Carry Me Through

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself will go before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

This verse. this lovely verse is what seems to be carrying me through. As you may have gathered by now, i am indeed shifting geographical locations.

I came across this verse about... a year to 2 years ago. I was reading a christian novel series, perhaps you have heard of the Chritsy Miller books. In one of the stories, this verse came up and i just loved it. I wrote it down.
i found it and hi-lighted it on my bible.
i typed it in big letters, printed it and stuck it on a wall.

It comes as no surprise then that i ended up memorizing this verse.

The way God works is amazing, at that time, i had no idea that i was going to move but yet that verse was just there with me.
now that the reality of moving is near, this verse is what helps carry me through.

The context of this verse is found during a time of change for the community of Israel. Moses, their leader for many decades is now 120 years old and unable to lead them any longer, besides which he cannot cross the Jordan river because of an earlier dihonouring of God when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it as God commanded him to ( Numbers 20:1-13).
As the Israelite community is getting ready to say goodbye to their trusted leader and hello to a new one, people were probably nervous about the future, it can be a scary place. God's children would have to cross the Jordan river and enter enemy land.

It is at this time that Moses comforts Joshua. That's the good thing about having a mentor, someone older perhaps, someone who's been there one who's done that. They can give you assurance and advice, and somehow, somehow as you look at them and what they've been through, you know it's possible.

Moses summons Joshua up in the prescence of all Israel and tells him to " be strong and courageous... The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."

And i myself hold on to this promise, as i enter unfamiliar ground. I hold on to the constant and unmoving promise.

And i'm alright.

Goodbye, indeed

After reading a blog by Sola Fide, I am forced to come to face with a reality that I have been avoiding. Yes, she is moving away, to a whole new area that is extremely far away (In the US, like to another state; in Europe, like to another country; in Canada, like to another province) and I have been completely forgetting it so I don't have to deal with the sorrow. This, obviously, isn't helping my situation, so I have decided to say--urm, write something about it.

"The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore."
(Psalm 121:7-8)

In such a manner I pray for you on your journey, that you remember that we will remember you. I've never met a person who doesn't like you or who finds or irritating. As well, I have met plenty of people whose interest in God has been gently stirred by you.

So, this is why your moving has mixed feelings for me. Yes, of course, I will miss you unbearably. Not only will I be missing the only person I know who carries around a Bible at school, I won't have someone to tell my deepest secrets, give one of those delightfully squishy hugs, or tease about tests. I don't know how I'm going to manage, but I suppose I will have to find a way.
But also, I have the knowledge that in this far away place, a church, school and many, many lives are about to be touched by an Earth-bound angel. I can't possibly begrudge so many people of finding peace and God through such a kind and caring person. They are truly blessed to have you move away, and I see the Divine Plan in this.

I'll miss you, my friend. But I know that you will do great good.

~Godspede

Sermon 4

All That He Encompasses

Passage: Revelations 22:13 KJV
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
eve·ry·thing (ěv'rē-thĭng'): 1.a. All things or all of a group of things. b.All relevant matters. 2.The most important fact or consideration.

I apologize for the briefness of today's sermon. This is technically supposed to be for Sunday, as I am still living in an extension of it (a.k.a. I'm staying up late, past midnight), and is a little short since I am super tired. Camping does that to you.

So, I decided to look through Revelations in the best way it has ever been told (which, in my personal opinion, is the King James Version) and stumbled across this little tidbit. These words are used repeatedly in the Church and even outside of it, and I thought it might be nice to have them here.
The wording of "Alpha and Omega" is neat, since they are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Basically, God/Son/Spirit (I am pretty sure that it was Jesus=the Son=the Lamb who said it, but I am no expert especially when I am tired) is saying that they are the A and Z. That always sounds funny to me, but helps me understand somehow. He continues to pretty much explain it and simplify it with the "beginning and the end" and "first and last". It's pretty cool.

Like my title says, the Trinity is all-encompassing. It exists and just is everything, for always. It's a mind-blowing thought, but the God never stops being. He always is there, and best of all? He always loves, always protects, always cradles us into His arms, and always welcomes us into His kingdom.

It's nice to love a God that always loves you.

~Godspede

Depths of Despair

For any of you culture fans, the title is indeed an expression that Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables would often use. I find myself borrowing them, as she thinks the way I do sometimes.

So, I have a rather serious note that I want to put down here. It just seems right.
I've mentioned before that I had an emotional breakdown. I obviously won't put down the details of what caused it here, as that would be unfair to all those involved, but I would like to talk about it.

See, I've found that I have depression, not clinical or anything, but it's there. Bad things affect me worse than they should. I can handle it, I've been this way for about three or four years, but then this whole bad thing came up...
I broke down. I barely ate, I slept tons, I missed school 'cause I'm claustrophobic and I couldn't handle the crowds. The worst thing, though, was that I used to feel so close to God that I could feel him smiling and I would feel him place His heavenly hands over my own and guide my way, and I would get this inexplicable joy at times that almost hurt but didn't quite yet. Well, that disappeared. I wasn't suicidal, but I questioned why I wasn't. I toyed with the idea of death. It really didn't seem too bad. I haven't been very scared of death for years. I'm still not.
Eventually what pulled me out of the rut I was digging was one of my friends whom I refer to as my "big brother" since he treats me that way, and I've actually never had the figure in my life, believe it or not (I have four older brothers but none of them were ever the big bro figure for various, harmless reasons). I was going through yet another low patch one day, and I asked him to give me one good reason why I should want to live. Without hesitating, he said Jesus. Then in the next beat he said my nephew's name, who is turning three this year and idolizes me.
And all of a sudden, I saw my boy asking, "Where's Aunty?" the way he does, and someone having to say to him that I wasnt going to be there, that I could never come back. And I saw him not understanding, and his mom, dad, my mom, everyone's pain at my death, and I thought, "Why would I do that? It solves nothing! All it would do is cause further turmoil!" And it helped pulled me out. I really owe my life to my big brother and my nephew, who would (and still does) climb into my arms randomly, hug me, give me a kiss and say he loves me, just 'cause he wanted to. B. Bro, if you're reading this, I can never thank you enough. I probably would have done something drastic had you not kept such a close watch on me. And my boy, one day I'll tell you this story, how three days after 'it' happened I was sitting in church, wanting to die, and you crawled into my lap and whispered, "What's wrong, Aunty?". And I wrapped my arms around you and actually felt happiness, and my mom saw it and knew that I had a chance, if only because of you.

But still, every once in a while I would wake up in the morning and just want to die, to fall back asleep and never wake up. Ever.
But yesterday, all of a sudden, it struck me:
I dont want to die.
I want to live.
I want to be close to God.
I want to feel His embrace around me.
I want to love life again.
And I fell to my knees and I sobbed, my arms wrapped tightly around me, right there in the middle of my room
and I prayed
and I cried out to God to save me from my pit, my depth of despair, to help me be happy. The tears poured down my face, onto my hands then to the floor. My whole body convulsed as I poured out all the hurt I'd been storing and festering in for the past months onto God.

I still feel sad thinking about that event. I still wonder that if maybe I'd done something differently it would have turned out okay after all. I still wish it didn't happen.
But I love God.
And He loves me.
And He is never going to stop. Ever.

You know, I think a big part of this event is how the biggest thing that helped me was the little acts of love. Big brother's patient care, my boy's gentle and innocent love, going to a Christian concert and having the singer see you in the crowd, realize you are hurting, and sing the words of "Lay All Your Hurt On Jesus" unwavering to you. Sometimes all one needs is a little hug, a little care, a little lift, and you might save their life.

~Godspede

GeneroCity

Hmm...

The concept of generosity is a relatively easy one to grasp, however the application is that which is found to be rather ... difficult perhaps.

I've always wanted to be a generous person. I mean, i think i am generous but i can be stingy, boy oh boy can i be STINGY.

This past Sunday - yesterday to be exact - my pastor talked about Generosity as part of his little spiel of sermons on things that you do that will literaly change your life. I loved that sermon. When i heard that he was talking about generosity i was like, yes. ouh yes.

Generosity.
what a concept. In the bible one can find countless examples of giving. i mean that one verse

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." *

but seriously folks. the concept of giving. It's so funny. North American society is all about get. accumulate. build up.

There is a secret in all this, a secret that few know about and even less put to good use

Proverbs 11:24-25
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

The thing here, is that you cannot just CANNOT out give God. I mean seriously people. There's a great paradox here and it really is not that baffling when one considers it,

-- however much you give, you get much much more.
-- however much you bless, God will bless you much much more.
-- however much you give, you will not be lacking. The Lord will provide, he will bless you for your giving.

Did i mention God is not stingy?

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. *

nuff said, quite frankly.

This is something i will try and strive in my walk with God, perhaps you'll do the same
- God Bless

*formatting all mine

Sermon 3

The Prodigal Son

Passages: Luke 15:11-32
"Jesus continued, 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them.
Not long after that, the younger song got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate.
Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. "Your brother has come," he replied, "and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound."
The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never even gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!"
"My son," the father said, "you are always with me and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." ' "
jeal·ous (jěl'əs): Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.

Today's Bible passage is one of Jesus' famous parables. As it, as all of the parables, is a lesson in itself, I won't say much but a brief explanation of the relation between the father and our Father.
In case you hadn't picked up on it, Jesus was using the story to directly correlate to us and what we so often do. This parable carries a very comforting vein. The son, as so many of us do, decided to leave his father and live a shameful life. His shame was in the prostitutes and squandering of money; ours is in the straying from God's will (which, perhaps, may be a life with prostitutes, or perhaps with drugs, gambling, crime...). The son eventually came to his senses when it all came crashing down on him, which it always seems to do. And, extraordinarily, the son never even considered pleading for his father's pity. He went back to ask to work for him, the lowest of lows. He bit back his pride, tore it out of the way, and told his father that he wasn't worthy of his father's love. The best part is his father's reaction, which was that he still loved his son. The Father never stops loving, see, and it pains Him to see us in distress.
Now, if any of this so far hasn't applied to you, don't think your off the hook. If you think you have lived a nearly perfect life, look again. Is jealousy your downfall? The other son was angry that he had never earned the attention of his father, completely overlooking the fact that his brother had come back to them and would now be part of the family.

There are countless morals in this story, so take the one that applies to you. And stop rolling your eyes. They might get stuck back there.

You can never be perfect. It's human nature to do wrongs. So chill out and try to fix your little errors. Everyone will appreciate it, trust me.
And I'm no exception, don't get me wrong. I'm anything but perfect. Which is why I read the Bible.

~Godspede

Eternity

"Jangee said...

why is infinite punishment (hell) subjected on finite beings?"

Ah, at last, a thought-provoking question.
One must recall, first of all, that the afterlife isn't just one choice of Hell. As with most everything else, there is a reward and a punishment. Yes, Hell is the punishment, but Heaven exists also.
Now, onto the more pressing question.
Humans were made in the beginning to live with God forever in the Garden of Eden. As we all know, we messed this up pretty badly, but still we lived a very long time. (Proof: "Altogether, Adam lived 930 years"-Genesis 5:5) It wasn't until after Noah that the ages began to shrink, from 950 years (Noah) to 205 (Noah's great-great-grandson, Terah). God still loves all of us as much as on the first week when he declared us "Good" and he wants us to be able to live with him forever in Paradise. However, some people welcome Satan (Lucifer, Hades; all names for the Devil) into their hearts and he seems to become part of them. God is extremely disappointed, but they chose to live with the Lucifer. And Hell is Lucifer's home. Therefore, God punishes by giving them what they wanted. We are going to spend an eternity somewhere. We get to choose which path we'll take.

Paradise, Heaven, and God in the Trinity?

or Damnation, Hell, and Satan's fire?


Only we can choose.


~Godspede

*sigh*

It's kinda saddening when no one even notices what you are doing. to anyone who might be reading this, i'd like to say one thing: POST A QUESTION, PLEASE! thats what im trying to be here for. I think i'm going to start, i dunno, promoting it or something.
And this is proof that im not always a perfect typer. However i do try to be when writing explanations and i am only writing the way i talk. so if you think its formal, i guess i talk formal. heh.

And as a little brief up-to-date-er, that girl that i mentioned that i try talking to? im somewhat of friends with her. she is annoying when she is trying to 'fit in'. however she is an intense musician who plays piano, harp, clarinet and trumpet, is a year younger than me, and enjoys classical music. its quite refreshing and i find myself enjoying her company, although she still annoys me at times. i feel so much better :D for once i really took my advice! (dont take that wrong, but you know how it goes: do as i say, not as i do. a lot of what i write doesnt apply to me)

~Godspede

Sermon 2

Vain? Who, me?

Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (KJV)
"'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!'" (NIV)
van·i·ty (vān'ĭ-tē): lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness.

Today, I put two different translations of the same passage up there. The King James version, as usual, gives the traditional and well known tone, whereas the New International version gives it a more modern understanding.
I have always found Ecclesiastes to be a very somber, depressing chapter and so I never bothered to read the whole thing. Then, for some strange reason, I decided to read it one day. Throughout the first few chapters, thought to have been written by King Solomon, the phrase "vanity" is used repeatedly. Something to emphasize, though, is the definition given above. This "vanity" does not refer to thinking highly of one's self, but rather is referring to worthlessness, or in other words, meaninglessness (and yes, surprisingly that is a word). So, Solomon says that everything is meaningless, and he says it 33 times. Wow. Going through the little titles my particular version of the Bible has, I find these: "Everything is Meaningless"(1:1) "Wisdom is Meaningless"(1:12) "Pleasures are Meaningless"(2:1) "Wisdom and Folly are Meaningless"(2:12) "Toil is Meaningless"(2:17.... the passage below it begins with 'So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me') "Advancement is Meaningless"(4:13) and "Riches are Meaningless"(5:8). Jeez, I would always think upon seeing these, this sure makes life, well, meaningless.
But fear not!
Solomon wasn't saying that life was meaningless. Not. at. all.
The last two passages of this book say the following: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (12:13-14) (fear, in this context, means: "to respect highly; to feel reverence toward God".)
There! Did you see that?
Solomon spends a whole bunch of time, saying how no matter what you do, it will do nothing for you in the end. In his own words, "what does man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever." (1:3-4) Then, just as you are feeling pretty down indeed, he says that God will take note of everything you do and remember it. And the "Bible overview" at the back of mine says this of Ecclesiastes: "This book reminds us that a life without God leads to meaninglessness and despair." Despair, indeed.

Stop and take a look at life around you. Do you spend day after day worshipping at the altar of money? Do you shun the charities even though you have money to spare? Do you delight in degrading other people for your own selfish gain?
What Solomon seems to be getting at is that as you go through life, you need to try and work for those things that would please God, who delights in joy, happiness, peace, and love. Look at the common idols such as Mother Teresa, who said,
"The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food and health" when she first gave up her life at the Loreto Monastery for a poor life on the street, yet still kept at it;
and Martin Luther King, Jr., who said in his famous speech as the conclusion,
"From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
They devoted their life to making the world a better place for mankind and putting the world before themselves. Even if these two examples were not religious, they still would be doing God-pleasing activities, and the "love of God" or Holy Spirit would still be in them, whether they realize it or not.
Go ahead. Make a difference. Change the world. Laugh lots. Care more.




This is a picture that always comes to mind whenever I hear these words. It is called "All is Vanity" by C. Allen Gilbert. It is fairly thought-provoking, very famous, and titles itself straight from the Bible.



Think about it.



~God spede

Healing ... etc

Aulrite aulrite, lets talk healing here folks.

I love my Jesus, is it okay if i just say that out loud, perhaps yell off the top of a roof or something? - promise you won't get mad... but i really couldn't care less.

Mm, Friday i was feeling sick, i had to go home at lunch and i just kind of "vegitated" on the couch all day. People were trying to convince me to go to the hospital but i really didn't want to a) i hate the long wait and
b) i figured i'd pray and ask God to heal me.

The verse that came to mind was Isaiah 53:5;

" But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his [ stripes] we are healed." *

Let me just tell you this. Abba Father is the author and perfecter of our faith ( i think that's in the bible somewhere too :D) He is the one who created us and he knows us much better than we know ourselves ( psalm 139)

Since God is the perfecter our our faith, i knew that if i trusted in him to heal me, and he does, my faith will be even that much stronger.

so my logic was this, if God does know me better than myslef, - which he does - and if He did create me to be who i am - which he did - then who better to depend on for healing than him?!

And d'you know, it's so sad in this culture that we have flung God so far away from our everyday lives, we deem him only the God for sundays, the rest of the week is our own. Perhaps in this culture we consider ourselves to be superior and self-capable of everything. It is in our mindset that we do not need God.

Well i am here to tell you that two days later i am doing splendid. that nasty cold-cough-sneeze-sorethroat-almostfever thing is subsiding. and all because of Jesus' 39 stripes.

And the thing with God is that he's never stingy, NEVER STINGY!

I mean, he sent his one and only son to die for our sins. yes of course, that was the main plan, the main strategy. But our dear Lord looked down and saw how sad the human race was, so instead of Jesus just dying for our sins,

he dies for our healing,

for our peace

for our eternal fellowship with Abba Father,

joy

love

and if that wasn't enough, he sends the Holy Spirit to stay with us when he left.

Let me just tell you, Our God is not stingy.

* my bible actually says - by his wounds we are healed, but i like stripes much better, i've grown up with stripes.

Sermon 1

Ah, L'amour . . .

Passage: 1 John 4:13-21.
" ... God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever sees God must also love his brother." (16b-21)
Love (lŭv): To have a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward (a person).

These are pretty powerful words. First of all, God is said to be love. Not loving, not lovely, but love itself. He and the definition of love are one in the same (note that John doesn't say they are interchangeable. No going to your mom and saying "I God you". She may be confused).
What John is saying is that if you want to love and feel true love, you need to live (believe, have faith) in God. Don't be opposed if you are already in deep love. He also says that if you love, you live in God. Got that?
God, in so many ways, is like a perfect parent. He has that sense of humour and protectiveness that your Dad does, except He doesn't force you to go out for sports, embarrass you in front of friends/colleagues, discourage your passions or crash the computer (again). He is as loving, caring and sweet-hearted as your Mom is, except He doesn't hug you so hard you can't breathe, chastise you about losing weight, hang her bras on the clothesline when you bring your fiancé(e) over, or cling to you desperately when you try to go to England. When you are heartbroken, He cries over your misfortune. When you are happy, he does a jig with Gabriel and whoops with joy. There is so much comfort to be found in this thought, and it helps me through my darkest moments. Martin Luther, founder of Lutheranism, described God as Omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (always-present). Again, such comfort can be found in this. He always knows what you did wrong, so you don't have to hide it, but "God is love". He loves you anyway.
This is a point I stress to everyone, especially people who have never known God. It doesn't matter what you've done in life. You could have been a prostitute, drug-dealer, murderer, lawyer, it doesn't matter. He looks over your faults and into your heart, your soul, where the goodness, forgiveness and happiness of a small child always rests. Heaven's entrance isn't the Pearly Gates with Saint Peter looking at everything you've ever done wrong and deciding if you should be let in. It's Jesus, God, and all the people you've ever loved that have died, standing there with their arms open wide in happy reception. All you have to do is love and live in God.

In the next part of the reading, John goes on to say that you can't hate your brother and love God. Now, he's not saying that you have to adore every person around you. My definition of hate is that if something bad were to happen to the person you'd giggle with glee without a second of remorse. Please don't tell me you feel that way about someone, 'cause it isn't healthy. The dictionary's definition of hate is "to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest". This is pretty much the same thing. So don't have a total freak-out about John's words.
However, do look at your current relationships. Being in a constant, long standing fight with someone isn't healthy for anyone. Really think about the way you've been treating people and acting and thinking about them, and think if it is justified or necessary. There are people in my classes at school that drive me nuts, and I blocked them out. Until one day I was too tired to try that. Watching them after people shut them out, I saw the hurt register on their faces, and I recognized that they wanted to fit in. They still annoy the heck out of me at times now but I try to accept them and talk to them, and I find myself almost being friends with them. Almost. And I feel a whole lot better.
Assess how you've been living your life. Is it being wasted away on frivolous thoughts and silly emotions? Try living in love for a day, not getting angry at anyone if you can help it, and even talking to the most annoying person you know. Maybe you'll be surprised, maybe you won't. What you will be is a little more secure inside yourself, even if just for a day.

~God spede

One of them

Moving up while looking down
Smiling face when heart's a frown.
Steady grip; spinning head
Empty laughter, emotions dead.

Falling over, faces high
Lightness shining, dark is nigh.
Parts of mind left buried deep;
Depths of soul you're forced to keep.

Keeling over in midst of day:
Grimly show you're not okay.
People pray it's not too late
How will you accept your fate?

Discuss your problem. Face the fear
Duck the evil! Keep love near
Follow paths and ride the dreams
See the 'full life' for all it seems

Trust the instinct. Burn your doubt
Smile and mean it, never pout.
Respect your mom and honour your dad
Live all the goodness, laugh at the bad.

My poetry seems, somehow, to have a prophetic vein regarding my life. I wrote this piece about four months ago, and a month ago I suffered a severe emotional breakdown. Suicide is not a pretty nor comforting thought, and the things that helped me through the spells are outlined here. Like I said, writing is a vent for my emotions.

~Godspede

What to do . . .

Did you ever notice how sometimes you really have no idea what you are going to do in life?
People ask me what I'm wanting to be, and my answer is usually a musical therapist, though secretly I would love to be a pastor one day (the reason this isn't my answer is because my mom and dad cling to me, not wanting their only daughter to ship off to, say, the other side of the country. I've made an agreement with my mom to try being something else for a while). The one answer I never contemplate, though, is being a writer.
I adore music and it is my passion, and I am blessed with magic fingers at instruments. However, my 'real' talent is creating stories (which is why I'm a musician: it's all in the raw emotion). I write poetry to vent, and I am currently working on several novels (one of them is my 'baby', though) and short stories. Whenever people read my work I get loaded with compliments, none of which I'll record as it is too close a step to vanity (I'm trying to follow Ecclesiastes and failing miserably, but still I try. Chief of Sinners though I be, as the hymn says). I've always been extremely wary of showing people (on, say, the internet) my work, since I don't want it stolen. However, I'm getting dangerously close to revealing it. Patience, oh my soul . . .
So, anyway, my point is that we never really think about the good of the world when deciding what we want to do for the rest of our lives. We always reach deep within and find our most stirring passion, but sometimes we don't realize the other gifts we have to offer. Whereas I have been told I have a "gift" for writing, I never considered actually doing that. Now, I've decided, I'll publish my works, but to avoid stressing about deadlines I'll have an ordinary job to support myself. When I finally get my works out there, I'll reveal my name so you can see it. Maybe.

I'll post some of my work here later, maybe in a few minutes if I'm not to lazy to find where it is stored in my room. In the meantime, think about the things you are best at, whether it be an "art" like dancing, music, writing or acting, or something as simple as being able to cook amazingly or always having a dry shoulder to cry upon. You should try to consider how you could use these gifts to help or benefit other people, even if you don't use them in your profession. Something my mother repeats as a mandate is that, even if you don't believe in a religion, you have to admit that it probably makes a few good points.

"God gave you talents as a gift. Praise God by using these gifts . . .
. . . well."

~Godspede

Is He one, is He two ... ?

" Anonymous said...

Tag!
Wie alt ist Jesus?
Ich bin Lutheran und ich gehe in die Stadt.
Ich liebe Jesus!

Est-ce que vous avez un Bible? . . ."

Translated into English, this actually has a few questions in it (it was posted by my friend who wanted to show off her impressive language skills). It means:

Hi! How old is Jesus? I am Lutheran and I go in[to] the city. I love Jesus! Do you have a Bible?

I will answer her questions in order of appearance.

Jesus' age is fairly easy to roughly calculate. His birthday, of course, is December 25 (Christmas day). For the year, think of the time division before people got really picky about respecting all the minority groups, regardless of whether or not a majority group was respected: B.C (before Christ, now changed to Before Common Era) and A.D (Anno Domine, often interpreted as After Death. Anno domine means "In the year of our Lord". Interpreted as "After Death", the whole period of Jesus' life would have no place to rest and, technically, could not exist). The turning point, year 0 or 1, is when Christ was born according to calculations by a fifth century monk. Although we must assume it is not perfect, it is as close as we can ever get as Jesus' body (and bones) are no longer on earth. So, according to this calculation Jesus will be two-thousand-and-nine (2009) years old this Christmas. Happy Birthday!

And yes, I do have a Bible, thank you for asking. Do you?

~God spede

Father God

When i think of referring to God in terms of "her", something does not compute. Jesus always referred to God as his Father, that is true.

When i look at the Trinity itself i see God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God has always appeared in the Bible as a Father figure, He does possess womanly traits but God is the Father much of humanity never had.

Isaiah 9:6 --> ... And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This passage, although it refers to the birth of Jesus, i feel also refers to the nature of God. God is three persons in one. he is the Wonderful Counsellor - Holy Spirit, Everlasting Father - God the Father, Prince of Peace - Christ Jesus.

Notice it says Prince of peace- not princess, Everlasting Father, not mother.

I am currently in the process of reading The Shack by William Golding, ( published by windblown media, 2007 ) Within it's pages, Golding talks about the nature of God and in one of the pages states:

"... I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature..."

Take from it what you will.

- Blessings

God the FATHER

". . . your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:45)
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name . . . " (opening of the famous Lord's prayer, memorized by many including myself. Found starting at Matt. 6:9)
"Jesus said, 'I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and earth . . .'" (Matt. 11:25)
"and [Jesus] said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you . . .'" (Mark 14:36)
"And [Jesus] said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?'" (Luke 2:49)
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
(All quotes are taken from the English Standard version as I was too lazy to crack open my Bible and instead found them on a searchable Internet one).

Here are a few quotes from the Gospels. I am answering the question of "How do you know that God isn't a girl?". This isn't a question just from one person in particular, rather reminded of by a friend. The simple answer is how many times God is referred to as He (with a capital "h"). It is mentioned in the Bible that Man (not woman) was formed as a likeness of God (women were taken from Adam, the first man,'s ribcage). And, most importantly, Jesus referred to God as his heavenly Father repeatedly as did others, as I showed up above.
Women's Libbers are forever going to be asking this question, trying to make the Supreme Being a woman in way of making women more powerful. The only advice I have for dealing with these people is smiling and being polite. After all, they are fighting for a worthy cause. And for you women's libbers, remember that in the ancient times, powers were passed down through the females, that England is ruled by a Queen (as a Canadian citizen, I see her picture on every coin), and that it was two women who first found Jesus' empty tomb.

~God spede

Dispute

I just had a fight with a(n ex-) friend, and as usual I feel like I've done something horribly wrong. In an odd sort of way, this is a good thing since I won't fight "for the fun of it". I feel guilty about it and I want to run and apologize (though that is what we fought about: we were already in a fight, I tried to talk about it and she got mad and took off). The Lord Jesus once said that "if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39b), but what if both cheeks are raw?
Still, later on, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'" (Luke 23:34a) ("Father" refers to Jesus' Heavenly Father, God). Evidently, Jesus intended to have us forgive everyone, as hard as it may be. And, although at the moment I feel disgusted and angered by this girl, I shouldn't hold it against her. Maybe one day she'll actually walk through the open door I'm trying to offer her instead of slamming my fingers in it (I really hope so; they are getting sore!).
One of my favourite aspects of God and Jesus is how forgiving they are. In fact, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, two criminals hung on either side of him. One hurled insults, saying that since Jesus is the Son of God he should free them all. The other criminal rebuked him, saying that they were hanging because of crimes they had committed. He continued to ask Jesus to remember him when Jesus got to Heaven. Jesus replied without a moment's hesitation that the criminal, who in his final hours proved his faith and loyalty to the Lord, would join him in Paradise (another way of saying Heaven) that day, regardless of his life of crime. (To look up this passage, scroll to the bottom of the page search the passage Luke 23:39-43. I recommend the Bible version of King James Version for a traditional tone, or the New Living Translation if you have trouble reading stuff like Shakespeare or Tolkien of Lord of the Rings). This Bible passage happens to be my favourite because of what it represents.

A little info: "hanging on the cross" refers to a Roman punishment (Jesus lived in a place and time under the Roman rule of Caesar. Ask for more information if you'd like some interesting facts on that!) of death. After various tortures (in Jesus' case, whipping, public ridicule, and carrying the heavy beam of his cross up the hill), the criminal would be nailed to the cross, one nail through a central nerve each wrist and one through each of the feet, through that little place where there is only skin, no nerves or muscles or bones (you can reach down and feel it if you like). It would hurt horrendously, especially as you would begin to be strangled as your arms stretched the skin across your neck so tight you couldn't breathe, leaving your only option for survival pushing down on the nails in your feet, tearing the skin, to lift yourself for a brief period. Of course, there comes a point where you can no longer do this, and you die. Not pretty or fun. Look it up on Wikipedia (crucifixion) for more details.

God spede (my normal Middle English sign-off, meaning may God prosper you)

De brief

Let me just mention that the point of this Blog is to delve deep into the Word and see what we come up with. Ultimately, God's Word is truth and that's what we stand by.
Feel free to disagree, you're entitled to your own opinion but innapropriate or meaningless comments will not be considered.
I will be referring to biblegateway.com and my personal TNIV Bible, published by Zondervan unless otherwise stated of course - but if i forget to otherwise state, don't hurt me. :)
Remember though that our word is not the be all and end all, we're all still learning here and if you've got input by all means...

-God Bless

Number one

First of all, I have to mention that all quotes taken from the Bible henceforth onward require this information:
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (registered). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
All the quotes will be from this version unless I state otherwise. As the description says, simply post any comments below this (and from now one, beneath the most recent blog) and I will answer as many as I can. I look forward to your questions.
I don't mind being asked things such as "How could you believe there is a God?" or "God couldn't exist, could he?". However, things such as "GOD IS DUM HE DUSNT EXIST YER DUM" aren't a question and I can't respond. I'm sorry.