If I wasn't me, I'd want to be ~
just because of the amazing friends I have. :)

They are sweet, caring, kind and thoughtful......and the icing on the cake is that they are absolutely hilarious !!!!

Exhibit A:
The email banter that I was cc'd on yesterday ~
(Huey is Heidi, and Hibby is Yen)


Huey:

Hullo?

Hullo?

Hullo?


Hibby:

“Hey hey….. I’ve been here……”


Huey:

“True. But I think our friend Duey is in another wing of the cave.”


Hibby:

“Holy echo, Batman; I think you may be right!”


Huey:

“Good one, faithful Robin.

ZWAACK!!!

POW!!”


Hibby:

“Ouch! That was me, Batman!! Would someone please turn on the lights in here…”


Huey:

“Lights are for the weak.

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.
Chuck Norris sleeps with a pillow under his gun.
The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It failed miserably.
Lightning never strikes twice in one place because Chuck Norris is looking for it.

Buck up, Robin.

BIFFF!!!!!!!”

Sorrowful yet Rejoicing ~

Ever notice how when you're going through a trial that the Spirit of God brings to mind all of the doctrine and truth that you've learned recently?

It seems like I don't have a clue as to how the things I'm learning in bible study are going to be a means of grace for my own sanctification later, through the trials of life.
Usually when I'm studying, I'm thinking about how much I can learn for the benefit of unbelievers I meet or in whatever meditations I have I wonder how God might use it to encourage one of my brothers or sisters in the Lord, and the study and meditations are a great blessing for sure....but whew - it's such a sweet shock when He brings truths I've wrestled through in my mind to rest on my heart.......as Jonathan Edwards says - it's a different kind of knowing. It's not like knowing that 2 +2 = 4.
It's like knowing honey is sweet, because you've tasted it for yourself. (not because someone told you that honey is like this or that, describing it to you.)
It's like how Adam Knew Eve, his wife, and they conceived. He didn't just "know of her", he experienced her - intimately unified.
Gotta love Eddie ~

Usually crying out to the Lord is due to seeing some failure in life, some lack of charity in the heart........but lately, joy is the cause of my tears wtih thanksgiving as the overflow.
I could hardly fall asleep last night!!! What a great Father we have. He has given us Jesus Christ, eternal life in Him........and what more could we ever expect? - if He should give us a hard life with all trials and pain and no joy along the way, we should not make a peep about it.........but humbly accept it as from the Father's hand. But He gives us SO MUCH MORE than we could ask or think. Everything is given to us by the amazing love that God has for His children......and we are undeserving of even the title "child of God."

My skin is the only thing keeping me from going everywhere at once. In Christ Jesus....still.

In Christ Jesus ~
Jen2

1 Peter 2:13

"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Honor the emperor.

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?
But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. "


Tribulation and persecution at work.....so ummm.......why am I not rejoicing ?! It's hard !!!! Today I was called a blasphemer by someone who does not even know what the word means, and I've been dealing with many accusations about being in a cult lately. It is so odd too, because the person that is doing the most of the biting is the one who asks the most questions about the faith and seems to have absorbed some of truths that I've shared. (the one mentioned in the previous post)
It's hard to know when to speak and when to hold my tongue, as he is generally very unteachable and arrogant and looks at me as though I am a fool because I study the bible and don't care to read the star tribune everyday.
Some of the things that have been said to me would be enough to get some of the persons fired......if I only brought just a few comments to HR......but if I do that - what good am I for the sake of the Name?
I get fired up inside when they talk so confidently about things that are so far off from God's true character as revealed in the scripture.........and the jokes they make about why I read my bible over my lunch break. I love them, and they trash me. I share the gospel with them, and they call me judgemental. (because I believe sin to be sin, and not merely "a mistake")

I couldn't have held up in this type of atmosphere a few years ago without yelling/arguing with people who treat me as they do......so God's grace is sufficient for today, and all that He has planned for me.

I need more insight and more grace to continue to work here. The fire is turned way up, and the other (professing) believers and I share no unity of heart......they will not so much as say something is right or wrong based on God's word, but they say "well, we're not to judge"

Just rambling a bit to gather my thoughts ~

Wanna be thought provoking and helpful to me friends?

I have a co-worker that I have witnessed to umteen times and even gave him a bible last year for Christmas (and the book Jesus among other gods)

He has heard hours of gospel.....but I sort of stepped back because he developed feelings for me and such. Wellp.....praise God the situation is calmed down. He is dating a girl now. (yes, he admits that they are sleeping together) And I am dating a great guy that I talk highly about all the time at work.....about his kindness and leadership.
(to reaffirm that there is no way that we would ever be more than friends)

Anyhow.......the crux is that he has opened the door to talk more about the gospel and such.....and he's sort of antagonistic. Though I know that I've gotten through a few times, since he was almost in tears a couple times with gratitude and said to me "you're the only one who doesn't give up on me"

So, he asked me to find verses that explain more what is meant by "sexual immorality" in the scriptures. He seems to think that it means merely homosexuality or sex with animals or something......but not pre-marital immorality.

I have a few that come to mind......but would like you friends to chime in with what comes to your minds too.

In Christ Jesus ~
Jen2

Prayer is both a means of grace, but also an end in itself
(a verse from a recent prayer sermon by Piper and todays devo from Ozzie)

Jude 1:20
"But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; Keep yourselves in the love of God..."

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.
We think of prayer as a common-sense exercise of our higher powers in order to "prepare us for God's work."
In the teaching of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of Redemption in me which produces the miracle of Redemption in others by the power of God. The way fruit remains is by prayer, but remember it is prayer based on the agony of Redemption, not on my agony.
Only a child gets prayer answered; a wise man does not.
Prayer is the battle; it is a matter of indifference where you are. Whichever way God engineers circumstances, the duty is to pray. Never allow the thought - "I am of no use where I am;" because you certainly can be of no use where you are not. Wherever God has dumped you down in circumstances pray to Him all the time. "Whatsoever ye ask in My name, that will I do." We won't pray unless we get thrills, that is the intensest form of spiritual selfishness. We have to labour along the line of God's direction, and He says pray. "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest."
There is nothing thrilling about a labouring man's work, but it is the labouring man who makes the conceptions of the genius possible; and it is the labouring saint who makes the conceptions of his Master possible. You labour at prayer and results happen all the time from His standpoint. What an astonishment it will be to find, when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you had been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ."

All I got for today, I think that I have to think about this one for a time, and a half a time.
:)

Jen2

Which comes first the Chicken or the Egg ?


With the things that I've seen over the last few months.....I've been thinking about how this whole deal works......in that God provides in us what He commands of us, and there we reflect His glory. Well, the bible says that our obedience will be rewarded (Ps 19:11, 58:11, Prov 11:18, Matt 5:12, 6:1-6)
From seeking to delight ourselves in the Lord - the fruits of the Spirit of God will flow out of us.
It is a great blessing to overflow with fruits that you know are not of you.

We're commanded to be joyful and to be patient and to be kind etc, etc.......but when we obey it is God causing us to obey.......and in seeing Him incline our hearts to obey -- there we have joy and peace and patience.......kindness and gentleness flow.....and self control comes with ease it seems.
Obedience is wrought in God...and I'm finding lately that this is where my deepest joys are found. Crying out to God to turn my heart to obey His decrees. To give me a Holy disposition, so that in those moments of trial that come so suddenly, I can respond rightly in His sight and be pleasing to Him.
Psalm 119:59-60
"When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I make haste and do not delay to keep your commandments."

Just my weekend meditation.
I'm still in awe that God provides obedience in us and then he rewards us for what HE'S done!!!?? Is that awesomely odd to anyone else???

Love the Lord today - let's make haste to!
As Jonathan Edwards says, "Tis' common sense that those things which are of greatest importance are the things which humans tend to make haste to do....it is their present and immediate business." (priority #1)

And what other thing is more important than our relationship to the Almighty God of the universe - our own Father?

With a heart filled with thanksgiving to our Great God ~
Jen2

Sleep like a Calvinist

Keeping watch for what God might be trying to communicate to us about our own soul is a lot of work......but it is sooo worth it.

When the meditations on His word, by no "coincidence", just happen to line up with a circumstance in your life at the moment, it is enough to get you flat on your face. Hearing Him say "Trust me......don't bank on your plans, or your wishes nor trust in anything you see.....but "Trust me"
Since I've hoped for my blog to include different things that I've learned through ministry.....ie.... being able to be a part of the salvific plans of the Father.......somehow.....here is a tid-bit from ministry Sunday Oct 8, 2006.

I'm a teacher and small group leader at BBC for 3 year olds in preschool. For those of you who know little about it....Bethlehem's curriculum is very potent at every age level.
We don't beat around the bush with the truths of God's hatred of sin, His judgments and His mercy. We seek to get the children engaged with what the people of Israel might have seen/known of the Lord in their days. So instead of the story being called "Noah and the Ark" the stories have a more God-centered focus.....and that story, for example we call "God judges the world and sends a flood" Because God and His purposes are the focus of the story, with Noah merely as a supporting actor.

Now, I'm not really a person who's usually unable to find words to communicate....but seriously...there is something difficult about trying to take huge truths and make them kid friendly. And the first lesson that I did I had worked hard to prepare the lesson and went into the room still fretting about 'not being prepared enough'.....I felt like a failure afterward....though my team lead and the other small group leaders, God bless them, were very encouraging.

Well, this time around, I decided (by God's grace) to pursue to know the text/story well, and to pray a ton over it, rather than trying to be so detailed with planning how I would say this or that. To just cast it all out before the Lord to give me the words that the children need to hear.

So our memory verse this week was Is 30:15 "In quietness and in trust shall be your strength"
What a blessed reminder as I was getting the flannelgraph ready, and praying in the closet..........I felt helpless.....and was oddly very comforted in that.
God gave me the words and the conviction of what I was saying as I was teaching. I believed passionately every word that I was saying and I don't recall, but I think that I used kid-terms for the whole story. Praise the LORD !!

The little ones kept asking questions about the story in small group afterwards....we were able to tie in the story of Babel and God's dispursing the people and creating many languages (as a discipline) to how God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden for being disobedient......and how their parents discipline them so that they learn to obey God.
(Because God disciplines His Children too!!) They GOT IT !!
Ahhh.....what an amazing Lord we have. He calls such young children to the knowledge of Himself, and to see their faces and know that they really understand that the way back into the garden is through Christ Jesus.........I am ecstatic and filled with Joy and praise this morning.

To the Only God our Father, and to the Lamb be all the glory and praise and honor forevermore.

In Him Thankfully,
Jen2

The Love / Hate Relationship with Debates

I just visited Challies blog for the first time today, and man...that poor brother!
He sets up the blog to bless people....but then, lo and behold.......the grumbling and biting starts.

Bunch of biter sheep on there trying to tell eachother the "REAL TRUTH" about Jesus being 100% God and 100% man.....oh, and not just that, but how to phrase that truth.
Are we really wasting time talking past eachother on this? They all agree witheachother, but no one slows down to try and understand the other one........whew.
I'm exhausted.......and convicted a bit, because I see that in myself. There is this seeking to be fulfilled in being 'right' or something that drives debates like that. A motive not grounded in a love for the Gospel. I just actually cut off my email exchange with a hyper calvinist recently for the sake of the Gospel. It was just not going to be edifying......and "when words are many transgression is not lacking." So, soooo true.

I don't have anything really crazy going on right now......just peace that surpasses understanding. You friends?

with love from above and in all truth,
sheep # 2,129,367,945,608
aka oatmeal.