It is done!
The New Testament is finished. Not even fully. Not even as much as I would have liked to study it. But I know it better than I ever have before. Now I just need to remember all the main ideas and reasons written and dates and key verses! I've never been one to memorize anything let alone be good at it. If you know me well, you know that I forget everything and can barely remember to get dressed in the morning, let alone remember all these parts of 27 different books!
I wrote a 19 minute long song for my horizontal chart for Revelation! We were given creative freedom for this book, so I took that and wrote out pretty much a paraphrase of the entire book. 19 whole minutes of The Revelation of Jesus Christ!
Revelation has been wonderful. It is not a scary book. It is not so complicated either once you know the original audience's situation and understand that everything in the book is symbolic, not literal (at least that's my opinion and the Early Church's understanding of it). I love this book though, it is a book full of worship, and is basically an evangelistic book. It tells the same story as the gospels only in a few different ways and there are 3 or 4 different views of the same things throughout the book. I love John's style of writing. He is cyclical, quite unlike Paul. Paul is more linear in his writing, like one, two, three, done, whereas John keeps jumping around to the same ideas over and over, but in no particular order.
One major thing I learned today deals with the final judgment. I always thought we'd all stand before his throne and get judged for all the things we have done and though we are saved by grace, we still had to stand up there and have everyone see or hear what we did. That is not the case my friends! It's the people who did not choose God's grace who will be judged for their works, and no one can be saved by works, it's impossible. No one is perfect. Only one person was ever perfect, and it is by his ransom we are saved by grace if we so choose. So, why not choose grace?
The cat has been let out of the bag around campus that I have been considering staying for maybe 2 extra years here in India to be SBS staff. The only thing holding me back is finances. Now, I know that God will provide if it is his will for me to stay here. It's funny though, I came with no intention to stay any longer than I had to, and now here I am with a 10 year Indian visa and an idea, dare I say "desire?", to be staff! I know that I was counting on a giant chunk of money coming from selling my guitar, but that did not work out, and I am thankful that I was able to bring it with me after the Christmas holiday, but I'm struggling. It's okay though, I'm still here, and so far it hasn't affected my situation right now. Please pray for me and if God leads you feel free to give! It is really easy, you can do it online by clicking on the "donate!" button to the right. Someone has used it and it works wonderfully. No extra/hidden charges or fees, it goes straight to my account.
Enough about finances.
I am excited to begin the Old Testament next week! Pray for me to manage my time well for that. Right now I'm not doing a very good job. I am however, better than I ever have been with time-management, but it is not good enough for the Old Testament! I need to actually write a schedule down to the hour at least, maybe even minute. Ya'll know how much I love schedules and am on time for things. Ay carumba.
I watched Slumdog Millionaire the other day, and I would suggest everyone see this movie. I don't know if it's still in the theaters at home, but if it is please go see it! It's amazing and it's even more amazing seeing it in India, but you can't all have that experience yet.
Yesterday was Republic Day for India. It's like our Independence Day, although I didn't see much happening besides our campus's flag raising in the morning and national anthem singing. A lot of people around town were wearing little Indian flags pinned to their shirts, including myself and my British lady-love, Lottie. I truly love this country, and could spend a lot of time here, if not the rest of my life. As long as I was with people I loved doing what I loved by loving God with every part of myself.
Funny, I came to this coffee shop to do homework, but haven't done any for the last 1.5 hours. Mostly because of all the silly things to do I forgot to bring my BIBLE! See what I mean about never remembering? I even remember going up to my room specifically to grab my Bible, and where does that bring me? A ten minute walk away from campus with no means of doing my homework.
Alright, this blog is long enough. I know it has been awhile since I last wrote, and for that I'm sorry. I am afraid it will be even less frequent when the Old Testament begins to take up every moment of my time, but I'll try as much as I can to write in here often! I'm not even sure how many people read this thing anyway.
May the hope and peace of the Lamb be with all of you!
xoxoxoxo
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Come what may, come what may
The gospel of John is amazing. I really learned a lot, and have a lot of things I need to apply to my life. Most of all though, I must simply love people. What things are eternal on this earth? God is eternal. We are eternal. Relationships are eternal. How much time do I actually use for eternal things and how much time do I use for things that will pass away when this earth is gone or even when I am gone?
In studying the gospel of John I see what it is God wants for my life. Like, exactly what I am called to do. My calling. My purpose. Etc. John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and just before that in 13:34 Jesus says, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." and in 15:12 he says yet again, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." So, basically, in a nutshell...if all we do our entire life is love people then that would actually be a really amazing life lived to the fullest for Christ.
John, the writer of this gospel, one of the three "beloved" disciples along with Peter and James (John's brother), was the only apostle to die of old age. People tried to kill him, but he would not die. Keep in mind, he actually was one of Jesus' closest disciples and lived long enough to see all the other 11 die for Christ and he had the vision of Revelations and he had a long time to think about Jesus and his teachings and the way he lived. He had a ton of processing time, and he wrote the last gospel, so he thought and thought about Christ and how to live fully with him and in him, so finally, near the end of his life some historian wrote this about John:
When he tarried at Ephesus to extreme old age, and could only with difficulty be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples and was unable to give the utterance to many words, he used to say no more at their several meetings than this, "little children, love one another." ..."and if this alone is done, it is enough."
It always comes back to the simpleness of love and relationships with people. That's all Jesus did and that's all we should do, for if we love Jesus we also love the Father, and if we love Jesus we will keep his commandment which is simply to love others.
That's what I have been learning this week.
So I say, "bring on the love!" I want to love people. I want to know that I did all I could while here to know people and love people and serve people.
In studying the gospel of John I see what it is God wants for my life. Like, exactly what I am called to do. My calling. My purpose. Etc. John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and just before that in 13:34 Jesus says, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." and in 15:12 he says yet again, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." So, basically, in a nutshell...if all we do our entire life is love people then that would actually be a really amazing life lived to the fullest for Christ.
John, the writer of this gospel, one of the three "beloved" disciples along with Peter and James (John's brother), was the only apostle to die of old age. People tried to kill him, but he would not die. Keep in mind, he actually was one of Jesus' closest disciples and lived long enough to see all the other 11 die for Christ and he had the vision of Revelations and he had a long time to think about Jesus and his teachings and the way he lived. He had a ton of processing time, and he wrote the last gospel, so he thought and thought about Christ and how to live fully with him and in him, so finally, near the end of his life some historian wrote this about John:
When he tarried at Ephesus to extreme old age, and could only with difficulty be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples and was unable to give the utterance to many words, he used to say no more at their several meetings than this, "little children, love one another." ..."and if this alone is done, it is enough."
It always comes back to the simpleness of love and relationships with people. That's all Jesus did and that's all we should do, for if we love Jesus we also love the Father, and if we love Jesus we will keep his commandment which is simply to love others.
That's what I have been learning this week.
So I say, "bring on the love!" I want to love people. I want to know that I did all I could while here to know people and love people and serve people.
Monday, January 12, 2009
She would ask for time, and she'd ask for time, and she'd beg for time
Now begins the three weeks of John. The disciple John. We are studying his gospel this week. Next week we will be studying 1,2, and 3 John, then finally, Revelations on the week after that. Then, we are done with the New Testament! I am sad to see it go, but excited for what the OT has to offer. I know it will make the New Testament make more sense, and also, I am so excited for all the ridiculous stories that are dispersed throughout the Old Testament.
I am also looking forward to Revelations. This book is quite a doozy. I am very interested in all it has to say, and it has always been a favorite of mine. It is chock full of figures of speech and craziness. I am excited for what the end of times will actually look like, and I know there will be moments where I think, "oh, that's what John meant." or "I see how that looks like that crazy thing John described." You get the idea.
I am feeling different this quarter. First quarter was new, exciting, and hard. This quarter is familiar, and yet different. The place is familiar. The students are familiar. The method is familiar. I'm sure as soon as we get to the Old Testament it will become new and exciting again. I want to be excited for God's word! I want him to speak to me in new ways and open my eyes to new things I have never seen or experienced before. I feel like I have been asking for those things not just for the past 3 months, but for the past few years of my life, and I am sure he has shown me new things, I know he has, but it is hard to see things now. It's all in hindsight you realize you have changed or learned anything. I wish I could have foresight of the things I'm going to see and experience! Ha.
I have decided to title this year of my life. I know it has just begun, but I feel it is going to be a year of hope. I want to really hope for a lot this year and give people hope, or have the Lord give them hope through me somehow. I want to hear of people's hopes for me, and I want to have hopes for the people in my life right now. I was recently asked by a close friend of mine what my top three hopes are this year, and here's what I told them:
1. I hope to know Jesus better than I have ever known before.
2. I hope to know the truth and lead others toward it.
3. I hope to see people the way Christ sees them. Through the Father's eyes.
I hope those hopes happen, and I hope this year brings many new, wonderful things into my life and also my friends' and family's lives.
I also challenge all of you to share with one person your current struggles and hopes and ask them to pray for you, only if you do the same for them of course. God will begin to answer those prayers this very day! Yesterday we did that during intercession and it was amazing to see him provide opportunities to change and show me that I am loved, all because I shared it with someone. That is how God created us I think. I know actually. He created us to be relational and open and raw with other people so that his power is shown in our weak, humble confessions to others.
I am also looking forward to Revelations. This book is quite a doozy. I am very interested in all it has to say, and it has always been a favorite of mine. It is chock full of figures of speech and craziness. I am excited for what the end of times will actually look like, and I know there will be moments where I think, "oh, that's what John meant." or "I see how that looks like that crazy thing John described." You get the idea.
I am feeling different this quarter. First quarter was new, exciting, and hard. This quarter is familiar, and yet different. The place is familiar. The students are familiar. The method is familiar. I'm sure as soon as we get to the Old Testament it will become new and exciting again. I want to be excited for God's word! I want him to speak to me in new ways and open my eyes to new things I have never seen or experienced before. I feel like I have been asking for those things not just for the past 3 months, but for the past few years of my life, and I am sure he has shown me new things, I know he has, but it is hard to see things now. It's all in hindsight you realize you have changed or learned anything. I wish I could have foresight of the things I'm going to see and experience! Ha.
I have decided to title this year of my life. I know it has just begun, but I feel it is going to be a year of hope. I want to really hope for a lot this year and give people hope, or have the Lord give them hope through me somehow. I want to hear of people's hopes for me, and I want to have hopes for the people in my life right now. I was recently asked by a close friend of mine what my top three hopes are this year, and here's what I told them:
1. I hope to know Jesus better than I have ever known before.
2. I hope to know the truth and lead others toward it.
3. I hope to see people the way Christ sees them. Through the Father's eyes.
I hope those hopes happen, and I hope this year brings many new, wonderful things into my life and also my friends' and family's lives.
I also challenge all of you to share with one person your current struggles and hopes and ask them to pray for you, only if you do the same for them of course. God will begin to answer those prayers this very day! Yesterday we did that during intercession and it was amazing to see him provide opportunities to change and show me that I am loved, all because I shared it with someone. That is how God created us I think. I know actually. He created us to be relational and open and raw with other people so that his power is shown in our weak, humble confessions to others.
Monday, January 5, 2009
I've got my life in a suitcase and I'm ready to run, run, run away
As most of you know, I did not go to Nepal for Christmas break. I actually came home to Minnesota for 2 weeks. It did not seem long enough. It never is. I mostly spent time with the family and close friends. It was so much fun surprising people as the days went by. I would highly suggest surprising people with nothing but your self any time you can. It was so fun to see people's reactions and I was incredibly blessed by my time home with family and friends. It was also good to be somewhere different for my break. It's nice to get away from all things familiar in India and SBS related with the complete opposite culture and climate.
The flights back to India were long and obnoxious. I actually have realized now more than ever how much I actually dislike flying and wish that God would just snatch me up and put me in the places he wants me to go like Philip in Acts 8:35-40 and much like Star Trek's beaming skills. I can never fall asleep on planes. Unless I am somehow able to lay down. I wish I was blessed with the ability to fall asleep any place, any time.
This week is a little ridiculous. I guess it's one of those weeks meant to snap you out of your last two weeks of holiday. I feel like I never even went home for Christmas! We have 4 books to complete this week. 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude, and James. in 6 days. I cannot complain, and I'm actually not worried about it at all. I am excited to be back after 2 weeks, and for some reason it is so exciting to see these people I haven't seen for only 2 weeks. It's like we haven't seen each other for a month. It is a little ridiculous, much like my life is right now, but it is a wonderful life. I love where I am right now, and if there's one thing I have learned from 2008 it is to be content wherever you and and be present in the moment you are currently living, not thinking about what is happening later or worrying about what happened previously, but being present in the moment you are living in.
So, as most of you also now know, I have struggled with anxiety and nervousness since forever, and in an attempt to combat that foothold of Satan, I signed up to do devotions AND lead worship on the same day, so the entire hour two Tuesday mornings from now is called "God time with Sarah", well it's not really called that, but it might as well be. We are all required to sign up for 10 minutes of devotion leading and then 40 minutes of worship, but everyone was signing up for them on different days, so I did the same day. Ay carumba.
I am still wrestling with the idea of staffing SBS here, mostly I have been getting confirmations, but one time I had a doubt about it when I was home. A genuine doubt, but one doubt in a sea of YESes seems like nothing. How did I even see that doubt with all those Yeses floating around?
I have realized that I am in need of a lot of money. I was supposed to be getting $1,000 for my guitar, but that was returned to me, which is what I wanted and I love having it with me now, but that means I am out of $1,000 dollars.
Pray that I am comforted financially and wise with my finances.
Pray that I don't get sick.
Pray for wisdom and to know the heart of God and see people and situations through His eyes.
Pray that I can be open and make friends with all these new students as quickly as last quarter. I am a little hesitant because they'll just leave after 3 months anyway.
Praise the Lord we have had running water since I have been back and praise the Lord I made it back safe and sound with no awful stories.
The flights back to India were long and obnoxious. I actually have realized now more than ever how much I actually dislike flying and wish that God would just snatch me up and put me in the places he wants me to go like Philip in Acts 8:35-40 and much like Star Trek's beaming skills. I can never fall asleep on planes. Unless I am somehow able to lay down. I wish I was blessed with the ability to fall asleep any place, any time.
This week is a little ridiculous. I guess it's one of those weeks meant to snap you out of your last two weeks of holiday. I feel like I never even went home for Christmas! We have 4 books to complete this week. 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude, and James. in 6 days. I cannot complain, and I'm actually not worried about it at all. I am excited to be back after 2 weeks, and for some reason it is so exciting to see these people I haven't seen for only 2 weeks. It's like we haven't seen each other for a month. It is a little ridiculous, much like my life is right now, but it is a wonderful life. I love where I am right now, and if there's one thing I have learned from 2008 it is to be content wherever you and and be present in the moment you are currently living, not thinking about what is happening later or worrying about what happened previously, but being present in the moment you are living in.
So, as most of you also now know, I have struggled with anxiety and nervousness since forever, and in an attempt to combat that foothold of Satan, I signed up to do devotions AND lead worship on the same day, so the entire hour two Tuesday mornings from now is called "God time with Sarah", well it's not really called that, but it might as well be. We are all required to sign up for 10 minutes of devotion leading and then 40 minutes of worship, but everyone was signing up for them on different days, so I did the same day. Ay carumba.
I am still wrestling with the idea of staffing SBS here, mostly I have been getting confirmations, but one time I had a doubt about it when I was home. A genuine doubt, but one doubt in a sea of YESes seems like nothing. How did I even see that doubt with all those Yeses floating around?
I have realized that I am in need of a lot of money. I was supposed to be getting $1,000 for my guitar, but that was returned to me, which is what I wanted and I love having it with me now, but that means I am out of $1,000 dollars.
Pray that I am comforted financially and wise with my finances.
Pray that I don't get sick.
Pray for wisdom and to know the heart of God and see people and situations through His eyes.
Pray that I can be open and make friends with all these new students as quickly as last quarter. I am a little hesitant because they'll just leave after 3 months anyway.
Praise the Lord we have had running water since I have been back and praise the Lord I made it back safe and sound with no awful stories.
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