Tim and Olive's Blog

today, there is a party in heaven. and we have a new sister in Christ! :> PRAISE GOD!!! it’s taken a whole semester of weekly investigative bible studies, but God’s word has spoken and one more heart has returned to her Daddy. i’m so happy i would do cartwheels if i could. :> :> :>

END OF THE ROPE

Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart feel lonely,
and long for heav’n and home?
When Jesus is my portion,
My constant friend is He.
For His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.

i. need. faith.

SOMETIMES

…you actually find inspiration while doing research for essays. ok, so it’s very rare and only likely to happen if you’re in theatre and writing about a theatre company for mentally challenged young people. but still. from the pages of Throw Your Heart Over the Fence by Diane Dupuy:

here’s another:

finally,

in this time of chaos, stress and turmoil, it’s always good to be re-inspired.

FREEDOM :: RESPONSIBILITY

i’m beginning to learn what it means to be an adult. i’ve hung around adults my whole life (the convenient byproduct of having no siblings and being close to my parents) so i’ve always been seen as more “mature.” but i’m only starting to understand what it means to have the freedom to choose for myself what i think is best and then to be responsible for my choices. after our EM last night (which, by God’s grace, went so much better than we expected or deserved), our fellowship went out to eat. since i’d only eaten a sandwhich, a pear and some random snacks the whole day, i knew i had to get some food into my system. so i decided to go, even though i knew i had an 8:30am class this morning. but this morning, when i awoke, it was already 8:30. and on top of that, i had a splitting headache.

this is where my lesson in freedom comes in. i knew i had to make some choices: would i rush around to get ready and dash off to class so i would be only 15 minutes late? or would i take the time to get some scripture into my brain and hand the day over to God before i left for class and be an hour late? the child in me would have taken the first option. i mean, i wouldn’t want my teacher to take marks off or be mad at me, would i? but then i thought for a moment and i realized that i am my own person. i can choose to walk in late if i know that’s what i need to do. it’s a three hour studio class so it’s not like i’d be interrupting anything. and if my teacher wants to dock me marks for being late, so be it.

this morning, i understood a little more of what it means to break free from trying to win the approval of people around me. the only One i need the approval of is God. and if i’m right with Him, the rest of the world is taken care of. i also learned a bit about wisdom: striving to please God will make you a wise spender of time.

ETERNITY IS A LONG TIME

I don’t want to change the world. I want to change eternity.
–Ruth Liu, quoting someone…

The everpresent struggle as a student: do I spend my time on a theoretical assignment that only gets looked over by a prof and given a grade? or do I spend the time taking care of the people around me? i know God has given me brains and put me in university but sometimes, i wonder just how God gets glorified in some of the stuff they make us do here. i guess i just have to trust that God knows my heart and will act justly.

PUSHING LIMITS

i’m in a rather peculiar predicament. God has been doing so much in my life recently that i can’t figure out what to write about. tc was about a week’s worth of info packed into each day… prepping for ccf’s outreach this wednesday is NuTsO! random opportunities to share the Word of God with my classmates. the reality of going on a missions trip slowly sinking in. realizing that i’m a cultural orphan. trying not to be a zombie or a space cadet. coming to terms with all that’s happening in the world. learning what God means when He tells us His name is I AM. praying for peace – both within and without.

and that’s just a selection of what’s going through my head.

MORE TO COME

on the final night of TC senior, Dr. Dennis Ngien spoke of a painting of Niagara Falls entitled “More To Come.” he explained how this illustrated God’s love and grace toward us. there’s always more to come.

if this past week was any indication of just how much God can pour into my life, i don’t know if i can take any more of what’s to come! anywho, i know this is a mean thing to do ‘cuz i have a lot i want to share, but i still haven’t recovered from my lack of sleep so i’ll leave it here for today.

GOODNESS

why do i doubt God? He has shown His faithfulness and carried me through yet again. and now i can go home and focus my energies on the new task at hand: TC.

praise God! because He Is.

lates y’alls. i’m off till friday.

TICK, TICK, TICK…

excuse me while i breathe deeply and flop into the arms of my heavenly Father. let me rest, let me sleep. let my heart be still and know that He is God. then let me surely and steadily complete each task. let me not look behind or ahead. let me focus on what is at hand. and through it all, let my heart be thankful. let each moment sing of His glory. let no complaints issue from this heart. let it remain pure, blameless and holy.

let all this come to pass. i will get there.

In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful in His time
Lord please show me everyday
As You’re teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say,
In Your time.

COINCIDENCE?

February 5, 2003: york ccf goes to ICC soup kitchen. ols talks to a man named peter. finds out he’s having a hard time finding a place to live. hears about his current mice-infested living conditions. decides to put peter on prayer list to ask God to help him find a place.

February 19, 2003: ols visits ICC sans ccf. peter is still looking for a place. he seems more agitated and burdened than the last time. ols decides to keep praying.

March 5, 2003: york ccf goes to ICC soup kitchen again. ols talks to peter. peter says he found a place that’s everything he wanted and more. when did he find it? February 20, 2003.

coincidence? i think not.

we’re dealing with Higher Powers here, people.

three cheers for God?! AMEN!