09.16.05
Posted in Quote, Spiritual Formation at 9:56 am by PlayerWon
Commit the will to God, and immediately you will find Him near. Not because He has moved any closer, for He has always been at hand, but because you have finally allowed yourself to be near.
Sometimes we feel that God is distant. I myself have felt this way for quite awhile now.
We may feel God has left us to fend for ourselves. In a way He has, but He has not forsaken us. God appears to leave us sometimes so we can grow. Parents cannot always be at their children’s side if the children are to come into their own.
We may feel, furthermore, distant at some spiritual level. Not only does God seem to ignore our prayers but I no longer “feel His presence”. However, God allows us to lose the sensations of spiritual high because He wants to give us a choice. We are not impelled to follow Christ by surging emotions, but in the quiet we must choose. “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.”
Sometimes we feel especially kindled with fervor. A Christian life is not led by such passionate impulses as that which constitutes emotions, but by love.
In seeking to be restored to the right place with God, do not try to climb back up to a spiritual high like you might have had when first you decided to commit yourself to Christ. Just commit yourself by your will. “Spiritual highs” come and go. They are not bad in themselves, but they are only a catalyst.
Feeling distant? Ceaselessly steel your very will to that of God’s, realize that you are near, and you are near. The entire Christian life — a life of Love — is a constant affair of the will.
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09.15.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:55 am by PlayerWon
Andrew had on his xanga this awesome alternative version of Footprints
BUTT PRINTS IN THE SAND
One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
but mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord,
“What have we here?”
Those prints are large and round and neat,
but Lord, they are too big for yours or my feet.
My child, He said in somber tone,
For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.
You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you, on your butt.
Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight and one must climb.
When one must rise and one must stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.
~Author Unknown~
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09.09.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:29 pm by PlayerWon
Not everything one does in thinking he does it with love for the Lord is good. Many of the crusaders in centuries past thought the same thing. Obey. Be certain what is done is considered with God’s rule, not his rule subconsciously flexed to your whims. Love is first. But love is not mere emotion.
———————
September 9
Do It Yourself
. . . bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . .
—2 Corinthians 10:5
Determinedly Discipline Other Things. This is another difficult aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul said, according to the Moffatt translation of this verse, “. . . I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ . . . .” So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself . . . ” ( John 5:19 ). Then compare this with what we do— we take “every thought” or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.
Practical work for Christians is greatly overemphasized today, and the saints who are “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity” are criticized and told that they are not determined, and that they lack zeal for God or zeal for the souls of others. But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity,” but are simply doing work for God that has been instigated by their own human nature, and has not been made spiritual through determined discipline.
We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ’s view of God, the world, and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to “be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind. . . .” ( Romans 12:2 ).
- by Oswald Chambers (emphasis mine)
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09.06.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:40 pm by PlayerWon
After the much-appreciated and short-lived break from studies, it is time to get on to co-op work. My landlord passes by my workplace every morning in his own commute so he kindly gave me a ride. We left at 7:15 since he needs to drive to London. My work starts at 8:00. I arrive nice and early and explain to the front desk people that I’m a new co-op student, ask what I should do, where I should go, and whether my supervisor Mike is in yet. They scratch their heads. Pause. And call me a cab.
Apparently I went to the wrong plant. The address on the sheet given to me by UW Co-op that finalized my work term with them was the address to the plant that was on the opposite end of town from where I live, arguably just past the outskirts of town where the factories are. The actual plant I am meant to work at is 1.3km walk from home, as opposed to 6.5km.
Coming out of work it was easy to find my way home, the plant was right behind the big Zehrs that I had gone to just this past weekend for groceries. Easy enough. Trouble, though, was getting out of the plant. I had been taken on like a 2hour tour and shown the three ways to get to the office room I work in and yet I couldn’t manage to find my way out. After I stumble about a bit I go back and ask my supervisor for directions. I walk a bit and get lost again and got further directions from other workers there.
Oy vey… I hope I know how to get into the office tomorrow morning.
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09.02.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:03 pm by PlayerWon
First stop Calgary. Connecting flight to Toronto. Airporter shuttle bus to Stratford at midnight.
It’s gnna be a long trip.
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