Traveling

~Casting Stones~

      The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
     But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
     At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
     “No one, sir” she said.
     “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

— John 8:3-11 (NIV) —

     I think that this passage demonstrates to us how we should deal with someone caught in sin. If you are a follower of Jesus, then we should trace His footsteps. Let us see, Lord, let us see. ^_^

     The teachers and Pharisees are experts in the Law that has been handed down from God. But they cannot see God’s reasoning behind those Laws. Sin needs to be punished and they saw themselves as delivering justice. The woman should have been stoned along with the man she commited the act of adultery with. But the man wasn’t brought, therein lies the trap for Jesus.
     I interpret what Jesus said to be: Let the one without sin, dispense justice. This upholds that the Law is true… the wage of sin is death. But it asks for a different attitude and different mindset. Hate the sin, Love the sinner. So it took awhile for the younger experts to leave and the older experts understood what Jesus said quicker.
     Now there is no one left… just Jesus and the woman caught in sin. I think there is an implicit (unspoken) forgiveness of the woman’s sin. Jesus forgave her and asked her to repent and turn away from her sin. Jesus did not come to condemn those around us… The Law condemns… it convicts us of our sin. Jesus comes with mercy and love. Leave judgement to God.

Lord God, Jesus called us, “Follow me…” Let us follow in His footsteps. Give us the wisdom to understand your ways, Father. In everything we do, may You shine in our lives. I pray all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. Thank you, Lord for putting me where I could be of use… so many opportunities… help me be ready and willing to do your good and perfect will Lord God. Make me a tool.

P.L., B.C., K.L., M.W., Y.H., K.L., D.T., S.T., S.T., L.T., C.W., S.L., and H.C. are all in Your hands, Lord.

With Praise, Love and Gratitude,

ha256

== Prayers ==

Father, my brother, PL is having some problems. He didn’t describe them or tell me what was going on, but he seems discouraged about something. I pray that you will comfort him during this time of turmoil. We cannot live upon bread alone. Come into our lives and be Lord. I have another brother who is in a questionable situation. Guide him Lord. In all things, let Your will be done. Thank you for bring so much encouragement and blessings into my life. I pray in the name of the one who is Your love personified, Amen.

     I feel like the enemy of God today… I am at odds with what God is trying to achieve… yet He keeps on blessing me. He keeps on loving me no matter how many times I turn my back or choose the wrong path. I feel scrambled on the inside, everything just feels … and so I try to make sense of it in the best way I can think of…

On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

— Romans 12:20-21 —

Makes alot more sense to me now that I feel the burning coals on my head…

~ Salvation ~

Lord God, Truth is truth. You cannot argue with something that is true. If we have eyes and cannot see, I pray that You will open them. If we have ears yet cannot hear, I pray that You will unplug them. May all praise be to God for salvation. I am so unsure if I have addressed this properly. If I have missed anything, forgive me, Lord and correct me. Each day, let Your will be done. I pray all this in the name of Jesus, on whom all our hopes rest. Amen.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

— John 3:16 —

     I don’t see anything to explain here. Believe and you will have eternal life. Do you believe?

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

— Romans 3:22-24 —

     “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” yes, I am a sinner. Imperfect. I am only justified through Jesus. Nothing… I can do to gain eternal life. But I am redeemed! Jesus has redeemed me. ^_^

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; … “

— John 11:24 —

      Jesus said it himself… “I am the resurrection and the life” I don’t think I can phrase that any better…

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

— John 14:6 —

     “No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is what I assume to be Jesus addressing alternatives to getting into heaven. There are none. If you seek salvation, there is only one path.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

— Acts 4:12 —

     And in case, you place your trust in someone or something else. It puts it into even clearer language. “no other name under heaven” that means that anything that exists… none of them can save you. Not science. nothing.

If anyone sees something incorrect or missing, I’d like to know… I don’t know of any better way to say it. So I’m just posting up the verses. If you believe something else, what justifies you? (That was an honest question btw…) May God watch over you and protect you.

Shameless plug: Christian Radio is good stuff…(WXHL)

     Hope 2003 is getting off to a beautiful start for everyone. A year has gone by… it seems like forever… One year ago, I had a girlfriend. My spiritual life was in the pits. A year ago, if you had told me where I would be in 1 year, I would have laughed in your face. I have come so far… so very far. God has lead me (when I let Him) to very green pastures indeed. Now I’m unattached and quite content with that fact. I’ve had a growth spurt in my walk with God, Praise to God, woe to me for not letting Him take over sooner. ^.^;; There is still much to be done and God still has much work to do in me.
     Pray that God’s will be done. His perfect and good will. Yes. Trust not in myself, trust in Jesus. He will not let you be lost to the flames if your trust is in Him. Salvation can only be found through Him. That will be my next post.
      One of my friends was speaking with a Buddist about God, life, & salvation and something inside me woke up…something that’s been gnawing at me… What is the difference between Christianity and the other religions? What does Jesus offer that no other religion does? I don’t pretend to know… so I will do my best and hope that God will guide me.
     Truth is truth, we cannot back away from that which is true just because our hearts refuse to believe it. I seek truth. I seek to know Jesus… Buddism is a completely different story. Pray that God may speak through me on my next post… Really, really don’t wanna mess this one up… :-p

P.S. For those who are buddist, I hope you don’t preceive this as a personal attack upon your religion. I am trying to vocalize what I believe. If you choose not to listen, that is your choice. If you find fault in my words, then I invite you to say so. I am just a messenger and a mediocre one at that. May God shine through my weakness.

P.S. If you love to sing (even the shower singers) here’s a nice place to find lyrics… I find it useful in finding song titles. 
www.letssingit.com courtesy of bLaQ_widow

Currently enjoying:
Steven Curtis Chapman – Jesus is Life

Oh yeah…. ^_^

~ The Urge ~

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

— Romans 7:14-20 —

     I cannot win against sin. The power is not within me to turn away from sin. Even when I try to do good and keep from sin, I still do it. There is truth in this. I can testify to that. The laws within the Old Testiment show me what sin is. Living my life without Jesus convinced me that I am a slave to sin without Him. I prayed that God would help me turn away from sin, but I would not trust in God to turn me from my sin. I tried to do it with my own strength of will and failed. Yes, I failed. 
     So I came back to God and I asked for forgiveness and then I put my trust in God and not in my own strength. Sexual temptation is always there. I cannot avoid it. It is in the newspaper, walking past me on the street, on the television, and ever-present in my mind. There are mental pictures that I cannot erase.
     But each time I feel myself beginning to fall, I pray for strength. Telling my Lord, my God that I cannot win against sin alone. And then The Urge goes away… I cannot explain it. I can only tell it the way it is. And this is fact doesn’t escape the writer of this chapter of Romans…

== Solution ==

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

— Romans 7:24-25 —

Jesus is the one who allows us to talk directly with God. Previously in history, God spoke to his people though the prophets and the priests. But after Jesus came and died for our sins, the barrier between God and his people was broken. Oh yeah, God’s in da house… and if you are ready, He’s waiting for you. You are worthy. No doubt.

-= Weekend in Review =-

It’s not very often that something big happens, but when it does, I can’t keep it to myself… ^_^I went on a mini-retreat. Visited a pal who lives in the KoP area. He’s been going to a new church and he’s been a very changed man since he went there. So, being inquisitive people, we went to go check this place out. (Trinity Church) It was a very very busy weekend. So hopefully I’ll catch all of the interesting details on the first try… ^.^;;
= Saturday =
Went up to my pals place and got ready for a lunch/bible study session. It was beautiful, if you are in the area, I highly recommend. ^.^ Support/Prayer/Fellowship/Food It doesn’t get any better than that… Then the group went and visited a sister’s house to have dinner and a movie. We even cooked. Very open and nice sister. Met her younger sis… haha, the both of them are close and affectionate. Pleasant evening spent watching Miss Congeniality and also for some people… catching up on napping. Went back over to my pal’s place and crashed promptly.
= Sunday =
     Went to church, made it on-time. Sunday school came first. Pastor Tam was there… small world. Very nicely done. Didn’t really touch my heart, but maybe in time it will make more sense… Went into the English Service. Worship was very good. Songs were a nice mix of modern christian music and old-school hymns. The actual sermon… well… the beginning was ok, I guess… too bad I crashed in the middle… I remember vaguely something about sinfulness, evil hearts, Jesus… *fades to darkness & silence* wake up in time for the offering thingie to brush over my head…I was relieved to know that at least I didn’t snore in the middle of Pastor Daniel’s sermon… :-p
     Then had a good time doing afternoon games of ping-pong and basketball… my friend ran circles around me… so yeah, don’t underestimate the short dudes… kicked my butt…but a couple friendly banterings in ping-pong brought my spirits back up. Went back and tried to cook a pot-luck dish (didn’t work out… raw chicken is not yummy…) The potluck dinner was fun.
     Got the wrong set of instructions to get back home and had to swing around from I-95 down 676 and back up I-76 to drive my friend home… feel like a dumb-butt for not asking for the right directions… *sigh* oh well… too late now. Went home and crashed.

People I chilled with this weekend: Paul, “P”, Kim, Kim, Carl, Carl, Ruth, Ruth, Sterling, Sarah (sp?), Yangbo, Dave, “G”, Daniel, Daniel, Bill, “K”, Lisa, Mia (sp?), Chica (sp?), Yuhan (sp?), last, but certainly not least, God. ^_^ so many people…

~ “I Win” ~

= Blessed =

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

— Matthew 5:3-12 —

When you look over the list of those who Jesus considered “blessed”, you will find a listing of those who seem to be getting the shorter end of the stick in this life. Imagine that. When life seems to be looking down for you for following the ways of God, Jesus calls you Blessed. You are the Blessed. The blessed are “the spiritual poor”, “the mourner”, “the meek”, “those who seek but fail to find righteousness”, “the merciful”, “the peacemakers” and “the persecuted.” Go figure. So when life is getting you down, God says: “great is your reward in heaven.” How does one lose in a deal like this? If you lose in this life, you win in the next. Unconvinced? Let’s go down the list… ^.^

= Rewards to the unrecognized =
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

— Matthew 6:3-4 —

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

— Matthew 6:6 —

“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

— Matthew 6:17-18 —

The world doesn’t see all the things you do for God. And the world doesn’t need to know. God knows everything, both public and private alike. There is nothing that escapes the notice of God. So even when your actions aren’t recognized in this life, they will be brought to light in the next. Following the commands of God is like “storing your treasures in heaven.” So where are your treasures stored? Still winning… ^_^

= Rest =

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

— Matthew 11:28-30 —

Spirit feeling pressed down? Life got you down? Got Jesus? oh yeah, the prefered sports drink of all christian soldiers. If the battle you’re waging has got you down, come to Jesus, and He will give you rest. Sweet rest, unlike anything this world has to offer…as far as this puny human can tell anyway
If you don’t have Jesus and life is pulling you down to the depths, it’s time to recognize that you need something more than just you. Don’t judge Jesus by the words comming out of my mouth, come and meet Him yourself. Jesus is waiting. such a patient dude he is… ^__^

I seem to have gotten a bit derailed from my train of thought… oh yeah… “I Win” *chuckles*

Even if life looks down upon you and everything seems to be going downhill, as long as you are following God, things will be just fine. Maybe not in this life, but definitely in the next. So, if I follow the will of God and I reap blessings in this life, I have been a good worker for God and working as I should be. If I follow the will of God and only receive heapings of abuse, great is my blessing in the next life. So to simplify, if I win, I win; if I lose, I still win. This is the great proverbial “win-win” situation. Thanks be to God. Oh yeah, Da Man is Gooood. Praised be to the Lord my God. Love y’all. Keep your chin up and depend on Jesus. Till this race is run, till the walk is finished, till this day is done. God bless.

P.S. I am soooo sick of christmas music already. I need something else… maybe someone should do as this song suggests *wide grin*

Le Click – Call Me

Call me when you’re down
Call me when you need someone
Call me when it’s rough
And you think that there’s no one

Call me when you’re down…

Love just for the understanding
Things that love carries, what we’re demanding
Listen to the heart thats beating
Forget about lust and all misleading
Love, talk about me and you
My love just makes everything come true
Questions lies in the heavens and ground
It’s up to me and I’ll call you when I’m down

I will be true, too many ups and downs with you
I know what to say to you, so here’s what I tell you

But till you need someone to love
I will be searching for my love
I will, but I will be there for you

Sitting at a park, holding hands at the dark
With a love so strong to break my heart
This is your heart that’s beating
Forget about fuss and all misleading
Love, summer, winter, spring or fall
Love is wishing that we had it all
Questions lies in the skies and ground
It’s up to me and I’ll call you when I’m down

I will be there for you… (3 X)

If you need someone
Call me when you’re down (2 X)

Call me when you’re down…

DOH~! Forgot the most important thing to do on Christmas…

Happy Birthday Jesus! Hope you’re jamming up at God’s right hand. Get down, get down… hehe, figuratively, of course. *ahem* Amen. ^_^

~ Oops… ~

*kicks himself* I left my bible at home. At this moment, I realize that I need God’s word. I cannot depend upon myself. This would be a good reason why people memorize verses… I guess this would be the next best thing to having my bible sitting in front of me… BibleGateway.com(NIV) When I have my bible physically sitting in front of me, the post of the day will be “I Win” until then, I guess it will be some prayers.

— prayer —
     God, every day is a new day and we don’t always use each day to fullest, but each little part we offer up to you, I pray will help bring about your will here on earth. I pray that those who need comfort will be comforted. Those who are hungry will be filled. And especially I pray that you may bless both the worthy and the undeserving. I pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.

— prayer 2 —

     Lord, I’d like to pray today for wyn’s grandma, S.C. and wyn. I pray that you will comfort both of them during this time of turmoil. I pray that you would support wyn during her time of trouble. She is troubled by the possibility of seperation from her grandma. Christmas doesn’t seem to be quite the same. Jesus, I know not how to comfort, how to help them. I don’t assume to know them, so Lord, I place them within your highly capable hands. I pray all this in the name of he who came to be our shepard. Amen.

~ Heaven ~

     I feel so out of place… so perhaps a little glimpse of home might help both me and you…

“they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepard; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

— Revelation 7:15-17 —

~ Pieces of a puzzle ~

     Do you ever get that feeling that you don’t belong here? That for some reason, this is not where you were meant to be? or something is just not quite right? I find that as I get to know God and to see more of God’s view, I feel out of place here. I feel like the world is one big puzzle and I don’t quite fit in anywhere.

     Even in the presence of my brothers and sisters, I sometimes feel like I need to be someone else. Pretend to be something that I am not. Only in God’s presence can I always truly be myself. I am laid bare, there are no secrets that God does not already know. I am secure in a perfect love. Steeped in grace. My soul speaks praises that may never reach my lips, because God knows of the words even before I speak them.

     The more I try to do it God’s way, the more I realize that I am far away from the ways of the world… and that the world can no longer understand my ways, the more that my ways follow the path of the Lord. I find joy, love, peace, but not riches. This world would have me conform to its ways, but I cling to what I know to be true. Because that is all I can do. I must do as God asks of me, even if I never see the fruits of my labor. God’s will is perfect and good. That is what my faith tells me. My friend reminded me of this. Give me the mustard seed that is faith. I don’t need a greater amount of faith, I just need the right kind of faith.

— Matthew 8:20 —
— Matthew 10:34 —
— Matthew 11:28-30 —
— Mark 4:26-29 —

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I was going to do a post on being a sinner, a christian, and sin. But someone seems to have done a much better job than I could have… so I’m just gonna give a link because I think her post is much nicer than what I was gonna come up with.

http://www.xanga.com/item.asp?user=cadency&tab=weblogs&uid=8086651

~ Trust ~

     I was thinking about relationships again. Which isn’t very surprising since relationships are what makes my world go round. God, friends, & family. Yep, it’s a beautiful thing. So I was thinking about dating… and specifically friends that I’m interested in… why date friends? I think this verse sums it up very well.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

— Matthew 16:10 —

     If I tell you I’m interested in you, it only means I think there is potential for something more… If you’ve been friends long enough, you will realize whether or not this friend is trustworthy. Some friends are just there for chit-chat and fun. They cannot be depended upon when the real troubles come. I call them “Sunshine friends”… when the sun is out, you can always find them; when it starts to rain and pour, they are nowhere to be found. If you cannot be a good friend, how can you be a good significant other? I don’t think it’s possible.

Note: This can be applied for all relationships, not just the romantic ones… God, family, friends… Learn the art of trust.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

This is the song that we will be singing. God, I hope you like it. It’s all about you. ^_^