ambivalence; retreat; a mind & its contents.: Ark School -
So, basically, my church (Gracious Ark Church, Los Angeles) has been hosting a non-profit 6 week summer school program (8:30am-5:00pm) for underprivileged children K through 8th every summer for the past 4 years. This year would be the fifth. Starting from the first year ending with last year, we…
“
To ask why a good God would allow suffering is to ask why a good doctor would put a needle in the backside of an infant to inoculate them. The infant doesn’t understand it, all he knows is that it is horribly painful. He can’t understand that in a way this inoculation is going to prepare him for something in the future that he is not even aware of.
And in the same way, God is a God of intention. He is a God of meaning, of purpose. He is brimming with intention and meaning. So we can rest assured that although the purposes of suffering might be hidden from us in the present life, His reasons are always wise, they are always specific, and they are always good.
” — Joni Eareckson Tada (via bombinabirdcage)(Source: romanticcatholicism, via alivingcatalyst)
[video]
“Hate the sin, love the sinner”
The entire concept behind this idea is so easy to grasp and to understand intellectually. The problem for me lies in the fact that it’s extremely hard to apply to my life in a genuine way. So, the reason for this post is for a prayer request: please pray for me to become more sensitive to the people around me. Please pray that I won’t allow my emotions and “logic” to take God’s throne in my life. Please pray for me to submit myself to God and to others. Please pray for me to live out the life of service I was called to live. Not only for me, but for the entire body of Christ. To preach the gospel of love with love. That is all.
Also, I’d love if you guys would share with me some of your prayer requests! If you feel like you want to share, please drop a message in my ask box! I’ll keep all the requests confidential; I won’t publicly answer those questions.
[video]
It’s a vicious cycle. A cycle that’s vicious. Vicious because it’s a cycle.
Did you have enough? Haha I had fun writing that.
Should I end the post here?
No, silly, because I haven’t even told you which cycle I’m talking about and why it’s vicious.
It’s Psalm 37:4!
“Delight yourself in the…
The series of catastrophe’s in Japan is a humbling reminder to us all: How fleeting is life? How brief are the material things we strive for? It reminds me of this verse…
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Matthew 6:19-21
More importantly, though, I pray that this incident in Japan, along with the other disasters that have unfolded recently, will spur on a revival among those who have a burden for Japan and the people there. Not only for Japan, but also for everyone else who has yet to receive the gospel. There is no time left for us to stall. Reach out to fulfill the Great Commission and live the life we are called to live.
Let this event, and others of the like, add to the glorification of our Lord, Jesus.
Lord, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I’m not scared ‘cause You’re holding my breath. I only fear that I don’t have enough time left to tell the world that there’s no time left.Group 1 Crew - Forgive Me
“Confession means I quit rationalizing, explaining, justifying my sins. I rip the disguises off and call them what they are—sins!” — John Underhill
(Source: bible.org)
Ok, so I understand this post is a bit long, but if you’re into Biblical science, this will (probably) be fun for you :). Enjoy!
For those scientists out there who try to prove “Biblical phenomena” to be “acts of god”-as opposed to “acts of God”-through experimentation and research, I applaud your ignorance and lack of knowledge of my God (the way you underestimate and belittle Him… tsk tsk).
Before I go any further, note that in a previous Random Thought, I stated that God is a God of order. He’s the one who created this science; the same science that we humans try to understand so vehemently. Moving on now…
For example, there is a group of scientists who think the “10 plagues of Egypt” may have actually happened (check the source for the link)! Gasp! They acknowledge a Biblical story that was previously thought to have been complete myth! There’s a slight twist to it, though. According to these scientists, it wasn’t God punishing Ramses II, but just a series of unfortunate coincidences that can all be explained through science. It obviously couldn’t have been God punishing Egypt in an effort to free His people, because there had to be so many geological/natural events occurring before the plagues to lead up to the plagues themselves!
Found under “Final Thoughts” of the article: “If the plagues were brought about by the Hand of God, then the stories from the Exodus are true and God himself removed the Jews from the bondage of slavery. But what if science really has proven the cause of the plagues to be ***nothing more than natural occurring phenomenon*** presented to Ramses by a very skilled performer [Moses]?”
WRONG (and laughable)! This God of mine, the God that led the Israelites out of Egypt is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. He’s everywhere, all-powerful, and knows everything (past, present, and future; time is an open book with a beginning and an end for Him). He knew before Creation that this was going to happen, so, using nature (which He created, by the way), He set up the scene for the 10 plagues absolutely perfectly. God Himself planned out these “natural occurring phenomenon” to fulfill His will. Everything rolled out according to His plan.
So yes, you scientists did a good job in finding evidence for the 10 plagues of Egypt. You probably are correct; I’m too lazy to review the work myself (as if I could review and confirm the validity of this research ahaha). Assuming all of the work is valid, the only problem lies in your assumption of a limited, weak God.
(Source: theweeklyconstitutional.com)
Here’s an interesting article discussing the religiousness of modern medicine. Just read to the 3rd or 4th paragraph and you’ll get the gist of the entire thing, although I recommend you read on ;).
http://www.naturalnews.com/031589_modern_medicine_scientism.html
Like some religious faiths, medicine clings ferociously to its worldview when challenged by congregants (patients) whose firsthand experiences sometimes lead them to believe otherwise. It defends its dogma with a powerful form of groupthink and is quick to lash out at heretical ideas that threaten its doctrine and its territorial interests. Like some religious movements that purport to be the one and only true path to salvation, it displays an unusual degree of intolerance when faced with nonbelievers who dare to ask questions. It is a closed belief system that does not allow innovation or new ideas. It lays claim to truth, fact, and objectivity, but exposes itself as otherwise when we closely examine its assumptions, politics, and practices.
— This is how God loves. ♥
I don’t normally reblog, but this deserves one. This is for you, Jae Choi
(Source: sundaesandlullabyes, via alivingcatalyst)
“He who wishes to comprehend God with his mind becomes an atheist.” — Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf (via gracejkim)