. But we do not have to do it alone. God is always with us and will give us the heavenly wisdom (this wisdom is described in James 3: 17-18). As long as we have faith in Jesus, we will be able to do amazing things, even with our words. Here's a music video to a song by Hawk Nelson, called "Words" (pretty ironic, I must say). Perhaps it might help you understand a little bit about what I am saying, and how I feel that God has given me this passion for language and words.

Peace be with you and may God bless you in your future.

-Alex

The Bible: Language of the Jesus Culture

Do you know what I like about studying French? I like how I am able to learn not just a language, but a set of cultures based around the language, each with its own rich history, customs and contemporary habits. I find that learning French has opened doors for me, allowing me to be more aware and appreciative of the ethnicity of other people. God has gifted me to learn French for a reason. Part of it might be because I need to be in a certain job where a knowledge in French is useful or even necessary. Studying languages like French can be rather beneficial, especially in the mission field.

In a way, you could say that the Bible is written as one of God's "special languages" that was designed for us while living on the earth. Unfortunately, this particular language is the most difficult to learn, especially when you have never lived in its culture before. Yet some pastors will tell you that reading your Bible is easy.

Why would pastors say this? Well, they do have a point; reading the Bible is easy, but understanding it is a whole different story. I think that if we are going to bring the Bible to our spiritually seeking friends, as I am learning to do through the book that I am reading, we should at least let them know that really reading it is not going to be as easy as it may seem.

A verse in the Bible that I see involving words is Psalm 119:105 (taken from the NIV): "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path." It means that the Bible, as God's word, is a key piece to living an abundant life with him, another one being prayer. It appears to be part of a prayer of joy and promise toward God which can be applied to us today. By allowing Christ to take over that abundantly promising life will be more realized, and sharing the experience with a friend will also be very rewarding, not only for you, but your friend as well.

I think that a good challenge for me would be to go out and actually apply the principles of inviting a friend into spiritual conversation, or even just continue to be a generally good friend to him or her. That way, sharing things like faith would be easier to come around. Perhaps this is a good challenge for all of us Christians. You can consider this one for yourself along with God.

Take care and may God continually bless you along the way!

Banquets and Speaking Life

         This evening, I went to an interesting Bible study that focused on Luke 14: 15-24 for a little while, and we got to learn what it means to get a taste of God's banquet. A lot of times, someone would start preparing a banquet or a potluck and invite their friends out in advance, but as soon as the event comes, the invited guests come up with little excuses. I don't know about you, but I think that they either get easily distracted or are trying to avoid the host because of their contentment. At least now I can understand why it would be better to start bringing in the poor and/or broken people; it would be easier for someone who has very little to accept something like attending a meal. I guess I can relate with both crowds in a way or two; I often see myself at times as not being worth for God to put up with me, while at other times, I might feel rather great and not want to bother doing something (I relate a bit more with the poor and broken people, though). But it is the choices that we make that determine whether or not we get to enjoy God's reward in Heaven. We choose whether or not we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord; he did give us free will, right?

         I find that this passage can also relate to some other aspects of our behaviours toward other people. In particular, I'm thinking more towards the words we say. We often don't realize what kind of power words can have until we see the kind of damage that we cause (I know, I have done it before many times and have also received it from the other end). We can choose to use our words as a way to build people up or tear them down, and I find that if we show love with our words, then we would have peace with the people around us, and they can get to know about God by him working through us. So I thought that this video would be a great fit for all of this; it's the official lyric video to the song, "Speak Life" by TobyMac, and I feel that this is a very relatable song.

         I hope that this inspires you and gives you something to think about. I believe that God will always find a way to get us to learn something. If you'd like some extra information, feel free to take a look at the links available.

-Alex