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Monday, February 23, 2009

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:07:59 GMT

I'm feeling a bit frustrated at the moment. I'm supposed to evaluate a DVD of myself that was filmed as I preached in one of my classes. Unfortunately both the computer and the DVD player on the TV won't read the DVD... it's a valid reason not to do homework, I suppose.

I'm also frustrated with Greek. Studying avails nothing; even when I can figure out the vocabulary, I still can't get the parsing to to smooth themselves out into coherent sentences. Arrgh!

Then Deborah and I went to the immigration office this afternoon-- only to discover that they close at 2 PM Monday through Friday... Maybe I should just go to bed. Sure, it's only 4 PM, but surely things would look better after some rest.

Oh yeah. I also tried to get on Facebook, but my site was down for maintenance when I tried to log in.

Well, that's it for now. Hope life is going better for you than me.

Your SC whiner,

Monday, February 16, 2009

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:09:00 GMT

Sundays can be truly fun.

We have a routine where we leave the house about 8 AM, stop for a quick McDonald's breakfast, pick up another seminary student at Bob Jones, and head to church. Today we thought we would have a pianist, too, but she was sick. We didn't get the message because yours truly left the phone in the bedroom instead of taking it with him... so we waited for someone who didn't show, though she tried to call us.

Before Sunday School, my bloodsugar was just under 100. I took a sugar tablet to keep from further drops, taught the lesson, and got ready for the sermon. By the end of Pastor's sermon, I'd dropped again. My wife worried about my newest bloodsugar, so I took more tablets and the other student drove us back to BJ.

At my request we got a few items from a local fast food joint.

At the school, I took the wheel, and Deborah and I went out for lunch. BBQ sounded good, and it was.

We took a walk at a the park in Greer, and came home. Rested. Then I walked the dog, so both dog and I had two walks today. Yippee.

Did some studies for Tuesday's classes. (I studied my Greek at the BBQ joint).

Well, all for now.

Path to Paternity (Jonathan's Journal)

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:20:26 GMT

As the title indicates, Deborah and I had another milestone today on our journey to the birth of our baby.

We had an appointment at the doctor. After going through our medical histories and the usual discussions, the RN assistant brought out the device to listen to the baby's heart-beat. It has a good speaker. The heart-beat filled the room. Deborah broke into a grin, and I probably didn't look all that miserable myself.

The doctor said Deborah's stomach looked about right for her stage of pregnancy. She reassured Deborah that the baby won't start kicking for a while.

In three weeks we'll go in for an ultrasound. At that point, we should be able to determine whether we're looking forward to a boy or girl. As it is, Deborah's well into her second trimester, and it's full speed ahead.

I've been sharing two prayer requests at church: 1) that we would have a healthy baby and 2) that our child would accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior at an early age. It is our responsibility as Christian parents to train our child up in the way he should go, so when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Like the Philippian jailor, we would like to have our entire family know our blessed Savior as their Redeemer: ³⁰Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, youand your household." ³²And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.-- Acts 16:30-32, ESV, www.biblegateway.com

We know the Lord chooses whomever He wills. His elect He has called from the foundation of the world, Ephesians says. God chose Jeremiah, for example, before he was born: ⁴Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born I consecrated you;I appointed you a prophetto the nations." -- Jeremiah 1:4-5 ESV (from www.biblegateway.com)

Well, that's it for now.

God bless.

Jonathan's Journal

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:21:44 GMT

It's been a while since I've written so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

* Deborah has been a little sick. She missed school last Monday and Tuesday after missing school the Friday before as well. Praise the Lord she's filling better. The folks at Welcome Baptist Church were great about praying for her, and others promised to pray as well. The Lord really does answer His people's prayers.

* We had a nice night out Thursday. One of Deborah's friends from Agape and her husband in the seminary invited us to their house for dinner. Later, another couple we met at Ryans joined us. We shared photos, stories, and had a good time. They sent us home with kimchi and chop chae.

* Korean class continues on Saturday. David (half of the 'other couple' above) seems pretty serious about Korean studies.

* We had a new pianist at Welcome Baptist Church this week.

* Deborah and I tried Dickey's Barbecue Pit for lunch today. Deborah had the ribs; I had a sandwich. The food was good. We brought home some of the bones for Pumpkin.

Is the Check in the Mail?

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:53:02 GMT

The boss of the Post Office (Potter) is asking Congress for permission to deliver 5 days a week instead of 6.

I find it interesting that "the Cardinal", as the Washington Post calls him,of the Post Office committee refuses to consider cutting the service. Serrano the New York congressman argues that a possible three-day delay for Monday holidays (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) would be onerous, so he rejected the idea of out hand.

Think about it. Email is far quicker, more reliable (more rarely lost, though sometimes not portable across services), and cheaper. Email can be sent from home, office, or the library. There is a reason e-cards are popular. It's even possible to pay some bills electronically. What's the point of mail? It's great advantage is bulk. If you want to see goods to a friend, you put it in a box and send it on its way. Quite frankly, if I'm mailing a check for a bill, I wouldn't mind it taking a few extra days.

So to whom would an extra two days (at most) cause problems? If you receive checks in the mail from governmental programs, there might be an issue. Your tax rebate, social security check, or the like may come the slow way.

I believe the gain of saving money is worth the cost in lost service. Many businesses the post office delivers to are closed on the weekends anyways. Most of us would be happier knowing we won't be getting any bills over the weekend. The fact that the post office is struggling means that tough choices should be made. When businesses find their products aren't profitable enough, they cut costs. Yesterday on the tv news, I saw a report about how companies are decreasing the amount of product in their packages-- less peanut butter in a container, less cereal in the boxes, etc. Surely the Post Office should use similar sound business practices.

Just some random meditations that will likely have absolutely no impact. But I got it off my chest.

God bless.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:36:54 GMT

The Lord God in heaven above

Looks down on His children in love

Feels compassion when we're afraid

Strengthens us for our trials today

The Lord God Omnipotent reigns

Decrees Divine shall never fail

His chosen ones He shepherds still

Till in heaven His mercy hail

The Lord our God so strong sustains

His Children with everlasting love

His promise to ne'er leave remains

His mercies He daily renews

To the Lord our God praises raise

Eternal hallelujahs sing

To Father for sending His Son

To Son for we sinners' sin slain

To Spirit the Comforter within

Jonathan's Journal: Path to Paternity

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:33:49 GMT

I don't know if this will be a series or not.

This week Deborah and I went in to the doctor so she could have a check up. We confirmed she is about 3 months along in her pregnancy. We heard about tests and other things we need to do as we get ready for our child.

Memah also sent us a box of things for our baby. I wish you could have seen Deborah as she held up baby clothes, laughing in delight as she looked at the animal patterns, bright colors... it was touching. Memah also sent us some crib blankets. They were so small, I didn't know what they were at first! I thought maybe they were those burp blankets you put on your shoulder when you're trying to get the baby to urp.

I guess you could say I've still got a lot to learn.

I recently read a book examining the Jewish take on child rearing. I thought the comparison of raising a child to being an architect or planting was interesting. The distinction the author made was erecting a building is quick-- he compared that to changes in behavior as the result of rules. Planting on the other hand focuses on character development. It doesn't have immediate results.

Some of the tangents the book covered included how the Mom should not have caffeine during pregnancy, the hazards of foods because of chemicals, the need for discipline (though he discounted the corporal punishment advocated in Proverbs), etc. Interesting book.

Deborah has a Korean pregnancy book that she consults. She also has an English week-by-week pregnancy book that she occasionally asks me to consult and explain to her.

At this point our prayer is that our baby will be born healthy and that our child will accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior early on. I know parenting has a learning curve. By God's grace we want to be the best parents we can be.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:05:13 GMT

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Today in Homiletics we shared our testimonies with the other students. Time was limited; we had only 6 minutes to discuss how we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and how we were called to the ministry.

It was good to get to know some of the other guys a little better.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:12:50 GMT

Yesterday, in the first Church History class of the semester, Dr. Cook made a comment that struck me. He discussed how after September 11, 2001 folks flocked to church, prayers were offered, people wanted a connection to the Almighty. He then contrasted that with deliverances where disasters were avoided. Plots to hi-jack planes have been foiled, a plane had trouble in Detroit, lives were not lost. After seeing God's hand of preservation where were the prayers of gratitude?

It is in Christ we live and move and have our very being. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed every day as the wages of our sins come due. Without a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ we are doomed to spend eternity without Him suffering unbearable agony. For eternal ages we will mourn the rejection of God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.

If we know Christ as our Savior, how deeply we are indebted to Him! Not only has He saved our souls from hell, but His Holy Spirit has come to indwell us. We have something the Chinese emperors claimed-- A Mandate from Heaven. Our mandate is not rule the "Central Kingdom," but to claim souls for the eternal kingdom-- God's kingdom. The last thing the Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples before He ascended into heaven was to go into all the world preaching the good news of salvation. They were to begin in Jerusalem and Judea, and move into neighboring Samaria and on into all the world. If only God's people took His mandate seriously! If only we really recognized that people are dying and going to hell today!

How can we keep silent in the midst of this tragedy? God told Ezekiel that he was a watchman, meant to give warning of God's judgement. If he would not give warning, his people's blood would be on his hands. How much blood is on the hands of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today? When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, what a dreadful day it will be for so many of us! May God have mercy upon us and the people we should be reaching for His Son, Jesus Christ!

We are indebted to Christ. We are commanded to witness. We owe to Christ more than words of witness-- we owe to Him a sacrifice of praise. He has redeemed our souls. His Holy Spirit works in our hearts to convict of sin and guide us into all righteousness. Once the law was our school-master, but now we have the word of God engraved on our hearts as we meditate on Scripture and the Holy Spirit applies it to our lives. We owe the Lord thanks for our salvation, for our sanctification, for our daily bread (both spiritual and physical), and for the trials which perfect us.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your precious blood shed on the cross for me, my loved ones, and the sin of the whole world. Thank You Lord, that Your grace is sufficient. You are Mighty to save! Your blood atones for my wickedness. Your righteousness is applied to me, and to all who come to You in saving faith with repentance for their transgressions. O Lord, add to Your kingdom! Call souls to Yourself. Woo with Your Spirit, compell with Your saints! Lord Jesus Christ, our eyes see fields white unto harvest, but the laborers, as always, are few. Gracious Heavenly Father, compell Your people into the fields.

Thank You, Jesus, for Your work amidst Your people. Not only do You make us whiter than snow by Your blood, You make us like You. Giving Your character to Your children is beyond my comprehension-- how You can make someone like me someone like You-- this is a work of God alone! Lord, help me to grow in grace and knowledge of You, abounding in love for You and Your people.

Thank You, my Savior, for the trials You bring into my life. The disciple is not above his Master; You were despised and rejected of men, as Your people are. To take up our cross and follow You often means the loss of men's esteem, selling all we have to follow You, counting the treasure of this world as dung. It's hard, Lord, but You are the Pearl of Great Price. You are Heavenly Treasure, of worth beyond measure. Worthy art Thou, O Lord, to receive power, majesty, praise, adoration, and glory! Worthy, worthy, worthy art Thou, O thrice Holy God!

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your intervention in the lives of men. Thank You for protection from hi-jackers, for two planes that have gone done recently with no loss of life. Thank You, Lord God, for the humbling of the mighty men. You know, Father, when a single sparrow loses its life. We are of more worth than many sparrows, Jesus said. One bird died in a plane. The plane went down, but the people were spared. How great is Your mercy, O most Holy One!

Father, fill our lives with praise to You. Help us adore Thy Son with bridal ardour. Keep us from grieving Thy dear Spirit. O Lord God, look upon our lives, and be pleased. To hear Thy "well done" is all.

Amen.

What's the best decision you've ever made?

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:00:02 GMT

Think of the number of decisions you make each day. You start by deciding (eventually, after hitting the snooze button a few times, if you're like me) to get up. Do you have Breakfast? What? Decisions, decisions. Is today a day for a shower? Or will you make a mental promise to do that tomorrow. In former times, folks would take a weekly bath. I'm told Europeans conserve water using various methods.

The decisions continue through-out the day. What route is best going to work? What are the priorities at work? Does the Golden Rule apply to co-workers? How about the people you supervise? Does the Geneva Convention apply to people who work for you?

And so forth. We could consider further eating choices (lunch, snacks, supper, "4th meal" as Taco Bell calls it, etc), various actions we take during and after work, our family interactions, and so much more.

Each of us makes a multitude of decisions daily.

But some decisions are more important than others. Deciding where to go to college, what to study, where to work (what country, region, state, city), who to work for (a company, non-profit, education, etc.), who to date and marry, now we're getting down to business.

I think we can eliminate the choice of education and jobs as the most important, however. While a prestigious college or university might help our future prospects and might introduce us to folks who can help our future careers, graduation is not the promise of success. Often the classes we take and associations we make in university and high school mold us and form our character, but we continue to grow and develop even after the years of formal instruction are finished.

Jobs can be eliminated because, as everyone in this economy knows, they often eliminate us. No one is indispensible. If we get our self-worth or value from our jobs, we're setting ourselves up for a fall. Recently a German billionare committed suicide when his companies began to tank. His self-respect was derived from the success of his work. When his business reputation was ruined, so was he.

Marriage is a decision that cannot be minimized. Deciding with whom to spend the remainder of your life will have ongoing ramifications for you, your family (parents, siblings), your children! When two souls unite into one in the marriage ceremony and the life that follows, that is a precious, holy thing. God compares His own dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Bridegroom of the Church whom the Epistle to the Ephesians and Revelations style "the Bride of Christ." This is a relationship of trust, love, faithfulness, and mutual service. The lady God gave me for a wife is one of my greatest treasures. With the author of Proverbs, I can state with assurance, he who gets a wife gets a good thing!

But there is one single decision that is even more important than even the choice of my wife, as much as I love and value her. The greatest decision I ever made was to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, God, my Redeemer. When I was a small boy, a family friend took care of me while Mom worked. This lady and her daughters had been led to Jesus by Mom, a Pastor's wife. Dad led her husband to Christ, too.

One day this lady, Mrs. Harding, took me upstairs to her kitchen there in Knoxville, TN. She explained, drawing pictures with her hands, that there is a great gap between God and men. This huge division is caused by something terrible, called sin. Each one of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are made by God, so we should obey Him, just as we obey our parents. To disobey God is to sin. Sin breaks the relationship between God and people.

God loves people. He made them and gave them His image. He loved me so much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for every one of my sins! If He loved me enough to sacrifice His precious Son, He is willing to make me a part of His family.

By dying on the cross, Jesus built a road across that gap between us and God. Mrs. Harding put the top of the cross on one side of the "hole" and made a bridge with a sweeping motion of her hand across the gap. Now you can become a son of God by trusting that Jesus died for you. After three days, God rose Jesus from the grave, and He is alive right now. To become a part of the family of God, you just talk to Jesus. Thank Him for dying for you. Ask Him to forgive all your sins, to come into your heart and save you.

That day, even before I entered Kindergarten, I entered the family of God. I know that I am a child of God; that God my Father will never leave me or forsake me. He will be with me as long as I live, and even beyond that. Many times in the years since then I have disobeyed God. I have done more things against God and others than I would ever tell you about. Of course, the most miserable person in the world is a Christian who is not right with his Lord. In my sins I can remember being so depressed that I didn't want to get up in the morning.

Yet God had mercy upon me. He was faithful to me when I was unfaithful to Him. In February of 2008, the Lord finally got my attention. I repented of my time apart from Christ and asked Him to use me again for His kingdom. I believe that in His infinite mercy, God has begun to use me in some small way again now that I desire to please Him.

Christian, if you're miserable and sinning, repent. Turn once again to Jesus for forgiveness. God is mighty to save not only the sinner, but the backslidder. If My people, which are called by My name will humble themselves and turn unto Me... then will I restore the Lord promises. May God's Holy Spirit draw you back to Himself with the sweetness of His love that you might regain the joy and peace you once knew in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sinner, friend who does not know Jesus Christ as God and Savior, you too can come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You're not perfect. No one is. But God loves you in all your imperfections. He remembers that He has given you a soul, as marred by sin and wickedness as it might be. Just as Jesus died for me so many years ago, He died for you. John 3:16 says For God so loved the world [including you!] that He gave His only begotten Son [the Lord Jesus Christ] that whosover [me, you, anyone!] believeth on Him [trusting in Jesus is key!] might not perish [trusting Jesus and turning from your sins means not only do you become a part of God's family, but as a child of God you will one day spend eternity, forever in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through Him. Jesus is the only way to heaven, but He's the blessed way!] but have everlasting life.

My friend, if you know you need the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, today can be the day of your salvation. It begins by recognizing your need. Admit you're a sinner, someone who has disobeyed the law of God. Continue by believing. Read in the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) about Jesus, the lover of sinners. As you finish reading one of those Gospels, you will read about how the Lord Jesus died. It was a horrible death on the cross. That death was for you. Continue reading, and you'll find Jesus rose from the grave.

After reading the gospel, if you truly believe Jesus died for your sins and you are willing to leave those sins and come to God, talk to God. God is everywhere. You can speak to Him out loud, or silently in your thoughts. Believing that Jesus died for you and rose in power to live, you can speak to God and ask Him to forgive your sins and make you a child of God. Whoever comes to Jesus will by no means be cast out. Admit your sins. Ask for forgiveness. Christ will make you His own.

Please let me know if this has been a help to you.

God bless,

Jonathan

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