wow
Ascension Day
40 days after the resurrection. (Acts 1:3)
It's this Thursday!
anyone have good celebration ideas? :)
has anyone else thought of this before? Ascension Day?
i sure haven't
but why not?!
in fact, if i only got to choose one "holy-day"
i'd take this.
forget Christmas and Easter.
that God would become a man
is an astonishing miracle.
that God would die to give me (us) life,
that God would, on top of that, defeat death,
is twice as absurd. and twice the miracle.
that God would ascend to heaven after these things,
that is, God would sit down on his rightful throne
as King
is...
logical?
not so unexpected perhaps?
it really isn't a miracle.
He's freaking God!
of course he would do that.
well,
i suppose it's this... expectation of ours
which causes us to downplay things.
because while it may not be so absurd,
i think it's safe to say that this is the
BIGGEST
thing he could ever do.
it's the most important.
it's the whole point, you know?
okay, this may sound a little funny,
but sometimes i start thinking...
even if God never came to earth,
even if he never died for us,
even if he never rose from the dead,
he still deserves our praise
our worship
our lives.
why?
for one,
he made us.
on top of that,
he is just plain worthy of it
-for who he IS
and for the things he has DONE.
methinks there's a lot of complicated theology in all this,
but don't worry about it.
the point of what i'm saying
is that
God is GOD.
as one of his disciples,
i don't love and serve and follow him
just because
he loved me first.
i do those things because he is God.
this is why you serve a King.
if he is a King as loving as God, then that's incredible!
if he rules such a wonderful Kingdom, that's great!
now, if the Rightful King
is a bad king,
perhaps you would choose to rebel.
BUT
it does not change the fact that
he
IS the Rightful King.
And as such, he is the rightful recipient
of your service, your loyalty, your life.
dear reader, this is how a monarchy works.
do you understand?
because this is how things are.
to quote the great theologian, Bob Dylan: you gotta serve somebody.
you are part of some kingdom. and kingdoms have kings.
and YOU are subject to one.
in this world, you can practically break everything down into just two kingdoms.
YOU get to decide (for now) which one you will subject yourself to.
first is what we'll call "the kingdom of darkness"
and generally we name Satan as the king of this.
second is "the kingdom of heaven"
it is the kingdom of God.
(Colossians 1:13 is a quick picture of this)
God created the world. it is his kingdom.
but we committed treason in subjecting ourselves to the kingdom of darkness and its ruler.
nevertheless,
God is the original, true, Rightful King.
(the ENTIRE reason that Jesus came was to usher [back] in his kingdom, and to let as many people know about it as possible so that they could join him. Matthew 4:17)
it's pivotal that you understand this before we move on...
so
why Ascension Day?
read Luke 24:50-52 real quick...
"When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy."
(there, now you have no excuse not to)
why are they happy?
when Jesus was around they were pretty content.
then he died. and things got pretty depressing.
then he's back alive! with them again!
and now...
he's leaving?
after just 40 days
but there's not a single tear shed
in fact, it seems like they're happier than ever.
why?
now look at Daniel 7:9-14
(i'll summarize the first bit)
first we get a picture of God's throne. (it's pretty cool :))
next we see a beast, Satan, slain and destroyed.
then in verses 13 and 14...
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
so there's this "son of man."
a man.
he approaches God. comes into God's presence.
do you see what he is given? (sound anything like Matthew 28:18?)
Authority
Glory
Sovereign Power
Everlasting Dominion
a Kingdom
people worship him
it's Jesus!
at first glance, it sounds like something from end times.
but this is where Jesus is brought TO God.
this is a picture of what is happening AFTER that bit from Luke 24.
THIS
is what happens when Jesus ascends to heaven.
now whether or not it has "already" happened i don't quite understand.
it's not important.
God exists outside of time, so it probably doesn't work that way anyways. :)
so yes, it's already happened. it's happening right now too. and it's going to happen tomorrow.
THE POINT
is that Jesus
is now the King.
Jesus is Lord.
this is HUGE
this is EVERYTHING
Can you think of the last time God ruled as king of the earth?
Eden.
Is there anything to make us think his kingdom will be any different now?
he descended to earth
-giving us a picture of the King and his kingdom!
"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)
he died for us and defeated death
-giving us access to the King and his kingdom!
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." Colossians 1:13
and now...
Jesus has ascended to heaven.
the Rightful King has returned to power.
Happy Ascension Day
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
humility
in some ways i can be humble...
really.
but i realize more and more, especially lately, that i am incredibly proud.
i want to be humble like Jesus.
i want to be so humble that i don't have secrets.
so humble that i'm excited to proclaim every embarrassing fact about myself,
every stupid thing i do.
so humble that i don't get embarrassed.
i want to be so humble that i never think of myself as the best at anything.
and so humble that i would never take the time to pity myself for being bad at anything.
i want to be so humble that i can truly love other people.
i want to be so humble that i don't have to argue.
so humble that other people aren't able to upset me.
i want to be so humble that i never complain.
so humble that i never gripe about Georgia Tech.
i want to be so humble that i rejoice at the opportunity to let others help me in my weaknesses.
i want to be so humble that i truly acknowledge only God satisfies.
only God is worthy.
i want to be so humble that i would be a servant.
so humble that getting out of bed in the morning isn't a fight.
i want to be so humble that i always use my time for others before i take time for myself.
i want to be so humble that other people notice when they first meet me...
and so humble that i don't ever think that.
really.
but i realize more and more, especially lately, that i am incredibly proud.
i want to be humble like Jesus.
i want to be so humble that i don't have secrets.
so humble that i'm excited to proclaim every embarrassing fact about myself,
every stupid thing i do.
so humble that i don't get embarrassed.
i want to be so humble that i never think of myself as the best at anything.
and so humble that i would never take the time to pity myself for being bad at anything.
i want to be so humble that i can truly love other people.
i want to be so humble that i don't have to argue.
so humble that other people aren't able to upset me.
i want to be so humble that i never complain.
so humble that i never gripe about Georgia Tech.
i want to be so humble that i rejoice at the opportunity to let others help me in my weaknesses.
i want to be so humble that i truly acknowledge only God satisfies.
only God is worthy.
i want to be so humble that i would be a servant.
so humble that getting out of bed in the morning isn't a fight.
i want to be so humble that i always use my time for others before i take time for myself.
i want to be so humble that other people notice when they first meet me...
and so humble that i don't ever think that.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
hero
i feel like i've posted the picture at the bottom before
on xanga at least
but oh well
a few things that have been on my heart lately:
vision- read Joel 2:28
prayer- read Isaiah 61 and 62 for starters
action
prayer > vision > prayer > action
might even put more prayer after action
prayer is pretty important
it's everything
we were looking at John 1...
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).
i thought it was need that the FIRST thing Andrew did was actually to just go BE with Jesus.
that's the prayer part for us.
anyways
the hardest thing is finding the vision in the first place
the passion
the drive that praying like a madman springs from
the vision that is really quite naturally followed by action
and that is what i'm searching for.
enough passion to pay the costs that are in the way.
passion for prayer. because i realize how important and needed it is...
and passion to act.
because i want to be these people, in a way.
and i rarely feel like i am.
on xanga at least
but oh well
a few things that have been on my heart lately:
vision- read Joel 2:28
prayer- read Isaiah 61 and 62 for starters
action
prayer > vision > prayer > action
might even put more prayer after action
prayer is pretty important
it's everything
we were looking at John 1...
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).
i thought it was need that the FIRST thing Andrew did was actually to just go BE with Jesus.
that's the prayer part for us.
anyways
the hardest thing is finding the vision in the first place
the passion
the drive that praying like a madman springs from
the vision that is really quite naturally followed by action
and that is what i'm searching for.
enough passion to pay the costs that are in the way.
passion for prayer. because i realize how important and needed it is...
and passion to act.
because i want to be these people, in a way.
and i rarely feel like i am.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
a prayer: Qanna + hebrews 2:18
i wrote this in my journal recently.
this is one of those particularly personal ones that i just felt like sharing...
God, why do I feel like you can't satisfy me?
Just yesterday I asked for just a little taste. Surely that should be enough?
But where are you then? Because right now I don't want you.
Save me!
I know that it is temptation I fight. But I feel like a starving man rejecting bread.
It's torture. It's hard. And I don't believe I can stand it forever.
God, I fall far short of you. I confess that I do not truly acknowledge your love. Your greatness. Your glory. Your perfection.
You are life. You are joy. And while I know this, I can hardly believe or accept it, right now.
That is sin.
And even more... I also doubt your power. A piece of me says it acknowledges that you made the world and everything in it. That you weigh the islands as though they were fine dust. That you could destroy everything with one word from your mouth.
But once again, my heart doubts. Because if I truly understood and believed then I would know and see that your strength is enough to deliver me. I would trust that, because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those, like me, who are being tempted.
I am broken, messy, needy. And I want to let other gods fix it.
I am ashamed God, but honest.
This is exactly how we're supposed to come to you, right?
Why is the darkness so much more comfortable?
Why is building my own fire so much easier? And why am I so convinced that last time I made one it was warmer than yours?
I don't understand it.
We never do, do we? When we are being attacked I mean.
Do we need to?
I guess not. I just figured it would be easier if we knew where we belonged. But we do! I do. I know it when I choose to leave you.
It's the "why" that doesn't make sense.
But I don't think we need to know this. Who questions where they belong if they know they belong there?!
I belong to you.
I belong with you.
Please make me confident of this. Mark me.
Hold me.
I know you love me.
You make me whole.
You will protect me.
You just did.
this is one of those particularly personal ones that i just felt like sharing...
God, why do I feel like you can't satisfy me?
Just yesterday I asked for just a little taste. Surely that should be enough?
But where are you then? Because right now I don't want you.
Save me!
I know that it is temptation I fight. But I feel like a starving man rejecting bread.
It's torture. It's hard. And I don't believe I can stand it forever.
God, I fall far short of you. I confess that I do not truly acknowledge your love. Your greatness. Your glory. Your perfection.
You are life. You are joy. And while I know this, I can hardly believe or accept it, right now.
That is sin.
And even more... I also doubt your power. A piece of me says it acknowledges that you made the world and everything in it. That you weigh the islands as though they were fine dust. That you could destroy everything with one word from your mouth.
But once again, my heart doubts. Because if I truly understood and believed then I would know and see that your strength is enough to deliver me. I would trust that, because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those, like me, who are being tempted.
I am broken, messy, needy. And I want to let other gods fix it.
I am ashamed God, but honest.
This is exactly how we're supposed to come to you, right?
Why is the darkness so much more comfortable?
Why is building my own fire so much easier? And why am I so convinced that last time I made one it was warmer than yours?
I don't understand it.
We never do, do we? When we are being attacked I mean.
Do we need to?
I guess not. I just figured it would be easier if we knew where we belonged. But we do! I do. I know it when I choose to leave you.
It's the "why" that doesn't make sense.
But I don't think we need to know this. Who questions where they belong if they know they belong there?!
I belong to you.
I belong with you.
Please make me confident of this. Mark me.
Hold me.
I know you love me.
You make me whole.
You will protect me.
You just did.
Friday, April 11, 2008
peace
darn
i just realized i missed my 4th xanga anniversary by about a month
a while back i planned on celebrating
how crazy
to think i can look back 4 years ago at what was going on in my life from week to week
from a sophomore in high school to a sophomore in college
anyways
i shouldn't be on here now
it's 2:20
and i'm tired
and i have German homework due at 11
i've been really really busy
not necessarily all bad busy
but busy nonetheless
i need a moment to just let out a "BLAH"
:)
it's good that God has been close to my heart this week
and my mind too!
that's the hardest part for me
having God on my mind
i wish i could sing the first part of this one Misty Edwards song with 100% honesty...
"Always On His Mind"
Lord, I will seek You
On my bed, think upon You
In the day, I'll dream of You
You're always on my mind
With my whole heart I'll love You
With my mind and my strength too
Waste my life searching for You
You're always on my mind
Though I'm poor and needy, the Lord thinks upon me
Though His name is Holy, I'm always on His mind - I'm always on His mind
Though I'm weak and lowly, the Lord thinks about me
Though He's high and lofty, I'm always on His mind - I'm always on His mind
I'm in love with god
God's in love with me
Hey - Yeah
How far will You let me go? How abandoned will You let me be?
this worked out even better than i thought :)
i think he wants me to write this
because i was just going to say next that i'm thankful he holds me close despite my crazy mind.
exactly what the 2nd half says.
haha
and Nate talked about peace the other night
i completely forgot about that
i have been rather peaceful this week
despite many stresses
that's good :)
i just reread what i wrote on november 11, 2007
it goes with this well
God loves me :)
The work God has given me today is finished.
i just realized i missed my 4th xanga anniversary by about a month
a while back i planned on celebrating
how crazy
to think i can look back 4 years ago at what was going on in my life from week to week
from a sophomore in high school to a sophomore in college
anyways
i shouldn't be on here now
it's 2:20
and i'm tired
and i have German homework due at 11
i've been really really busy
not necessarily all bad busy
but busy nonetheless
i need a moment to just let out a "BLAH"
:)
it's good that God has been close to my heart this week
and my mind too!
that's the hardest part for me
having God on my mind
i wish i could sing the first part of this one Misty Edwards song with 100% honesty...
"Always On His Mind"
Lord, I will seek You
On my bed, think upon You
In the day, I'll dream of You
You're always on my mind
With my whole heart I'll love You
With my mind and my strength too
Waste my life searching for You
You're always on my mind
Though I'm poor and needy, the Lord thinks upon me
Though His name is Holy, I'm always on His mind - I'm always on His mind
Though I'm weak and lowly, the Lord thinks about me
Though He's high and lofty, I'm always on His mind - I'm always on His mind
I'm in love with god
God's in love with me
Hey - Yeah
How far will You let me go? How abandoned will You let me be?
this worked out even better than i thought :)
i think he wants me to write this
because i was just going to say next that i'm thankful he holds me close despite my crazy mind.
exactly what the 2nd half says.
haha
and Nate talked about peace the other night
i completely forgot about that
i have been rather peaceful this week
despite many stresses
that's good :)
i just reread what i wrote on november 11, 2007
it goes with this well
God loves me :)
The work God has given me today is finished.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
anastasia
For 60 % you are: You're Anastasia. You're confused and want to know who you are, because you don't have your real I deep in the heart, just some memories of the girl you would be if some things would went quite other way then they did. Stop judging yourself and searching for answers around. They are deep within your soul.
that's exciting,
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