Dear POC,

It's Joanne. I know I haven't blogged recently and I have SO much to share, guys. God has stretched me and challenged me SO much this summer. (Feel free to ask me when you see me!)

It's still quite early to say this but as the summer draws to a close, I'm afraid so will our year together as a cell group. However, this is not the end of our time of fellowship together. Whatever you have learned this year, I hope you will carry it on to wherever you may be next year, whether it be to your new cell group in Didomi, to your post-secondary education destination or elsewhere. I'll miss you guys and I KNOW God will bless you in your seconds, minutes, days and years to come, whether you know it or not.

Anyways, before I get all emotional and long-winded, here's what I actually came here to say:

Proverbs 30:5-6

⁵ "Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶ Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Wouldn't it be so cool there was an entire sermon in just bible verses? No added words or interpreted, just literal bible verses. (Just to clarify, this is not to say that rephrasing is wrong. They help explain bible verses and help us understand.) I've written a letter once in just bible verses which was interesting, but quite challenging in terms of finding the verses yourself. Plus, it gets a little messy with all the quotation marks and all that fancy citation. Just a thought.

not by eloquent words...

Hello friends, it has been way too long since I post. I can't believe how long since I have posted here. My apologies everyone - but I also haven't heard from many of you for a very long time. Hope that you are all doing well; especially over the summer holidays.

As I was studying through 1 Corinthians 2 the following words really spoke to me...
When I cam to you brothers, I did not come with eoloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
(1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

This passage really struck to me especially because of the ministries that I am involved in. For all the teachers or aspiring teachers of the word this passage is very humbling for us all. It says that we are not to use and go at people with eloquence or superior human wisdom to persuade and enforce people. It isn't by the power of people and their knowledge and wisdom that wins the heart of people but it is by the Spirit of God at work through the lives of people. So how about you today? Do you seek to use the most your own methods or are you really working with the Spirit of God in you to speak and share with people?

May the Spirit of the Lord move in you mightily in every aspects of your life.

Medium is the Message

This quite "Medium is the message" is taken from a guy named Marshall McLuhan. He was actually a futurist in his time and he is someone who's a very influential person in my field of studies; (no not in Theology) but in Semiotics (the studies of signs in culture). But he coined this phrase by saying that the medium (the very things that presents or defines) is sometimes the very message itself. For example: in deciding to drive a particular car such as a Benz it is a medium of transportation. But the brand Benz itself brings about certain kinds of meaning; prestige, wealth...etc.
As I reflect on last week's sermon and the second portion that says that a true messanger must live out the message (Ezek.3:1-3) is very true. The messanger himself/herself may sometimes become the very message. Without an oneness to the message and the gospel in our lives would we not be reduced to become hypocrites?

May you be the medium to the message today.

Walk to remember

John 6:16-21
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

I was reading this passage I've realize that this is a common passage that we've often heard a whole lot about but never really meditate upon this passage much. As I am imagining this passage I wonder what the disciples must have felt when they saw Jesus walking on water. I wonder how fearful they must be seeing someone walking on water; strangely it reminds of scary movies? However it is pretty amazing that when Jesus arrives there was calmness and peace in the midst of the disciples. Isn't it just extremely how the people just felt so calm.
But the question that I kept thinking about is whether or not we would recognize Jesus? When we are in a boat (whether calm or crazy weathered) when Jesus comes, do you think we'll recognize Him? Will we find peace in seeing Him face to face?

Prayer and Ceasars?

After reading Joanne's post it has made me to reflect on prayer some-more... As some of you may know I'm going through one OT and one NT book during my quiet time. I am reading through Luke...

So in the last week I was reading this portion of Luke and something that struck me... something that is not often thought about as a passage that discusses and teaches about prayer. But as I am reflecting on this passage it also challenged me a glimmers of what prayer is about.

Luke 20:20-26
Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?
"Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

What is amazing about this passage is that Jesus is being challenged about His authority and at the same time people were trying to trap Him with a difficult question. But in this we recognize that Jesus is also teaching people that we must render to Caesar (or the world) what is the world and render (give) to God what is God's. As we look at our prayer life... what is it that we are praying for? Are we praying for things that are committed to the things of Caesar? or are we authentically coming before God asking for Him and Him alone? I think our prayer life would be very different when we relinquish the worldly ways in prayer and begin to realize and fixate on the Lord.

May your prayer life be God's and His alone.

Pray, er?

Today during my school fellowship's prayer meeting, I realized that when we pray for other people's prayer requests, we often just repeat what they say. And frankly, there's not really a point in being so redundant. We always say we want to pray for someone's prayer request but we often focus more on the request than the person him/herself. If that was the way to pray for people, then we might as well start each prayer with "Dear God", then coldly read a list of requests and end with "Amen". When we pray, let's pray specifically FOR the individual and try to see what God wants for this person. Pray intentionally to encourage, uplift and with a caring heart. God made us unique and individual, with individual plans for each one of us, so let's pray specifically for the individual.

Come to serve and not be served

Matthew 20:27-28 writes:
"and whatever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransome to many."

I was reflecting on this passage and also reading a book that was speaking on this passage as well. What a challenging passage - that if we want to be first and if we want to be recognized; we need to serve others. I was contemplating how as Christians our lives would influence others? Isn't our influence through service? Think about how you affect and influence people? Is it through your power and how strong you maybe? or is it through the simple acts of love and kindness? Is it more about how you serve and care for something that really shakes up someone's life?
May you have the heart of a servant.