thanksgiving
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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.- 11:36 pm
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Joy Villa chose life
Joy Villa is now glad she chose life! Great op-ed about the value of human life:
- 6:25 pm
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Two good articles
Here are two good articles, the first about contentment and the second about marriage.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/do-you-wake-up-discontent
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/matrimony-no-more
- 10:40 pm
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Groundswell
Thoughts on this Friday night...
- I am very grateful for the good group of students God has given us / me, at this point in my life.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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!
- 11:05 pm
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Over there
Today I drove past an interesting sight...
A cow was grazing in a beautiful, well-watered, pasture... but instead of enjoying the lush green grass in the pasture, the cow was reaching over the barbed wire fence, straining to try to eat some tree leaves on the other side of the fence.
I'm sure there was some reason... but I found it hilarious and illustrative. God gives us so much and so many good blessings in our lives. Often though, we hunger for what is outside the bounds of what God has given to us, instead of focusing on and enjoying what He has given to us.
"...Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." -- Psalm 37:3b
- 10:28 pm
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afraid of death?
Today I read this interesting article ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/04/04/tech-titans-latest-project-defy-death/ ), about how lots of rich philanthropists are trying to invest in medical technologies to expand their lifespans to 150 years or so.
It's a thought-provoking article, but it basically highlights the fact that most people are afraid of death. In fact, most people try not to think about it.
In contrast, those of us who know Jesus Christ and are aware of the evidence that He actually rose from the dead are able to be unafraid of death. It's not that we are naturally more peace-filled people, but instead that we have heard the good news report (and believed it). We know that while death is indeed an enemy, it is only temporary for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ. Soon we too will be resurrected to eternal life, never to die, and will live in happiness forever. As the Bible says in Hebrews 2:14-15:
"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."
Happy Resurrection Day!
- 4:57 pm
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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
- http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/for-single-men-and-women-and-the-rest-of-us - great reminder about eternity.
- http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/sex-and-the-single-person - from John Piper, great practical points at the end of this link (though with caveat from me on #8)
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/20-quotes-on-loneliness - good quotes from Paul Matthies on loneliness and singleness, with testimony
- My articles: http://tim223.xanga.com/2011/10/17/true-love-sex-purity-and-jesus-christ/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2010/06/24/700/ (marriage is momentary) and http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/02/14/625/ (singleness will not be forever)
Articles exhorting to use the current single life to its fullest
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/love-the-single-chapter-of-your-life - use this "single chapter" as a gift, to do what ministries are too difficult for marrieds/families to do and to do what we ourselves may be unable to do in the future
- http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2011/dont-waste-your-disappointment - from Elizabeth Adams
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/nine-lies-in-the-not-yet-married-life - reminders to focus on developing character now, not then.
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/single-satisfied-and-sent-mission-for-the-not-yet-married
- http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtlife/2014/04/david-platt-dont-squander-your-singleness/
More 'testimonial'-type articles
- http://www.worldmag.com/2014/12/wrestling_with_god - testimony written by Sophia Lee in Los Angeles, well said.
- http://cbmw.org/uncategorized/the-god-who-knows-the-end-of-your-singleness/ - good testimony by a 37-year old single.
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-single-man-s-journey-to-sexual-happiness - Idolatry vs satisfaction in Jesus. Easy to say, completely true, hard to live.
- Mosab Hassan Yosef, talking about his life as a new Christian in Los Angeles, in the final few minutes of The Green Prince documentary
- My articles: http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/10/14/763/ - a great quote from Ann Kiemel Anderson , http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/11/14/634/ - "thy Jesus can repay from His own fullness all He takes away" , http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/06/20/726/ - "Love and Respect" - for singles? , http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/04/22/735/ - "Affections of the heart cannot simply be removed, they must be replaced." "God's School of Maturity" – http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/02/04/742/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/02/16/741/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/10/21/760/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2008/10/27/638/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/09/22/768/ and http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/02/17/623/
Practical/how-to articles regarding dating/courtship/living-amidst-peer-pressure-as-a-single/etc
- This article has a great mixture of all of the above, including the theological foundations: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/10-questions-on-dating-with-matt-chandler
- http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/things-its-ok-feel-when-youre-single - great empathy, written by Paul Maxwell, for those of us who receive much advice... he also well describes the distrust and disdain we singles sometimes receive from others.
- http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed/ and http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2014/08/courtship-fundamentally-flawed-qa/ - Thomas Umstattd's infamous and very thought-provoking posts from August 2014, which he is now turning into a book “Courtship in Crisis”, available June 2015... it's mostly about the cons of courtship and the pros of the older methods of dating, so it's more focused on "methods" than on "fundamental underlying principles and rationales." But he describes the pros and cons of courtship very vividly.
- A set of excellent articles by Elisabeth Adams about singleness: http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2013/odd-man-out and http://www.boundless.org/relationships/2012/whats-a-guy-to-do and http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2015/when-i-fear-the-future
- http://goodguyswag.com/how-to-pray-for-your-future-wife/
- https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-8-practical-advice-singles-1-corinthians-7
- http://www.thomasumstattd.com/2015/02/kissing-sex-jesus-flavored-bubblegum/ a more recent post by Thomas Umstattd, about the gospel, purity, sex, etc.
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/when-the-not-yet-married-meet-dating-to-display-jesus - some tips on dating from a single man - somewhat oversimplified, but might be helpful.
- Set of 3 articles on dating in USA, from World Magazine: http://www.worldmag.com/2011/05/christian_boy_meets_christian_girl http://www.worldmag.com/2011/05/a_man_s_world http://www.worldmag.com/2011/05/refocused
- My articles: http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/10/25/555/ - "my thoughts about relationships with girls" AND "tactics I've found helpful" , http://tim223.xanga.com/2009/04/20/things-i-learned-from-my-first-and-only-romantic-relationship/ , http://tim223.xanga.com/2007/07/06/788/ - links about courtship, http://tim223.xanga.com/2010/06/08/702/ - this one is more about church life than about dating, but slightly relevant
- 1:13 pm
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Jyra, the 250cc Honda Nighthawk
sixty miles per gallon! plus it is very very fun. I am very happy and thankful.
- 12:33 am
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Memorial Day
... a day to gratefully remember those who have given their lives in service to our country and who are currently serving. I am thankful. Yet I can't help thinking that our country needs hardship more than it needs peace, to straighten out many of its problems (i.e. by pointing it back to God). May God's will be done (in the coming election and beyond).
... a day also to remember one's own life. God has been so good to me. Loving and God-focused family, physical provision, many friends and especially a few very close friends, but most of all, The Gift of Jesus Christ coming to earth and dying for me / to pay for my sins, so that I could live with Him and the rest of the redeemed people in heaven forever. Wow.
... one year ago today, life was extremely exciting, and also confusing and stressful. Today, life is still confusing and stressful, but it is rather more 'bleak' than 'exciting'... except for heaven, which is hopefully coming soon. God lovingly removes the (relatively) cheap treasures of our lives so we can better see the value of the genuine treasure He has already given to us (those of us who are believers in Christ)....
"...God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
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Thanksgiving
Full, complete, surrender/obedience to God is so very hard. But it is a very exciting and peaceful place. I wish I could / hope I can spend more time there.
God gives, and then He takes away. He gives wonderful, beautiful, wholesome, delightful blessings, and then He withers them, kills them, rips them away and gives them to someone else. Not because He is cruel, but because He will do whatever it takes to fix my gaze and my hope upon Him. Because He loves me, and He knows that only if I am satisfied in Him will I be truly satisfied and filled-full.
Specifically, God has given and God has taken away in my life this year.
Am I "thankful"? Yes. I would like to go on record as saying, "Yes." I choose to be thankful. God IS good... so I have seen, and so I will continue to believe. As I said to a friend a while back, "I will learn in time to accept this as another good thing from God's hand." He has been kind and loving to me in the past, far beyond what I deserve, and I have reason to hope that He is being loving to me right now, even when I can't see it... and I have reason to believe He will be kind and loving to me in the future. Forever. Do I always feel thankful? No. I am a fickle and transient creature... an immortal soul loosely tethered to a wet carbon-based thinking-device with carbohydrate-powered actuators. I often feel fear and loss these days instead of trust/hope/joy, way too often as those who know me well can attest. I will probably tell you the details if you ask me how my life has been going, because I like to try to be honest about everything. But let me take this opportunity to state publically that God's goodness and mercy and kindness and blessings to/for/upon me have/do far outweigh the pains/losses/griefs He is leading me through.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
It is so hard to surrender everything to Him, to trust Him fully, to place my hope in the One who wounds me. But at those moments when I do, life is indescribably peaceful and satisfying despite living through extenuating or painful circumstances. It is the vase on the wheel, feeling a new sharply pointed instrument in the potter's hand, gasping and then whispering proudly, "The Lord is my Sculptor... I shall not want. I will be beautiful when He is done, and His reputation will shine," and humbly "I am not worthy of His patience... he should have crushed me back into the earth long ago." It is the difference between, in the middle of a crazy rollercoaster through the darkness, fear of what new terror the next turn may bring, versus razor-edged anticipation of what the next turn may bring, and ravishing exhilaration at the incredible ride.
And at the unspeakably awesome destination.
"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are above all men most to be pitied."
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
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