Chicago Photoshoot - May 27, 2007 -
Here’s a view of what I see during the week while I work in the city. I must say, the view is great, I haven’t had a bad day walking through. Everyday I wish I had a camera to take great pictures with…but for now, I’m stuck with a P&S and my post-processing skills. Enjoy…
Indecent Exposure (?) - May 17, 2007 -
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070516/43/6fufq.html
18 years old. That is normally a senior in high school/freshman in college. Now think back - what did your eyes see, your ears hear, and your lives encounter up through that point? I continue to be worried about how as each day passes, the younger generation gets exposed to so much filth at such a young age. And my desire is that the Word of Truth will be able to shine so much stronger in that generation than we’ve ever seen before.
It’s almost laughable that there would be an attempt to restrict reading of the Word because of such claims. But it’s more disturbing than humorous. I’m not denying that the Bible doesn’t contain stories of rape and of murder. But the main idea is the redemption of those areas. The Bible takes situations in our lives that each person encouters, the good and the bad, and then explains how it all is to be redeemed for Christ, and how we are all falling under God’s will and authority.
What kind of generation do we live in where shut the doors of knowledge and life? The one way to pull people out of these areas of darkness, people are trying to remove it. We need to pray for our world. Pray for Hong Kong. Pray for His Kingdom.
::redemptive situation:> Hopefully everyone who reads this article will go and grab a bible to read all these stories. Yet another way that God is redeeming attacks against truth.
natemathai |
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Pastors and Missionaries - May 10, 2007 -
You hear it all the time. You don’t need to be a pastor or a missionary to serve God. Your workplace is your missionfield. But how much do we really live like that?
When people go on mission trips, they are so excited. They live in uncomfortable situations, eat food they don’t necessarily like, walk long distances in the hot sun, interact with people who are just different from them. They sleep with less than a pillow and a blanket, and don’t have electricity for hours on end. But what is their reaction? They LOVE it! They are so excited to face trial and persecution and discomfort “while doing God’s work.”
And then they return from their short-term mission trip. There is no more excitement going into a world where people need Jesus so badly. There is no urgency. They look forward to the next mission trip, while the lost around them continue to walk blindly.
If our desire is so that everyone will know of the grace of God and the power of His saving blood, then we need to go into the places where the people don’t know this. These are the 3rd world countries overseas, the ghettos and inner cities, the educational system, corporate offices, coffee shops, and every place else. We need to enter these places with excitement, with the same willingness to face discomfort, trials, and persecution.
Professionals have access to a much different audience then full time pastors and missionaries. This generation will not put themselves in a church to hear a message, or read a tract that is handed out. But they are willing to engage in spiritual discussions among co-workers at a restaurant or on a break. If we remove ourselves from those situations, or even remove our desire and kingdom perspective in those situations, we are losing out on an entire demographic in need.
We need to stop looking at the mission trip to come, and experience the mission field we’re in.
natemathai |
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Reviving… - May 1, 2007 -
Well it’s been about 5 months since I last posted…my apologies. I had been doing a semi-decent job with posts, but the transitions of life kept me busy enough to hold off on this. Although the transition continues, I’m trying to get this aspect of my life going again…started with a short breath, attempting to get it revived. We’ll start the revival process with an update of what’s been going on since then:
- Graduated from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) with a BS in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science
- Moved back into my parents house, and swapped my old room with the “guest” room
- Took on the position of Vice President of the youth fellowship at my home church
- Men’s Small Group ministry (MSG) split to form two groups, Northside and Southside
- Traveled for 2 weeks to India to visit family, forced to stay an extra week because passports were stolen
- Chicago Bulls swept the Miami Heat to defeat the defending champions in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
- Hired full-time by Select Hotels Group (an affiliate of Global Hyatt) as a Financial Planning Analyst
- Switched from Northside small group to Southside small group
And that is where we stand today…
Well, instead of just giving a bunch of information, here’s something to reflect on:
“There is something more powerful than sin, and that is grace.”
One thing many lack is a realistic view sin. Especial with those who were raised in the church, we’ve been preached at time and time again the story of God’s agape love and unending forgiveness. We live in such an evil world that we learn to be content with “small sins” while we judge those who do “worse”. We need to recognize that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever - the jealous, powerful God of the OT is the same forgiving, sacrificial God of the NT…and that is the same God we serve today. And we need to recognize every aspect, especially His hatred for sin.
But once we are able to do that, THEN we can see the power of grace to its fullest. Regardless of sin, grace is stronger. Whatever you’ve done, God is bigger. There is no sin God can’t forgive…plain and simple. No matter what sin was committed, there was more than enough blood shed on the cross to cover it. And that’s what we can never forget. We need to stop undermining the power of the grace of God by only feeling its work on the simpler things. Sin is powerful, but grace is stronger. Be God’s.
natemathai |
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