foxe's book of martyrs
One of the required readings for Church History class is John Foxe's Book of Martyrs.
Albeit mine's a newer edition, it's still got the same intense stories. It basicallly chronicles all these accounts of persecution against the Christian church, especially during Queen Mary's reign. On one hand, it'll make you frustrated with the Roman Catholic church...which is pretty pointless and dumb. And on the other hand, it puts you in awe of the grace that God gives to us to endure literally
anything. I mean, these people were getting buried alive, torn apart in lion pits, thrown into the ocean in a burlap filled with snakes and scorpions, burned at the stake, beaten absolutely senseless...
It'll make you seriously rethink your priorities in life. Or at least that's what it did for me. It's a book of examples of people who were given the grace to put God first, above even their lives.
Labels: books, spiritual, studies
intellectual suicide
Can I just be honest. I love Skillet. The heavy melodies. The overly exaggerated melodrama. Only with Skillet can you legitimately play airguitar and give the fist. I love them.
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While I'm being honest, I'll go ahead and spill some more. You know what's a struggle? Sometimes I am so tempted to think that Christianity is intellectual suicide. Some of the stuff that I learn, and some of the stuff that I don't learn because it seems glossed over, is enough to incite all kinds of doubts and whatever. But, you know what else? I'm realizing, slowly but surely, that the problem isn't with Christianity. It's not with God, it's not with Jesus. The problem is me. I choose to make my own judgment the ultimate authority for determining truth. What an imbecile thing to do! How many times have I proved my own self wrong.
Well, if "just believing" is the criteria - then why not be a Mormon, or a Neo-pagan or an Agnostic? Frankly, nothing else I've ever considered has matched up. I'm not "just believing" in the Christian God. At least Christianity corresponds with reality. Belief in Jesus actually makes a lot of good sense. I mean, it "works". Even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else, it's changed my life.
Not every question I've ever had has been answered. Many have been, but not all. And the remaining questions...God's pretty much stilled my qualms. They were stupid qualms to begin with anyway.
So, all that to say...I'm stoked for Bible college! God bless you guys.
Labels: college, spiritual
carnality close-out
Dear Andrew Murray, thank you for writing Absolute Surrender.
{ I would like to draw a straight line and ask you who believe and confess that God has given you His Spirit and who know the joy of the Holy Spirit, to take your place at the right-hand sie. Then I would ask you who have felt that you are still carnal, to come to the left side and say, "God, I must confess that my Christian life is for the most part carnal,
under the power of the flesh." Then I would tell you that you cannot save yourselves from the flesh or get rid of it. You must come to Christ afresh; He can lift you over into the new life.
You belong to Christ and He belongs to you; what you need is to cast yourselves upon Him and He will reveal the power of His crucifixion in you, to give you
victory over the flesh. Cast yourselves, with the confessin of sin, and utter helplessness, at the feet of the Lamb of God. He will give you deliverance.
That brings me to my final thought:
We must take the decisive step in faith that Christ is able to keep us. It is not only a belief; it is not a consecration in any sense of its being in our powers; it is not a surrender by the strength of our will. These aspects may be present, but the principal thing is that
we look to Christ to keep us today, tomorrow, the next day, and always; we must receive the life of God within us.
We want a life that will last not only until another "revival" but until death takes us home. We want, by the grace of God, to experience the almighty indwelling and saving power of Christ and all that God can do for us.
...
Come to Christ and
disregard whether there is any new experience, any feeling, any excitement, any light, or only apparent darkness. Come and
stand upon the Word of God. The Father
promises His Holy Spirit to every hungry child.
Will He not give it to you? }
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New from the home front: What happens when I'm back home with my weird (but all the more lovable) parents?
Well, my mom calls a 1-800 number and tries to order "Alfonso Rivera's pop-and-lock" after watching an old commercial on YouTube advertising it. Much to our (but mainly her) disappointment, this product has apparently been off the shelves for at least two decades. And I'm sure the lady who answered that call is probably still confused.
Labels: family, spiritual
apologetics
Lately I've been seeing the scores of opportunities to share my faith. Jeanette talked to this guy about God in line at Wal-Mart. We also got to talk to a girl from Enterprise while she gave us a ride back to college. People have all kinds of stories and reasons for what they believe.
California isn't Japan. There isn't a language barrier and people know "church". And more often than not, when people find out you're a Christian, or that you're "religious", they ask questions. They're trying to figure out something.
Apologetics is relevant.
Labels: spiritual, studies
pray 4 our philipino madre
Sandra is pretty much our mom, and she takes great care of us.
As she prepares to begin a work in Italy it seems like she's having to undergo trial after trial. Last week the back windshield of her van busted out, so Shannon and I had to go after it with a screwdriver and a wrench (which was actually kinda fun). But between the hurdles she's also balancing being a wife, a mom to three young kids, and serving nonstop at CC Okinawa.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
[Ephesians 6:12]
butYou, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater than the one
who is in the world. [1 john 4:4]
She's a testimony to God's ablility to renew our strength so we can continue joyfully in his service!
Labels: friends, heroes, prayer, spiritual
worship at the shore
今日 の あさ わたし たち は 海 え 生きます。 Did I write this right?? Well, today we went to the oceanside to commemorate our 3/4ths-of-the-way-through-this-semester mark. Pastor Tom encouraged us from Haggai 2 (as did Michelle earlier this week), and exhorted us to stray strong and finish well.
Boys in a teacup.
Our humble backseaters, Djudji Michelle Misty and Nicky.
I was looking around at everybody and wondering where they will be in 20 years. And how many of them will end up on the mission field? Continue to pray that our futures will be spent faithfully serving our Redeemer wherever in the world we end up!
Labels: beach, music, spiritual
South Korea: day 2
Day 2: To Cheonan!
>There we visited KSoM (Korean School of Ministry) and had some lunch with the students. I'm pretty much obsessed with mandoo.
We learned a lot about the church in Korea. There are many truly devoted believers with a passion for missions here, but there are also many cults, like the Moonies. Also, the church is influenced by shamanistic beliefs that hinder their relationship with God.
This building is actually used by a Korean witch doctor.
Then we drove to a mountain top where many people are drawn to worship this huge statue of Buddha.
These stairs almost killed us.
It was heartbreaking to see people bowing before the lifeless statue of a man instead of the living Son of God. That they would know the One who loves them!
These tiles are bought at a high price so people can inscribe their prayers on them, that their prayers might become part of a temple.
You can also pray for Pastor Victor and his fam. He has a vision to learn the Korean language extensively and then take the Gospel into North Korea.
Shannon and Nicky, I hope those tasted good and were worth getting into trouble over.
Then we hauled it to a public college where Mike teaches an English class. He asked us to pick our favorite verse from the Bible and then speak on it. At the end, a guy was wondering what book we were reading from, and when we told him it was from the Bible he planned on going to a church and getting one. Awesome.
More mandooooo. Dude, I can't get enough of this stuff.
Whew, so that was day two, and sadly it was also our last night there. We were wiped, so we all knocked out pretty quick.
Labels: food, ministry, south korea, spiritual
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