The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel means that there is absolutely nothing I can do to earn my place with God, which... could be bad news, except that God didn’t want to be apart. So Jesus left heaven, was born a baby, lived a perfect life for his Dad, then died on the cross, and took my place.
But get this, Jesus didn’t stay dead! He died, was buried, laid in a tomb for three days, then came back to life by the power of God’s Spirit, and was seen alive by lots of people. Then, promising to come back, he went home to his Dad. Jesus’ Dad is happy with him because Jesus obeyed him perfectly.
Because he took my place, I get to take his place. God is happy with me, too! It’s not because of anything that I’ve done - Jesus did it all! I just have to accept what he did.
Now I’ve died with Jesus and I live with him. I’m a new creature altogether, free to live a life that makes God happy like Jesus. It is so good; this new life never stops being brand new! Thanks you, Jesus!
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Redemption Story - Day 7
Here is a redemption story. God saves people by the preaching and sharing of the gospel. He saves people by having his people tell stories to other people about how good and awesome he is. I’m one of them. God saved me because a woman at camp, back in 1999, shared how God first saved her at camp when she was a kid. Through her story, I was able to get it, that God wasn’t just for my parents, that it’s more than just something to do on Sundays. God was choosing me, so I chose him, too.
When God saves someone, he brings them into his family. It’s adoption! It means life to the dead. Belonging to those who would have no one. Love and acceptance to the unlovable and otherwise rejected.
God is my family. The Church is my family. Jesus is my big brother who loved my Dad so much that he said ‘Yes’ when Dad asked him to die for me, for all of us. The good news is that he’s not dead anymore. He’s alive! I can’t wait to see him. He is my hope for life. He’s my everything. He is worth my everything!
When God saves someone, he brings them into his family. It’s adoption! It means life to the dead. Belonging to those who would have no one. Love and acceptance to the unlovable and otherwise rejected.
God is my family. The Church is my family. Jesus is my big brother who loved my Dad so much that he said ‘Yes’ when Dad asked him to die for me, for all of us. The good news is that he’s not dead anymore. He’s alive! I can’t wait to see him. He is my hope for life. He’s my everything. He is worth my everything!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Redemption Story - Day 6
Here is a redemption story. I was bought by God and I belong to him.
Little story to tell you about a picture that was drawn today. A Chinese man with a curly mustache sat cross-legged underneath his booth with the Chinese characters hanging above his head that read: Xiao Xin Wang Huo, which means “Watch out, fire king!”
He also had a cart that sat not too far off. That was his business when he wasn’t juggling balls of fire. And a little dog sat beside that cart of his. That dog was his only family and his name was Qing.
He was a very good juggler but could never attract much of a crowd because he was a rather poor man. This man, however, was never downcast. He had a good sense of humour and always knew how to laugh about the little things. He’s the kind of guy who might be my friend if I knew him.
Hope found a home in this man’s bosom. Joy rooted deep within him. Roses of peace grew up and out from within him so that wherever he went he had a garden to share. He made his friends smile.
Little story to tell you about a picture that was drawn today. A Chinese man with a curly mustache sat cross-legged underneath his booth with the Chinese characters hanging above his head that read: Xiao Xin Wang Huo, which means “Watch out, fire king!”
He also had a cart that sat not too far off. That was his business when he wasn’t juggling balls of fire. And a little dog sat beside that cart of his. That dog was his only family and his name was Qing.
He was a very good juggler but could never attract much of a crowd because he was a rather poor man. This man, however, was never downcast. He had a good sense of humour and always knew how to laugh about the little things. He’s the kind of guy who might be my friend if I knew him.
Hope found a home in this man’s bosom. Joy rooted deep within him. Roses of peace grew up and out from within him so that wherever he went he had a garden to share. He made his friends smile.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Redemption Story - Day 5
This is a redemption story. This is a redemption story. This is a redemption story. God will save me! I am his. I am his child.
Who knew that juggling was a cardio exercise? I didn’t until just now. That’s just another thing that I am doing - taking up a new party trick that probably won’t serve me too well in the long run. But that’s OK because I got my cardio in.
This morning was exciting. I got to meet with God. I live in a very small town that has this big sports field that no one uses in the mornings. So I went there to meet God. Read the Word because that’s the primary way he speaks to me. He worth listening to, really. Got to confess some stuff to him, too, which was really freeing. He’s very forgiving.
Met a couple ladies who are servants of God out and about in the world. Asked them about their experiences in prayer. Big idea: Take small steps to move ordinary prayer to extraordinary. Next step: invite my quaddies to make prayer and Scripture reading a bigger part of what it means for us to live together. It’s important.
Who knew that juggling was a cardio exercise? I didn’t until just now. That’s just another thing that I am doing - taking up a new party trick that probably won’t serve me too well in the long run. But that’s OK because I got my cardio in.
This morning was exciting. I got to meet with God. I live in a very small town that has this big sports field that no one uses in the mornings. So I went there to meet God. Read the Word because that’s the primary way he speaks to me. He worth listening to, really. Got to confess some stuff to him, too, which was really freeing. He’s very forgiving.
Met a couple ladies who are servants of God out and about in the world. Asked them about their experiences in prayer. Big idea: Take small steps to move ordinary prayer to extraordinary. Next step: invite my quaddies to make prayer and Scripture reading a bigger part of what it means for us to live together. It’s important.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Redemption Story - Day 4
Here is a story of redemption. I am saved by God. I am a child of God.
After upgrading to Yosemite, I decided I wanted to change a couple desktop images. I found a nice one in the plant folder called ‘Summer Leaves’ of nice green maple leaves. Left it up for a few days but something really bothered me about it - the leaves were green. As a Canadian I felt they should be red. So I just finished editing it now so that they are indeed red. Looks nice, really nice. I like being Canadian.
...But apparently that’s all I have to say on that point.
If I were to tell you that I don’t know what exactly I’m doing, I would be lying. I am using my fingers to type you a story, a story about love, that I know so little about. Love great mysteries of mysteries. To be known and to know fully. Love. Love of Christ to his Bride the Church. Hmm. Self-giving love. Marriage. Man and woman together. What on earth! Beautiful! Something really holy and majestic. Not something to be understood systematically but by faith. That explains others things, too, I guess.
After upgrading to Yosemite, I decided I wanted to change a couple desktop images. I found a nice one in the plant folder called ‘Summer Leaves’ of nice green maple leaves. Left it up for a few days but something really bothered me about it - the leaves were green. As a Canadian I felt they should be red. So I just finished editing it now so that they are indeed red. Looks nice, really nice. I like being Canadian.
...But apparently that’s all I have to say on that point.
If I were to tell you that I don’t know what exactly I’m doing, I would be lying. I am using my fingers to type you a story, a story about love, that I know so little about. Love great mysteries of mysteries. To be known and to know fully. Love. Love of Christ to his Bride the Church. Hmm. Self-giving love. Marriage. Man and woman together. What on earth! Beautiful! Something really holy and majestic. Not something to be understood systematically but by faith. That explains others things, too, I guess.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Redemption Story - Day 3
Here’s a story of redemption. God keeps saving me. I am a child of
God. I long to live a cruciform life like Jesus. Today I’m asking the
Father what it looks like to lay down my life for my quaddies, without
doing it to get loved back.
Today is the Lord’s day (Sunday). I get to go to church. I skimmed an interesting article yesterday about how we might not be preparing enough to go to church, and how that might be the reason why we don’t get as much as we want out of church. The writer suggested pouring over our Sunday mornings in prayer the night before to ask for God to move among us. He listed some suggestions but here are some of my own that come to mind:
- Pray for God to convict us of sin that we would repent and turn away from it.
- Pray for the pastors, that they would teach us rightly from the Word of God.
- Pray for God to save people through the preaching.
We have real hope because Jesus actually died for us. He actually came back to life. He actually gives us power to believe and obey. Amen.
Today is the Lord’s day (Sunday). I get to go to church. I skimmed an interesting article yesterday about how we might not be preparing enough to go to church, and how that might be the reason why we don’t get as much as we want out of church. The writer suggested pouring over our Sunday mornings in prayer the night before to ask for God to move among us. He listed some suggestions but here are some of my own that come to mind:
- Pray for God to convict us of sin that we would repent and turn away from it.
- Pray for the pastors, that they would teach us rightly from the Word of God.
- Pray for God to save people through the preaching.
We have real hope because Jesus actually died for us. He actually came back to life. He actually gives us power to believe and obey. Amen.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Redemption Story - Day 2
Here’s a redemption story. God saves me. I am a child of God. I get to be defined by who God says I am rather than what I say about myself. That means that I need to listen to his voice; train my ear to hear it, eh?
I’m taking a course right now called Marriage, Singleness and Sexuality and learning lots. Theologians like Augustine place quite high prominence on the calling of Consecrated Virginity, which goes very largely unaddressed in Evangelical circles.
Conversely, others such as Pope John Paul II and Paul Evdokimov really draw out the beauty of the unity of masculinity and femininity as mutual gifts to one another, which in many ways reflects God’s divine character. What stands out in the course of these things is that there is deep mystery in human sexuality down both avenues, which reveal our need to thank God and seek him.
As a single woman looking forward in life, I find it interesting that, where most of the world around me pushes toward relationships, marriage and children, for the first time in forever there seems to be real choice between the two. Which shall I choose? I’ll wait and see.
I’m taking a course right now called Marriage, Singleness and Sexuality and learning lots. Theologians like Augustine place quite high prominence on the calling of Consecrated Virginity, which goes very largely unaddressed in Evangelical circles.
Conversely, others such as Pope John Paul II and Paul Evdokimov really draw out the beauty of the unity of masculinity and femininity as mutual gifts to one another, which in many ways reflects God’s divine character. What stands out in the course of these things is that there is deep mystery in human sexuality down both avenues, which reveal our need to thank God and seek him.
As a single woman looking forward in life, I find it interesting that, where most of the world around me pushes toward relationships, marriage and children, for the first time in forever there seems to be real choice between the two. Which shall I choose? I’ll wait and see.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Redemption Story
Here’s a story of redemption. God saved me. I am a child of God. I am
not the craziness I feel inside, though it is there and often remains a
long time, especially when I am alone. I talk to myself, a lot. And
much more, but I won’t go into to details, because I expect that someone
will read these and would at least like to safeguard my sanity,
whatever remains of it, for some time yet. But in an attempt to combat
my lunacity I would like to endeavour to write a little everyday, for at
least one week. Two hundred words a day. Exactly.
At this exact moment the two most important people in my life are Tara Knox and Nancy Pike, because geographically they are the closest to me as my next door neighbours and friends. Puzzles they are; puzzles they are. I really admire Nancy. And I really like making Tara laugh. But here’s an interesting thought: leadership. If Nancy’s in charge, ... how can I tell her that all I really want is a hug? If Nancy and Tara are best friends, how do I fit into the mix? More next time - have a goodnight!
At this exact moment the two most important people in my life are Tara Knox and Nancy Pike, because geographically they are the closest to me as my next door neighbours and friends. Puzzles they are; puzzles they are. I really admire Nancy. And I really like making Tara laugh. But here’s an interesting thought: leadership. If Nancy’s in charge, ... how can I tell her that all I really want is a hug? If Nancy and Tara are best friends, how do I fit into the mix? More next time - have a goodnight!
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