Change of Times

I don't think this would be tolerated today.

prayer request!

hi everyone, jane here. :) just gonna keep it short since i should be sleeping...... please pray for me and my family. we're all sickos of sorts. my dad has a bad cough, my left sinus is infected, my mom still has jetlag, and my brother's seeing early hints of a cold.

hm, considering the parallelism, it would seem that my left sinus is part of my family. and he's infected. ha.

ok, that is all. thanks! :D

It doesn't take much...

My YouTube hopping brought me to this video.

It doesn't take much to be a fool, dance a little jig, and bring joy to people.  At least this homeboy stays consistent in his moves.  I couldn't stop smiling when I was watching this video.  He was genuinely spreading joy throughout all of the world, and even though he's not the most successful, smartest, adept or good-looking dude, he's made an imprint.  I can only hope to visit half of the places he's gone to.

*Edit*  Apparently this homeboy is from my hometown in Connecticut.  Good 'ol Westport.  Interesting.  

TALENT FTW

Sometimes God just creates people to win at life.  Larry is one of them.  This kid is next in line.

the advent conspiracy

I know it's past Christmas, but sort of in response to Mike's post--here's a video I did like about the meaning of Christmas.


The Advent Conspiracy Promo Video from theadvance on Vimeo.

Where I'm At

I saw some press on this video on this blog that my xangar is linked to and had to start shaking my head in shame.  It's not that I don't believe that their intent is good.  They want to bring Christ back into Christmas.  That isn't a problem.  Christmas has very obviously become synonymous with a season of accelerating greed fueled by marketing campaigns from various retailers worldwide.  My mailbox requires a daily and meticulous scrubbing of various spammed deals and gimmicks designed to draw the credit card out of your pocket in your moments of weakness.  I would know.  I've sent out my fair share of mailing list messages (30% Off Post-Holiday Sale, 3 Days Only, Anybody?) to realize that the modern day consumer has never been so jaded or desensitized.  If homies were a little looser with their wallets, maybe I'd be getting a regular paycheck (WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE).

Now that my plug is finished, I'll end this post.

Just kidding.  There was a reason I started.  Oh yes, greed driven holiday season.  It's very obvious that Jesus Christ has almost nothing to do with this shameful season, at least in the highways and byways and mall parking lots, but that doesn't mean we should hit up the local Jesus costuming shop, don the white robe, grow out the beard and invade their places of business and leisure.  It just reinforces the Christians stereotype that we're self-righteous, intentionally weird with a tendency to engage the overly dramatic & borderline-cultic.  Personally, I enjoy the holiday season, I enjoy the pungent body odor of the horde seeking holiday deals, because it's basically the only time of the year we're playing Christmas music in the shop.  For eight hours straight, our computer is on the Christmas Songs station on Pandora and the bassy, throaty voices from the likes of Sinatra fill the air.  The heat is turned up high, and the wonderful scent of the candle we have in the middle of the shop wafts throughout.  And even though I'm not one for high intensity customer service, I have a reason to smile, to treat everyone nicer than they've ever been treated, to hook them up better than any other retailer so they leave the store with a smile, cos I'm reminded every second with every lyric booming through our speakers.  It also helps that I'm secretly donning that Jesus Robe underneath my skintight jeans, and if I could grow a beard, I would.  I'm just a secret agent like that.  

Hope

While I was on facebook, I stumbled across this video documentary made by two co-workers of mine. As soon as I clicked upon the link, I knew exactly what it was going to be about. More than once, the thought flashed through my mind to close the box and go back to checking news feeds and status updates, simply because I knew it was going to be uncomfortable. But for some reason, I couldn't. This interview, and Tim's perspective, reflects a lot of what I believe the outside world thinks about Christianity and those who don the responsibility of bearing His name, as well as the need for the followers of Christ to be equipped and step up.

It takes a lot more than just professing Him as our Lord. That is simply the start. It takes an adherence to the Word, submission in one's mind and a yearning to take action. Christ has to saturate our every thought, encapsulate our every word, engulf us until there is nothing of ourselves left. Honestly, Christians don't need encouragement as much as they need to know the weight of eternity, the glory of the gospel, and the hope of His calling.

Far too often, I find myself taking the easy way out, hanging out with Christian homies and doing the same old stuff while there is a world of Tims out there, a world of people crying for hope, a world that wants to believe in SOMETHING, ANYTHING. This is the REALITY of the situation. 

But of course, we can't see that if we're in our Christian bubbles professing our piety to each other.

Is there anybody out there willing to tell them about the hope that is in Christ?

Even more so, willing to show them?

Talented

What up Church? This is for you! So I'm reading this book Boundaries and it basically talks about setting boundaries in our spiritual lives in a healthy manner.  Boundaries meaning setting limits to where our responsibilities end and where other's begin.  The focus of the book is analogous to physical land property, we, or actually our parents own.  There are clear lines that show where your property stops and your neighbor's starts.  Boundaries are clear physically, but when it comes to the intangibles, we don't know where to draw the line. With that said, we must take OWNERSHIP of what God has given us both physical and spiritual. Anyways, that was too long of an intro this is ONE thing I got from it. 

Regarding Talents and The Parable of the Talents:

As we know there are two responses the master gives to his servants. First, "Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" Second, "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents." (Matt 25:23, 26-28)

Sermons and sharings I have heard on this passage discussed how we are all gifted different amounts of talents in this world, but it is what we do with them is what matters. Now, onto the Boundaries perspective...

"Our talents are clearly within our boundaries and our responsibility. It takes work, practice, learning, prayer, resources, and grace to overcome the fear of failure that the "wicked and lazy" servant gave in to. He was not chastised for being afraid; we are all afraid when trying something new and difficult. He was chastised for not confronting his fear and trying the best he could. Not confronting our fear denies the grace of God and insults both his giving of the gift and grace to sustain us as we are learning."

I've always been quite comfortable in staying out of the danger zones when it comes to facing my fears.  I guess it is because I'm a weak human and it takes a whole lot of conjuring of courage to push myself to be bold.  But this commentary reminds me that I am not like/of the world.  My strength is not by conjuring from within, but it is by His grace over my life.  It is not merely what I can do for Him, but allowing Him to use and guide me into my everyday battles, victory or defeat. 

"By His grace I am sustained
though all was lost,
now all is found and more is gained."

-Thrice

"By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me."

-1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV)

So may the Giver and Sustainer receive the glory!!

"Whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

-1 Peter 4:11 (ESV)

God gets the glory because He gave the grace.

Kudos goes to John Piper for the passages drawn for his sermon.

Anyways this post is a lot longer than I planned, but after reading this, where does TSM and LMMG stand? Before the throne, I pray. Let it be true!!!

Norcal or Nor Cal

Sup.  I'm Hannah and I'm not much of a writer so I'm just going to spill my frijoles so you guys can get to know me better.  Let's see: I'm in Norcal or Nor Cal right now with my super mature family and it's very cold.  Yesterday I went by the beautiful but stinky bay with my oldest sister and was overcome by my brutish nature and ran through a crew of seagulls.  They'd try to fly away but the wind was so great that they'd fly in place in their struggle to get away.  I really wanted to catch them but I didn't want to contract any unnecessary diseases and infect the entire conference.  

I'm fulfilling my writing requirement next quarter and I'm pretty nervous because I haven't written an essay for about 1.354 years.  Plus, instant messaging in broken sentences my entire typing life isn't much help either.  YEEE!  YIKES!

I just want to post an image for entertainment purposes.  I am the big shadowy object and the leaping creature is Isabel.  We're sword fighting and doing a photoshoot at 1am.  winter break, baby!

By the way, my family recently moved to Diamond Bar so my items are still in boxes as you can see.  

Chapterize Me

Have you guys ever heard of that analogy about life being a book and we the words the author, God, is writing out? Well, I LOVE that analogy. Even as I listen to "Breath of Heaven", the perfect combination of beauty in pain, I am still in awe of all God has created. Think about it; EVERYTHING is made by God for us. To completely surrender my everything seems too less of an offering... but He wants it all.

Who am I that God, the Almighty Creator of the universe, should even bother with me? And yet, I am always on His mind. He is always with me. The President of the U.S. and the Governor doesn't even listen to me, and yet the one above them does. 

Praise the Lord for He is Good. Just thinking of Him makes me want to cry in pure shame. 

"It is well, it is well, with my soul..."

~ Merry Christmas Eve, all!

Hello World

hello world!