I think I read this once upon a time. But SooT forwarded it to me today, from Bob Kee, and it was a good 'refresher'!
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/march/26.42.html
The Gospel of Mark is so graphic this way. The first half of the Gospel is Jesus showing people how to live. He's healing everybody. Then right in the middle, he shifts. He starts showing people how to die: "Now that you've got a life, I'm going to show you how to give it up." That's the whole spiritual life. It's learning how to die. And as you learn how to die, you start losing all your illusions, and you start being capable now of true intimacy and love.
--Eugene Peterson
As I read these words, I was reminded of Michael's famous words, "Get a life!"
Might it be that we are to get a life only to lose it; perhaps that we are to get a life in order that we may lose it?
Friday, May 16, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
My Grace is Sufficient for You
2 Corinthians 12:9- But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
this verse brought me through my first year in uni. medical studies has never been easy for me since the first day i entered medical school. i struggled all the way through, and when exams neared, so many of us lost ourselves. we tried to care for others when we ourselves could hardly care for ourselves. those who had never experienced headaches got a string of them, and those who knew not imsomnia expereinced it. the whole process of exams was traumatic for many of us. till now, 10 days after my professional 1 exam, i am still not relaxed. till now, i still think about what medicine can do to people. i still cannot accept medical studies. but God has been faithful in bringing me through this year. when i couldn't take it anymore and really felt like giving up, God's promises gave me hope. and this is what i'll live on for the next few years of my life- His grace and faithfulness.
leading a self-initiated ministry in uni, God brought many poeple to Himself. could i actually say that it was me who brought people closer to God? well, i did do things, but is it not His grace that chose me to lead this? is it not His Spirit that inspired people to draw close to Him? am i not just another broken vessel, a sinner, emotional and weak? it is grace.
there is so much more to learn, so much in me that is faulty, yet His grace assures me of my privilege as a child of God. unworthy. therefore, how could i live without Him? will i not die in my own sin? "My grace is sufficient for you..."
this verse brought me through my first year in uni. medical studies has never been easy for me since the first day i entered medical school. i struggled all the way through, and when exams neared, so many of us lost ourselves. we tried to care for others when we ourselves could hardly care for ourselves. those who had never experienced headaches got a string of them, and those who knew not imsomnia expereinced it. the whole process of exams was traumatic for many of us. till now, 10 days after my professional 1 exam, i am still not relaxed. till now, i still think about what medicine can do to people. i still cannot accept medical studies. but God has been faithful in bringing me through this year. when i couldn't take it anymore and really felt like giving up, God's promises gave me hope. and this is what i'll live on for the next few years of my life- His grace and faithfulness.
leading a self-initiated ministry in uni, God brought many poeple to Himself. could i actually say that it was me who brought people closer to God? well, i did do things, but is it not His grace that chose me to lead this? is it not His Spirit that inspired people to draw close to Him? am i not just another broken vessel, a sinner, emotional and weak? it is grace.
there is so much more to learn, so much in me that is faulty, yet His grace assures me of my privilege as a child of God. unworthy. therefore, how could i live without Him? will i not die in my own sin? "My grace is sufficient for you..."
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Focus for the holidays
Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from wilful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
--Psalm 19:12-14 (NIV)
That as he [Brother Lawrence] knew his obligation to love God in all things, and as he endeavoured so to do, he had no need of a director to advise him, but that he needed much a confessor to absolve him. That he was very sensible of his faults, but not discouraged by them; that he confessed them to God, but did not plead against Him to excuse them. When he had so done, he peaceably resumed his usual practice of love and adoration.
--from The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from wilful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
--Psalm 19:12-14 (NIV)
That as he [Brother Lawrence] knew his obligation to love God in all things, and as he endeavoured so to do, he had no need of a director to advise him, but that he needed much a confessor to absolve him. That he was very sensible of his faults, but not discouraged by them; that he confessed them to God, but did not plead against Him to excuse them. When he had so done, he peaceably resumed his usual practice of love and adoration.
--from The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Further along the way: self-control, grace, silence and trust
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
--John 13:21-26 (NIV)
The symbol of dipping a piece of bread was first recorded in the identification of Judas as Jesus' traitor.
As we celebrated the Eucharist in church this morning, two thoughts came to me:
First, how can I overcome sin in the flesh if I cannot even control the time I sleep? I shall be making it a point to head to bed by 11 p.m. daily this month, not because I think extra sleep will save me from sin, but because I believe (as Pastor Vincent preached this morning on the revival that followed the appointment of waiters - Acts 6) there is a correlation of sorts between being able to control one area of my body and another.
As I held the bread in my hand, I remembered that Jesus submitted His body to His Father.
Second, it was to the traitor that the symbol of the ultimate miracle was instituted. Perhaps it was because he, of all people, needed it most then. "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more..." (Romans 5:20).
Whether it was because of his need or not. I know I need it. I need the reminder of Christ's sacrifice no less than I need the forgiveness which comes from it.
* * * * *
I found myself encouraged yesterday by the writings of one d'NAer and a conversation I had with another d'NAer over two years ago.
While packing the tall cabinet downstairs, I stumbled upon Yen's Asian Beacon article, 'The Woman Who Would Not Give Up' (which I printed out from some online source). I haven't told many people about it, but lately I have felt what might best be described as 'moulting pains' concerning my photography and, to a lesser degree, my writing.
It's as if the last few months have shown me that my art is taking me somewhere; in fact, prior to the last semester in university, I never really considered my photography as art. Now I am inclined to think it is more art than photography. Whatever.
But I don't really know where it's taking me, or how to get there. But I know God is faithful, and Yen's article reminded me of a word first drummed into me by Frederick Buechner in his essay 'The Road Goes On': T-R-U-S-T.
Yen wrote;
What I am learning is that we should not turn to God only when we have exhausted all human means, for if we trust in God only as a last resort we might now know how to trust Him even as a last resort.
I couldn't agree more, and I think this is the lesson I, too, am learning.
The other d'NAer is Joan. In January 2006, I had a conversation with her over MSN, and we talked about hearing God among other things. She was taking a break from blogging then, and I was still coming to terms with my new job as Editor-in-Chief of the Victorian Editorial Board.
It occurred to me at church this morning that the things I said to Joan might cause some people to assume I believe that God always speaks in some fluttering, still, small voice accompanied by a sudden warming of the heart and an overwhelmingly benevolent peace of the soul. That would be untrue.
Rather, the silence Joan and I realised was so necessary is the silence needed to truly hear ('akouo'), not so much the peaceful, calming voice of God (although our God is a God of peace), but the hard-hitting voice of God.
When I think about it, God's voice is very hard-hitting in its simplicity; often the voice brings to us a realisation of what we are doing wrong or what we ought to be doing. And it can be very hard to accept what the voice says.
As C.S. Lewis recalls in his essay, 'A Slip of the Tongue';
A good author... asks somewhere, "Have we never risen from our knees in haste for fear God's will should become too unmistakable if we prayed longer?"
Silence is difficult for noisy people like myself. But I believe it is, along with trust, something I need especially in this season of metamorphosis. I need to avail myself to the word of God, to the will of God, to the wisdom of God, to the way of God. And I cannot get there unless I prepare myself through the discipline of silence, and through it cultivate trust in the Leader.
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
--John 13:21-26 (NIV)
The symbol of dipping a piece of bread was first recorded in the identification of Judas as Jesus' traitor.
As we celebrated the Eucharist in church this morning, two thoughts came to me:
First, how can I overcome sin in the flesh if I cannot even control the time I sleep? I shall be making it a point to head to bed by 11 p.m. daily this month, not because I think extra sleep will save me from sin, but because I believe (as Pastor Vincent preached this morning on the revival that followed the appointment of waiters - Acts 6) there is a correlation of sorts between being able to control one area of my body and another.
As I held the bread in my hand, I remembered that Jesus submitted His body to His Father.
Second, it was to the traitor that the symbol of the ultimate miracle was instituted. Perhaps it was because he, of all people, needed it most then. "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more..." (Romans 5:20).
Whether it was because of his need or not. I know I need it. I need the reminder of Christ's sacrifice no less than I need the forgiveness which comes from it.
* * * * *
I found myself encouraged yesterday by the writings of one d'NAer and a conversation I had with another d'NAer over two years ago.
While packing the tall cabinet downstairs, I stumbled upon Yen's Asian Beacon article, 'The Woman Who Would Not Give Up' (which I printed out from some online source). I haven't told many people about it, but lately I have felt what might best be described as 'moulting pains' concerning my photography and, to a lesser degree, my writing.
It's as if the last few months have shown me that my art is taking me somewhere; in fact, prior to the last semester in university, I never really considered my photography as art. Now I am inclined to think it is more art than photography. Whatever.
But I don't really know where it's taking me, or how to get there. But I know God is faithful, and Yen's article reminded me of a word first drummed into me by Frederick Buechner in his essay 'The Road Goes On': T-R-U-S-T.
Yen wrote;
What I am learning is that we should not turn to God only when we have exhausted all human means, for if we trust in God only as a last resort we might now know how to trust Him even as a last resort.
I couldn't agree more, and I think this is the lesson I, too, am learning.
The other d'NAer is Joan. In January 2006, I had a conversation with her over MSN, and we talked about hearing God among other things. She was taking a break from blogging then, and I was still coming to terms with my new job as Editor-in-Chief of the Victorian Editorial Board.
It occurred to me at church this morning that the things I said to Joan might cause some people to assume I believe that God always speaks in some fluttering, still, small voice accompanied by a sudden warming of the heart and an overwhelmingly benevolent peace of the soul. That would be untrue.
Rather, the silence Joan and I realised was so necessary is the silence needed to truly hear ('akouo'), not so much the peaceful, calming voice of God (although our God is a God of peace), but the hard-hitting voice of God.
When I think about it, God's voice is very hard-hitting in its simplicity; often the voice brings to us a realisation of what we are doing wrong or what we ought to be doing. And it can be very hard to accept what the voice says.
As C.S. Lewis recalls in his essay, 'A Slip of the Tongue';
A good author... asks somewhere, "Have we never risen from our knees in haste for fear God's will should become too unmistakable if we prayed longer?"
Silence is difficult for noisy people like myself. But I believe it is, along with trust, something I need especially in this season of metamorphosis. I need to avail myself to the word of God, to the will of God, to the wisdom of God, to the way of God. And I cannot get there unless I prepare myself through the discipline of silence, and through it cultivate trust in the Leader.
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