the fruits of labor.....


this past weekend made me feel as though I'd taken a plunge back into summer. the dread of returning to campus was a little less than the week before.
pastor gideon's dad was the speaker of the retreat I went to and surprisingly they have a very similar preaching style. I really enjoyed his message on sunday. The topic was: world view. He spoke of how many chinese christians have already expired. expiration in the sense of complacency. when things expire, like milk, they make other people sick. the expired christians can often be a source of discouragement. his sermon was one that pleaded urgency for people to reap the harvest of those thirsty for the Lord. however, he also said that sometimes the first mission trip you need to go on is with your family. if the relationship with family members is lacking, how can one be good stewards of God's message? It's a message of love, and that needs to start at home. Throughout the sermon he emphasized John 3:16 "For God so loved the world...." if you think about that, what does it really mean? of course a big part of it is how God showed his love but besides the fact that his love is unconditional and sacrificial, how is it different than all the other love we know?

sometimes the hardest thing to wonder if why a loving God lets people suffer. But I think we question that because we only look at one chapter in the bigger story, one piece of the puzzle. Faith would be in vain if we understood everything about God. we are merely man and not having the answer to the myriad of questions that cross our minds can be quite frustrating. Thank God he gives us some assurance of those unsolved mysteries in life. so once again...

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
-jeremiah 29:11