In the book of Philippians, Paul addresses some disputes that had been taking place in the church at Philippi. In the beginning of chapter 2, he mentions some of the problems: selfishness, conceit, disunity, lack of love, and false pride. In order to address these issues, Paul uses what is now known, creatively, as the “Philippian Hymn” beginning with his introduction in verse 5. A form of this hymn would have been well known among the people of his time.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, because he was in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Not only is this hymn beautiful, but it is also powerful, still today. Verse 6 begins by giving us a description of God. Because Christ was in very nature God, because he was God, he could do nothing other than make himself a servant. Instead of reaching for some kind of superior and elevated status, Jesus humbled himself, taking on the very nature of a servant and became obedient to death because he knew nothing else; he was God. Because of this, he was exalted above all things.
This is the attitude, the very mind of Jesus. He is perfection; where Adam failed, Christ prevailed. Even further than that, this is the very heart of God, the same God we serve. He is not some scary figure looming over us in the clouds waiting to catch us doing wrong; he is not out to get us. Rather, he is a God who got on his knees to wash the feet of others; he is a God who ate with sinners and spent his time with lepers, the outcast of society. He is the God who left his throne in order to become one of us, suffered with us, and gave wholly of himself on the cross in order that we may have life.
As we wake up each morning and live out each day, remember that it is to this God, a God who has suffered alongside us and endured even much greater pain, that we pray and worship. This is the God we serve, the suffering God.
-Matt
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
New Layout.... Again
I know I change my layout ALL THE TIME! There are a few reasons for that. 1. I get a new picture of Matt and I that I like, 2. I think of an idea for a design that I want to try out, or 3. (the case this time) I accidentally deleted the wrong box that included the code for my LAST background and couldn't find it again... so I picked a new one. :)
The cause of all of this trouble is the new countdown box on the right. I was trying to delete a countdown that didn't fit right and accidentally deleted my background instead. Oh well! I think this layout is pretty cute! :)
The cause of all of this trouble is the new countdown box on the right. I was trying to delete a countdown that didn't fit right and accidentally deleted my background instead. Oh well! I think this layout is pretty cute! :)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
So tired...
I didn't sleep well on Sunday night at all. Monday Matt and I rode 4-5 miles on our bikes. Monday night I slept better, but still not great. Tuesday I woke up early to go work on some fieldwork hours for school, then later in the evening Matt and I walked around the neighborhood quite a bit and the soreness in my legs from the bikes started to set in. This morning my alarm went off at 4:30am (though I woke up around 3:00 thinking it was time to get up) and we met up with the youth group at the church building and headed downtown at 5:30 to help out with a homeless breakfast that a church does every Wednesday. Then, Matt left today to go back to Athens for a day... so I am SO tired but can't seem to get any sleep... and I'm bored. It is Spring Break but I haven't felt like the "break" part has made any difference. "Welcome to the real world," I can hear you all saying... :) I still have half a week for things to change... I think I'll start by going to bed EARLY tonight! It is already 9:00 so maybe I'll go soak in a hot bubble bath then get some sleep!
This post was completely irrelevant. I just felt like complaining and it is MY blog so I will complain if I feel like it! ;-)
This post was completely irrelevant. I just felt like complaining and it is MY blog so I will complain if I feel like it! ;-)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Honeymoon
OH YEAH! How could I forget? Matt and I booked our honeymoon! We are going on a 5 day Carnival Western Caribbean Cruise! Our ports are at Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico. These are the same ports that I went to when I went with Kirby and Chrissy. Our wedding will be during our school semester so we aren't going on the cruise until our Christmas break. The ship pulls out of Galveston January 4th. AND we already have half of it paid for! We really got a pretty good price for the two of us. Plus, if the price goes down between now and then (and we catch it) we will get the cheaper rate. We are both really excited about going! Matt has never been on a cruise before so I think I am more excited for him than I am for myself. :) He keeps teasing me because I keep saying that the part I'm looking forward to the most is the yummy food! We haven't picked any shore excursions yet. I think we're going to do one, then just do something REALLY cheap or FREE at the other port. We'll keep everyone updated when we DO pick something (we're considering a kayaking, snorkeling, beach one right now!) but it may be a while before we do. So... we booked our honeymoon! :) Yay!
Eeek!
Wow.... I know it has been a LONG time since I have blogged! Things with school have been SO crazy the last few weeks with tests and papers all leading up to Spring Break!
Well Spring Break is finally here and I hardly feel like I have a break. Today will be my "day off" and Matt and I are going to go ride bikes on some nearby trails. We have heard about a lot of neat trails around here, but we're going to start with some easy ones to work ourselves back into riding. Neither of us have been riding since this past summer in Glenwood!
I'm not sure which days (I'm waiting on a call back), but this week I will be doing 15 hours of fieldwork/volunteer hours for school. I have one class that requires "fieldwork" (she gave us specific places that we have to do it) and another that requires "volunteer work" (she wasn't specific) so I'm hoping that this one place can count for both classes! Anyway, I'm working at a place called Elder Haven. It is an adult babysitting service... sounds kind of lame at first, but I researched it and it really looks pretty cool. They have all sorts of games and activities throughout the day. The job description is very similar to that of an Activities Coordinator at a nursing facility or something similar, so this would be the kind of place that I would be qualified to work in. I'm anxious to check it out!
To add to that, we also have a lot of youth events going on. I am already planning on having to miss them since I'll be doing fieldwork hours, but I'll make which ever ones I can. Tomorrow we're taking them to Austin Park & Pizza for a pizza buffet, arcade games, putt putt golf, go karts, bumper boats, climbing wall, and laser tag. It is just a big place where you can do which ever activities you want. Mom, Dad, Matt and I took Elijah there the first time they came to visit in Austin.
Thursday night the youth put together a game night. I'm really not looking forward to that, especially because Matt will be out of town (I think he did that on purpose, ;-)). The youth planned it all and invited everyone and they are just planning on having games and pizza until 1AM!!! Now, we warned them that we had another event the next morning that they would have to be up early for, but they didn't budge. Then, last night I guess it hit them and now they are not too sure... so who knows how later we'll actually be up!
Friday morning we are meeting early then driving over to Camp of the Hills. We'll just be working there on whatever they need help with. We'll work there until around 3 or so, then we're going to some hiking trail in Marble Falls. I've been told that Keith, one of the elders who is going with us, is planning on bringing backpacks and weights for the hiking trail to help prepare some of the people who are going on Trek this summer. I'm not going on Trek, but I'm wondering if I might get suckered into carrying a bag too.... I guess it wouldn't hurt me. :)
To add to all of that, I still have some homework to do. I have a book report to write, then two other books to read. Fun, fun, fun! Well, I know this hasn't been a terribly exciting blog post... but that is what all is going on right now! Things have been going nearly non-stop it seems. I will TRY to take some pictures throughout the week to share... I know pictures make things more exciting. :)
Well Spring Break is finally here and I hardly feel like I have a break. Today will be my "day off" and Matt and I are going to go ride bikes on some nearby trails. We have heard about a lot of neat trails around here, but we're going to start with some easy ones to work ourselves back into riding. Neither of us have been riding since this past summer in Glenwood!
I'm not sure which days (I'm waiting on a call back), but this week I will be doing 15 hours of fieldwork/volunteer hours for school. I have one class that requires "fieldwork" (she gave us specific places that we have to do it) and another that requires "volunteer work" (she wasn't specific) so I'm hoping that this one place can count for both classes! Anyway, I'm working at a place called Elder Haven. It is an adult babysitting service... sounds kind of lame at first, but I researched it and it really looks pretty cool. They have all sorts of games and activities throughout the day. The job description is very similar to that of an Activities Coordinator at a nursing facility or something similar, so this would be the kind of place that I would be qualified to work in. I'm anxious to check it out!
To add to that, we also have a lot of youth events going on. I am already planning on having to miss them since I'll be doing fieldwork hours, but I'll make which ever ones I can. Tomorrow we're taking them to Austin Park & Pizza for a pizza buffet, arcade games, putt putt golf, go karts, bumper boats, climbing wall, and laser tag. It is just a big place where you can do which ever activities you want. Mom, Dad, Matt and I took Elijah there the first time they came to visit in Austin.
Thursday night the youth put together a game night. I'm really not looking forward to that, especially because Matt will be out of town (I think he did that on purpose, ;-)). The youth planned it all and invited everyone and they are just planning on having games and pizza until 1AM!!! Now, we warned them that we had another event the next morning that they would have to be up early for, but they didn't budge. Then, last night I guess it hit them and now they are not too sure... so who knows how later we'll actually be up!
Friday morning we are meeting early then driving over to Camp of the Hills. We'll just be working there on whatever they need help with. We'll work there until around 3 or so, then we're going to some hiking trail in Marble Falls. I've been told that Keith, one of the elders who is going with us, is planning on bringing backpacks and weights for the hiking trail to help prepare some of the people who are going on Trek this summer. I'm not going on Trek, but I'm wondering if I might get suckered into carrying a bag too.... I guess it wouldn't hurt me. :)
To add to all of that, I still have some homework to do. I have a book report to write, then two other books to read. Fun, fun, fun! Well, I know this hasn't been a terribly exciting blog post... but that is what all is going on right now! Things have been going nearly non-stop it seems. I will TRY to take some pictures throughout the week to share... I know pictures make things more exciting. :)
Monday, March 9, 2009
We Were There
In Deuteronomy 5, Moses summons all of Israel. In verses 2-4, he tells the people:
The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb (Mt. Sinai). It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire the mountain.
After this, he recites the Ten Commandments.
It appears that Moses is reminding the people that they were present at Sinai when God made this great covenant with them. He tells them that they were at the mountain that day and that they stood face to face with the fire. He is telling them that they were there the day that God handed them the law and the day the people of Israel renewed their covenant with the Lord, but the truth is they weren’t. This is not the same people that were present at Sinai but a new generation. Why does Moses tell them this?
Moses is not literally telling the people that they were present at Sinai when the Ten Commandments were given to them. He is, however, reminding them that the covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel is not just for their fathers; it was also made with them. In their acceptance and participation of this covenant, they are drawn back to Mt. Sinai. They stand with Moses as he faced the burning bush; they stand among the crowd as they receive the law. They are circumcised into the same faith of Abraham just as their fathers were.
Today, as the New Israel, it is important to remind ourselves that we were once among those who scoffed at Jesus and cried, “Crucify him,” but in our acceptance of Christ, in our baptism, and in our participation of communion, we are drawn back to the cross. We sit with the twelve in the upper room as Jesus breaks the bread and passes the cup saying, “This is my body...this is my blood...do this in remembrance of me.” We stand alongside the crowd, with Mary, as Jesus suffers on the cross, taking on the sins of the world, facing death head on, and coming out alive on the other side having conquered sin and death. May we be reminded that, by grace through faith, we too take part in God’s new covenant.
-Matt
The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb (Mt. Sinai). It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire the mountain.
After this, he recites the Ten Commandments.
It appears that Moses is reminding the people that they were present at Sinai when God made this great covenant with them. He tells them that they were at the mountain that day and that they stood face to face with the fire. He is telling them that they were there the day that God handed them the law and the day the people of Israel renewed their covenant with the Lord, but the truth is they weren’t. This is not the same people that were present at Sinai but a new generation. Why does Moses tell them this?
Moses is not literally telling the people that they were present at Sinai when the Ten Commandments were given to them. He is, however, reminding them that the covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel is not just for their fathers; it was also made with them. In their acceptance and participation of this covenant, they are drawn back to Mt. Sinai. They stand with Moses as he faced the burning bush; they stand among the crowd as they receive the law. They are circumcised into the same faith of Abraham just as their fathers were.
Today, as the New Israel, it is important to remind ourselves that we were once among those who scoffed at Jesus and cried, “Crucify him,” but in our acceptance of Christ, in our baptism, and in our participation of communion, we are drawn back to the cross. We sit with the twelve in the upper room as Jesus breaks the bread and passes the cup saying, “This is my body...this is my blood...do this in remembrance of me.” We stand alongside the crowd, with Mary, as Jesus suffers on the cross, taking on the sins of the world, facing death head on, and coming out alive on the other side having conquered sin and death. May we be reminded that, by grace through faith, we too take part in God’s new covenant.
-Matt
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Two Goofballs
I found these pictures from when mom, dad and Elijah came to visit us in Austin a couple of weeks ago... :)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Mission Possible
Imagine this:
A successful business man with a large corporation in the U.S. decides to take his company global. While he is out of the country negotiating deals, he leaves his workers in charge at his U.S. branch, frequently sending them letters containing instructions and directions on how to successfully and properly keep the company running. Upon returning after many months, he is shocked to find the condition of his once booming corporation. The receptionist is painting her nails and checking email while some of the workers have installed a large screen TV in the conference room and are playing video games. As he walks into his office, he discovers John, the person he left in charge, sitting in a recliner, eating ice cream, and watching the game with a couple of his buddies.
Quite outraged, he asks him, “What are you doing? Didn’t you get any of my letters?”
John responds, “Of course we did, and, by the way, those letters were great! In fact, we have had a letter study every Friday from 10-11 a.m. since you left. We even went so far as to break all of our employees into small groups that meet every week to talk about the specifics of what you put in the letters and how they make them feel. Some of the things were really interesting. You will be very pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two - Great stuff in those letters."
“So you received my letters, you’ve read, studied, and meditated on them, and even memorized some of them, but what did you DO about them?”
“What did we do?” John asks. “What do you mean? We didn’t do anything.”
It is of great importance for us to study the Bible, its stories and lessons, and to spend time together in meditation, discussion, and worship, but if we never DO anything with our study, of what use is it?
In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes to the people of Thessalonica warning them to not be deceived. Recently, they have started worrying that Jesus has already returned. “It has been some time since the cross; maybe he has come back and we missed out.” But Paul tells them, “Do not be fooled.” He reminds them that Christ has not come back, and he will not return until something first takes place.
Paul then goes on to mention a “man of lawlessness” and says that he must first be revealed before Christ’s return. This “lawlessness” is apparently already at work within the world; it has simply yet to be made known. Concerning this man of lawlessness: Many have tried to discover for themselves who or what this evil is, pointing the finger at everything from world powers to Satan himself. Perhaps it is unnecessary for us to try to figure out who or what this lawlessness may be; however, it is important for us to realize that evil is present and working in the world today.
A question worth asking is “Why is God waiting? Why has he kept from revealing this evil to us?”
The answer to this question may be one of many and is well worth the discussion, but I would suggest that the thing that God is waiting for is us. What if the reason for God’s waiting is the fact that we have not yet completed our job? Perhaps God simply wants more people to know Him and have a deeper relationship with Him. I believe Paul’s message is more than, “Do not be deceived.” Paul is telling us to take action.
It is with much urgency that I tell you—the time has come to stop sitting on our hands waiting for something to happen and to share the Gospel. Our time together once or twice a week is of great importance; it is essential. However, this is only one aspect of our worship. We must take what we study together and share it with the world, not just with our words but with our lives!
We are to put on the full armor of God, not to sit around in mindless waiting, but to go to battle together. Jesus tells us that he will return, and, in the meantime, we are to be watching and waiting in anticipation and in action. Paul says, “Therefore...be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15).
We have all been given a grand mission. Although the specifics of that mission may differ, the goal is the same. We are to daily live in a way that reflects Christ to glorify him and to bring others to do the same. We are to offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice,” walking in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To study the Bible is great if, and only if, our study results in the proclaiming of its message in our daily lives.
-Matt
A successful business man with a large corporation in the U.S. decides to take his company global. While he is out of the country negotiating deals, he leaves his workers in charge at his U.S. branch, frequently sending them letters containing instructions and directions on how to successfully and properly keep the company running. Upon returning after many months, he is shocked to find the condition of his once booming corporation. The receptionist is painting her nails and checking email while some of the workers have installed a large screen TV in the conference room and are playing video games. As he walks into his office, he discovers John, the person he left in charge, sitting in a recliner, eating ice cream, and watching the game with a couple of his buddies.
Quite outraged, he asks him, “What are you doing? Didn’t you get any of my letters?”
John responds, “Of course we did, and, by the way, those letters were great! In fact, we have had a letter study every Friday from 10-11 a.m. since you left. We even went so far as to break all of our employees into small groups that meet every week to talk about the specifics of what you put in the letters and how they make them feel. Some of the things were really interesting. You will be very pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two - Great stuff in those letters."
“So you received my letters, you’ve read, studied, and meditated on them, and even memorized some of them, but what did you DO about them?”
“What did we do?” John asks. “What do you mean? We didn’t do anything.”
It is of great importance for us to study the Bible, its stories and lessons, and to spend time together in meditation, discussion, and worship, but if we never DO anything with our study, of what use is it?
In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes to the people of Thessalonica warning them to not be deceived. Recently, they have started worrying that Jesus has already returned. “It has been some time since the cross; maybe he has come back and we missed out.” But Paul tells them, “Do not be fooled.” He reminds them that Christ has not come back, and he will not return until something first takes place.
Paul then goes on to mention a “man of lawlessness” and says that he must first be revealed before Christ’s return. This “lawlessness” is apparently already at work within the world; it has simply yet to be made known. Concerning this man of lawlessness: Many have tried to discover for themselves who or what this evil is, pointing the finger at everything from world powers to Satan himself. Perhaps it is unnecessary for us to try to figure out who or what this lawlessness may be; however, it is important for us to realize that evil is present and working in the world today.
A question worth asking is “Why is God waiting? Why has he kept from revealing this evil to us?”
The answer to this question may be one of many and is well worth the discussion, but I would suggest that the thing that God is waiting for is us. What if the reason for God’s waiting is the fact that we have not yet completed our job? Perhaps God simply wants more people to know Him and have a deeper relationship with Him. I believe Paul’s message is more than, “Do not be deceived.” Paul is telling us to take action.
It is with much urgency that I tell you—the time has come to stop sitting on our hands waiting for something to happen and to share the Gospel. Our time together once or twice a week is of great importance; it is essential. However, this is only one aspect of our worship. We must take what we study together and share it with the world, not just with our words but with our lives!
We are to put on the full armor of God, not to sit around in mindless waiting, but to go to battle together. Jesus tells us that he will return, and, in the meantime, we are to be watching and waiting in anticipation and in action. Paul says, “Therefore...be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15).
We have all been given a grand mission. Although the specifics of that mission may differ, the goal is the same. We are to daily live in a way that reflects Christ to glorify him and to bring others to do the same. We are to offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice,” walking in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To study the Bible is great if, and only if, our study results in the proclaiming of its message in our daily lives.
-Matt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)