2 things I should have blogged about on Friday:
1) Even though chapel was good, and dare I say... I don't know how to say it in nice terms, this being a reaction from it being Open House for newbie Judsonites-to-be; I was one of those visitors once, I guess I have a different take since I am here and no longer a visitor...
What stuck out to me was the message that pastor delivered; I am one of those people who studies and studies AND studies a bit more, and yet my grades are mediocre and sometimes I am frustrated with myself and the why's that are school-related come out... I feel as I am being treated unjust by the system and that (thought to self) I deserve to get better grades!
I am also that person who is waiting for her and because of that, like the pastor mentioned, my Friday nights are usually spent alone - either homework and/or a movie, but such is life for a single person such as me on campus here at Judson...
I feel I deserve more and better,
and that those who...well... 'play the edges' should be punished by the authorities that be...
That message put such things as I have mentioned into perspective,
thank you God for the cool breeze and slap in the face, I needed both.
2) Chuck DeRolf in Missions and Evangelism - At the end of the class period, he spoke about being a missionary in Japan and one of the major conflicts wasn't a battle of followers of Christ vs. Buddhist/Shinto/Confucianism/other, but it was followers of Christ vs. other followers of Christ! It was sad to hear about such disharmony between people in the SAME GROUP! I go through that sometimes within my church in a few areas, but it is mostly about politics and political parties and other things...
Apparently, I cannot be a follower of Christ if I am not a Republican and/or a Bush supporter (gasp!), to those followers of Christ who have different political views... STOP IT! This should be the least of your worries in regards to what makes (or doesn't make) a follower of Christ. I am not a one-party voter, I vote based on the views and beliefs I stand by; so if I vote Democrat, so be it, I don't care about your opinion if you see this as being 'unChristian.'
And that...
That's it.
Props to people like Justin who share their views, beliefs and other things WITHOUT shouting at me because I have different views than some people have... You know who you are...
I'm gone...for real...bye and God bless!
[n][v]
1 comments:
Commenting on the lack of cooperation between different groups of missionaries "working" in Japan, in case you haven't seen it on my blog, this is part 1 of what I call our "Grass-radical Mission Statement" excerpted from my mission partner Brock's journal:
"Love conquers all and covers over a multitude of sin. Denominational differences matter least, when two or more disciples of Jesus go out and testify to the Truth.
So what if I'm Baptist or Romanos is Greek Orthodox and Bishop Simms is Charismatic. We all have the same Master Jesus, if we call him our Master. For at the end of all things, when the LORD returns, What will we say when we are all gathered to him? That we disagree on traditions taught by men? That we weren't members of the same Church on 23rd Street, so we'd better bunch together with the others? I confess I used to think this way.
When that Day comes, only the Truth will stand. Everything else will burn up.
But when we hold to Jesus and him alone and love one another, forgiving and even giving each other the benefit of the doubt, covering up what one says and taking no offense at it, by standing and defending the other's actions — then we are truly being the priests and saints that Jesus has called us to be. And just as he intercedes for our folly, we can intercede for our brothers.
For we three all had this important thing in common: We went out to show others the work Christ has done and finished for us, and to love them as ourselves, the best we know how."
This is how we witness together in Portland's streets as a "power pair" made up of one Baptist (Brock) and one Greek Orthodox (Romanós). If we catch 'em, we let the Lord sort 'em out and clean 'em. (The charismatic bishop mentioned happened to be standing by during one of our witnessings to a fellow in a Portland coffeehouse. After the session broke up, the bishop joined Brock and I for a moment of fellowship and prayer.)
Wonder why Japan hasn't accepted the Good News by and large? Could denominational competition have anything to do with it?
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