|
|
|
Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
|
|
| |
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Chariot - Someday, In The Event That Mankind Actually Figures Out What It Is That This World Revolves Around, Thousands Of People Are Going To Be Shocked And Perplexed To Find Out That It Was Not Them. Sometimes This Includes Me.
Garbage in, garbage out.
"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in." Luke 11:10, MSG
(A slight disclaimer: I am aware that The Message is not the most flawless paraphrasing of the Bible, but Eugene Peterson does a pretty amazing job at capturing the essence of that verse.)
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:11-13, NIV
It has taken me this long to understand what it means to pray boldly, but tonight it came as an absolute epiphany and I am ecstatic. What has been holding me back? I speak up a lot, which means I am really quite vocal, but when it comes to serious heart issues, I can barely say it out loud. Fortunately God DOES know our hearts, but we all know He enjoys hearing us speak with Him, praying persistently... So this is cultivating a different boldness. This is not like obnoxiously demanding things from my parents (which I don't consciously know if I do... hopefully I'm past that), because this has got to do with bigger issues - my parents will never deprive me of my needs ("ask for what you need") and if God has already given us the Holy Spirit as a gift, what could He possibly deprive me of? I don't think this passage disqualifies wants, as well - the desires of our hearts. Another brilliant revelation a while ago was when Rach reminded me that those desires were there for a reason - God let them be there. He PUT THEM THERE. Obviously discerning which desires are selfish is necessary, but basically... God is a giving God, and He wants to fulfill the desires of our hearts if He put those desires there in the first place.
I had a conversation with my Dad in the kitchen a few minutes ago, about life in the Spirit... I must say that I'm only just beginning to notice the changes around me. We're all sorted out when we are baptised in the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentless, and self-control - because that is all we need, and it occurred to me that when I devote time with God and focus on Him, every single relationship I have with anyone changes, for the better.
Aggghhh. This is all really very exciting!
Anyhoo... aside from the spiritual side of what God has been doing, in the physical realm I have had a very bizarre sort of week. But good, nevertheless! Today I finally sorted out the million songsheets strewn all over The Corner of Happiness (Church of Joy's location has been recently coined as such, because there is great anticipation when walking down that seemingly never ending red carpet towards those bombastic doors) and Aaron was extremely kind to help and also offer his €500 worth on organisational skills, anthropology, God, and leadership. (I had spent a good amount of time thinking about the peculiarity it is that there are more songs beginning with the letter "H" than any other alphabet. Aaron enlightened me, but there is still a pressing need - more Q's and Z's, please?) By the way, Nick, if you are reading this: PLEASE SORT OUT YOUR GREEN FILE AND BORDERS BAG! We already arranged the loose sheets in a neat pile and the ones in the clear folders need to be taken out. THANKING YOU! And the rest of the worship team: PLEASE DON'T PHOTOCOPY SONGS LIKE TREES SPROUT OF OUR EARS, WE HAVE ABOUT 20 COPIES OF ALL THE SONGS WE SING THE MOST. THANK YOU!
Okay... My work for the day has been done. Now, pictures.
21:24
|
|
| |
|
|
|
