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Kurios_Thanatou
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Name: jonatan
Interests: God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, The Salvation Army, Latin America, Music, Discipleship, Worship, The Bible
Occupation: youth pastor
Message: message me
Member Since:
11/7/2003
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| "Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves, on the town garbage heap; at a crossroads so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek; at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died about." [George MacLeod]
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." [Matthew 9:9-13]
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| for those of you who are interested in experiencing one of the best worship bands ever...
hillsong united is coming to chicago!!!
date: Wednesday May 30th @ 7.30pm
venue: Life Changers International Church, 2500 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates
tickets: Early Bird $16.95 before + on Apr 15 / $18.95 after Apr 15 / $20 Door
if you've never heard any of their original work, please check out their albums "look to you" and "united we stand". and i wouldn't wait until april 15 to get your tickets at the door, because they will sell out. however, i've been told that the venue doesn't have tickets for sale just yet. so you just might want to call every day, on the hour, until they do. at least that's what i've been doing. | | |
| You ever have one of those days where you just can't get a song out of your head? To some it happens more often than others. And most times, it's not even the whole song. You just keep repeating that one phrase you remember. Well, as I walked around the building today, I couldn't stop singing to myself "You are holy, holy, holy/I want to be holy like you are." So because I couldn't shake the melody, I decided to indulge in finding the lyrics (all of them), the music, and the recording (b collision version is much better). And I'm glad I did. Because while I was searching for said things, I stumbled on to David's explanations of his lyrics. And this is what he says about Wholly Yours: "...but about two years ago my mom sent a letter. it contained thoughts and prayers that she had written down one morning during her devotions. it all centered around the idea that god calls us to be holy as he is holy and then tells us it’s impossible. this dichotic suggestion troubled her, as well it should, and a phrase that one of her friends mentioned came to mind “wholly yours”. the solution is a simple one. covered by grace we, being in christ, are holy as he is holy, and thus the only hope we have for holiness is to bring the whole of our lives under the coverings of christ. to be wholly under christ’s rule and reign is to be found holy as christ is holy. i thought this was one of the most brilliant things ever. and it was so much like a good country and western song(2) that i actually laughed outloud. and so, like any good country song(3), the punch line comes at the end with such a simple turn of phrase that is the difference between life and death, decay and newness, winter and springtime." (www.davidcrowderband.com) It's just beautiful to realize that God wants us to be holy, which really means that we be wholly his. And it's only by grace. So if it's a surrenderd heart we need. Ask. If it's holiness (or wholiness, whichever you prefer). Ask. If it's _______________. Ask. "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." {Philippians 4:6} | | |
| Psalm 6:6-10 I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; My eyes are worn out because of all my enemies. Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer. May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame. Matthew 5:4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Today I had a quite unexpected experience. The Salvation Army offers a gas assitance program called Share the Warmth. Basically, the Army partners with People's Gas to provide a match of up to $200 for a client's bill. Many of the people that come in are elderly people that have been through the program for years and so there's little to explain, and really little to talk about. So I tried today to make small talk...you know...things like "I wish it were warmer" or "How are you today?" And after a while, it becomes pretty mechanic, kind of like a cashier job. You do it so long that you don't even have to think about it. So this social service that we offer becomes mundane and thoughtless. Great. Around this time of year, the pace really starts to pick up. I mean, it gets ridiculous. Linda, our office manager, and I were the only ones doing the program today, and it was just one of those days where you never thought the line would go down. As soon as you thought there was a possible lull, more people packed in the hallway, making another seemingly never-ending line. So around 2:00, I walk out of my office into the hallway to call the next client. You have to realize, I'd been doing this since 10:30, so I'm in sort of a grind. It get's mechanic remember? I'm all ready to go and I look out and realize there's only one more person left. I announce the name, and walk back to the office with the client following slowly behind me. We sit down. I get my papers. Start the usual spiel. The blah. I ask one question and her response broke down the routine cycle. She cried. She completely broke down, in shambles, devestaded, looking for answers, needing answers, immediate ones. She unveiled the struggles she and her family were up against, and after everthing was all said and done, we prayed, and she left. And what do I think? Well, I hope that some good bridges were built between her family and ours. I hope that I see her and her family again soon, like this week. I hope she doesn't become one of those people that I see for a few mintues but never again. I'm praying for her and her family. I want them to come to know the Lord. The Lord is good and faitfhul. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. | | |
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Peter replied, "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles - all who have been called by the Lord our God." Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!" Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day - about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers me together in once place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and sincere hearts - all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. {Acts 2:41-47} I have to admit, reading this passage kind of frustrates me! I mean, I don't feel like this is what I'm living. I don't feel like this is what I'm a part of sometimes. I know that the way I choose to live is part of the problem. I mean, do I devote all my time to the Word, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer? Do I give where there's a need? Do I worship God daily? It's just that I just read this passage and it made me realize this is what Church is supposed to be, this is what Christ is about. And if I, we, were to take a long and honest look inward, I think we'd have a lot to change. Not to point the finger or pass the blame; by no means. I know this passage has as much to do with me as the next guy. But don't you think it's time? I mean, why wait? What's the point of that? God, please, give us hearts that beat for you, and only you. | | |
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