Tim and Olive's Blog

we looked at the story of Jonah in sunday school today. i haven’t read it in a very long time so it was refreshing to read it again. one verse in particular jumped out at me. i think it’s self explanatory, so i’ll just post it for you to chew on…

ouch.

some other words to chew on that i just came across…

TEE HEE

while rummaging through old papers in search of an address, i came across what could be my all-time favourite short story. i got it from my grade ten english teacher, who read it to us as a break from regular stuff. she was a little off the wall. but so am i. so here, i present to you, the African tale called

One day, a farmer was in his field, getting ready to pull some sweet potatoes out of the ground in order to sell them at the market, when one of the sweet potatoes said, “Fine, now you want to pull me up and sell me, but all the time I’ve been growing, you’ve hardly given me any water.”

After the farmer left, the King pulled up his favourite chair. As he did, the chair laughed and said to the King, “Can you believe that farmer? Who ever heard of a talking sweet potato?”

LAUGHING GAS

i spent the past two nights bumming at my best friend’s house (thanks again, ruth!!!) and i gained a wonderful insight from her that i wanted to post the minute she said it, but alas, i had to wait until now… but all’s not lost, ‘cuz i’m here now, aren’t i? ;)

anyway, we were talking about how sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense to us in our current circumstances but He asks us to obey nonetheless. then, she shared this illustration with me (now, i know in my last posting, Henry Cloud uses a similar analogy but the application this time is different)…

sometimes, in life, God does things that don’t make sense to us as an anesthetic for surgery. if we weren’t knocked out, we might want to pick up a scalpel and “help” God with the operation, thus interfering with His work. or, we might try to direct Him or even prevent Him from doing what is neccessary. God, in His infinite wisdom, “puts us out” sometimes so that He can accomplish His purpose. so even in the midst of being asleep, we have the hope that our Master Physician is freely at work and that when we wake up, we will see what a good job He did.

this entry is dedicated to a dear friend whose understanding and support is invaluable especially at this time. thanks, you. :>

REDEMPTIVE TIME

Imagine, for a moment, the situation. God had created a perfect place with perfect creatures to live in eternity. And, suddenly, evil arrived on the scene. What did God do?
…
God moved immediately to protect humankind from being in a state of eternal isolation, experiencing pain for a very long time. To protect Adam and Eve from eternal pain, he drove them out of eternity, guarded eternity with a cherubim, and sent them to a new place called redemptive time, where we live now. Here God could fix the problem; he could undo the effects of the fall. He could redeem his creation, and then bring humanity back into eternity after it was again holy and blameless.
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Think of it another way. God has a sick creation. He needs to do surgery. Thus, he places us in the operating room of redemptive time. Into our veins he pumps the life-giving blood of grace and truth. During surgery, he excises evil and brings the renewed patient back into eternity in a holy state. We don’t know how long this surgery will last. We only know that we are expected to participate actively in our own surgery, and we don’t get any anesthesia for the procedure. That’s why growing up into the image of God often hurts so much.(emphasis mine)

~Dr. Henry Cloud, Changes That Heal

CONTROL FREAKS

it seems to me as if a recurring problem everyone faces in life is letting go. whether you are young or old, there’s always something God is challenging you to release into His grip. case in point: my family. i have my struggles, my dad has his and my mom, hers. this morning, my mom sent me a poem about this subject (‘cuz she knows what i’m going through :> ). her comment on it was that if she could achieve half of the things mentioned in it, things would be so much better. i can only agree…

LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS

of all the church retreats i’ve been to, this one has probably been one of the most ordinary. no huge revelations. no emotional high. no accidents. no lost voice. no cryfest. no soap operas (a sign of maturity for our group, i hope?). not even a waterfight. i know i went to meet God – to get away from the noise of everyday busyness and hear Him. i went with one particular issue weighing heavy on my heart. and proving His faithfulness again, He spoke. but it wasn’t anything extraordinary. it wasn’t even during the worship or sermons. He just affirmed my next step to take in Him during my devos. i think grounded is the best word to describe the weekend.

of all the times i’ve had to lead worship, this weekend was probably one i felt least prepared for. it wasn’t that our team didn’t have rehearsals or that we didn’t pray enough. but in the week leading up to retreat, God broke each of us down in our own way. the only prayer i could pray while leading each session was Lord, lead your people. let them encounter you in this time. let me encounter you ‘cuz i’m struggling. i felt like i’d fade in and out of a worshipful heart – i was so easily distracted. i hated that feeling. i felt almost hypocritical. but quitting was not an option. so i just kept praying that God would work despite my shame and my weakness. i don’t know if anyone enjoyed the worship times or if hearts were engaged, but i guess all i can do is trust in God’s promise of grace and stop worrying.

back in april, when my summer was just starting, i knew this summer would be a lesson in faith. but i never knew just how far God would be stretching me. from jobs, to getting back into residence, to the ROM, to John 4:24, to facing my failures, to entrusting Him with my friends and family, it’s been a crazy ride so far. but i’m soooooooo grateful for these lessons. and to think that i still have a lifetime to learn with Jesus… :>

OFF I GO…

to retreat this weekend. goin to listen to God. :>

ROMANS 8:32

the following is an excerpt from Future Graceby John Piper. may it fill your heart with hope, as it has filled mine. :>

God desired two things: not to see his Son made a mockery by sinners; and not to see his people denied infinite future grace. Surely it is more likely that he will spare his Son than that he will spare us. But no. He did not spare his Son. And therefore it is impossible that he should spare us the promise for which the Son died – he will freely with him give us all things.
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The great promise of future grace, guaranteed in the logic of Romans 8:32, is that nothing will ever enter your experience as God’s child that, by God’s sovereign grace, will not turn out to be a benefit to you. This is what it means for God to be God, and for God to be for you, and for God to freely give you all things with Christ.

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PERFECT PEACE

mountaintop is now over. the time has come to descend again back to the everyday life without God’s overwhelmingly glaring presence. not that He’s left. but it’s a quieter, more subtle presence.

physically, i feel so gross today. not sick. just little irritations here and there. my mom says it’s ‘cuz i’ve been sleeping late. hopefully, she’s right. i also have a mystery bug bite on my arm that’s insanely itchy (but i refuse to touch it ‘cuz it looks freaky enough as it stands).

spiritually, i’m facing a battle against myself. through a conversation with a friend last night, God has challenged me to review my relationships with certain people. am i willing to give up perfectly good friendships so that i can give 100% of my heart to serve my jealous God? will i trust Him enough to let go of the good to gain the best? will i trust Him to take care of the other person when i distance myself? i am so tired of the debate raging inside of me. so tired of all the things i have yet to do.

oh God, give me grace, that i can trust You. lead me by the hand, that i can follow You.

GOSSAMER WINGS

“keep the site sheltered. high winds damage butterflies’ gossamer wings.”
~attract butterflies to your garden (reader’s digest, aug 2002)

why is it so hard to keep faith?

God has been showing Himself so faithful to me especially in these past couple of weeks and i still find myself doubting His goodness. i can understand doubt in times of trial. but doubt in times of victory?

yesterday, i found myself wondering if God has been purposely emphasizing His presence in my life to prepare me for a time of devestation. it frightens me that i would think like this. that i would be suspicious of His grace. i’m not sure how i should deal with these thoughts. where is this pessimism coming from? are there thoughts like these echoed somewhere in scripture? i guess everyone comes across hard times sooner or later, so i shouldn’t be surprised if i were to experience loss or despair in the near future. but it just strikes me as odd that i would think of this in the midst of such a joyous time.