The Circle & The Parable of the Sower

How to spend an evening: let’s watch a movie. But there’s nothing interesting on tv. What shall we do? Let’s look at the movies we own. How about The Circle. You haven’t seen it mom? Well it’s sort of weird and scary. Fine, will watch it.
While I was waiting for my mom to get ready for the movie, I went to the/my room and one of the first thing I saw on my bed was a book entitled “The Rest of God” by Mark Buchanan. I felt so strange. We were about to watch this weird, scary to a certain level, a movie a bit, well there’s no language or sex or stuff like that, but watching it won’t give you good feelings, it’s not going to lift you up.
When I was waiting for my mom I was obviously thinking about the movie we were about to watch and try to remember what it was and it just seemed to be a bit dark. When I looked at the book, my mind shifted to something so peaceful. I remembered the time I had spent earlier that day reading the book by the lake, feeling the fresh wind over my face, hearing the sound of the endless waves, it was just so good, so peaceful, so restful. I struck me how quickly my mind could be lifted up simply by seeing something. The contrast was just huge.
Then I thought I shouldn’t watch it. But I did.
I remember a time in my life (maybe 3-4 years ago) claiming that God hadn’t created us so we would scare ourselves “on purpose” or have feelings that aren’t true. Movies produces in us feelings that… I don’t know. When these feelings are negative, then I thought it was obvious we shouldn’t be desiring them.
But it seems as if my views have changed. Or maybe I have forgotten.
I’m not trying to set the line here between the kinds of movies we should watch and those we shouldn’t watch. I’m just wondering what’s the worth. Especially when the simple sight of a good book lifts me, cheers me up.
There’s good and there’s best eh?

The parable of the Sower

« A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell…” (Mark 4:3-4)

I read that passage this morning. Now I wonder: The farmer sows the seed, the farmer scatters the seed. He does it. The seed doesn’t say a thing, the seed doesn’t choose to move from one soil to the other. The seed fall to the ground and that’s it. Looking at this parable this way makes me think as if God (the farmer) is to blame if the seed aren’t all in the good soil. And as if the seed have no choice in becoming a great big plant bearing fruit or to be scorched by the sun. Doesn’t it sound strange? Well, I don’t know but maybe this is not the point of the parable at all. Maybe I was never supposed to look at it this way. Who knows.

Bank for Native Missionaries: 18$ as of July 28 2006

Mamon

So yesterday I spent pretty much my day going from one place to another around Montréal. I got my license renewed (I was supposed to do that about 5 months ago…)! So I can drive now, beware though, it’s been more than 7 months since I drove a car. Anyways, I was a bit sick in the afternoon: Doggy here broke a big flower vase that stood in a stand and now my mom and I (unfortunately) were shopping for a new one. It was just sick because for them, spending 200$ on a decorative vase is like buying a hamburger at Mc Donald’s.
To me it’s just sick to think that people get discouraged because they have to choose between these 35 different 200$-flower-pots while so many children can’t even sleep because they worry about the food they’ll eat in the morning, knowing that it won’t be there. To me that doesn’t make sense at all, it makes me sick, so sick.

What do we do with our money? I am not rich and probably most people reading this blog aren’t rich and would even think they’d need a little help here and there to pay for studies and rent and so on. We usually don’t purchase expensive stuff just for fun or because we feel like it. But still, I am challenged with the way I spend my money. Because there are ways to help those who go hungry, or without clothes, or without means to bring the Gospel to people around them, there are ways. But I guess I care about myself first and I think I need this cd, this book, this shirt, before I think of those around me who’d need my help much more. Isn’t it the way Jesus lived and taught us to live? To put our own self aside and care for others. And caring for others isn’t only about “encouraging” or “being there for them” or etc. it’s about giving of our resources, our time, our belongings, our money to help those in need and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” – Luke 9:23

''... and Egypt's scepter will pass away.'' - Zechariah 10:11b

I just got back from camp. Thanks to all of you who prayed for my time at camp, I've ahd a great time and I was able to stay three weeks instead of one, I thank God for this open door.

The other morning I read in Zechariah, I haven't been noticing much since a while in my readings, so I was encouraged to read verse 11b. When life's tough, when we're suffering in our bodies or because of Christ, when this world is unjustm it's good to be reminded that ''Egypt's scepter will pass away''.
Sin's strong grip on us shall leave us. Our ''enemies'' shall be captured for good. Disease and pain and sorrow shall go away. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, even when we can't see it yet.
I see it this way: God is full control of this universe, under Him are angels, Satan and demons, working for or against God and then, there's us -human beings. Bad stuff can happen and life can be harsh at times, this world is unfair and the way governments work in different countries and etc. isn't ''lovely'' at all all the time, and we might feel like our lives are horrible and nothing works properly, maybe we're longing for justice and peace, for healing and health, for love and understanding, but these things aren't always part of our lives, or the lives of our brothers and sisters around this world. But we must take courage. Because God, who is supreme and and thw Head of all, always has the last word. And He says to His people that Egypt's scepter will pass away.
You know the book of Revelation and the many promises in the Word about God's people, they shall be fulfilled, at one point in history. Maybe not right now, but our hope cannot fade away only because we can't see with our eyes today the fulfillment of God's promises in our lives. I'd say that it's rather selfish from us to think that way. Let us love and hope. These two are free anyways.

By the way, I know I haven't writen much about the Bank for Native Missionaries, but it's still going on. We're at 18$ right now. Giving money to our brothers and sisters overseas who are struggling to feed themselves and their families and to bring the Gospel to people who never heard the Name of Jesus Christ is obviously part of God's will for us who live in such a great abundance! Please think of ways to save a few bucks here and there and give them right to Gospel for Asia, or myself for this bank or to any Christian organization that's truly bringing the Gospel to unreached people.
By the way, I'm no longer living in Saskatchewan, so forget about my Sask. address. You can send your buck or two to:

Love

I am sitting on my bed, in a rather warm, humid cabin at camp. I am not doing anything with camp this week, I’m giving a hand in the Bible School office for little things that need to be done, but I’m still living in a cabin with a few camp staff. Today was a really hot day and went I say hot, I mean cookin’ hot. It’s not just about the heat, it’s a lot about humidity, so let’s say, it was about 40 degree Celsius today. It was a blessing for me to be working in the basement because it was almost cool down there. People leaving the building would tell me that they were entering a furnace. Anyways, it’s hot here and I’m not feeling so well, I’m coughing from my cold and I’ve got a headache because of it and I’m sweating, I feel like sleeping but who wants to sleep in a humid cabin? I shall wait a bit. On top of all these little things that make me feel a bit sick and tired, I’m an a thinking mood. And I don’t like to be wanting to think when I don’t feel well enough to think because it’s hard on myself. Anyways I probably don’t make much sense to the reader.

I’ve been thinking a bit about something rather tough. Why is it that we, as Christians in North America, look so much like the rest of the world around us, act pretty much the same way and love the same stuff? We are all sinners it’s true, but why isn’t there a bigger gap in between those who follow Christ and those who don’t? I’m not saying we should live secluded from the world, but I’m saying that we should be different from the unbelievers, shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t we be appalled at sin, shouldn’t we be caring for the hurting, the hungry and our brothers and sisters around us and the world before our own selves? That means the way we use money should change, radically, for some of us.

How are we going to be recognized as followers of Jesus (not because we want to be cool because we are), it is by the love we have for one another.

Fun fun fun

Camps aren’t perfect and sometimes things don’t work as they are meant to work and need fixing. In one of the girls’ cabins, hot water isn’t working, so after three days of either cold shower or no shower at all, counsellors asked if they could send their girls have a quick shower in our (2 staff and I) cabin. There was just no way we couldn’t say no, especially when the counsellors are telling us about the Doritos smell in the morning. Anyways, I won’t go there. So we had 3 girls coming last night when the second girl came in, she shut the door of the cabin behind her and started to sing a song that we sing before meal times. It’s on the “We will rock you” melody. It goes like this (but in French):

Eternal Father, Lord and King
You give us all we need
You put food in our plates
That fills our belly
Thank you for the food that taste good
Thank you Jesus, Thank you
Thank you Jesus, Thank you

She kept singing that until she was done and opened the door of the bathroom to leave. She even clapped her hands at some points. I didn’t know the song but heart before, but since last night, it’s an easy one for me.
I just thought that it was just… sweet that a little girl was simply singing these words in her shower because I could remember myself thinking about next week already in my shower that morning. Using every single bit of time I could to plan ahead and think how things could work and the like. I don’t know, I guess there is a time for everything under the sun, a time to think and a time to sing but… I wish I could just “fly away” from my days and sing in the shower, carefree.

I like the ministry our cabin has (…) every day we get counsellors asking us if they can use one of the beds in our cabin to sleep away their “only” free hour during their day. It’s really neat to be able to use our “quiet” cabin for their good. It’s a safe place to sleep and to cry.

Anyways I should get going now.

I'm just a Child

Last Saturday I was off for the afternoon and a few staff and I went to some staff’s place to relax. I sat down in a chair and grabbed a book from a little table, I don’t even remember the title of it, something about lament / sorrow. Anyways I was so tired that I started to read it out loud for the girls around and then as they fell asleep, I went on in my head. I then kept reading and falling asleep and reading some more and falling asleep. I knew I was not going to get very far in the book, but still, I think it started something good in me. I can’t really describe what it did to me and I don’t even really remember why, but it seems as if these days, since I started reading that book, that I realize a bit more that I am just a child in need of my Father God. I realize that I am very little and that I am foolish and immature, that I need to go to Jesus all the time, that I need His wisdom, that it’s ok to run to Him, to cry out to Him, to be dependent on Him for everything. There is no such thing as “spirituality” or “maturity” that really means anything… as long as we always realize our deep need of a Father who takes care of us, to whom we should run to. Yes the Bible talks about being mature and “whole” but I am wondering if this “maturity” is actually, partially, a knowledge and a confession of our own inability, of our deep need for a Father, a Creator who’d walk by us every hour, because that’s the sort of relationship He has created us for. So I understand more and more that I do not know God much, that what I know isn’t a reason to boast or a righteousness of any kind. He calls me to simply rely on Him for everything. And not simply the bigger stuff… it’s maybe more something like an attitude of the heart, to acknowledge that I am just a child, even though I think I know much, or do more than other “Christians”. It sort of a good feeling too. To know that God wants to take care of me and that I am allowed to come to Him at any moment and cry out to Him with a child’s tears.

Tired

So life's been a tiny bit busy this last week and it's looking the same for this coming week! Amen! As the reader knows I've been serving as camp director here at Word of Life in Québec this last week. Everything went fine, it was not the best camp ever but I praise God for the good week and good weather and especially for the staff. Things went fine and campers were hard-core at some points and dealing with some of them was sometimes discouraging, tiring, frustrating, funny and dumb. You know it's really funny how some kids get frustrated with nothing important but they then become a pain to deal with and we are now frustrated and ready to leave camp running, only because some kids don't want to go to bed or because they can't sleep outside that night because they were not obedient. Anyways this all seem to be a lot childish but we as "adults" aren't in their world anymore so it's frustrating. But God calls us to love them and help them. Thank you all for your prayers. I am sorry this entry is sort of just about me, but I do have some better things to write about... I'm just really tired right now. Please keep praying for me, I'll be here this coming week too.

Prayer Requests

So I found myself very blessed. They hooked my laptop to their computer system here at camp. So I can print out my stuff and even go on the internet. But I won't be using this laptop so much in the coming week. It'll be fairly busy.

Could you please take a moment to pray for me right now.

I had a month to put everything together for this one-week camp here in Québec and now it's starting tomorrow. It'll be interesting and stretching for me in different ways. Especially because I was never a camp director before and I'm not always sure of how to do things and delegate the work.

Please pray for God to provide me with the leadership and wisdom I need.
Dealing with schedules, staff, kids...

Thank you.

Could you also pray that I would get my 2 suitcases (that are right now "lost" somewhere in Montreal I think) we had some problem with flights and stuff when I came back on Thursday and I don't have my 2 luggage since. Everything or almost all I own is in them. So I find myself with just one set of clothes and a few t-shirts from my mom. That's no fun especially that I am at camp and it's raining and hot and then sunny... anyways, thank you.