remembrance

  • Saved

    Thirty years ago, November 29, 1989, I was lying in bed listening to a preacher on the radio talk about the importance of being "saved" by the Lord Jesus Christ... how to have one's sins forgiven, and receive eternal life guaranteed as a free gift from God, because of Jesus' death in which Jesus paid for our sins.

    The preacher said that this was extremely simple to do - simply ask Jesus to save me. I realized that I had never done this, and that it was something everyone should do.

    So that night I asked Jesus to save me. I don't remember the words, but I understood that I was a sinner and that He offered free forgiveness to me, and I just asked Him for it.

    Afterward, for the first time in my life, I had peace and confidence about my eternal status before God and about life after death. I was no longer trusting in my own goodness to make me acceptable in His sight, but trusting in Jesus' goodness. I had been "born again", adopted into the family of God.

    I've since learned more about Him, and more reasons to believe in Him and trust Him. I've seen my own sin more and more clearly, but His promise of forgiveness still holds. I've learned that God never lets go or gives up on His adopted children.

    "...He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:11-12)

  • Uncool Prof

    I've been thinking recently about two of my math professors in college. One was extremely popular, witty, funny, young, energetic, (married), etc. Another was extremely unpopular, frumpy, elderly, awkward, (single), etc.
    CoolProf was in high demand from students and others. UncoolProf was avoided, and even mocked behind his back.
    While CoolProf had a great influence on me, I have been realizing over the years that UncoolProf also had a good influence on me.... and even more now in this period of my life than at that time. While his style of teaching was not flashy/witty/cool, his steady plodding, shaky whiteboard drawings, and grading taught me what I needed to know in those calculus courses.
    Furthermore, his persistence in faithfully teaching students within that Christian college environment has born good fruit. He set an example of teaching faithfully despite year-after-year unpopularity (and perhaps loneliness). I look back and see his life as a powerful testimony and example for my life. At the time it seemed that he was a loser (especially compared to the CoolProfs). In hindsight, his work bore good fruit and he will receive a far bigger reward directly from God than any earthly popularity could match.

  • Groundswell

    Thoughts on this Friday night...

    1. I am very grateful for the good group of students God has given us / me, at this point in my life.
    2. I am thankful for a job, for freedom, for health, for food & water, for family & friends, for the privileges of singleness (despite the downsides), for the repeated & continuing opportunities God has given me to glorify Him (although I flub most of them).
    3. I am thankful that King Jesus will come eventually, and right all the wrongs in the world, and bring complete justice, and an end to war and evil.
    4. I am thankful that King Jesus has taken my punishment, the punishment that I deserved for the evil I have done (and will do)... and He has paid it Himself... and has given me His righteousness... and now His joy, hope, peace, etc.  May it spread to more people!

  • Singleness - collection of articles and links, February 2015

    Here are some good articles about singleness, dating, romance, etc.  I loosely categorized them below.  I also listed some of my own articles in the mix - the ones listed from xanga.com.   I hope these are helpful and a blessing to you.  I am not an expert, but one thing I know - Jesus Christ is worth everything.

    Foundational reminders about eternity, and the theological significance of our singleness

     Articles exhorting to use the current single life to its fullest

    More 'testimonial'-type articles

    Practical/how-to articles regarding dating/courtship/living-amidst-peer-pressure-as-a-single/etc

      

  • Courtship

    This is an interesting article about 'courtship'.  By 'interesting', I'm not saying I agree with it, nor that I disagree with it... it is simply 'interesting' for now...

    http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed/

     

  • Humans of New York

    If you've never gotten a chance to view the photoblog "Humans of New York", it might be worth your time sometime.  https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork

    Also, here's a video by the author, Brandon, explaining his method. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPxzlGPrM3A

    It prompted me tonight to consider several thoughts.  First, what would I say if he photographed me on the street?  If he just asked me for a quote, I'd probably give a quote from Jesus, like Jesus' statement "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

    Or, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

    Or (OT quote) "delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

    Such quotes, from the Bible, are the pithiest, most powerful, most accurate, etc, quotes I can think of... far better than anything coming from me directly.

    If he'd asked me to share my 'proudest moment', I'd have to say I don't really have one.  I've had some moments when I did the right thing under pressure, but I know it was God helping me at that moment - I can't take credit.  If he asked me to share my 'most embarrassing moment', I'd have such a huge collection of them, I wouldn't know where to start.  I am the most awkward and embarrassing person I know.  I have to daily force myself to try to forget all my awkward moments that happen every few days or even more frequently...   Likewise if he asked me to share moments I was most ashamed of.  I am the worst person I know.  I am so thankful to Jesus for forgiving me and taking my punishment that I deserved.

    If, as Brandon described on his methods video, he asked me to share some things I've learned in the past, I'd probably echo something that was once spoken at a high school graduation I attended.  The speaker said to the new graduates, "Right now everyone is showering you with compliments and telling you how amazing and talented you are. The first step in growing up and becoming a mature adult is to learn to not believe them."  Or "to learn to tune them out" or something like that.   In hindsight, having lived a few decades, that speaker was absolutely right.  Advice: don't think you're so great.  As the Bible says, "Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord.  (And He will lift you up.)"   (As the Bible says, "be swift to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.")

    Likewise in the story Jesus told - "... the tax collector was unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, but prayed 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'  I tell you the truth, this man went back to his house justified, and not the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

    Another thought - my huge desire, for Brandon and all his millions of readers, is that they would come to know TRUE LIFE in Jesus.  I don't know what his personal beliefs are, but I read what the stated beliefs of many of his photo subjects are, and they don't seem to know Jesus.  If I shared about Jesus with Brandon, maybe he would walk away, post it to his blog, think, 'hmm, interesting philosophy', and move on to the next person and forget all about it...  without realizing that Jesus is the central Person of the universe, and that friendship with Him is by far the most important friendship worth having... etc.  Not just 'friendship', but salvation - cleansing - forgiveness - righteousness - being 'born again' and 'adopted' and brought into intimate relationship with the Creator.    God, I pray that you would miraculously save Brandon, and many of his readers and photo subjects!!  Likewise so many of my unsaved friends... God, please have mercy on them, and open their eyes to salvation!

    A final thought that came to mind - there will come a day when EVERY story will be revealed... every person in New York, and every person around the world, who has ever lived.  We will all watch and listen, and finally understand everything about everyone, including all that person's secret and public words, thoughts, actions, history, longings, heroic and detestable deeds, etc.   As Jesus said, "nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light." (Luke 8:17)

    We are in a tapestry that is still being woven.  Soon our part will be finished.  But also, soon, we will see the whole thing, and how it comes together.

     

  • waiting on God's promises

     

    1 Samuel 19 -

    "11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. ....

    18 Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth."

     

    Samuel was the one who had anointed David originally, with the message that he would be king of Israel some day (1 Samuel 16).   David believed God, and Samuel his prophet, and this probably helped him in his bold exploits like fighting Goliath, etc... it must have been pretty nifty to have a prophecy spoken over you that you would some day be king... if the prophecy came from a trustworthy spokesperson of God (since God knows the future), one could be certain that one would not die before becoming king, and that would tend to give one great boldness in battle and life in general.

    However, David's success as a soldier and general caused the existing king, Saul, to become envious of him and try to kill him, multiple times and over the course of many years  (1 Samuel 18ff).  David could have simply fought against Saul and captured the kingship.  But interestingly, he did not, though he repeatedly had "perfect opportunities" to do so, including twice sneaking up behind Saul when he had no protectors.  Instead, David kept running and hiding and fleeing, rather than fight against King Saul (who was also his father-in-law!).

    1 Samuel 24 relates one of these times, when David was close enough behind King Saul to secretly cut off a piece of his robe, without Saul even noticing.  David's men urged David to kill Saul.  But he refused, saying "I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed."  In other words, David resolved to wait until he could have the kingship "in the right way", rather than seizing it for himself "the wrong way" out of impatience.

    He believed (enough) in God's promise, such that he was content to wait, and wait, and wait.

    From whence came this faith/trust?

    Probably from many factors... but perhaps one of these factors was this brief meeting with Samuel in 1 Samuel 19:18.   David was telling Samuel.... "Remember, you anointed me the future king!?!? But then why is all this happening to me?  The king is trying to take my life!?  Where is God?  I try to follow God and do the right thing, and what do I get for it?  I'm on the run for my life.  My own king, the one I have served sincerely and faithfully, is trying to take me out.  Why?  What's the point of continuing this approach of 'waiting' and 'doing things the right way'??"

    What did Samuel tell David?  ...that old prophet, who had counseled and provided justice for thousands of Israelites over the years, who had originally anointed Saul and had seen Saul's heartbreaking perfidy and turning-away from God... then had anointed David but had not yet seen the fulfillment of his prophecy.

    His words are not recorded.  But he apparently listened to David, went with him on a trip to a town where he could be temporary safer, and gave him some powerful advice, which kept David on the path of walking with God for the next few months or years.  Many times in our lives too, the advice of an older godly person at the right moment can be extremely beneficial.   Maybe Samuel shared with David what he had seen in his own life, that God's answers to prayer are often very slow, but worth waiting for... and that God always keeps his promises.

  • Hooray!

    Hooray!   Thank You, God!

    http://tim223.xanga.com/717341168/november-29th-1989/

  • prayer request

    "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 14:11, cf. Psalm 32:9

    There is an easy way to humility, and there is a hard way to humility.  Please pray for me that this year (starting tonight) would be a year (and beyond) of 'easy humility', not 'hard humility'!

     

    "There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing." - Proverbs 12:18

    Please pray for me that I would not "speak rashly like the thrusts of a sword", but that my tongue would be wise and healing this year (and beyond)!

     

  • whom to believe?

    my feelings are telling me that there's a huge hole in my life - a biting, painful, frigid, icy, ragged, broken, throbbing, void of emptiness and loss.

    my (new) mind is telling me that yes there is a hole, but it is negligibly miniscule, transient, temporary, and essentially irrelevant in view of the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.

    who will I believe, and what percent of the time, and to what extent?

tim223

(I use 'tags' and 'categories' almost interchangeably... see below)

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