Woodpeckers and Reality

Last week, I spent a very visually rewarding time in dreamland. I dreamt that I actually slept outdoors in a tent with a clear top, looking at all the stars and constellations in the night sky. The moon was also apparently beautiful and golden in this dream too. I dreamt of a peaceful running stream, the smell of pine trees and the smell of campfire that has been carefully doused out. Add that to the smell of roasted marshmallows (rare and never burnt) and I was probably in a sleep-state of heaven.

Which is why I found it weird when I started dreaming of an annoying little woodpecker on what appears to be a giant dose of Red Bull. I woke up to the sound of jackhammers, yes plural, and this woke me up from my camping dream (which I was not sure why i was dreaming of either. I love the outdoors, don’t get me wrong, but have just spent so much time on the ground growing up that I may not willingly go to a lot of camping trips in my lifetime).

It was fine since it was a day, but ever since then I awake to jackhammers. I wake up really early, pray and then doze off again because I stay up late due to insomnia. I am not a morning person, and this noise is really bugging me. It will stay that way for three months until the place is renovated.

However, the Lord revealed something to me today by way of memory. The verse is in Psalm 3 and it was the psalm David wrote when he was having conflicts with Absalom. The verse reads, “I lie down and sleep, and wake again for the Lord sustains me.” It reminds me of something as simple as waking up to a new day is a blessing in itself, no matter what the circumstances. I am humbled, again, that my heart is in need of constant reminder, constant molding and grace that is in Christ. The reality is no matter how comfortable we get, sleep or otherwise, there will be times that we get downright uncomfortable and we won’t have control over the circumstances. What we can pray for is a heart that is reminded of the reality of Christ’s ongoing work in us.

I’d ramble some more, but I have a glazed doughnut and iced coffee sans whipped cream waiting for me. Plus a houseful of cleaning, best time to do it is when it’s an empty house.

God bless you guys today, and may you be reminded of the reality of Christ’s love and grace today.

A call and a reminder

“Jesus loves me, this I know.

For the Bible tells me so.”

Posted above are likely familiar lyrics to all of us who grew up in a church setting or with families who taught us hymns and the Bible. It is a very simple stanza that brings comfort that yes, Jesus does love us and we know this because the Bible tells us so.

The Bible starts with a story of creation so perfect until sin entered the picture. The beauty in that is that God still pursued man, and He still has a heart for his creation, a heart of a parent, a heart of a God who so loves. He saw the sin, allowed the consequences to happen and provides a way for a man to comes to repentance. This story continues on to people who turned away from Him constantly, yet He provides comfort and sends prophecies of Him sending a lamb for sacrifice and Jesus comes, sinless and perfect to die on the cross as an atonement for our sins. He conquered death and resurrected and promised to come again; He called twelve men (and many more) who shared this very gospel and were willing to be used as instruments for His name. That is one awesome love story that begins in Genesis and continues until Revelation and each book is filled with so much, if we just take it and read it with an open and contrite heart.

So… what’s the point?

Reading the Bible doesn’t make us a Christian, but accepting Christ as the only way to true salvation is the start. Then He sends us the Holy Spirit so that our renewed minds and new hearts are protected, preserved and ‘processed’ continually and renewed more as we continue to walk in the faith.

God’s love is a love that accepts us for who we are, that is true. Every human individual is broken and in need of grace. However, this love is so amazing that we don’t stay the same. Our wholly desires for sin do not stay in our new and regenerated heart, it is simply not possible. This love transforms us… it makes us more like Christ that we are able to shine a light to this world.

This very simple childhood song served as a reminder today of two things. It is a call for us to respond to such a love, and it is easy to just say, “Well I’ve heard of what people have to say about the Bible, or I read it once and it wasn’t for me” but think about it. God loves you, yes you as a singular person, and if this post can be as bold as to ask, How do you choose to respond? If you accept and receive this gift of salvation, read the bible and then don’t stop there, obey the Bible and trust it no matter what our culture or revolutionary leaders say. It is Jesus versus other ideas, what will you choose to place your trust on? Study the bible and pray for the Holy spirit to guide us as we read so that we can truly possess it, profess it and practice it.

\Secondly, this song is a reminder for us that His love is written in the Bible. It is not in Oprah, Dr. Phil, parties, purposeless relationships, not on Twitter, Facebook. The story of God’s love is in the Bible, so study it, embrace it and there comes a time when you will have to defend it against a world that does not believe. It is a love story that involves Jesus Christ losing His life so that everyone who comes to Him for repentance are saved and are reconnected to Him. It is a love story that reconciles, hopes and transforms. It is a love story that has happened for thousands of people from the past. It is a love story that happens now in the hearts of those who truly believe and obey Christ. It is a love story that can happen to you.

Think about it… Jesus loves me, this I know because the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.

Talking about Love

After a lovely dinner of baked macaroni in red and bechamel sauce, strawberry cheesecake and orange soda, we discussed some bible passages about love. We looked at God’s command to his disciples in John to love one another as this will show the world that you are in Christ. It’s a very simple verse but we discussed how it was a change-maker and challenge to a Christian to live a life worthy of the calling we receive. We discussed the Good Samaritan as well and the famous love verse, discussing our struggles with loving people and which part of the verse is really hard for us and how Christ helps us by being the perfect model for us.

We had a first timer to our study, and he said he’d come back for the food, company and maybe the spiritual food (he laughed at that). May God continue to work in this group. A few months ago, I was battling God on this because I was getting busy with school and work and I felt like I wasn’t in a good place emotionally. But I’m trusting Him on this and letting Him lead, because like the lecrae song, I’m the background and He’s the lead. It’s great to see the understanding and fellowship going on. It’s great seeing our youngest blossom and just be on fire about this and that she tries to drive back to study with us and lead worship.

Dear Lord, You said in your word that when two or three gather in Your name, You are there in the midst of them. We pray for our group that you safeguard us, keep our doctrine biblical and help us always have love for each other. You know who are Yours and may you soften hearts and humbly break us so that we become surrendered to your saving grace and lordship in our lives. Thank you for Your love, for Your word and Your work.

Today is gonna be the day.

Playlist: Wonderwall - Oasis

            Push -  Matchbox 20

            Downed - Cheap Trick

            If you could only see - Tonic

            Here is gone - Goo goo dolls

It was a beautiful spring day, a little warm but amazingly pretty. I love spring because of it’s sunny-ness and color but I’ve been having allergies for the past two days.

One of my close guy friends got baptized today. It was great hearing his testimony (even though i already have heard of it from him). It was great hearing him proclaim his faith in front of the whole church. I also got to meet his lovely girlfriend! Seeing how God has worked in his life and is continuing to do so is a great thing to witness. I’m blessed to have great friends who love Christ and who help me along my faith walk also.

A few days ago marked the fourth year since my friend Althea Cara passed away from brain cancer at 19 years old. I remembered her and thought that someday, I will embrace her and praise God with her in heaven. I miss her terribly, especially having someone who loves music (from different genres) like she does and sports (even if she thinks volleyball is a ‘girly’ sport compared to soccer). So today, I remember her by listening to some of our favorite bands: Queen, Pink Floyd, Ramones, Cheap Trick, Heart, Nirvana, Oasis. This girl has been one of the many friends that intervened and inspired me to get back into church and respond to Christ’s love. She was an amazing model of a sacrificing love and absolute trust in God to the point of losing her life without remorse. I love and miss you my dear sister in Christ. Her life has touched me and caused me to grow in so many ways, knowing that our earthly losses are for heaven’s gain.

Awaken me, Lord

Image from: musingsandmiscellaniesohmy.blogspot.com

A song from Jesus Culture has the lyrics, “Let our praise be the highway, to fill our place, touch the cities, fill Your people. You awaken me, you awaken me.

Some days it is easy to feel as like a world-weary pilgrim who is just trying to find his way home, like the protagonist in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s progress. It is easy to just try to survive this life and forget that living is not the end point of this life. Like Lucado writes, It’s not about you. It’s about God always being glorified in anything and everything in your life [not a direct quote].

There are days where our hearts cry out, “Lord it hurts. Lord, I’m tired. Lord, I’m overwhelmed.” One of the best blessings I have come to appreciate as I walk with Christ is that He truly is our strength and our refuge. Psalm 23 becomes something very tangible and relate-able to us.

Awaken me, Lord so that each day I come to You, willing, teachable and grateful for your gift of salvation. May you grant me the capacity and ability to love, be joyful, peaceful, be patient, kind and good, be selfless and have self-control. May I be more like You, and may I, like the moon, be a reflector of the Light so that I may become less and You, greater. Awaken my heart, Oh Lord and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Conversations and Rainy Days

paulekaiser.com

A recent conversation with a close friend, who’s really almost like a brother to me just moved me beyond words.

We talked about how beautiful His plans are and how moving forward is very exciting!

He asked me, “What do you want to do in this life?”

Here’s my answer: I pray to be a godly and gentle mother, a loving and faithful wife, and a servant to everyone I meet. I know it will not be easy, but with the Lord’s guidance, I pray that I be all the above. Can’t wait to see my Lord and God face to face someday.

Ever since I recommitted my life to Christ when I was 18, it has been a very interesting journey. Lots of laughter, tears, and a whole mess of emotions but one thing I find assurance in. Christ walks with me, even at days when I feel like I’m walking alone, and He continues to love me, transform me, and mold me into the woman He wants me to be.

Costly things that are worth the price

In addition to my current job as a preschool teacher assistant, I am also interning at a preK classroom 3 cities away from my current city. For valentines day, we organized a field trip to the downtown shops to hand out valentines to the people in thanks to their financial support to children’s education. A week before, the children made purple valentine cards to give away and yesterday, with big grins on their faces, we piled into a yellow school bus (my first real school bus ride) and drove to downtown.

Halfway along the fieldtrip, one of my students glumly said after giving out a valentine, “I’m giving away my hearts and no one’s giving me anything in return! Where are the dollars?!” After a moment of consideration, I realized that he thought giving away the cards will assure him that he get the ‘money from the city people’. I had to suppress a giggle, how alike we are at times, to give only to hope for something in return and then our expectations grow and we get disappointed.

This made me reflect on costly things in life, where we have to give a lot of effort to but that are worth the price.

Life for Christ - This is probably the costliest relationship ever. Christ gives us salvation for free but the cost of following Him is very high and the cross is very heavy. However, it is one thing that I can say is well worth it. In 24 years of living, I have faltered and stumbled broken back into that well-worn but narrow road and have realized how beautiful it truly is.

Fellowship and Ministry - It is not easy to be around people. People are all broken and most don’t come with an easy to read manual, but God gives us a command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Church is one of the best things and can be a family for us, but it also is filled with people who are also broken, just like us. It is costly, demanding of time, effort and the occasional nudge away from your comfort zone, but when you love Jesus, it just really works out.

Family - Family is a smorgasbord of quirky people and cool characters. I was somehow put in a big family with people that have really strong personalities. I grew up being used to quiet and only had my parents so it’s really a huge adjustment. You have to get used to a lot of changes, but it has its cool days. And my parents are totally awesome and supportive parents!

Friendships - I have a lot of friends from different places, but I have very few confidantes enough to count on one hand. I value friendships a lot, maybe because I didn’t really have any siblings so I like having big groups around despite my non-talkative nature. Friendships are costly, they involve a lot of adjustments, arguments, humility, and commitment to stay in them. They’re totally worth it, my friends and I are still pretty much in touch despite the distance that we have.

Education - Education is fast becoming very expensive, readily accessible and also not as valued as before. Knowledge is just being made free and books and journals are getting published so fast! But it is costly to stay a student and follow through with your educational goals and desires.

Marriage - Having some older married friends, I’ve been told that marriage is very costly especially when it reflects Christ’s relationship with his bride, the church. My older guy friends have informed me that marriage has truly humbled them and broke them in order that they become more like Christ and lead and serve their families. My older female friends have told me of the many struggles in marriage and how important it is to have two sinners (two very broken people) who love Christ with all they are. They tell me it becomes easier for them to both be molded by Christ and become more compatible with each other as time passes. It is truly humbling and exciting hearing their stories because their struggles are real, their faith is real and God just really proves He is greater than anything in this world. When he brings two people together and the man loves Christ more than anything in this world, and the woman loves christ as well, it’s just amazing! I know because I’ve seen marriages like that and they aren’t perfect, but there’s respect and love in those marriages and all due to Christ.

Parenting - Being parents are becoming so financially stressful that a lot of people opt out or delay it to a really long time. My parents always remind me how hard it was to raise a child considering the instruction, discipline, education and affection aspects of parenting. My mom chose to sacrifice a career in accounting to serve as my primary educator and that is a sacrifice of hers that I value and hope to continue on to my kids. She taught me to love God’s word at an early age, how to find where she locates the switch (for my discipline hehe) and to love learning from books. My dad worked hard, very hard, in order to provide for the family and send me to good school and all those musical, athletic and art lessons. My other family friends tell me how big of a headache children can be (and as a teacher and only a teacher, I will agree with them); and they also tell me how great of a joy children are (and even as I am only a teacher and not a parent i agree with them as well). I love kids, and there are challenges and a lot of power struggles but I know they are a gift from the Lord and I’ll continue having that view.

When i was in high school, I came across a saying from a nun which goes, “Love dies without sacrifice.” and I agree with that. Love doesn’t always get appreciated, returned, repaid and all that but love still exists and love still wins. Faith, hope and love. the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13]

What are other costly things that are worth the price?

You simply cannot

You cannot meet Jesus and still want to sin.

You cannot meet Jesus and still want to do things your own way.

You cannot meet Jesus and see that people are just horrible and can never change.

You cannot meet Jesus and still want to just sit idly still.

You cannot meet Jesus without wanting to know Him and make Him known.

You cannot meet Jesus and not hunger for His word in the Bible.

You cannot meet Jesus and hate fellowship in church.

You cannot meet Jesus and not want to trust and obey His will for your life.

You cannot meet and not want to know and have a relationship with Him.

You cannot know Him without bearing fruit.

You cannot know Him without shining.

You cannot know Him by just sitting in church on Sundays and living the week different.

You cannot know Him by having all sort of bad thoughts against the people you meet.

You cannot know Him while you remain addicted to money, alcohol and sex.

You cannot know Him and abuse your relationships

You cannot know Him and dishonor your parents repeatedly.

You cannot know Him and devalue your friendships.

You cannot know Him and leave the gospel for ‘full-time’ missionaries to share.

You cannot know Him and not want to worship Him. You cannot know Him and focus on all aspects of worship without just opening your heart and praising Him.

You cannot know Him and hold grudges and be unforgiving.

You cannot know Him and not value life, especially the unborn.

You cannot know Him and not protect the value and sanctity of marriage, that it was made between one man and one woman.

You cannot know Him and use people for your own nefarious deeds.

You cannot know Him and run around listing rules and saying that people break them and they should earn His love through works.

You cannot know Him and tear down people instead of leading them to the cross, daily.

You cannot know Him without wanting to stand up for truth.

You cannot known Him and want to be unproductive, irresponsible and dishonest.

You cannot know Him and hate rebuke and correction.

You cannot know Him and deny Him consistently through your words and deeds.

You cannot know Him and be the same person that you started out as.

You cannot love Him and hate everyone around you, calling them sinners.

You cannot love Him while following the world.

You cannot love Him and say that He isn’t the only way, the truth and the life.

You cannot love Him and say that His words aren’t relevant and true.

You cannot love Him and stay lukewarm.

You cannot love Him and not experience and be changed by grace.

You simply cannot.

His love, forgiveness and grace covers a multitude of sins. In Him, we are being made into new creations with a new heart that is always repentant and aims to glorify Him with the new desires of our hearts. Our actions become motivated by love for people and hatred for sin. It is only through His death on the cross for our sins that we can be made new.

1 Peter 4:8

2 Corinthians 5:17

Ezakiel 36:26

Romans 12:2

1 John 3:2-3

Galatians 5:19-26

Philippians 1:6