this weekend, the topic at the 310 Bible study retreat was "heaven." it was a blessed time of rest, worship and fellowship... bittersweet though, as it was my last one. foundry/310 retreats have been wonderful, and i will miss them very much.
we can debate the "what it is," "what it ain't" and "what it will be" for forever, but we truly won't really know until we actually get there. God gives us snapshots in the Bible, but what will it really be like to be completely sinless? if our worship now is just a small taste of what it will be when we get to heaven, how absolutely incredible will it be there? what will our glorified bodies be like? how old will we be if age even exists? i can't even begin to imagine or grasp it all, but such is my finite mind vs. the infinite mind of God. 1 corinthians 13:12 says, "for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now i know in part, but then i will know fully just as i also have been fully known." one can get so bogged down with all the trivial questions and "what if's." the important thing is that heaven does exists, and only true blood-bought Christians have a hope for going there through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly states this in john 14:6 - "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Jesus is THE ONLY WAY.
it saddens me to think of all the people i know that i will not be sharing eternity with...
i pray that the hope of heaven will continue to drive us all everyday. i pray we won't get so lost in the world that we forget the true purpose of our lives. everything else shall pass away...
...oh yeah, and who would've thought that we could be so creative with hot dogs, huh? impressive, 310 :)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
insight from joni
so i've been reading joni eareckson tada's diamonds in the dust devotional as part of my morning quiet times.
here is her may 1st entry.
"satan schemes, God redeems"
"you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." - genesis 50:20
God always exploits satan's evil intentions and uses them in His own service -- just one more example of God's ability to work "out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will" (ephesians 1:11).
satan intends the rain that ruins a church picnic to cause Christians to grumble against their Lord; God uses the rain to develop their patience. satan plans to hinder the work of an effective missionary by arranging for him to trip in the jungle and break a leg; God allows the accident so that the missionary's Godly response to pain and discomfort will bring glory to Himself. satan brews a hurricane to kill thousands in a small village in bangladesh; God uses the storm to display His awesome power, to show people the awful consequences that sin has brought to the world, to drive some to search for Him, to harden others in their sin, and to remind us that He is free to do as He pleases. we will never figure Him out.
satan schemed that a 17-yr-old girl named joni would break her neck, hoping to ruin her life; God sent the broken neck in answer to her prayer for a closer walk with Him.
as a friend once said, "God sends things, but satan often brings them. praise God that when satan causes calamity, we can answer him with the words that joseph answered his brothers with when they sold him into slavery, 'you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.'"
here is her may 1st entry.
"satan schemes, God redeems"
"you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." - genesis 50:20
God always exploits satan's evil intentions and uses them in His own service -- just one more example of God's ability to work "out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will" (ephesians 1:11).
satan intends the rain that ruins a church picnic to cause Christians to grumble against their Lord; God uses the rain to develop their patience. satan plans to hinder the work of an effective missionary by arranging for him to trip in the jungle and break a leg; God allows the accident so that the missionary's Godly response to pain and discomfort will bring glory to Himself. satan brews a hurricane to kill thousands in a small village in bangladesh; God uses the storm to display His awesome power, to show people the awful consequences that sin has brought to the world, to drive some to search for Him, to harden others in their sin, and to remind us that He is free to do as He pleases. we will never figure Him out.
satan schemed that a 17-yr-old girl named joni would break her neck, hoping to ruin her life; God sent the broken neck in answer to her prayer for a closer walk with Him.
as a friend once said, "God sends things, but satan often brings them. praise God that when satan causes calamity, we can answer him with the words that joseph answered his brothers with when they sold him into slavery, 'you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.'"
mexico city stm
dear family and friends,
i truly do hope that this letter finds you all reveling in the power of God's grace. i am well into my fifth year of teaching at paul revere middle school, and the Lord continues to bless me and grow me in different ways there. new trials and blessings arise at every turn, and He continues to be faithful to guide me through each of them. the Lord has also allowed me to grow steadily at grace community church. He has given me a new mentor through the choir, and He has also provided a group of sisters that very effectively speak the truth in love. i can honestly say that i am thoroughly challenged in every aspect of my life as i grow in the knowledge of His Word daily. thusly, i rejoice to share with you that i will be joining the mexico city short term ministry team once again this year.
this july, we'll be working alongside our precious missionaries luis and robin contreras, josiah and crystal grauman, jim and carolyn dowdy, ellen parker and rosie martinez. our goal is to do anything we can to help them to strengthen the Bible-believing church in mexico city. this means organizing a vacation Bible school for the children, along with a youth conference at the remanente church. also, we will lead music worship on sundays at the naucalpan church, as well as painting any church building or missionary home in need of a fresh coat of paint. but mainly, we would like to encourage our missionaries who are diligently teaching and training the church in mexico city. we ask that you join us in praying for this trip as we look forward to this exciting opportunity and challenge to serve the Lord in a different culture with the same need for Jesus Christ as our own.
we are well aware that the success of this trip is dependent on the Lord and your prayer support. along with your prayers, if you would like to partner with us financially, please send a check payable to grace community church with "for the team of vanessa ling" in the memo line. your tax-deductible donation will go toward covering the costs of the trip, which is about $1300 per team member.
by His grace,
vanessa ling
prayer requests:
1. vbs: that the children and their parents would respond to the Gospel
2. conferences: that the youth would be challenged to follow Christ
3. we would encourage the local churches and seminary
4. we would be a blessing to our missionaries
5. team unity, health and safety
i truly do hope that this letter finds you all reveling in the power of God's grace. i am well into my fifth year of teaching at paul revere middle school, and the Lord continues to bless me and grow me in different ways there. new trials and blessings arise at every turn, and He continues to be faithful to guide me through each of them. the Lord has also allowed me to grow steadily at grace community church. He has given me a new mentor through the choir, and He has also provided a group of sisters that very effectively speak the truth in love. i can honestly say that i am thoroughly challenged in every aspect of my life as i grow in the knowledge of His Word daily. thusly, i rejoice to share with you that i will be joining the mexico city short term ministry team once again this year.
this july, we'll be working alongside our precious missionaries luis and robin contreras, josiah and crystal grauman, jim and carolyn dowdy, ellen parker and rosie martinez. our goal is to do anything we can to help them to strengthen the Bible-believing church in mexico city. this means organizing a vacation Bible school for the children, along with a youth conference at the remanente church. also, we will lead music worship on sundays at the naucalpan church, as well as painting any church building or missionary home in need of a fresh coat of paint. but mainly, we would like to encourage our missionaries who are diligently teaching and training the church in mexico city. we ask that you join us in praying for this trip as we look forward to this exciting opportunity and challenge to serve the Lord in a different culture with the same need for Jesus Christ as our own.
we are well aware that the success of this trip is dependent on the Lord and your prayer support. along with your prayers, if you would like to partner with us financially, please send a check payable to grace community church with "for the team of vanessa ling" in the memo line. your tax-deductible donation will go toward covering the costs of the trip, which is about $1300 per team member.
by His grace,
vanessa ling
prayer requests:
1. vbs: that the children and their parents would respond to the Gospel
2. conferences: that the youth would be challenged to follow Christ
3. we would encourage the local churches and seminary
4. we would be a blessing to our missionaries
5. team unity, health and safety
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