Tim and Olive's Blog

postings have been slow as of late. it’s because my brain is pretty much perpetually fried. anyway, yesterday, i was reminded again of why i love being in ministry and meeting up with the froshies every week – i learn so much from them! we were investigating 1 Samuel yesterday, talking about how Samuel came to recognize the voice of God when the student leading the discussion proposed an analogy. he said that the Bible is like caller ID on our phones. it shows us who the call is from. just as Samuel recognized God’s voice when the Word of God was revealed to him, so we can recognize God’s voice when we know His Word.

and so, my theme for this year continues: knowing and loving the Word of God more and more.

THIS FIGHT

last night, i finished reading Safely Homeby Randy Alcorn. i can honestly say that i have never been impacted by one novel as much as i’ve been by this one. it totally opened my eyes to the persecuted church around the world and it challenged me to think about what i really value and what i’m living for. it also gave me a glimpse of how wonderful heaven will be. it is seriously such a good book i want to make everyone i know read it! ;)

anyway, i’ll post more later but i’ll leave you with this poem for now.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
~Ephesians 6:18~

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I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

last night at ccf, we were asked this question, “what’s important to you?” being one of the first few people to share, i said that people and investing my life into them was important to me. but as more of the group shared, i realized that that wasn’t what was most important to me. as far as i can think of right now, the underlying thought that shapes almost all my decisions is this: on that day, when i face my King Jesus, will i be able to look Him in the face and say, “look what i did with what You gave me! the talents, the people, the time, the knowledge, my life… look! i didn’t waste any!”

today, i started reading a novel called Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. it’s about the persecuted church in China and i’ve heard tons of good stuff about it. i’m about 20 pages in and it has already challenged me in terms of my faithfulness to God.

so if i were to answer that question again, i would say, “staying faithful to Jesus is most important to me.”

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

took this weekend to relax and recuperate after a frenetic month of non-stop craziness. feeling much refreshed and readier to face the next frenetic month of non-stop craziness. ;p

anyway, here’s a thought for ya: we know that in the garden of Gethsemane, before being betrayed and crucified, Jesus prayed that God’s will, rather than his own would be done. somehow, i think he would have prayed the same prayer the night before he chose his disciples and was told to choose Judas as one of the twelve. as a Christian, i am to emulate the example of Christ… so i must ask myself, do i have the humility and faith to choose to live by God’s will even when it seems foolish to common sense?

I’M ADDICTED

little-known fact of the day: the root word for addiction comes from the latin word addicine, meaning to surrender. so if my life is surrendered to Christ, can i say i’m addicted to God?

BROTHERS

growing up as an only child with no male cousins or friends my age, i had always wanted a brother. more specifically, i wanted an older brother. i guess it’s rather typical of a girl to want someone to watch out for her. anyway, unless time could be turned back and history changed, it’s literally impossible for me to get what i wanted. but this week, i’ve realized just how many brothers i have in the larger family of God. being the emotionally taxing week it was, God sent various men to support and encourage me, as well as just check up on me to make sure i didn’t burn myself out. so although i may never have a biological brother, i now see how God has blessed me with many spiritual brothers. and oh how thankful i am for their love.

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

funny how one moment, i felt like i was on top of things and the next i realized i’m actually at the bottom of a pit.

RUNNING WITH HORSES

so in the midst of some crazy times, here’s a verse my best friend sent to me. both challenging and inspiring…

POISON

lesson of the day: even though it may seem like the easier option at the time, resist the urge to sweep small resentments under the rug. they will accumulate and haunt you. and then you won’t know how to deal with them. (ok, so maybe i just don’t know how to deal with them now…).

i need help.

OUCH

i always remember Philippians chapter 2 as the humility chapter. the first half of it talks about Christ not considering equality with God something to be grasped but humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross. the second section talks about being blameless and pure so that we can shine like stars in a dark world as we hold out the word of life. what i never really looked at was the end of the chapter. on friday, that’s what i got to do. and verse 21 hit me hard. basically, Paul was commending Timothy to the church in Philippi as a man worth honouring and he contrasts Timothy’s genuine interest in them with the general population who are completely absorbed in their own selves.

thinking about that further and seeing how it came on the heels of the humility blurb, i realized that i’d found the key to increasing humility. to be humble, we must consider the interests of Jesus. in other words, when we care about what Christ cares about, we will be humble. when we take genuine interest in the people around us, it is inevitable that we put our own interests aside. humility, then, is a question of whose interests we take to heart – our own, or God’s.