tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74388776092188955892024-02-20T03:11:23.432-08:00Christ Covenant Church CounselingRobotTokkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16576723311171566827noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-44977217321257133552016-04-13T17:54:00.003-07:002016-04-13T17:54:31.978-07:00Hello Again.<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello Counseling blog,<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s been a long time. Two and a half years to be exact, and
in that time a lot has changed. I went from a student to working full time,
moved three times, lived with 7 different people, worked with over 30 different
students, made new friends and lost old ones, and found myself stretched in
ways that I would have never imagined. It hasn’t been easy. In the past two and
a half years, I’ve been betrayed, rejected, and judged by those I’ve considered
like family. I’ve struggled with finances, living situations and a lot of
uncertainty about the future. I’ve seen people do awful things to each other
and found that I could relate to all of them. My sin, pride, and stubbornness
has popped up uglier and more loudly than I would ever want to admit. There were
been many times where I wanted to give up and run away. And I wouldn’t trade
any of it for the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s been the best few years of my life. With all of those
things, I’ve been totally and completely floored by God’s patience and grace. Life
with Jesus is so FULL. I’ve laughed harder, hoped more, and relaxed with the
best friends anyone could ask for. Anytime I worried about money, God provided
in such obvious ways. I see more how God understands and has already gone
through everything I have, and in turn have been able to allow people to know
and understand me and get to know them more deeply. God constantly surprises me
in his humor and how gently he takes care of his people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the best and most painful things has been facing the
reality of my selfishness, while experiencing the sweetness and freedom of God’s
forgiveness. A few weeks ago, our church celebrated Easter and studied Matthew
28. I got really emotional as we were talking about Jesus’ relationship with
Mary Magdalene, because I am just like her. I literally would have nothing
without Jesus. Mary was the definition of an outcast. She was possessed by
seven demons a.k.a. she was perfectly possessed a.k.a. this girl was messed up
beyond hope. No one wants to hire, marry, or even touch a demon possessed girl,
so Mary had no friends, no money, no husband, no sanity, nothing. She meets
Jesus. He sees her and heals her. After that, Mary is his forever. Even after
she watches Jesus die, she would do anything for him. Mary wasn’t thinking that
Jesus was going to rise from the dead or worried about the next logical step
for her life. All she wanted to do was to take care of Jesus’ body. You can see
her just waiting for Sabbath to end. As soon as it’s dawn, she’s on her way to
the tomb with the other Mary. It doesn’t matter that there is a guard of
soldiers and a four thousand pound rock in the way. She goes, because Jesus
saved her life, and she has nothing without him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But Jesus is nowhere to be found. Instead, there’s an angel
who tells them that Jesus is alive, and he’s headed to Galilee to meet them and
his disciples. Jesus, in his signature unexpected style, makes a U-turn and comes
to meet Mary and Mary. Jesus is really alive and in front of them saying,
“Greetings!” and “Do not be afraid!” Jesus just rose from the dead, and all he
wants to do is be with the people he loves. Mary comes to him, takes hold of
his feet, and worships him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I want faith like that. Forget figuring out what’s right and
wrong. Forget trying to find that missing piece of information that will make
you “get it”. Forget learning how to be a good friend. Forget any “sacrifices”
that I made for God. Forget my expectations of what I think God is supposed to
be like. Everything is trash compared to knowing my Jesus. I want to worship at
Jesus’ feet, because I have absolutely nothing without him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So dear friends, beloved church, hold on. Hold out with
patient endurance in our life with Jesus. Loving Jesus and loving others is
completely worth it. There are days where the bad stuff seems to outweigh the
good stuff – When the world is against you, people inside the church are
against you, and you’re a big old sinner—but God has a hold on his people that
no one and nothing in all of time can break. Life with Jesus is not easy, but
it’s full. Since we have such a faithful Savior/Redeemer/Friend, you can be
vulnerable and love other people. They might disappoint. Actually, they will
definitely disappoint you, but God won’t. Jesus loves his people to the end.
Hold on and fix your eyes ahead to where God is taking us. Jesus is the same
wonderfully merciful Savior right now to us all the way to the end of time. John,
Jesus’ youngest disciple, has a vision where he sees Jesus in the throne room
of God, where Jesus is in his full blazing glory. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“When I [John] saw
him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me,
saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and
behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades!’”</i>
(Revelations 1:17-18)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you see how He is the same Jesus through and through? He
touches John and tells him not to fear, just like he touches Mary’s life, just
like he is intimately in my life and your life. The way that Jesus loves Mary is the same way
that he loves us, all the way to the very end. So hold on.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-67390140564003885262013-11-11T17:04:00.000-08:002013-11-11T17:04:17.205-08:00The New Normal<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the saddest and very unfortunately, most common
things that I have heard through counseling is how people have been hurt by the
church. I've heard story after story of people who felt like they were never
good enough, who never measured up to the standard of the Christian they were
supposed to be. Sometimes even sadder are the “successful” Christians, the ones
who have some kind of leadership position and are looked up to and respected as
a godly role model. They are often the most insecure, constantly working to
keep up their image of what they “should be”. It’s as if church is the place
where you have to keep up appearances – having the perfect career and family,
while serving at church, all while keeping up a cheery smile and thankfulness
for everything. Church becomes this exhausting list of “should’s “and “should
not’s”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s face it. None of us can measure up to standards like
that. And the consequences of this kind of thinking are awful. People are
isolated, feeling like they are the only ones with problems, while life for
everyone else is so much easier. People hide their hurts, hide their sins, and
slowly drown in shame and insecurities. Instead of sharing with one another,
people compare, feeling bitter when a person changes or gains something that
they want. In our church, we are so blessed to be in a place that reminds us
every single week, and even throughout the week, that we are all people who are
worse than we think and are only saved because our God decided to take all of
our sin and suffering on Himself. Even then, we still go back to that kind of
thinking. We still think that our problems, our past, our thoughts are worse
than everyone else. Or we feel this need to keep it all together and take care
of our own problems independently. We make assumption that other people have it
all, while we just keep screwing up. We can’t seem to understand why things are
so hard for us, while we assume that things come so easily to others. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This thinking is against everything the gospel says! In
fact, this is the very reason Jesus came! We can’t measure up, and we need
someone outside of ourselves to redeem us. In fact, there is no one else but
God Himself who could save someone like you or me. Since we have been shown
such undeserved x 1,000,000,000,000,000 mercy, through God sacrificing His only
Son for our curse, we must change this standard. We have to make a new normal.
Instead of normal being the people who are “doing well”, the normal should be
people who are struggling in some way or another. We are all imperfect people
being re-created into a new creation, so we shouldn’t expect it to be painless.
We don’t have to know how to be perfect friends or care about people the right
way. We don’t have to have the perfect career that gives us purpose and
satisfaction, while bringing home bank. And even more than that, there will be
hard times. There will be “plagues” or circumstances that may seem devastating
at first, but God’s Word is perfectly true. And He has promised, <o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I am the Lord, and I will bring
you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you
to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has
brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I
swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”
Exodus 7:6-8</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although we may not be in slavery to Pharaoh, we act like we
are slaves to the standards, expectations, and idols that we have set up in our
lives. God is working to strip away all those things that hold us in slavery in
our lives. So all the more, let us make a new normal where we can share these things
with one another, and it’s not the end of the world. In our church, let’s lay
down our pride and work to build a culture where we do not face these struggles
alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-30307020389626725372013-10-14T14:33:00.000-07:002013-10-14T14:38:21.697-07:0036Today, I am thankful. These past few weeks, I’ve been having a hard time. So naturally, a lot of my thinking has gone toward suffering and hope for the future and how things are supposed to be uncomfortable because we are waiting for Jesus to come back, which are all great things to think about. But, I forgot how much that God has already given me right now. So here are 36 things that I am thankful for from the past 36 hours (originally was going to do 24 but there are too many):<br />
<br />
1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Phone conversations<br />
2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sunshine<br />
3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>God’s consistent faithfulness day after day after day<br />
4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It’s Katy’s birthday today!!! The best sister to put up with me and Nathan :)<br />
5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Car rides to think<br />
6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Seeing Christ transform lives in front of my face<br />
7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Pastors that fix cars<br />
8.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Being able to complain to the right person<br />
9.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Friends with big teeth (hi Euna)<br />
10.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Friends that are trolls<br />
11.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Friends that are bullies<br />
12.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Friends that listen and talk<br />
13.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Seeing how the church practically provides<br />
14.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hot showers<br />
15.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Brushing my teeth<br />
16.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Roommates to love<br />
17.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A practical education<br />
18.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Books by people with big brains<br />
19.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Meeting new people<br />
20.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My church family<br />
21.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Crunchy leaves to step on<br />
22.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My baker friends<br />
23.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Relationships with a lot of forgiveness embedded in<br />
24.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A place to call home<br />
25.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Parents that still surprise me with how much they care<br />
26.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>God hooking up our church with the exact right people<br />
27.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Outside nighttime talks<br />
28.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Coffee<br />
29.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>People that challenge me<br />
30.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>People to laugh at me<br />
31.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>That the bible is right and I am wrong<br />
32.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Serving the church<br />
33.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Working with people I love and respect<br />
34.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Being known (as scary as it is to not be able to hide)<br />
35.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My failures that force me to stop trusting in myself<br />
36.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sundays!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-70790624439443553532013-10-04T15:53:00.000-07:002013-10-04T15:53:36.395-07:00The Real Relationship<div class="MsoNormal">
I was
flipping through the CCEF website the other day and came across a blog post about
their upcoming conference, titled “Not Alone.” This quote in particular caught
my attention:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i><span style="color: #444444; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">"One of our core goals,” my colleague suggested, “is to
move people toward a relationship with God that is every bit as real as their relationships with
other people."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">My heart skipped a beat as I processed the magnitude of the hope
he was holding out. I am yearning
for a deep experience of that but not feeling it right now, I
thought, and I bet I’m not the
only one.<sup>1</sup></span></i><sup><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "proxima-nova","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></sup></div>
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As I read
that, I realized… that’s my yearning too. I’ve been trying so hard to “fill up”
on good teaching, intimacy in relationships with people, and working hard
toward changing to how I think God wants me to change. And all I feel is tired.
I’m working so hard for these tangible “results” that I want to hold on to, but
after each insight, each hang-out the feeling of dissatisfaction creeps back
in. I’ve been looking for something that can only be found in God. I’ve been
running so hard after the work of God that I disregarded God Himself. Reading
those few sentences started to turn the tide of my weariness into a thirst for
the Living God.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fact
is our relationship with God is THE most real relationship in our lives. However,
this is not the way we naturally live our lives. We get so consumed in our own
lives – our responsibilities, our concerns, our wants, our purposes, that we
tunnel vision into our own reality that has us as the main character in our
little world. It’s exhausting. And it is often in those times we feel like God
is very far away. We can recall biblical truths, but it just doesn’t feel like
God hears, much less cares. <o:p></o:p></div>
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God
remembers. God sees. God knows. Jesus came and became a friend of sinners. And
now we have the very Spirit of God living in us. This is an intimacy beyond
what our brains can comprehend. In Jesus’ last prayer for us he prays, “<i>I do not ask for these only, but also for
those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just
as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that
the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I
have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you
in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you
sent me and loved them even as you loved me</i> (John 17:20-23).” God our Father’s
purpose for us is for our relationship with Him to be as intimate as the love
between the Father and the Son. I don’t
think we really believe how real our relationship with God is. God is holding
out an intimate, daily, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” relationship. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you
are feeling tired, weary, or purposeless, maybe, just maybe, you are looking
more at what God is doing in your life than loving God Himself. God invites us
to come. He invites us to come and have rest. He invites us to drink living
water. He invites us to have a relationship with Him that will make our closest
relationships pale in comparison. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear
church, we talk about our relationship with God all the time, but I don’t think
we realize the fireworks-going-off-in-my-brain hope that we’re talking about.
We worship a living God. He is real. Do you want to know Him?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFooter" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.
<!--[endif]-->Groves, Alasdair. <a href="http://www.ccef.org/blog/hungry-friendship-god-me-too">http://www.ccef.org/blog/hungry-friendship-god-me-too</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-7636406949419617842013-09-14T14:13:00.002-07:002013-09-14T14:13:14.712-07:00Under Construction<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you ever feel stuck? On one hand, you know God’s word is
true, and He’s God after all. But on the other hand, His word and your life
seem to exist on separate planes. You learn great truths about God, feel
convicted, go home, and nothing changes. You wake up the next day and the same
problems, same escapes, same expectations are waiting for you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The word around our church seems to be that God is poking
into uncomfortable places in people’s lives. These are people that have been
transformed by God, who would swear up and down that they love Jesus, but God
is exposing parts of us that do not want to be changed. Unfortunately (but
really wonderfully and graciously), God does not want a quick-fix makeover. God
is after all of us – the good, the bad, the things we used to take pride in,
our anger issues, the secrets we keep,
the hurts that have long been buried. Some of our insecurities have gone so
deep that they almost seem a part of us. When those things are touched, it’s so
easy to get defensive and say “that’s just who I am” or “that’s my
personality”. It’s all so … messy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
As I have been more and more exposed for the sinner I am, I
find myself uncomfortably grasping for solutions. I go to bible studies, listen
and read (couldn’t resist a plug for our transcription ministry <a href="http://christcovchurchsermon.blogspot.com/">here</a>) sermons, try to
pray, and the same struggle and feelings persist. But through this, I realized a
very great promise – <b>God is more
persistent</b>. So no matter how stubborn, near-sighted, self-deceptive,
cold-hearted, uncaring person I am, I am never out of God’s reach. In fact, one
reason it may seem like God is “slow” to answer prayers is because He is eager
to cultivate faith in our lives. He wants to give us a faith that is not
dependent on us getting our way every time, but a <i>faith that trusts in God’s Word over our own experiences. </i>God is
not out to simply cut out the bad parts of our lives to build a bigger, better
Christian, but He wants to teach us to depend on His goodness that cannot, will
not fail. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The greatest security is found in how Jesus loves us. John
wrote, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had
come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were
in the world, <b>he loved them to the end</b>.”
God is not surprised by how messed up you are. He knows <i>exactly</i> who you are and the price it takes to save you. Knowing
that, Jesus deliberately gives up his life to ransom ours. Because of Jesus’
love we can have the confidence to know that no matter how difficult it is to
change, Jesus will never leave us. Jesus loves his people to the end. He did
not just come to give us a new chance to get it right. Step by step, decision
by decision, day by day, God is in the process of restoring us. So even though
right now it may seem impossible to change, we can trust God’s promise that one
day Jesus is coming back and every sin that we struggle with will disintegrate
in His presence. In that day, we will be able to fully love God and love
others. Jesus loves us to the end. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-10799417240813793532013-06-10T13:17:00.004-07:002013-06-10T13:17:27.980-07:00Prayer (Part 3)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday, Pastor Kenny really challenged our church to
pray, and in light of that, I wanted to share a prayer that has really
encouraged me in the past few weeks: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i>For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven
and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant
you to be strengthened with power through his Sprit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and
grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is
the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i>Now
to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Ephesians 3:14 – 21<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that many of us have been struggling through
insecurities, sins that won’t seem to go away, or on the opposite end, being
consumed with things that we want. Although these are things that need to be
addressed, we can lay these things aside and look to our Beautiful Savior, who
has already defeated our sins. God himself is the one who has already granted
us every good thing (flashback to 2 Peter and Psalm 84!!!). Knowing that this
is our God, we have the confidence to come to him in prayer. Paul’s prayer for
the church was not for numbers or success or even to be good, disciplined
Christians. It is simply that we would know more of who Christ is and rely on
the Holy Spirit who is already in us and to understand more of God’s love with
the church.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I’m excited to pray with everyone tomorrow!</span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-18803130770082745312013-05-08T08:14:00.003-07:002013-05-16T17:56:07.581-07:00So Why is Prayer so Hard? (Part 2)Last time, we discussed how prayer is part of having a
relationship with God. But if you’re anything like me, you might ask, “Why is
it so much harder to pray to God than to talk to other people?”<br />
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s look at four reasons that make it hard to pray.
(Disclaimer: These are not all-encompassing. They’re just the ones that have
been on my mind the past few weeks!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>You can’t see Him. It’s easier to talk to
someone who is right in front of you that can audibly talk back to you. We have
to depend on what we believe and not what we see. God is with us, and He does
hear our prayers. <br />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>We are so determined to do things on our own.
Admitting that I need help, not just any help but supernatural intervention,
grates against the grain of my independence. The act of praying says, “I am
dependent on God.” During prayer, you are not doing anything about your
situation. You are simply asking God to move. Other “Christian deeds” involve
doing something. When you read the bible, you’re learning more about God and
His word. When you fellowship with other Christians you’re actively getting to
know, care, and serve them. They all involve actions, and we get to feel a
sense of doing and accomplishment for completing them. With prayer, there is no
doing. There are no tangible results unless you believe that God moves. In our
I-can-determine-my-own-destiny-and-make-a-difference culture, prayer admits
inadequacy. Prayer says, “God, I want to love other people, but I have no idea
how and need you to pick me up out of my selfishness and change me to care.” Prayer says, “I’m feeling overwhelmed with
financial worries and find myself looking for monetary security instead of God
as my refuge. Help me remember that You are faithful and that the whole world
is already Yours to give.” Pausing our to-do list and stopping our work to pray
is no small feat, but it is one that is essential to the Christian life. We
constantly need to be reminded that we can’t do it on our own, and we need our
God to work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->That’s just sitting down to pray. Actually
praying is hard, because you are standing in the presence of the Holy, Almighty
God-King. You can’t hide before Him. Our Father created us and knows every bit
of us. He reads hearts and minds and is not fooled by our smiles or carefully
crafted words. We have to face our sin and face the One we are ultimately
sinning against. It’s here where we often put our human ideas of love onto God.
We think that God is out to punish us for what we’ve done wrong. We think that
God will get so tired of us repeating the same sin and will one day have enough
and disown us. We act like we’ll come before Him in prayer, and He will reject
us. But this is not our God. John reminds us, “There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears
has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18). Don’t let fear or doubt stop you
from going to God. God knows us down to the dirtiest depths of our hearts, but
that doesn’t change his love for us. In fact, it is for our failures that Jesus
willingly lay down his life to completely pay for our sins – past, present, and
future. And now, God shines his face on us, seeing us for who we honestly are,
and it is never too late for us to turn to Him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>What happens when we pray to God, and it does
not seem like He’s listening? We often come to God with certain prayers that we
continue to pray for again and again. God, please save my beloved family
member. God, help me to do well in school (for your glory). God, my family
member is sick. God, I’ve been struggling with the same sin, and I’m not
changing. And with each unanswered prayer, our faith wears down, bit by bit.
Before we know it, we pray without expecting any answer. We pray, but we don’t
believe God hears or cares. We feel like
God isn’t listening because He doesn’t give us what we want. If this is where
our prayer lives end, we’ve missed out on the life-changing purpose of prayer.
When we pray, our desires, hopes, worries meet God, and He prunes our desires
to be more like His. God does hear, and He does care. James 4 explains this more
(<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%204&version=ESV">click here</a>). If prayer is merely a litany of our
wants, of course it’s going to feel impersonal! Listen to God – He does have
answers for the difficult questions. And He always has a grander, deeper plan
than we can imagine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s come before God knowing that we need Him, knowing that
He loves us and answers our prayers. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-65404995204181142052013-04-23T21:54:00.000-07:002013-04-24T05:56:35.203-07:00Prayer (Part 1)<br />
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Last Sunday, Pastor Brendon ended his message with
a challenge from John 14:13-14:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Whatever
you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the
Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Instead of making prayer an obligation or duty,
Pastor Brendon implored us to believe how generous God is to us. If we really
believed that God would give us anything we ask in his name, we would pray. If
we realized that our redemption is found in Christ alone, we would pray. Prayer
was never meant to be a moral obligation for every Christian. Jesus saved us to
have a relationship with God, so prayer is part of that joy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You might be wondering what in the world does prayer have to
do with counseling. But I think it’s on this very challenge to pray that our
church will be able to effectively counsel one another. However, this means we
need to change how we ask for prayer and how we pray. Since it is a lot to
tackle at once, this blog post will focus on changing how we ask for prayer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We've been learning that having close relationships with one
another does not simply mean talking to one another or knowing things about
each other. Just because we know a lot about each other, it doesn’t
automatically make us care for one another. The best conversations are not ones
where you tell me about the events of your day or week; they happen when I get
to know how those events affected you – the thoughts, emotions, hopes, and
fears. A close relationship means that what you say and do affects my life. It
doesn’t matter very much to me if you can recite my schedule backwards and
forwards or even if you know my secrets; I want to know you care. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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However, this thinking seems to go out the window when we
ask for prayer. (David Powlison writes a great article about asking for prayer
requests <a href="http://www.ccef.org/blog/prayer-great-place-begin-biblical-counseling">here</a>.)
We ask for prayer for topics like “health, travel mercies, finances, doing well
on a test, finding a job, or the salvation of unsaved relatives”. If it is not
for those things, we often make our prayer requests very general like “pray
that I know God better” or “pray for my future spouse<b>”. God does care about these things, but his main focus is for us to
know HIM. Prayer is where we meet God. Just like our close relationships don’t
consist of an exchange of facts about each other, prayer deals with how God is
affecting your life, right now</b>. How is God challenging you? How is God
reassuring you? How is God changing you? How is God showing his overflowing
love and mercy for you? And on your side: how are you responding to God in your
life? How are you grateful for Him? Are you angry that He has not given what
you expected? Where are you stuck and need his help? How are you responding to
other people? This is the arena where we meet God. This is where the most
important issues in life are played out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dear Church, let’s meet with God. When we meet with
each other, let’s ask for prayer and pray for each other in the things that
matter. </span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-8885774666746721512013-03-30T07:45:00.000-07:002013-03-30T07:56:14.158-07:00Weakest Link<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">I hate being sick. The past two
weeks, I’ve been infected with a medley of lingering illnesses. More than the
actual symptoms of my illnesses, I was so frustrated at the imposition of my
plans. I hate being unable to complete my work and meet with people. I hate not
being in control. Thinking about my own violent reaction to being sick and
appearing weak and incapable made me realize how much I prize being capable and
self-reliant. Words like weakness, disability, handicapped, pity, and
dysfunctional stick like barbs under my skin. I equate weakness with
worthlessness, and I react so violently because I am scared that I actually am
those things. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me), I am not alone in my
messed up thinking. Our culture holds wealth, beauty, and hard work so highly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In most churches and especially in
Asian American churches, there is a blatant stigma against those who go into
counseling. Our culture prides people who are strong and capable, and the
church is not much different. In fact, many churches take that same thinking
one step further and press expectations of put-together, always cheerful,
talented, and capable members, while disregarding or ignoring those that seem
less useful. Like Pastor Kenny often says, “We mistake knowledge for godliness
and talent for character.” This mindset leaves <i>everyone</i> feeling inadequate, shamed, and afraid to ask for help. This
is NOT how God intended his church to be! Let’s look at what Paul writes about
the church:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But as it is, God arranged the members in
the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where
would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot
say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I
have no need of you.” <b>On the contrary, the parts of the body that
seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we
think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts
are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not
require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part
that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members
may have the same care for one another. </b>If one member suffers, all suffer
together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I Corinthians
12:18-26<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beloved CCC, let’s change our
church culture. Instead of valuing the people we think can do the most for our
church, we have to recognize that we need those weaker parts more than the seemingly
stronger parts. And if this doesn’t make sense to you, here are two good
reasons why you should think about it again:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->We
are saved in weakness. As the sermon and bible study this week have so
pointedly explained, we need to be washed by Jesus. The only thing we bring to
our salvation is our sin and brokenness. And we never leave from this spot. The
Christian life is not for someone to better themselves and become stronger and
independent. Instead, for the rest of eternity, we are completely and utterly
dependent on Jesus for every single moment. So, when you or I look around at
the people in our church, know that we are more alike than different. We can
let go of thinking of people as so much worse or even so much better than us.
We are all weak and pitiable but rescued and honored because of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->And
here is an even better reason: Jesus Christ became handicapped for our sake<sup>1</sup>.
I think we often forget that Jesus is the same God as God in Isaiah 6. He is
holy, holy, holy and so incomparable to anything or anyone in this world. Jesus’
“normal” is to sit on a throne and be worshipped by a fleet of angels day and
night. He speaks and galaxies come out of nothing. He whistles and nations and
empires rise and fall. And then, out of the ridiculous love he has for us,
Jesus lays that all aside and chooses to handicap himself. He goes from God of
the universe to nothing. Jesus goes from breathing life and creating planets
and stars to whittling wood as a carpenter. He became a man who feels hunger
and exhaustion, who can only care for so many people in a day, who got sick,
who was rejected, judged, and shunned. Because Jesus knew we couldn’t do it on
our own, Jesus lived this menial life, and at the end, he gets on his knees to
wash our feet and dies a humiliating death to save you and me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since we have been given this mind-blowing,
humbling love, let’s love and serve one another AND allow others to love and
serve you. Whether you have a physical disability, an emotional disability, a
mental disability, have anger issues, if you have a hard time caring about
people or anything, come from a dysfunctional family, or if you’re just plain
lost, let’s share in it together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Joni Eareckson Tada, <i>Diamonds in the Dust</i>, March 2. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-528021176697845072013-03-27T21:28:00.001-07:002013-03-30T21:50:26.741-07:00Jesus & Mary & Counseling<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I tell people that I want to go into biblical counseling, the usual response is a wide eyed, polite stare that says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” There are a good number of people who think of biblical counseling like a Biblegateway keyword search. You’re feeling anxious? Read Matthew 6 about not worrying, Psalm 23 about how God is with you, and top it off with Proverbs 3 to trust in God and not yourself. Now you’re all set to live victoriously, and I’ll call you later to see how it’s going.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: #555555; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">As we have been learning, Jesus works very differently. He is not in the business of quick-fixes and patch jobs; He’s after a relationship. As our church has been going through John 11 and 12, I’ve been really struck by the way Jesus cares for (and counsels!) Mary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">From Mary’s perspective, her brother was really sick. So sick that Mary and Martha knew that unless a miracle happened, Lazarus was not going to make it. Not only are they faced with losing their brother, but they most likely depend on him for the way they live. With his death, their futures would be very uncertain. So, they send for Jesus, but he doesn’t come. Their worst fears come true, and Lazarus dies with no word from Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">How could Jesus do this? We sent for him; we prayed to him. There are so many times we get upset/disappointed/angry when Jesus does not love us the way we want him to love us.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: #555555; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mary is no different. Four long, tortuous days pass, and Jesus finally comes. Mary doesn’t even go see him. She stays in the house, surrounded by people who were trying to console her. But Jesus calls for her. Mary hurries to Jesus and just falls at his feet. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus is deeply moved and weeps, asking to be brought to Lazarus’ tomb. He prays and raises Lazarus from the dead.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: #555555; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">We live in a world with very real problems. Jesus does not dismiss Mary’s. He does not tell her that she did not trust Him enough, to pray harder, or to get her understanding of Him right. Instead Jesus weeps with her. And although Mary’s grief over her brother is something terrible and devastating, Jesus is in the process of healing something much more broken than a rotting corpse. He is preparing to pay for all of our brokenness, sin, and the death we deserved by sacrificing his perfect life. Jesus sees our sinfulness and selfishness fully, and He chose to come down to us, die a humiliating death, and pay the debt of our sin. Facing death is scary. Facing an uncertain future is scary. Facing broken relationships is scary. Facing how deep our sinfulness goes is terrifying.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; color: #555555; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jesus cares deeply about the situations and circumstances that we go through, and his main priority is to save us to know Him. Jesus showed his love to Mary not because he raised her brother from the dead, but through raising Lazarus, Mary got to see and understand who Jesus is. In the John 12 we see Mary’s response to the way Jesus cared for her. In an undignified display, she pours out her perfume to anoint Jesus, which is worth a year’s income, and wipes his feet with her hair. Mary gives shamelessly to Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Biblical counseling isn’t about fixing your issues or the circumstances in your life. It’s getting to know Jesus, the only one who can save, and seeing where your life fits with Him, instead of how God can better your life. God’s intention for Mary and for us is not to simply give us what we want; it’s to give us Himself.</span></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7438877609218895589.post-3020561388696063032013-03-27T21:27:00.000-07:002013-03-30T21:51:22.131-07:00A Beginning<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he stands in the synagogue and reads from the Isaiah scroll.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">because the Lord has anointed me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">to bring good news to the poor;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">to proclaim liberty to the captives,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Isaiah 61: 1-2a</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Growing up, I loved this passage, thinking that this was God’s plan for my life. I especially grabbed on to the words “bind up the brokenhearted”. In my mind, this meant going to Afghanistan or Sudan to open a hospital or clinic that would physically heal their ailments and somehow restore hope in these war-torn countries. I thought of myself as a savior to the afflicted and brokenhearted. Little did I realize that I was the blind and trapped one. Thankfully, Jesus saved me from trying to live life on my own strength and day by day has shown me that I am needy for more and more and more of God’s mercy. God has also shown me that I do not need to cross oceans to meet hopeless and hurting people. Right in front of me are people who are paralyzed by insecurity, drowning in expectations, and simply worn down by their circumstances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jesus uses this passage to begin his ministry, because <i>He</i> is the one that this passage is talking about. Jesus is the good news that each of us needs to hear. God used this passage in my life as a beginning to reveal that the Bible directly speaks to my life. At CCC, we do not want the teaching and preaching to end as a nice concept. God’s word needs to impact <i>your</i> life. Keep reading Isaiah and you will see a God who takes the down and out, the ugly, the outcast, and the broken and makes them into something new. God brings his people to himself and calls them “mine”, beloved and redeemed. In this Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Brendon emphasized how God’s priority is not providing materially for the poor; it’s about Jesus. If as a church we only focus on physical needs of people, we missed the good news.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">My hope is that these words, prophesied by Isaiah and proclaimed by Jesus, will be the beginning of our counseling ministry at CCC. We are all the poor, the captive, and the brokenhearted. The reason why we are at church is because we desperately need a Savior. Let’s partner together to see the miracles that God is working out in your life. Come and see how He personally transforms insecurity and grief in your life to freedom and joy</span></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780979255585499669noreply@blogger.com0