What a blessing it is to go to Camp Qwanoes for a day, much more so for an entire week. Even more so for an entire week with a group of ten young men seeking at least a good time, at most a heart changing experience with Jesus.
With this post I welcome a few of my campers with whom I studied and grew this past week. Gentlemen, I encourage you to comment! I want to hear all the quotes like you promised, Trevor!
I should encapsulate my week in a quick paragraph, just so you guys know as well what went on in my heart as I want to know what went on in yours. This past week has been an ascent on a holy hill. I came out of the fog of my city life, intent on gaining popularity and success, and spent some time quietly before our God. My eyes were opened to many ways in which my life has not been Jesus-centered. I have made resolutions to work my schedule around Him, but more I have been thankful for His overwhelming grace and forgiveness. I know that His love for me and my love for Him must be what ultimately motivates me to come closer to Him, and not guilt at my past failures. In short, this past week has been a heart-changer. And I owe it all to our God, Jesus Christ!
I am reminded of the Transfiguration, in Luke 9:28-36, and how even after it had been made abundantly clear to Peter who it was that he was following, and what he must do, upon failing to meet the requirements Jesus still had mercy on him. Peter straight up denied Jesus later on, and yet when Jesus rose from the dead he told Mary to go tell the disciples, and Peter (Mark 16:7), just to make sure Peter got the message. All is forgiven for the friends of Jesus. Rejoice!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
Idolatrous Heart
Ezekiel 14
Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols."
I came to this text vexed and depressed. I was struggling with all sorts of idolatry, and I was letting it into my heart and setting it before my face daily. I was creating kingdoms where only I ruled, where God was not thought of. I am greatly relieved that the Lord wants to lay hold of my heart.
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces from all your abominations. For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the LORD will answer him myself. And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the LORD. And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. And they shall bear their punishment - the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike - that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord GOD."
Ah, so the punishment will not be less because I have come seeking counsel with the Lord. And yet, the punishment is in his hands, and it is not unfair. Furthermore, the purpose of his punishment is to help myself and others no longer go astray, no longer defile ourselves. His purpose is for us to be his people, and him to be our God.
Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols."
I came to this text vexed and depressed. I was struggling with all sorts of idolatry, and I was letting it into my heart and setting it before my face daily. I was creating kingdoms where only I ruled, where God was not thought of. I am greatly relieved that the Lord wants to lay hold of my heart.
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces from all your abominations. For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the LORD will answer him myself. And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the LORD. And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. And they shall bear their punishment - the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike - that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord GOD."
Ah, so the punishment will not be less because I have come seeking counsel with the Lord. And yet, the punishment is in his hands, and it is not unfair. Furthermore, the purpose of his punishment is to help myself and others no longer go astray, no longer defile ourselves. His purpose is for us to be his people, and him to be our God.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Kaleo Ministry
Wow, I leave for Vancouver in just under an hour. We will be staying in a church over night, and tomorrow we are flying to Tokyo for one night before finishing our journey to New Delhi. Once in New Delhi 13 other students and 2 leaders will meet up with my good friend Nicki Parker, and we will begin our journey north into the foothills of the Himalayas.
It is frightening for me to be a representative. I am a very inadequate person to be representing a place like Canada, a school like Kaleo, or a person like Christ. This fear had made me queasy up until last night, when I realized that myself and my fellow students are in very good hands. The Lord has gone before us, preparing good works for us. He has been preparing the people we are going to meet and preparing us to meet them.
I am never going to feel prepared, but I do know in my heart that I have nothing to worry about except clothing myself in Christ.
Please remember to pray for our team. Pray that stress does not get the best of us, and that we are made into worthy ambassadors.
Thank you for your prayers!
It is frightening for me to be a representative. I am a very inadequate person to be representing a place like Canada, a school like Kaleo, or a person like Christ. This fear had made me queasy up until last night, when I realized that myself and my fellow students are in very good hands. The Lord has gone before us, preparing good works for us. He has been preparing the people we are going to meet and preparing us to meet them.
I am never going to feel prepared, but I do know in my heart that I have nothing to worry about except clothing myself in Christ.
Please remember to pray for our team. Pray that stress does not get the best of us, and that we are made into worthy ambassadors.
Thank you for your prayers!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Kaleo Ministry
This week a few students went up to Qwanoes' junk pile and moved scrap metal into a large bin. We continue to work out very often in preparation for our trek in India.
I found out that I have $50 dollars more than my tuition cost in the bank.
Levi (my pastor's son) had a birthday party which the Cobble Hill Kaleos went to. It was very fun.
My grades are terrible, but I am learning lots.
I still do not know what I am doing next September.
I could use prayer for focus, willpower, comfort, and support for India.
Thank you for reading, I will try to post some sweet stories or pictures next time!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Kaleo Ministry
Kaleo is back in session, and oh how wonderful it is!
Over the break God spoke to me through the scripture of Ephesians. Jim warned us that going back home from Kaleo could sometimes be like a battle, so I dove into the Word and tried to put on some armor. The salvation that Christ bought us has been on my mind. I have kept the Bible nearby and ready. The good news directed my steps. The truth held me up. I struggled to embody righteousness. Ephesians was my anthem and war cry.
I say all of this not because my home-life is hard, or my family is treacherous, that would be to lie! My family and friends are wonderful people who build me up daily. But being in my old haunts, seeing the expectation of others for me to either be the same, or some creature altogether holier than when they last saw me, was a struggle. I needed God's full armor to keep my heart well protected for his use.
Needless to say, God kept me. I loved being home. I already miss all of you!
All of my mates and I here at Qwanoes are jumping straight into the grindstone. We have already completed one course (except for all the homework!), and we are about to go snowboarding on Mt Washington for five days. We will be staying in a luxury chalet on the mountain. It has three hot-tubs! It will be just like home ;)
After that, we are starting our theology course, taught by my pastor. I would appreciate prayers, as I am sure that if I write a poor paper I will never live it down.
Being back at Cobble Hill Church is just amazing. It felt like a family reunion. Especially with Nicki Parker there (who, for those who don't know, is an angel sent by God to bring me to Cobble Hill, who also will be co-leading my trip to India with a few other saints).
God has been teaching me patience for a long time (or, has been trying to; I am a poor student). Recently he has reminded me to follow his leading even if conventional wisdom would point to different decisions. Praise him for his steadfastness in counsel!
Because they sometimes forget to read this, tell my Mom and Grandma I love them dearly, whoever sees them first!
-Lovingly,
JH
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Kaleo Ministry
So this is the last week of Kaleo until the new year! I am excited to come back and see everyone, but I sure am going to miss all of my class-mates.
In our field education class we are learning about the ministry of reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. These verses talk about how God has reconciled himself to us, and what that means we should be doing. It has sort of provided me with a 'mission statement' for everything I do. The Bridge (youth worship night at Cobble Hill) has been going very well. We recently had a Christmas service, where we sang classics like "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel, which is probably my new favorite. The youth group there is really tight, and its good to be a part of that.
The other day we went to 'The Bungy Zone" and a bunch of us jumped off a bridge. I opted for the less terrifying option of climbing through a ropes course 80 feet up in some trees. I was on the course for a few hours swinging between spindly pines. It was good times. Afterward I got to watch my less inhibited friends plunging 150 feet into a river, and then bouncing back up as if they were on the end of a flyfishers rod.
The community here at Kaleo is growing all the time, partly due to all of our shared experiences, but moreso because of our intentional opening up to one another. We all do our best not to badmouth people behind their backs, but instead discuss issues with one another. And sometimes, like recently, when this doesnt happen, we respond to it by throwing it out there. This morning in a large group we discussed how we havent always been accepting of everyone here, which was becoming a heartbreaking problem. And now we can make a concerted effort to remedy the problem. I think we are all closer because of this 'mass honesty' and I hope to be 'massively honest' back at home too. I guess I have learned that we have to let people in on our pet peeves otherwise there wont be any healing - just bitterness.
Soon I will be home and able to tell you all about whats been going on!
Love you lots
In our field education class we are learning about the ministry of reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. These verses talk about how God has reconciled himself to us, and what that means we should be doing. It has sort of provided me with a 'mission statement' for everything I do. The Bridge (youth worship night at Cobble Hill) has been going very well. We recently had a Christmas service, where we sang classics like "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel, which is probably my new favorite. The youth group there is really tight, and its good to be a part of that.
The other day we went to 'The Bungy Zone" and a bunch of us jumped off a bridge. I opted for the less terrifying option of climbing through a ropes course 80 feet up in some trees. I was on the course for a few hours swinging between spindly pines. It was good times. Afterward I got to watch my less inhibited friends plunging 150 feet into a river, and then bouncing back up as if they were on the end of a flyfishers rod.
The community here at Kaleo is growing all the time, partly due to all of our shared experiences, but moreso because of our intentional opening up to one another. We all do our best not to badmouth people behind their backs, but instead discuss issues with one another. And sometimes, like recently, when this doesnt happen, we respond to it by throwing it out there. This morning in a large group we discussed how we havent always been accepting of everyone here, which was becoming a heartbreaking problem. And now we can make a concerted effort to remedy the problem. I think we are all closer because of this 'mass honesty' and I hope to be 'massively honest' back at home too. I guess I have learned that we have to let people in on our pet peeves otherwise there wont be any healing - just bitterness.
Soon I will be home and able to tell you all about whats been going on!
Love you lots
Monday, November 24, 2008
Kaleo Ministry
The 24/7 week of prayer just ended. For almost the entire week I remained silent (with the exception of conversing with and singing to God). The week went pretty well. There were a lot of situations when I wanted to talk but shouldn't, and didn't.
In the prayer room I normally drew pictures of my prayers or knelt by the window meditating on God. The walls were covered with prayers written on multi-colored sheets of paper and pictures of all the Kaleo students and staff. I occasionally walked around the room and prayed for all the students, one at a time, but the majority of my prayers were for the people in India we would meet and the students and leaders heading up the trip.
The students at Cobble Hill baptist lead a service last week. In the morning I stammered out my testimony at the pulpit. It wasn't the best telling, but some people told me it went well and they probably have a better perspective on it! In the evening we arranged the chairs in a circle and had a camp-fire style service that worked pretty well. The whole service seemed more inviting and relaxed than it usually does.
This week, Lech was back from Poland, so we had the pleasure of hearing from him in the morning service. In the evening service, the students and youth at the church lead an all-hymn service which was really cool. I sang! Someone tell my gramma, I was in a five-person choir.
Other than that, school work has been fine. I hand in a lot of assignments late- but it doesn't bother me too much. I am thinking that when we come back after Christmas we will all know eachother well enough that we don't have to stay until 2am chatting, and instead we can stay up until 2am getting work done. Maybe pray for that, it will probably take a miracle.
I miss all you guys back home!
Lots of love,
Shalom.
In the prayer room I normally drew pictures of my prayers or knelt by the window meditating on God. The walls were covered with prayers written on multi-colored sheets of paper and pictures of all the Kaleo students and staff. I occasionally walked around the room and prayed for all the students, one at a time, but the majority of my prayers were for the people in India we would meet and the students and leaders heading up the trip.
The students at Cobble Hill baptist lead a service last week. In the morning I stammered out my testimony at the pulpit. It wasn't the best telling, but some people told me it went well and they probably have a better perspective on it! In the evening we arranged the chairs in a circle and had a camp-fire style service that worked pretty well. The whole service seemed more inviting and relaxed than it usually does.
This week, Lech was back from Poland, so we had the pleasure of hearing from him in the morning service. In the evening service, the students and youth at the church lead an all-hymn service which was really cool. I sang! Someone tell my gramma, I was in a five-person choir.
Other than that, school work has been fine. I hand in a lot of assignments late- but it doesn't bother me too much. I am thinking that when we come back after Christmas we will all know eachother well enough that we don't have to stay until 2am chatting, and instead we can stay up until 2am getting work done. Maybe pray for that, it will probably take a miracle.
I miss all you guys back home!
Lots of love,
Shalom.
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