So it's been about a week and a half since my last update. The reason for this is that I have been looking through my journal and trying to figure out how to best describe the experiences from the past week. And I've come to the realization that words can't even begin to grasp what happened.
The topic of teaching (if it can be called that) was on intimacy with God. Right at the beginning, it was made very clear that this wouldn't be a week of intellectual learning, but one of spiritual growth, and connecting with God's Spirit (the Holy Spirit).
With this in mind, I had several close encounters that I can't find the words to explain, other than to say that I was brought low, and then I was soaring through the heavens. I had moments of clarity as it related to my life and areas of sin were revealed to me that I didn't know existed.
It was extremely personal, so I won;t go into further detail than that. I will, however, give a summation of how God has worked in my life since I've been here. A softening of my conscience, a sensitizing of my spirit to what God wants in my life, and a humbling of my will to the awesome power of God.
Here is a poem that I wrote, drawing on Song of Solomon 5:2-7, and Psalm 91.
Who should I fear?
You have rescued me!
Why do I cower?
You have raised me up!
I wake from deep sleep.
Listening, I hear a gentle knock,
In the dead of night, I hear.
Who is it? Who comes?
Like the wind, I rush
Rush to the door.
I lift the latch, and pull
The door swings open, wide.
There he stands, the one I long for.
My Salvation, and Redeemer.
God bless you.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
A week of worship and humility
Greetings,
Sadly, I have no new photos to post, but I've been compiling some of the pictures taken by my fellow classmates and will be able to upload those this coming week.
Last Sunday, I attempted to go to a local Catholic, but after waiting an hour and nothing happening, I walked back to the house. The good news was that I had a great quiet time (It also was quite fun to longboard to church.)
Like it says in the title, this weeks lectures were on Worship and Praise, and what it means to worship (and it's not just the music you play or listen to).
To start off with, we learned some Greek and Hebrew words that all mean either worship or praise, but there is a physical act that accompanies it. There were seven Hebrew words (which I spelled all wrong) but you can find the words and meanings here, and it will be a lot clearer than I could write it.
This was very important because when I worship I rarely raise my hands, never kneel, and never even thought about falling on my face. And yet this is all part of worship. (The Hebrew word for worship, Shachah, literally means to bow down.)
This week was also one of the most humbling experiences in my life. I won't go into to much detail, but taking a physical position of vulnerability such as kneeling or lying on your face gives you a very different perspective, and for me at least was transforming. It's not a natural thing, at least in the American mindset to kneel and bow before anyone, as we are all equal. Well, when you enter into the presence of your creator, there's not much else we can do. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it brought me another step closer to understanding God's love and sacrifice for me, and His bigness.
One phrase stuck out and really spoke to my heart. "You have a choice. You can either humble yourself before God willingly, or you will be humiliated before Him on the Day of Judgement." We looked at Philippians 2:10-11 and see a prophecy of what will happen. I found it difficult, physically painful to kneel. How much more so when it will it be for those that don't believe and yet still have to bow. Something to think about.
Finally, in closing, true worship requires sacrifice. Something that you really care about and will miss. Looking at the Passover for example, the Jews were told to take the spotless lamb and care for it. They were then to sacrifice it as atonement for their sins. In 2 Samuel 24:24, David won't sacrifice something that cost him nothing. We clearly don't sacrifice animals anymore today, so what are we to do then. Look to Psalm 51:17, and we see that a broken heart and spirit are what God wants as sacrifice. My pride was getting in the way of being able to worship, but God humbled me and brought me out new.
That's it for this week!
Sadly, I have no new photos to post, but I've been compiling some of the pictures taken by my fellow classmates and will be able to upload those this coming week.
Last Sunday, I attempted to go to a local Catholic, but after waiting an hour and nothing happening, I walked back to the house. The good news was that I had a great quiet time (It also was quite fun to longboard to church.)
Like it says in the title, this weeks lectures were on Worship and Praise, and what it means to worship (and it's not just the music you play or listen to).
To start off with, we learned some Greek and Hebrew words that all mean either worship or praise, but there is a physical act that accompanies it. There were seven Hebrew words (which I spelled all wrong) but you can find the words and meanings here, and it will be a lot clearer than I could write it.
This was very important because when I worship I rarely raise my hands, never kneel, and never even thought about falling on my face. And yet this is all part of worship. (The Hebrew word for worship, Shachah, literally means to bow down.)
This week was also one of the most humbling experiences in my life. I won't go into to much detail, but taking a physical position of vulnerability such as kneeling or lying on your face gives you a very different perspective, and for me at least was transforming. It's not a natural thing, at least in the American mindset to kneel and bow before anyone, as we are all equal. Well, when you enter into the presence of your creator, there's not much else we can do. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it brought me another step closer to understanding God's love and sacrifice for me, and His bigness.
One phrase stuck out and really spoke to my heart. "You have a choice. You can either humble yourself before God willingly, or you will be humiliated before Him on the Day of Judgement." We looked at Philippians 2:10-11 and see a prophecy of what will happen. I found it difficult, physically painful to kneel. How much more so when it will it be for those that don't believe and yet still have to bow. Something to think about.
Finally, in closing, true worship requires sacrifice. Something that you really care about and will miss. Looking at the Passover for example, the Jews were told to take the spotless lamb and care for it. They were then to sacrifice it as atonement for their sins. In 2 Samuel 24:24, David won't sacrifice something that cost him nothing. We clearly don't sacrifice animals anymore today, so what are we to do then. Look to Psalm 51:17, and we see that a broken heart and spirit are what God wants as sacrifice. My pride was getting in the way of being able to worship, but God humbled me and brought me out new.
That's it for this week!
Friday, October 5, 2012
2 Weeks... And counting
Bonsoir!
I've now been here in France for two weeks, but it feels like months. Hard to believe that I have more than two months left, and then another couple months in Senegal!
It has been feeling very New England-ish, weather-wise, with lots of rain and chilly wind. I woke up this morning and the countryside was hidden in fog (sorry, no pictures). Later on, it turned into a gorgeous, southern France type of day. Lots of sun, and a gentle breeze. Made for a good reading environment.
Another week of classes is over, and same as last time, I have come away with a deeper understanding of the nature of God. When I have a small breakthrough, an ah-ha moment, I am filled with so much excitement, I grin like an idiot. The smallest thing can set me off laughing.
The topic covered was a deep one (again). Sin and Repentance. When I heard what the topic of discussion was, I had an uh-oh moment. Many Christians don't like to talk about how ugly our sin truly is, and whenever some talks about it, it can be difficult to swallow.
As I had guessed, it was hard hitting, but it drew every aspect of what makes sin so disgusting to God from Scripture.
We discussed the sacrifices made by the Jews in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. There was a lot of blood required to atone for the sins of Israel, so it should come as no surprise that the perfect sacrifice that would cover the sins of all the world, for all time, would be a nasty, horrible affair.
One of the topics discussed was on Jesus and the Cross. This is defining point for mankind and sin. With a little medical commentary, we broke down the suffering that Jesus likely went through. It was a sobering session. The amount of pain, both emotional and physical, that He suffered for mankind brought some in the class to tears, many others were choked up, myself included.
We covered a vast amount of ground, but the key point to remember is that Christ suffered and died, but He rose from the grave!!! He conquered over death and gave those who believe in Him the ability to conquer sin in their lives, the sin in my life.
There is just to much for me to tell you all about unless you want to read an essay that I really have no interest in writing. I'll give you the key words, verses, and phrases from this week, in no particular order.
Rom 3:23, Rom. 6:23-24, Sin, Repentance (Matt. 4:17), Conversion, Falling short, Sin's beginning (Gen. 3), Miss the target, Consequences, Condemnation, Suffering, Sacrifice, Death, Resurrection, Justification, Faith, Strength, 2 Cor. 5:17, Confession, 1 John 1:8-10, Temptation, Titus 2:11-15.
I think that's enough to give you a taste of what I learned this week.
Jouir et que Dieu bénisse.
Bonne nuit
I've now been here in France for two weeks, but it feels like months. Hard to believe that I have more than two months left, and then another couple months in Senegal!
It has been feeling very New England-ish, weather-wise, with lots of rain and chilly wind. I woke up this morning and the countryside was hidden in fog (sorry, no pictures). Later on, it turned into a gorgeous, southern France type of day. Lots of sun, and a gentle breeze. Made for a good reading environment.
Another week of classes is over, and same as last time, I have come away with a deeper understanding of the nature of God. When I have a small breakthrough, an ah-ha moment, I am filled with so much excitement, I grin like an idiot. The smallest thing can set me off laughing.
The topic covered was a deep one (again). Sin and Repentance. When I heard what the topic of discussion was, I had an uh-oh moment. Many Christians don't like to talk about how ugly our sin truly is, and whenever some talks about it, it can be difficult to swallow.
As I had guessed, it was hard hitting, but it drew every aspect of what makes sin so disgusting to God from Scripture.
We discussed the sacrifices made by the Jews in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. There was a lot of blood required to atone for the sins of Israel, so it should come as no surprise that the perfect sacrifice that would cover the sins of all the world, for all time, would be a nasty, horrible affair.
One of the topics discussed was on Jesus and the Cross. This is defining point for mankind and sin. With a little medical commentary, we broke down the suffering that Jesus likely went through. It was a sobering session. The amount of pain, both emotional and physical, that He suffered for mankind brought some in the class to tears, many others were choked up, myself included.
We covered a vast amount of ground, but the key point to remember is that Christ suffered and died, but He rose from the grave!!! He conquered over death and gave those who believe in Him the ability to conquer sin in their lives, the sin in my life.
There is just to much for me to tell you all about unless you want to read an essay that I really have no interest in writing. I'll give you the key words, verses, and phrases from this week, in no particular order.
Rom 3:23, Rom. 6:23-24, Sin, Repentance (Matt. 4:17), Conversion, Falling short, Sin's beginning (Gen. 3), Miss the target, Consequences, Condemnation, Suffering, Sacrifice, Death, Resurrection, Justification, Faith, Strength, 2 Cor. 5:17, Confession, 1 John 1:8-10, Temptation, Titus 2:11-15.
I think that's enough to give you a taste of what I learned this week.
Jouir et que Dieu bénisse.
Bonne nuit
Saturday, September 29, 2012
A blessing and a nice long walk
Yesterday was the last lecture on the Attributes and Nature of God. Lots of points were put forward, many being very different perspectives. Some I found to be absolutely biblical some others made me cringe inside, and I could not find conclusive biblical evidence to support the particular point be made. I made note of this and the teacher said that there are some things that we need to wrestle with, and he appreciated me asking him about it.
He then spent some time in prayer for us and spoke words of blessing on us. The words he directed to me struck me and I got very emotional. He told us to confirm what he said to us through scripture and praying.
Today was the first day that we got to sleep in, and though I missed breakfast, it was worth it. With only a pear, and a cup of coffee, Spencer (one of my room mates) and I went on a hike into the area behind the house.
Here are the scenes from our walk...
He then spent some time in prayer for us and spoke words of blessing on us. The words he directed to me struck me and I got very emotional. He told us to confirm what he said to us through scripture and praying.
Today was the first day that we got to sleep in, and though I missed breakfast, it was worth it. With only a pear, and a cup of coffee, Spencer (one of my room mates) and I went on a hike into the area behind the house.
Here are the scenes from our walk...
Friday, September 28, 2012
Saint Paul
Hi there!
Yesterday, our group had the chance to go into town and see what an old town looks. Here are some of the pictures I was able to take. I will come back and caption when I have time, but in the mean time, enjoy!
Yesterday, our group had the chance to go into town and see what an old town looks. Here are some of the pictures I was able to take. I will come back and caption when I have time, but in the mean time, enjoy!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
On the attributes of God..... and more! 27 Septembre
Hi everyone!
The last several days have flown by. The day after I arrived, 23 Septembre, I slept until 1 o'clock pm! It was then a game of Pictionary (in French) and then a group dinner where we got to know who everyone was.
There are 8 students here, two from France, two from Canada, three from the US and one from Australia. Five gals and three guys.
We (the students with musical talents) also started working on worship music and hopefully will be ready in the coming weeks.... Practiced for 4 hours yesterday.... completely lost track of time, but we sounded good together.
This week we are learning about the attributes of God.... Ok well, just a few of the attributes of God. We have learned about why we need to know who God is, His mercy and love, and the last few days we've specifically been talking about the Trinity, how God is a relational being and how God chose to be holy, just, loving etc.
The classes this week are being taught by Daniel Schaerer. He's from France but speaks English very well and at times is correcting the interpreter!
The most recent lectures have been on the relational aspect of God and it was thought provoking because it gave me deeper insight into who God is (the whole point of the lecture!).He was with the Son and Holy Spirit, and then He created angels, and then man. He saw that man was lonely so He made woman to partner with the man. All these things I knew, but were put into a different context, and made me appreciate God more.
About God choosing to be holy, just, etc. I really was confused about this at first. How could He choose to be those things? Isn't it His nature to be those things? The answer blew my mind and I'm still trying to fully comprehend it. Because God just is and wasn't created, He has the ability to be whatever he wants to be. He didn't have to be just, but He chose to be. He didn't have to be loving, He chose it. So on and so forth. Every attribute of God is one that He chose for Himself!
We then looked at a warped perspective of who God is. There are many examples. The snake tempting Eve in the Garden, telling her that God was a liar. The Hebrews who are just about to enter the Promised Land, turn back and say that God hates them for bringing them out of Egypt. The Parable of the talents, with the third servant having a completely wrong perception of who his master was. Each of these examples have a few things in common. One,there is a view of the Lord that is twisted, and second, there is punishment that follows. Adam and Eve are thrown out of the Garden. The Hebrews wander in the desert 40 years. The servant is cast out into darkness.
I am so excited to be here and thank God that He has given me this opportunity.
More to come, along with more pictures!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Les photos de 22 Septembre
This was right after I landed in Madrid. It was about 7am local time, and still dark outside!
And this is where I will be staying for the next several months, Saint Paul-3-Chateaux.
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