this brought a smile to my face today...when i was sending it to my dad. oh, you can't really see the tattoo on his arm, but it's a heart that says "dad" on it. :Dthis week has been THE most physically unproductive week EVER, i believe.
BUT...
God's been dumping blessings after blessings::
-getting a prayer partner who's bombarded me with bible studies (hahaha it's a good thing), continually reminding me about the Great One and just getting to know ourselves in relation to Him
-Dad's doing great, motivated in both studying and preaching
-going to UTSC's asian christian fellowship---> totally cleared up this thing about predestination (...well, more foreknowledge, big difference!!) and free will. allow me to regurgitate the analogy: We're in a race. Jesus is with us at the beginning, but since he's EVERYWHERE, he's also at the finish line, and everywhere in between. He knows what's gonna happen and who's gonna be at the finish line, but is also with you and seeing your decisions being made along the way.
Now the question of predestination: in Ephesians 1:11 it says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will..." so we were CHOSEN, and PREDESTINED to do certain things, so how does that give us free will? does it mean that our decisions are actually planned? ...very confused. (also remembering some of the questions posed at ACF) so does God predestine certain people to go to hell? that would not make him a very loving God, would it?
well, continuing recounting blessings....
-going to TLT, so wonderful just seeing people serve those in need, and being willing to talk to them and just get to know them and stuff. but i wonder if those who we serve know Jesus. after all, it's the ultimate decision, isn't it? wouldn't it be good if we shared with them about this salvation we have? i'm just assuming the "regulars" don't usually because we didn't this time i went. The first guy that my group visited, Scott, had a Bible with him. i wonder if he understood what it said in there. what if we were meant to help him interpret it or understand it with the knowledge that we've accumulated?? or it'd be cool even to just show him our favorite verses...i donno. at the debrief they were saying how we should begin praying for them again...wonderful idea. prayer gives such a fuzzy feeling :)
-fellowship was GREAT!!! i pray that He can infest Himself into this group of people, give us the togetherness thats brought only by Him....the passion....the servant heart....
-i can throw a football now, at least a toy one. hahaha.
-simply having a family to come home to... :D
-LIFE. so precious, taken for granted.
-words. or is it?? I used to be unable to pray aloud, the words i wanted to say just never came out right, no matter how good my intentions were. I prayed the "real" prayers alone or in my mind. or both. :P now i can pray "better" prayers aloud...but sometimes i wonder if i really mean what i say. i used to have the thought and not the words, now i have the words, and perhaps not the thought??
no need for conclusion....(ahh, silly essays)
2 comments:
yay you can throw a football and catch one at the same time, thats like mad skillz, we should be in the circus or something hahah!!
Praying outloud is hard for me still, I tried it in ACF it's called "korean prayer" where they all yell out the prayer all at the same time!!! and according to Joy at her retreat the parents/adults were soo loud and distracting and they were praying for hours! into the night and LOUD too haha but it's kool how other people do their prayer.
I found it hard because if your not loud enough you tend to start listening to the other prayers around it and get thrown off track :s maybe it's just me!
those two comments are so long. I'll keep mine short..
keep up the Prayers Danielle!
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