Evil is real April 27, 2007

     The media’s coverage of the Virginia Tech. shooting has made me realize how our society really tries to ignore evil. I would like to begin by saying my prayers go out to all the families of the Virginia Tech. shooting victims. My prayers also go out to the family of Seung-Hui Cho. I know they must be going through a tough time. I do not judge them nor do I judge South Korea. With that said, I want to say that what happened of on April 16, 2007 was simply evil, but the media has tried to call it something – anything else. News articles have claimed that Cho was insane when he shot sixty one people. However how could someone who was insane be able to buy weapons and ammunition, hide them, and be able to film himself and then mail the video? He couldn’t. Whenever someone commits something atrocious like the Virginia Tech. Shoots, our society’s first response is to suggest that the culprit might have been insane. That’s wrong. 

     Another thing the media has tried to do is label Cho as is a poor-guy who was just depressed because he didn’t have any friends. As if that’s an excuse for killing thirty two people. I understand that Cho had speech problems and might have had a hard time finding friends because of that. However I watched parts of the videos he sent to NBC and he was certainly understandable. Being an immigrant, Cho probably had a much tougher time than any of us, but NOTHING to excuse the evil he committed.       

       As America’s sense of moral decency declines, Americans continually develop knew words for explaining away sin. What is the church’s response? They go right along with it. I have a friend who will never say the word “hell” [I’m not talking about the swear word]. He’s “afraid of offending someone.” This person is a professing Christian and I’m sure he probably has had this teaching reinforced at his church. It’s sad to see such liberal views in such a close friend.   

      Christians today need to stand up and call sin-sin. When dealing with someone one on one we need to be very sensitive, but very firm with the truth. There are many Christians who I know would correct not out of love, but those who wouldn’t correct at all are far more common. So then, call sin what it is. Never name called a mistake, a bad thing, or some other excuse. Call it what it is. God hates sin and so should we. 

     Ps. Again my prayers go out to the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.

Monday we had our first softball game. April 26, 2007

Monday we had our first softball game. We lost 7-16, but we had fun. I didn’t do as poorly as I feared I would, but I did strike out once. Fortunately it wasn’t my first time up to bat though. It was my second. Oh well. No that that’s out of my system I’m sure I’ll never mess up again…   …right. Anyway, softball is fun.

A comparison of Solomon and Jesus. April 25, 2007

     Many times two things that seam alike will turn out to be very different when examined more closely. Jesus and Solomon were both very wise, both were cunningly enticed with riches and fame, and both were kings. However, only one was the greatest. Only one ruled the grandest kingdom. Only one was the wisest. Only one overcame temptation. That person was Jesus Christ.    

     Solomon was one of the wisest men ever, but was he wiser than Jesus? Attracted by reports of Solomon’s wisdom, the affluent Queen of Sheba, who lived thousands of miles away, hastily traversed to Jerusalem to hear and question the renowned King Solomon. When she arrived, she was astonished by Solomon’s wisdom and understanding. Would she have been astonished by the teachings of Jesus, a simple carpenter? The bible states in Matthew twelve forty-two that not only would she have been unreservedly astounded by Jesus, but her testimony would testify against all who didn’t believe in Jesus because she believed Solomon but they failed to believe in someone who was much wiser.  

    

      Even though he knew better, Solomon always yearned for more possessions, but Jesus, who left heaven’s glory to come to earth, never yielded to the temptation of lust. According to First Kings four twenty-three, Solomon daily packed his table with ten head of cattle, twenty pasture-fed sheep, and many wild animals. However, even after fasting for forty days, Jesus determinedly and persistently resisted the enticement for food when the devil craftily tempted him in the desert. Food was not Solomon’s only weakness. Women, horses, and even idols consumed his thinking, but Jesus chose to live without house, family and non-necessities for the last three years of his life on earth. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon repeatedly declared that all life’s treasures are vanity, yet he was powerless to resist the enticement to horde earthly possessions for himself. Remaining righteous through temptation, Jesus demonstrated that unlike Solomon, he was not consumed with the things of this world.  

     Solomon and Jesus were both kings, but their kingdoms and their methods of ruling were very different. Stretching from the
Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt, Solomon’s kingdom was massive and according to first Kings two twelve well established in his hand. Christ’s kingdom is not only the universe but also heaven, and there is nothing that can snatch his kingdom away. While Solomon erected enormous and stunning buildings to further his empire, the bible vividly portrays heaven as a place with no night, no pain, and no sorrow. Constantly thinking about increasing his kingdom, Solomon forced his subjects to perform hard labor, but Christ didn’t have to increase his kingdom because it was already completely perfect. Unlike Solomon, Jesus did not live to increase his kingdom, which was already flawless, but to rescue sinners from the chastisement of sin by dying on a cross. 

        Jesus and Solomon both attracted crowds with there wisdom, but Jesus’ wisdom was magnificently greater. Jesus and Solomon were both enticed by the devil, but Jesus constantly resisted temptation. Jesus and Solomon both were kings, but Jesus’ kingdom is superbly greater. Jesus was greater than Solomon in all things because he was God. Because Jesus is God, he is unattainably perfect, but we should strive to imitate Christ’s lofty example. Christ was better than not only Solomon, but also every single person on earth and his example should be copied by all.

Leave Change April 21, 2007

I made this image and even though it sticks I thought I would share it with you because I think it correctly describes the common change in churches in American. Churches in
America have given up trying to change people. Instead they focus on receiving “change” from people so they can have the post people of any church on the block, the coolest buildings, a TV show, a high pastoral pay-check ect. I thought the play on words was kind of cute.

Last week – an update April 19, 2007

I had a great last week. I felt like I got nothing done, but I know that our team made a lasting impact on the kids in that day camp. At that day camp we had very few kids, but that was nice because we were all in training. If you could pray for one kid named Ben. He was the goof off of the group. I don’t know a whole lot about it but I do know that he’s had some tough home life. Every day his “baby sitter” [aka social worker] brought him to club. Ben made a profession of faith, but it is very much in Ben’s personality to try and do things to “please” his leaders. Ben would do nice things specifically to be noticed by the leader, but then he would later go and be extremely disobedient to another leader. Please pray for Ben. 

 

 

I have more actual posts in the making, but I still have a lot going on. Our first softball game is Monday and the fiddle contest I’m going to is a week from Saturday. While I’m working on some quality posts, check out these cool stuffs.  

 

33 miles. A great Christian band with a slightly country sound. There lyrics are nothing to get exited about, but I’ve been waiting for a good Christian band for what seems like forever so WHOOO PEEE.  

 

 

Muppets in Middle-Earth (Frivolity at Logos) At a blog I occasionally visit they posted this unusual post. You have to wonder what the president of that company must be thinking of what his employees are doing. I should come up with something like that. That would be fun. 

 

Partial Birth abortion ban  Whoooot.

How to be a good friend April 18, 2007

     A genuine friendship always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Perhaps the most famous friendships of all time was the one between David and Jonathan. In first Samuel it says that David and Jonathan were one in spirit and that they both loved the other more than themselves. David and Jonathan were not just best of friends who would hang out together; their friendship was tried and tested when Jonathan went against his father’s will and saved David’s life. Even though he knew that David was going to take the crown due to him, Jonathan trusted that this was the Lord’s will and did not let his pride get in the way of his friendship with David. More than just a childhood friendship, Jonathan and David’s friendship lasted past Jonathan’s death when David took Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, to be his own. David and Jonathan are a terrific model for what a true friendship should look like today.

Self discipline April 12, 2007

    While self indulgence is human instinct, our heavenly father has called believers to be self-disciplined followers of Him. Christ has paid a colossal price for us; consequently we are no longer free to chase after our every whim and fancy. If we chase after our worldly desires, we discover that our relationship with the heavenly father becomes strained and distant. Therefore we should wholeheartedly seek our source of true satisfaction – Jesus Christ. Submissively putting aside earthly desires, we discover that by focusing on Christ, the true prize, we receive complete and genuine satisfaction. Only through self discipline and God’s grace can we put ourselves last and focus on the redeemer. Discipline is never enjoyable; therefore it takes self-discipline to discipline ourselves to have self-discipline. Self discipline involves removing distractions, putting aside personal desires, and making time for prayer.  As believers we must put aside selfish desires and discipline ourselves to focus on Christ because the rewards are indescribable.

What I’m up to. April 7, 2007

    I know I’ve been slacking off at both posting pots and commenting on other blogs. I’m very sorry. Unfortunately my sporadic absence won’t be changing here real soon, especially not next week. Next week I will be working with CEF [read here about my experience last summer] in what they call a day camp. It’s like a long VBS [it goes from 9A.M.-3 P.M.] where we will teach songs, bible stories, memory verses, and games to kids. In-between being busy all day with kids and trying to fit in school in the evenings, I’ll be very busy, but I’ll try to at least post comments on some blogs and maybe [just maybe] get another post out. I would appreciate your prayers because this particular day camp is a “training session” to see if this is what I would want to do this summer. If I decided to do that, I would be working five days a week for six weeks this summer from 8-4. I would also need to raise support from which CEF would pay me like a normal summer job would. So I would appreciate your prayers.  

 

 

  CEF isn’t the only happening in my life lately. -   

-   YESTERDAY [Thursday] I PASSED THE ENTRENCE EXAME FOR THE RUNNING START PROGRAM AT WHATCOM COMMUNITY COLLEGE.   -
 -  I’m so exited.  

 

 

    I was pretty nervous. We took our test and then had a break while they graded our tests. When we came back into the room, they had numbers on the white board representing how many people had placed where. About two-fifth of the group had failed. Instead of just giving us our grades, they first made us sit through a fifteen minute talk about the next steps once you either passed or failed. All this time I’m about to die wondering If I had passed. I wanted to choke that lady giving the speech. Anyway, I passed, placed into English 101 [we we’re only tested in English,] and avoided the temptation of strangling that councilor.    

 

   Besides wracking my brain out about the entrance exam and worrying about working with CEF, I’ve also been practicing for playing church league softball. I’m not a very eye-hand coordination sort of guy so I need a lot of practice. Another thing I’ve been getting ready for is a music contest that I’m going to at the end of this month. That’s been taking a lot of time to practice for.  

 

   I’ll try to find more blogging time soon, but not next week. I hope you forgive me. I just wanted to post this to let you all know what’s happening with me.  

 

 

Take care,Trevor G.

Time, a beautiful thing April 4, 2007

Time is a beautiful thing. Organizing it is not. If you’re like me, you probably have a hard time organizing your time. Proper time management is one way to honor God. God has given us a certain amount of time on this earth and he wants us to use it wisely.  

 

I’ve known for the longest time that I need to start using my time efficiently, but I wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing that. I tried making a routine schedule, but that didn’t work at all. Maybe for some people those work, but not for me. If you’ve tried schedules and haven’t been successful at them, let me suggest something to you: create a DAILY schedule. Take a piece of paper and make 5-7 columns across for each day of the week you want a schedule for. Then either the night before, or the morning of that day right down a flexible schedule. Maybe you’ll put down the exact time, maybe you won’t. I do better just setting times for some things, but putting everything in the order I will get to them.* Throughout the day be flexible. One of my biggest problems used to always be trying to fit the schedule exactly and if anything went amiss, I got totally flustered. Remember to leave a half hour to and hour for unexpected things. Another thing that I’ve found helpful is to put boxes bellow the schedule. In these boxes put what you want to get accomplished in a particular subject or activity for that day. You may also want to do this at the beginning of the week and fill out all 7 days. 

 

The most important thing with a schedule, however, is remembering to keep God in it. Maybe give yourself reminders throughout the day to pray [and yes you can actually pray at other times besides your designated prayer time]. God should be the center of our lives, and he should be the centre of our schedules.  

 

* It would seem that you would put down the most important things first, but for me that doesn’t work. I [and probably some of you] have activities that are best to do as a whole chunk. That may mean designating an hour chuck for this activity. It may be a hard concept to grasp, but sometimes you have to plan your schedule for when you can fit long projects in, not what’s most important.