teyes's Xanga

1 peter 5 - a vision of what my support raising time is preparing me for.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:24:49 GMT

Make Your Calling and Election Sure

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

... or any in-between time really.

also: vintage piper

it's beautiful beyond my wildest dreams.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:34:09 GMT

(thought about this this morning as i made my way to church, which is across the street from a mormon temple:)

a lot of christians are obsessed with truth - being the truest truth around.
they usually bring up elijah's showdown versus the false gods as an example of standing up for truth.
"if people could only be convinced of truth, then they would believe." (sometimes unspoken: then they would finally respect me. then they would finally stop looking at me like i'm crazy for giving my life away. then they would come after me profusely for pursuing them, these thankless fools.)

but if "knowledge puffs up, and love builds up" - truly - this should perhaps be my verse for daily living - and we lay claim to the ultimate truth too easily to bolster our own insecurities about ourselves and our status in one another's eyes... can we first remember the truth we claim to possess?

i've been stuck on romans 5 for weeks now:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

here's our truth: we are weak, helpless, unrighteous, awful, unloving, wretched people. even our best deeds on our best days are "filthy rags" in the sight of a strong, mighty, perfect, complete God who is our father.

there is no other everlasting hope but Christ.

so why do we act like it all depends on us? how could it possibly??

mediate on your truth before you preach it. many of us so need to be brought to our knees. what truth are we standing on right now? we have no rights to any of this; it must be given away.

the gospel saves once, in full, for all who believe.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:54:32 GMT

(so i ranted on this on twitter earlier, but i wanted to expand my thoughts here. i just get so worked up when barriers are placed to the gospel that God never intended... also, i had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season and a lot of it.)

the other night driving home from davis my ipod fm transmitter wasn't behaving so i put on the fish, the sacramento area christian radio station. i usually dont do this - it's a limit i have to place on myself because somehow christian songs drive me away from worship, rather than toward him. but it had been awhile (we dont have such things in the bay area anymore) and i had a decent drive ahead of me so i did.

overall i actually enjoyed the 20-minute set i heard. for one, they played monk & neagle! and i really love them. they harmonize so well. and chris tomlin's version of "amazing grace" was in there too and i like that verse they "added" (it's really from the original) even if i could do without their chorus (i just dont think it adds anything to the song and as such its just filler. which leads me to another thought... are our collective attention spans so small we cant meditate through a chorus-less song?).

so i quickly settled into a content lull. it was good background music, catchy and harmless. but i was not prepared for what came next.

the first verse of this song quickly sketches out a harried life - always feeling like you're two weeks behind. "i do the best i can, but i don't know how long i'll last." general enough for me to feel comfortable enough in his shoes. then his voice went up several octaves and i was briefly distracted into wondering if his voice was going to crack out of earnestness - but i too easily digress - then i was startled by the chorus.

here it is:

I try to be so tough,
but I'm just not strong enough.
I can't do this alone, God I need you to hold on to me.
I try to be good enough,
but I'm nothing without your love
Savior, please keep saving me

i couldnt believe what id heard - it had to be a mistake. so i waited for it to come around again.

nothing had changed. he was still pleading for God to save him despite his inability to do life well.

/ / /

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

- romans 5:6-11

In the letter to the Philippians, even while the apostle Paul gives thanks for them and the robust gospel the God of the universe has given them, he addresses their concerns about detractors of the same gospel: "Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." (1:15-18)

With these words he puts to rest their pressing issue, showing that it is merely secondary, and elevates that which is of first importance. So what if others slander him in the preaching of the gospel, which is "liberty to [those who are] captive" (isaiah 61:1). The great news is that they are preaching the gospel! People are hearing the means by which they can be reconciled to their heavenly father. Because he has a new identity that cannot be taken away, Paul need not defend his reputation, he only needs to defend the gospel. And this allows him to support its proclamation in whatever form, as long as it is true and complete.

I believe this artist, Josh Wilson, wittingly or otherwise does the exact opposite in and with this song. While his intentions may be innocent - the use of the word "saving" in the bridge ("Hallelujah! Everything you are to me is everything I'll ever need / and i am learning to believe cause you're the one who's saving me") does seem more like rescuing from tough situations than hope from eternal separation from God - it doesn't matter when he refers to God as Savior throughout the rest of the song. The thrust of God's saving nature is his mercy on the human race - that's why we refer to him as "Savior" - not our friend who lends a financial hand while we live paycheck-to-paycheck, not our neighbor who knocks us out of the way of certain harm if we're crossing the street carelessly, not our roommate who rushes to campus ten minutes before our senior thesis is due with another copy because the printer on campus suddenly isn't working. While we can still use the term "wow, you just saved me!" in each situation with great integrity and gratitude, we're certainly not confusing these goodwill acts with Christ's death in our place so we have right standing before God.

Like all things, context too matters so much. We in Western societies already live with a Christian culture that too often promises that spiritual activities mean greater intimacy with God - confusing the process of sanctification (where God by grace allows human saints led by the Holy Spirit to grow into that new spiritual rank) with justification (where, again, our faith in God's grace alone makes us adopted into God's new family, no longer separated by the sin and unrighteousness that is our earthly birthright). So it's especially dangerous that this song is all over American media channels - in a sense, we are the ones who can bear it the least. We've been conditioned to work for our own righteousness because we cannot bear the idea of owing someone else our very life.

But that's part of the very gospel - we have absolutely no power to save ourselves. We will always come to the end of our abilities and whatever luck or providence we survive on. That's why it's SUCH good news that God's love for us is greater than any of our sins: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I am always sobered that even before I had a care about him at all he had already made a way for me to dwell in the presence of his perfect holiness. When every thought and every action was rebellion, meant to drive him away, he came still closer. Jesus early in his human life is able to teach his followers to "love your enemies" because that's exactly what he came to earth to do. He understood that every evil in the world can be overcome with good and he gave willingly, freely of himself because he alone, as God, has the ability to do good and make it last forever. To sing begging God to "keep saving me" insinuates that Jesus' death on the cross is insufficient to cover our past, present and future shortcomings. It's SO dangerous to even start down this road, confusing God's lordship over our lives with his plan of salvation for us.

Let's not even start down this road. It's too dangerous. Please say lordship when you really mean that and not salvation. It's reckless theology and it can only hurt those who are listening... even halfheartedly on a two lane highway.

Because the truth is, my pride wants to hear that I have something to do with all this. I love walking by sight - it makes me feel like I'm the one who's leading. I feel powerful. I feel invincible. If I have control in this that gives me all the more reason to live like this life is about me. And it's just not.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:41:52 GMT

i have forgotten that people are dying while i update my netflix queue...

thanks this passionate sister, leah hitchens, for the inspiration (unlikely place, right? :0)

john 12

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:01:42 GMT

as i write i am reminded that whatever's wrong with me right now as a leader will be what's wrong with those i lead in a few years.

by grace it will not destroy them.
by grace i am picking up pieces of myself all the time.
but i must become intimate with this weight to lead others to the cross and not to myself.

(repeat)

edit: (3:53pm) hm. there is no real grace in this at all

dr. john stackhouse on campus ministry

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:56:16 GMT

here:

In my experience of student missions, one finds precious little reflection, and even less informed and insightful reflection, on the nature of the university: its purposes, its structures, its roles in society, and how each of these have evolved over the twentieth century until now.

Similarly, one finds precious little involvement of the people who know the university best: not students, not alumni, not staffers of Christian groups, but professors and administrators, who inhabit and who shape the university far more than any other participants in it. To ignore them so consistently, which most student missions do at every level, is to try to work at a hospital without consulting physicians or nurses or administrators, or to work in a law courts building without consulting judges, lawyers, or police officers
In particular, one finds precious little involvement of those professors who inhabit ideological “hot zones”: religious studies, philosophy, psychology and other social sciences, native/women’s/black studies, and the like. All too often, instead, professors—when they show up at all—come from geography, engineering, medicine, and the like where there are, to be sure, some sites of moral and intellectual controversy from time to time, but not nearly as centrally and as daily as in the disciplines I have listed. Why are these resources, then, so rarely tapped, let alone thoroughly involved—as speakers, advisors, and board members?

fascinating/ often overlooked. his thesis is basically to meet university students at a university level.

-makes me wanna study (among others, but this happens to be most accessible for me) iv @ ucdavis, directed by dr. bryan enderle (lecturer of chemistry).

for one thing, here's a freshman seminar on science v faith he was able to put on a couple years ago. man to be a fly on that wall

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:07:39 GMT

love to go through this book in a small group setting sometime. even for my own - that'd be amazing.

my favorite section so far (in the chapter "the elder brother: the slavery of silence"):

The prodigal son was a fool, but he was restored and, in the process, he learned something that's terrifying for elder brother personalities to test. What is that thing, that truth? What does the prodigal son know that his elder brother has yet to learn?

The love of your Father is more durable than you've come to believe. Your voice is his joy, and your heart is his treasure, and he will pay any price to know you.

Tell him. Tell him where it hurts. Tell him what you experienced, and what you concluded. Ask him if that's what he intended for you to conclude about him. He can take it. And his willingness to take it is an expression of love that validates every hard, obedient choice you've ever made - because you have been serving a Father who is worth serving with hard, obedient choices.

The Father's response to the honest voice of the elder son is the best proof I know for the character of God. Therefore, the honest voice of the elder son is the best demonstration of the Father's glory the elder son can ever deliver. The elder son's honest voice is, in fact, the elder son's most outstanding demonstration of obedience to a Father who bids us come and who promises to love us no matter how turned around we may feel.

Tell him.

(p. 113)

i've experienced this before - i just convinced myself somehow that the outburst wasn't okay again. and again.

/ / /

ps. did you know i really AM a perfectionist??
my goodness. consider my world rocked.

(apologies if you already knew... i want to grow into it.)

Friday, September 04, 2009

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:09:55 GMT

oh, look at that. xanga premium (via xanga credits) for six months!! :))

oh goodness.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:42:14 GMT

here's matt chandler of the village church kicking ass seven different ways:

his last series through luke's gospel, "games people play," cuts right to the heart. it's cultural exegesis and prophecy as clear as i've ever heard it

from the village library:

07.11.09 - part 1
08.02.09 - part 2
08.09.09 - part 3

particularly - in part 1, when he uncovers one very religious belief that if God commands us to something but we don't want to do it, we often find a spiritual activity we're much more comfortable with and run with it thinking we'll impress God and outrun our own guilt. but that's not pleasing. that's simple disobedience.

he also dispels the myth that a loving God would never ask us to do hard things with the truth that if God really is who he says he is, he has existed before time and is the author of all things, he KNOWS how his world works. he cautions us because he loves us. his discipline is for his beloved children.

part 3 - essentially, that we do not sin in isolation - there is ALWAYS collateral damage - has brought me to my knees tonight. what kind of woman and what kind of habits am i developing. what kind of leader am i if i don't realize that my character comes first.

God, continue to show me all the ways heaven, eternity's great treasure, will simply blow us away, but that our actions and heart here on earth matter so, so much as well. how we can elevate others so profoundly or we can cut so deeply. how we can turn a vision of a missional church into a religious activity with religious consequences if our hearts are not in tune with you and growing closer to you and living to please our father.

connect my mind and my heart with the damage i do in all of my sin. help me cast off what so easily entangles and run together with the saints, to you, holding nothing back. help us see your face. help us draw strength from your name. help us, like your son, identify with our great father and his passion for his glory in all nations forever with gladness, with abandon, with everything.

Well I'm falling to my knees. I feel the earth beneath
With the weight of my sin, and this crushing unbelief
Could You really love me with all that I've done, oh Lord

So hide my face in the shadow of Your wings, oh Lord
Hide my sin from the beauty here before Your throne
Your throne

You spread Your hands
And made a refuge for the weak and blessed
The weary, bruised, and broken
Took our sin- inside Your wounds we hide away
Inside Your wounds we hide

Hallelujah for the blood of the Lamb that was slain
Hallelujah for the blood of the Lamb that was slain
And so we enter in to see Your face, yeah
We enter in to see Your face, oh God

another awesome "mad men" interview moment

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:58:34 GMT

Nicholson: Do you see your career in terms of having a strategy?

Jones: I never really thought of having a strategy. I probably should have one. I mean, I’ve already been doing this for 13 years and I still feel like a newbie.

Nicholson: A what?

Jones: A newbie—someone who is new at this.

- january jones, as interviewed by jack nicholson in interview magazine

:0)