The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing

The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing: "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing is chapter 2 of A. W. Tozer's Pursuit of God , which I have just begun to read. It is powerful and si..."

Check this out from Stanford Library

This is a good resource to know of.

Christianity [videorecording] : the first two thousand years (TV documentary) 

 Stanford Link

"Geek Theologian"

I saw an interview with Christian and Wired magazine co-founder Kevin Kelly in the magazine Christianity Today which I thought was very interesting. I don't know if I agree with every single thing he says, but I don't know all the answers either (as those in the Sunday MPPC IBS group know very well!). I do appreciate a fresh perspective on things and people who are willing to ask the new questions, even if they aren't sure they'll get the answers right away.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/geektheologian.html

Belief

Hi all,

Just wanted to share a poem that I wrote today based on today's sermon. I really felt convicted during the sermon and wanted to share this with the group. It is entitled Belief.

Belief

Is is a story or do you believe?

Is it merely a fairy tale or a living non-fiction moving within us?

Is is stirring, breathing within us?

Do you believe or do you BELIEVE?

Where do you go when your world crumbles?

Who are you when you fall?

Are you angry when you are hurt, when you are broken?

Do you believe or do you BELIEVE?

Do you remember Him in times of suffering?

Do you still feel Him when you are in pain?

Can you still hear His voice when you feel lost?

Do you believe or do you BELIEVE?

Do you know he cries when you cry?

Do you know he suffers when you suffer?

Do you know he's still there for you when you feel abandoned?

Do you believe or do you BELIEVE?

_____________________________________________

Lord, give me the courage to believe in you, the ability to trust you when I can't see clearly and when I feel abandoned. Allow me to feel your presence and draw on your love as my strength. Father, give me the power to believe.

Luke 9:23

This is a poem that my friend, Peter Ngo wrote recently. He gave me permission to share it here. It was especially powerful to me because I know his story, but even without, I hope it will encourage you as much as it encouraged (and inspired) me.

Luke 9:23

a cruel rhyme i once heard from me,

it went

smile, smile, all the while

smile, smile, all the while

when you search and find nothing but darkness within

smile, smile, all the while

when you choose to do evil and trade good for sin

smile, smile, all the while

when your friends go away but their shadows remain

smile, smile, all the while

when your hope seems forgotten but your shame's still your stain

smile, smile, all the while

when your arms grow colder and your heart's still as stone

smile, smile, all the while

when your labor is fruitless and your toil's in vain

when your mouth fills with bile, when you've fallen again

when you're broken again

when you're broken again

smile, smile, all the while.

(a cruel rhyme i once told to me,

a cruel lie i once sold to me,

it went

smile, smile, all the while)

but a nobler hymn i'll yet sing in me

and a better song i'll let ring in me, it goes

take up the cross, go another mile.

though you search and find nothing but darkness within

look to the cross, go another mile

though you choose to do evil and trade good for sin

take back the cross, go another mile

though your friends go away while their shadows remain

you'll be one in the spirit, just another mile

though your hope seems forgotten while your shame's still your stain

you'll be crowned in the heavens, just another mile

though your arms grow colder and your heart's still as stone

ask the Lord for his leading, go another mile

when your labor is fruitless and your toil's in vain

when your mouth fills with bile, when you've fallen again

when i'm broken again

i'll take back the cross,

i'll smile,

i'll go another mile

Famine in East Africa

East Africa Famine Crises

Do not be afraid

I really like this verse during quiet time this morning..

Genesis 15:1

"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."

Wish that in doing everything or making every decision, I'll always remember that God is protecting me, and he will bring me great reward.

It reminds me of a song from Veggie tales:

"The battle is not ours,
We look to God above,
and He will guide us safely through,
and guard us with His love.

I will not be afraid,
I will not run and hide,
for there is nothing I can't face when God is at my side,
No there is nothing I can't face when God is at my side!"

Jonah and the Blue Dress

         I was really excited about my new blue dress that I had purchased for a deal of $20 at Nordstrom Rack. So, imagine my disappointment when I washed and dried it for the first time yesterday and saw that it had shrunk to a size that would only be appropriate for a 10-year old! (Although its label read "tumble dry low", I guess I still shouldn't have put it in the dryer.) Anyway, once I saw that it had shrunk, I immediately hopped online to search for ways to "unshrink" clothing. I followed some interesting directions, including soaking the dress in water and hair conditioner, and put a lot of effort in stretching it out. I even stretched it to the point where I made 3 small holes in it, which I then had to spend more time stitching up. While the dress is now at a wearable size, its shape just isn't the same as it was originally. ::sigh:: All of this got me thinking: is this dress really worth all the time and effort I spent fixing it?

         Anyway, reflecting on this incident this morning, I am reminded of the story in Jonah 4. At the start of the passage, Jonah is very happy and satisfied with a plant that is giving him shade. When it soon withers away, however, he becomes very upset, even though he hadn't done anything to make it grow in the first place. Aside from shelling out several dollars, I did not do much to get my dress, yet I felt so disappointed when it was messed up. Certainly, God feels much more sad when the people he has devoted so much love and care for don't know Him or aren't walking with Him. I've had to ask myself, "Do I sweat the small stuff, or do I invest time and effort where it counts?" Also, I generally invest time in things I care about, but I think it sort of works the other way as well...I care about things that I have already put a lot of myself into. Thus, another question comes up: "Have I invested enough of myself into caring for people who haven't heard about the Lord or who have strayed away from Him, that I truly care whether they end up with Him?"

Be the one for Jesus

Just hope to share part of a letter from Mother Teresa to her sisters working in the Missionary of Charity. It's such an encouragement to feel her simple humility and her pure heart to love Jesus and the poor. To Teresa, the poor are not only made in the same image of God, but they also have the very presence of Jesus in them - Jesus is bearing the suffering with them. Like what Jesus said in Matthew 25:

"'for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me... Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

Mother Teresa lived by this determination to "be the one" to love and comfort Jesus who are dressed in poverty.

She also gently reminded her sisters that " love begins at home - our community - our family." Love starts from loving the ones who are the closest in our lives.


-----------------
My dearest children, Sisters, Brothers, Fathers, Lay Missionaries, Co-workers,

This brings you my prayer and blessing for each one of you - my love and gratitude to each one of you for all you have been and have done all these 40 years - to share the joy of loving each other and the Poorest of the Poor.

Your presence and the work you have done throughout the world for the glory of God and the good of the Poor has been a living miracle of love of God and yours in action. God has shown His greatness by using nothingness - so let us always remain in our nothingness - so as to give God a free hand to use us without consulting us. Let us accept whatever He gives and give whatever He takes with a big smile...

Humility always is the root of zeal for souls and charity. We see that in Jesus - on the Cross and in the Eucharist...

So it is very important for us MC to be pure and humble... Because a pure heart can see God in the Poor - a humble heart can love and serve Jesus in the Poor.

Remember the five fingers -
you-did-it-to-Me

Remember - love begins at home - our community - our family.

Remember - works of love are works of peace.

Let us thank Jesus for the 40 years of tender love we have received from Him through each other- and pray that we grow in this love for each other and our Poor- by deepening our personal and intimate love for Jesus and greater attachment to Jesus through prayer and sacrifice.

...

God bless you
M. Teresa, M.C.

Home

Inspiration for following poem entitled "Home" is from the IBS/519 Fellowship at MPPC. Written by Andrew Li (Andy)

A home of brokenness

A home of hurt

A home of loneliness

A home of pain and suffering

That's where I belong

-----

In this home where there are tears

A home filled with fears

A home that's disillusioned

A home riddled with anxiety

That's where I will go

-------

In this home, I see faces

My face, your face

Rows of faces of people

Of every background, of every colour

That's where I see

------

I see facades fade

I see people sharing

I see realization that they are not alone

I see community

I see home

------

I see brothers and sisters

I hear laughter, worship, and praise

I see dancing

I see growth

I am at home

Thank you for Andrew for such a wonderful portrayal of what the IBS community is like..

Defeating Temptations

This is a continuation from my earlier post..discussing some of the practical ways to overcome temptations. This is again an excerpt from Chapter 27 of the Purpose Drive Life by Rick Warren. I encourage you to read the full version if you have the book or let me know if you want a pdf copy of this chapter

You may sometimes feel that your temptations are too much for you to overcome. But that is a lie from Satan. Remember the Bible tells us that we won't be tempted beyond our ability to bear. 1 Cor 10:13. However you need to practice four biblical ways to defeat the temptations from becoming Sin.

Refocus your attention on something else:

Bible does not teach us to resist temptation.. but we should resist the devil. You don't have to fight the thought of your temptation.. rather refocus your attention on something else. The more you think about something stronger it takes hold of you. Temptation gets you by capturing your attention. So don't continue to give your attention to it. Bible tell us to keep our minds focused… " Fix your thoughts on Jesus" Heb 12:1-2. and "Fill your minds with things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable" Phil 4:8. Remember that this might take a lifetime of practice but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can do it. In a very practical way find other ways to keep yourself and your mind engaged. Things that you do with others.. things that are fun to do like sports.. music.. reading etc..

Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or a support group:

This aspect has been a major help in my own struggles against my temptation. The Bible says that " Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed" James 5:16. Also the song "Healing Begins" by Tenth Avenue North resonates well with me. By sharing it with a Godly friend, you shine light on the darkness that the Satan is haunting you with. The satan will run miles away after you share. Sharing with a friend not only helps you lower you sense of guilt or burden but also provides an opportunity for you to seek help from others in terms of keeping you accountable or suggesting different means to help you. Remember that just by your will power and personal resolutions you cannot defeat the Satan. Because he is gonna try to lower your confidence by speaking more lies to you. I would suggest that if you do not have anybody (atleast one person) in your life who does not know that darkest part of yours that you struggle with.. then I encourage your to pray to God to show you such a brother or a sister. I have seen the power of this in my life and would greatly urge you to do so. But often times one aspect that would come on the way of confessing to others is our pride. Remember the bible says, "God hates the proud and gives grace to the humble" James 4:6. So confessing to an other person is also an act of humility before God. You will realize that, by doing this what you gain (the freedom from the bondage of sin) is much more than what you might lose (your pride).

Resist the Devil:

As I said before.. You don't have to resist the temptation.. but the devil. We are called to fight back the devil. That's why the Bible addresses us as soldiers in the enemy territory. We are called to wear the armor of God. (Eph 6:10-18). There are two important things that we should do in order to resist the enemy..

- First is to accept God's salvation. You won't be able to say 'no' to the devil unless you have said 'yes' to Christ. If you are a believer, satan cannot force you to do evil but can only suggest.

- Next is the Word of God. It is the weapon against the devil. Remember how Jesus when he was tempted by the Satan in the garden, used God's word to defeat him (Luke 4:1-13). You cannot defeat Satan with your own logic or opinion, but only the truth of God. So the key thing is to "MEMORIZE BIBLE VERSES". It is absolutely necessary to defeat the devil. If you don't have any memory verses with you then you have no bullets in your gun! This aspect is so true.. I'm starting to see it's power in my own struggle against my temptations. But have seen it working powerfully in the life's of many other believers also.

Realize your vulnerability:

It is important that we don't get over-confident about our own ability to overcome temptations. Given the right circumstances any of us are capable of sin. So we should always be wise in terms of avoiding the obvious situations that might tempt us and be always prepared with God's assurance of salvation and His word to fight against the enemy.

So in summary.. Temptations are good in a way that they help us grow and mature in Christ. But we should also know that this will happen only as we depend on Christ to resist the devil and not by our own strength. Temptations are meant to humble us and help us grow. The satan's plan for us is to fall through temptations.. but In Christ we can transform it for us to get even closer to God.

I pray that we as a community can continue to grow and mature in Christ.. by dwelling on His word and sharing honestly with each other so that we may defeat the Satan's plans and let God's plans work in our life and our community.

Growing Through Temptation

This is an excerpt from Chapter 26 of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. This has really encouraged me to see my temptations in a very different way. (Thanks to Ming for recommending this) I thought i would share with all of you a summary form what I read. I encourage you all to read the full version if you have the book. Or let me know I can send you a pdf copy of the chapter. Blessings.

Temptation is an opportunity to do good. It is an opportunity for you to grow and mature in Christ by developing the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Character building always involves a choice and temptations provide that opportunity.

You cannot claim that you have done good if you were not tempted to be bad. You can't know how much you can love somebody unless you are in the midst of unlovely people. God gives us His real joy in the midst of sorrow. Every time you defeat a temptation you become more like Jesus!!

How does temptation work?

1) It starts from our inner desires. It is not something that is external. You won't be tempted unless you have a desire for it. Mark 7:21-23

2) The second step is doubt. Satan tells us that it is not wrong to do it. It is not a sin and God won't care about it. Heb 3:12

3) Next is deception. It tells that it is only a little sin. YOu can get away with it. The satan is the Father of lies.

4) Final step is disobedience. We succumb to the temptation and commit sin. James 1:14-16

Overcoming temptation

a) Don't be intimidated when you have a temptation. Don't be ashamed. Infact Temptation is a sign that satan hates you. He knows that you are Godly and wants to tempt you more. It is all the more reason for you to be holy. Also know that Temptation is not a sin. For eg in case of sexuality… it is natural to have attractions and desires..infact it is God given. but it is lust, the deliberate act of will that is evil. Actually the closer that you grow to God, the more that Satan will tempt you. So rather than condemning yourself of having such a thought, rather refocus yourself on God and consider it an opportunity to even more depend on God.

b) Recognize your pattern of temptation and be prepared for it. Know as to what places, times and with whom do you have the most temptations and be prepared to avoid those situations.

c)Request God's help. Remember that there is a 24 hour emergency hot-line in heaven. So don't hesitate to call upon God's help during those times. He is there to help us. Also don't feel guilty even if you are tempted the 10,000 times. Because God is patient and His love endures forever. So shout unto him again and again when you need help. And remember that after you have stood the temptation.. you are gonna grow one more step closer to God. James 1:12

So in all, temptations aren't that bad after all. In a sense one should be happy about having temptations because then you know that the enemy is really scared of you. However.. you should be prepared for the times of temptations and should be strong and know how to face it…