Tim and Olive's Blog

ME? MOVE A MOUNTAIN?

Just the time I think that I’m at peace with a world that’s mine,
I feel at ease, I feel at home and I know I’m not alone,
Then in my rest, there comes a test that shakes me till again I know
That what I’ve learned is not enough and again I’ve got to grow.

Lord, I want to know you more,
Deep within my heart I want to know you,
Lord I want to know you,
And I would give my final breath
To know you in your death and resurrection
Lord I want to know you more.

in this past week, i’ve had a bike stolen, a purse stolen and fought a fever for a day.  on the flip side, i’ve also gotten to see five students accept Christ into their lives.  small price, i’d say.  more than anything, i’ve been learning about the power of faith and more importantly, prayer that’s backed by faith.  getting my purse stolen has definitely shaken up my world more than i ever expected.  my faith has been stretched as i have had to tell myself that all the “stuff” in this life is just that.  stuff.  one day, it’ll all be burnt up and gone in a flash.  i’ve had to remind myself of the goodness of God – His sovereignty that does not even allow a particle of dust to fall without His knowledge.  to believe that in my moments of pain and disillusionment with the world, He still desires to use me – that His power to bring life is greater than my clouds of doubt.  and holding onto the Word, i’ve had to press on and continue the work He’s called me to do.

surprisingly though, i’ve found that faith is not something i can muster up.  it’s only in a place of surrender and desperate need of God to show up that i’ve been carried through.  only when i’m looking back, do i realize faith was given to me.  i’ve found that it’s my prayers of total reliance that are answered. 

three years ago, i heard someone pray, “Lord, grant us greater faith and greater vision.”  it was then that i began to ask for more faith.  and looking back, i see with delight how God is answering it day by day.  i can’t say i have faith to move a mountain, but i’m starting to see that i can bank myself on the One who is able to move it.

APPRENTICE OF REST

i was reading through Matthew 11 the other day,

the part about Jesus giving rest for the weary and i came across an

interesting idea. in the NIV, it says

Come to me, all you

who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find

rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is

light.

but in the New Living translation, it says,

Then Jesus said,

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will

give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble

and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits

perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”

there’s a

slight difference between learn from me and let me teach you.

the first requires pro-active effort on my part – i need to try and do what

the Master is doing. the second is not so much passive as it is more of an

emphasis on watching first and simply copying the Master. it’s like Jesus is

inviting us to be His apprentices and the job we’re apprenticing is rest.

that, to me is a pretty cool idea. that i can follow Jesus around each day

and let Him be my teacher in Rest 101. what exactly does that look like in

life? i’m not too sure. but i hope that as i ask Him to be my teacher,

i’ll discover what it means. :)

ENGRISH

one of the interesting experiences i have had thus far in my journeys has been riding the overnight train to a neighbouring city.  three-tiered bunk beds just wide enough for one person line the cabin and if you’re fortunate enough to get a top bunk (as i was), you get to sleep all night half-afraid of rolling off and half-afraid of hitting your head on the ceiling.  makes for great jet-lag aggravation.  ;p  additionally, you must sleep before the lights turn out at 9 and even more importantly, you should take care of any business before the night comes.  otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for a rather smelly, bumpy experience.  there is not toilet to speak of.  just a cubicle with a hole in the floor through which you can see the ground rushing past (and feel the wind too!).  anyway, right outside of this “toilet,” there is a garbage can.  a sign with an arrow pointing down is posted just above it.  “RUBBISH SPOT,” it denotes.  what a great description of the garbage can.  what a great description of our hearts.

so many spots in our lives are full of rubbish.  and it’s only by grace that our rubbish spots are ever emptied and cleaned!

SETTING SAIL

SAY WHAT?!

for the past 23 years, i’ve attended many surprise parties for other people. and each time, i’ve wondered whether i’d ever get my turn. well, last night, i got it good. and the funniest thing was that it wasn’t a birthday party, or even a going away party. it was my church commissioning service! yah. a surprise commissioning service. :)

my good friend conned me into going to church by booking me for coffee and then saying she had to photocopy something at church. so i happily went along. hah. little did i know what was waiting for me! anyway, it was a very touching evening and i feel more undeserving of the love of God and of all my friends as ever. to understand the story fully though, i must backtrack a bit. ‘cuz i realize it might seem odd to have to have a mid-week surprise commissioning service.

my commissioning service was originally scheduled for this past sunday. however, on saturday, the church sewage pipes burst (eew) and the decision was made to cancel church the next day. my initial reaction was disappointment and frustration at God – how could He allow church to be cancelled on my commissioning sunday?! i’ve mentioned before that i’ve been going through the excercise of asking God to let me look into His eyes and really see His face. so saturday night, after i heard the news, my thoughts were God, i don’t understand you right now. i can’t even vaguely see your face let alone look into your eyes! and God softly answered shhh… put aside your initial emotional reactions and look closer. so i did. and i actually saw His eyes for the first time. eyes full of deep love. smiling eyes. eyes with a little twinkle in them. as if God had something up His sleeve. and i smiled, knowing that there was something surprising and delightful that was in store for me.

and so, after the initial shock of seeing a room full of people who were there expressly for me, i got the joke. had the sewage pipes not burst, none of us would have experienced such a beautiful, memorable evening of celebrating God’s goodness and stepping into a new place of faith. this was why God had a twinkle in His eye! :)

WHY THE MOON?

the following is an excerpt from a speech delivered by President John F. Kennedy at Rice University after he was told it would take forty years for man to reach the moon. its content reflects part of my motivation for going overseas and taking on the challenge of utilizing the arts to tell the multitudes in East Asia about the love of Christ.

But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why, thirty-five years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard! Because THAT GOAL will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept,… one we are unwilling to postpone,… and one we intend to win, and the others too!

ME? JUGGLE?

strolling through Place Jacques-Cartier in the heart of Old Montreal, our family came across a crowd of people watching a street performer intently. in front of him stood a boy, about 9 or 10 years old, listening carefully to the man’s instructions. the lesson at hand? juggling 101.

from the boy’s sheepish demeanour, it was obvious that he had never tried juggling before, let alone in front of a group so large. but the busker was skilled. he only asked that the boy keep looking at him and concentrate on catching the bowling-pin-shaped object with his left hand, switching it to his right and throwing it with his right hand to the man’s left hand. simple, really. and so they practiced with one pin. then two. then three. then four. by then, we were all cheering and laughing at the wonderful accomplishment this was for the young boy. but then the busker added a FIFTH pin! this just topped it all. within the span of maybe ten minutes, an untrained boy was juggling five objects back and forth between him and this master!

as the show ended and we all carried on our merry way, i couldn’t help but notice that my heart was lighter and i had a smile on my face. and i reflected on how the simple act of empowerment by this street performer had probably made the day (and maybe the life!) of this young boy. i marveled at the ripple effect it had on everyone watching.

seemingly impossible tasks are not so bad when you trust the right coach to lead you through.

THE WHITE ELEPHANT

there is a tale of a certain prince of a certain kingdom.  within this kingdom, there was a certain high official who was rather unpleasant.   and this certain high official became such a nuisance that the prince needed to rid the kingdom of him.  so, as any wise ruler would do, this prince decided to give this official an extravagant gift: a white elephant.

“how privileged i am to receive this gift!  and from the prince no less!  see how special i am,” said the official, beaming with pride.  but as the weeks wore on, the truth began to emerge.  the man’s life savings were being spent on keeping the white elephant content and he was quickly spiraling into debt.  but he could not give it away or sell it for to do so would be to offend the prince and perhaps cost him his life.  and so what was once appeared to be a blessing turned out to be a curse.

how many times do we chase after white elephants, thinking we’re in for something good when in reality, they’re only meant to destroy us.  and how many times do we look at others’ lives in envy, wishing we had a white elephant when we don’t see what the implications would be for us if we did have one.

dear God, teach me to be wise.  and teach me to be content.

I KNOW NOT LOVE

this morning, i was reading the story of Mary, anointing Jesus at Bethany with perfume and wiping his feet with her hair and i realized that i still have a very far way to go before i grasp the depth of his Calvary love.  i tried to picture myself in her position and i wondered if i could take my $26,300 this year and spend it on perfume to spill over his feet.  and then use my hair to wipe it up?!  who would do that?  only one who was deeply touched by the extent of his love.  in light of that, i still have a heart of stone.  which leads me to this question:  if i am not moved by Calvary love, how can i expect to be moved by the plight of man?