God's Week Has Seven Days

Do you find that you struggle with making time for God? With such busy schedules these days, I know for myself that I do. Which brings my onto the topic of my new bible book; God's Week Has 7 Days by  Wally Kroeker.

Now I am already halfway through the book and so that's obviously a good sign. I really enjoy the layout of the book. Chapters are sectioned into the months, and then have mini sections on specific topics within the chapter. I find this style helpful to read because it makes it easier to bookmark, and it also makes me read more because I don't feel obligated to read 30 pages at a time. I also find this style very helpful in doing group discussion prep work. I just read with my notebook beside me and add thoughts on each mini section as I go.  

Now let's talk about content. This book focuses on helping us incorporate our relationship with God in all areas of our lives. It talks about giving God your best hours, and challenges us to live different lives and not just fill in the same secular mold (ex. Business world) 

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

One of my favourite parts of the book so far was on page 66 called "Waddling Down Unfriendly Aisles". In this portion, Wally describes his experiences of walking into clothing stores and employees judging him and making him feel like he doesn't belong here due to his size. Later, Wally then talks about his experience at a big' n tall type of a store and how welcoming and accepting they were. He then compares the two places to churches and asks:

"Are they sometimes like the snobbish shops in the mall, catering to the beautiful, the sleek and the slender, and coolly avoiding those who are so far from perfection? Or are they more like the Big' n Tall, welcoming the odd shaped, the ungainly, and others who don't fit society's image of acceptability?" -Page 68

I have experience two churches who were just like this example, so I found these questions powerful and true. Church is not meant to be a place where we hold our noses up in the air and judge others and their mistakes. It's a place where broken people (ALL OF US)  come together in celebration of a God who loves us all and who accepts us, scars and all. 

That is was what I took away from my reading so far. I could've delved more into the book (very good!), but then I'd be looking at a VERY long blog post. Plus, I enjoy having main topics for PCRs, not just a summary of everything I read.

So until next time!

Melina

Reflection and True Living

This post is my last update on the book Reason For God by Timothy Keller. I had been warned before reading it that it was a tough read, and now I understand why. Not only does the author use difficult words and confusing sentence structure often, but the topics being discussed are SO huge that it has been hard for me to read more than a page at a time!

One of the questions that stood out a lot for me as well as my book group was : "Is there a Hell?"
This question was INTENSE! When I have thought about it in the past, I have struggled with the idea of God sending his children to an eternal suffering, or people CHOOSING it for that matter! My dad always said to me "I don't believe in a God that would do something like that."
But after some discussing, our teacher joined in and brought up a very good point (in particular for myself and my confusion on the answer). He brought up the point that people can see or hear things and still choose not to believe. They don't want to believe. They are not interested in knowing the God of all things. So its not so much that they 'want' or 'choose' suffering, but that they choose a life without God.

So after the discussion I turned to the Bible and looked into this a bit more, and what God says about eternal life and eternal suffering. What I came to realize is that, not only are we asked to believe, but we are asked to ACT on what we believe. Just like a surgeon cannot earn the title until he has finished Med school, can we as christians earn the title through our actions and work.

In Luke 25:34-46 it talks about just this:

Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?

 And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.  

 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?

 Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

The big thing I took away from Reason For God was a new willingness to find answers for myself. I have developed a deeper interest to try and respond to the bigger questions of christianity and believe they are important to know. I'm not saying that there is an answer to everything, but I feel now an eagerness to check and see, and not just live in ignorant bliss.

Reason For God

New book! Last week I started reading a book called Reason For God by Timothy Keller. The book is basically a pastor talking about and attempting to answer frequently heard questions about Christianity-but mainly God. Timothy makes a point of not only referencing the Bible for answers, but philosophies,  literature, real life conversations, quotes, and reasoning as well.

Something I have really been enjoying about this book is how well Timothy supports his points. For almost every point he has made (thus far) has been supported by at least 3 of the references listed above. I also enjoy the questions he attempts to answer; such as 'How could a good God allow there to be so much evil and suffering?'. I think he picked good topics and did a good job answering them!

So I want to talk mainly about that question 'How could a good God allow there to be so much evil and suffering?' and how Timothy reveals the greater problem with Non-Believers and world suffering. Here is a quote from page 26:

People, we believe ought not not to suffer, be excluded, die of hunger or oppression. But the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection depends on death, destruction, and violence of the strong against the weak- these things are all perfectly natural. On what basis does an atheist judge the world to be horribly wrong, unfair and unjust? - Timothy Keller

I thought this answer was GENIUS! I had never thought of it that way before, and then it also made me think of a quote I'd read by Einstein in answering the question ' If God created everything, then he created the evil, which means God is evil.':

Does cold exist? In fact, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat.
Does darkness exist? Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness.
Evil does not exist. It is just like darkness and cold. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart - Albert Einstein. 

This book may be quite hard to read (the writing style seems more like a lecture than a personal conversation), but it is very interesting! It is kind of an affirmer in your faith, and it is also good information to know when your faith is challenged.

Lets see how this continues next week!

Melina

Visible Faith (Under the Overpass #2)

So this is my final PCR on the book Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. I really enjoyed this book. Not only did it hold a great message to visibly live the christian life (practice what you preach), but it also gave a huge insight to how many people are experiencing homelessness in our on cities or countries, and we do not notice. For this PCR I want to focus mainly on those two elements of the book. One of my favourite quotes from the book is:

“Sometimes it's easy to walk by because we know we can't change someones whole life in a single afternoon. But what we fail to realize it that simple kindness can go a long way toward encouraging someone who is stuck in a desolate place.”- Mike Yankoski

This statement stood out to me so much because it makes sense! Like I mentioned in my last PCR, I did some volunteer work at Siloam Mission with my school. The very first task I had was to go and be friendly with the homeless in the front foyer. I will tell you know, that what nerve racking! All these broken and rugged people watching me as I walked closer did not bring comfort to me, nor did the worries of trying to make conversation. I wanted to change lives. But how would I achieve that? I found out that just asking about someone's day and giving them smiles goes a long way.

I believe a lot of society gives up on homeless people, assuming they're too far gone, criminals, or addicts. While some of that may be true, its not always the case. Under the Overpass was a sweet reminder that no matter your living situation, people are people and therefore should be treated that way.

While reading this book this piece of scripture bounced around in my head from Matthew 25:34-41:

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

I think what I will take away from this book, more than anything else is that I need to LIVE my faith. Yes, I do believe that faith is a personal thing between yourself and God, but I also believe that God has called us (as written in Matthew) to care for the broke and the hungry. Mike Yankoski has encouraged me to step out of my little bubble and try to care for those who need it. I hope more than anything to return to Siloam Mission soon and continue volunteering there!

Thanks for another great book Mr. Hazeu!

Under The Overpass

New book time! I started reading Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. If you haven't heard of this book, I will give you a basic rundown. Mike and a friend of his feel called to experience true trust in God and gain a better understanding of homelessness in America. So Mike and his friend Sam spend five months going moving from five different cities to see if their faith in God was real- if they are the christians they claim to be outside of their comfort zones.

I am at the point in the book where they have completed their first month in Denver and have begun their journey in Washington DC. I am finding it hard to write about this book, mainly for the fact that it doesn't really state opinions or newer concepts often. There are some things however that stood out to me that I will make note of in this PCR.

First thing that I want to say is how impressed I am with their faith thus far. It's incredible! How many of us would willingly choose to live on the streets for 5 months? I know I would have a hard time with that one. What I like the most though is how they rely on God for their everyday needs. Thinking about my life and how I can get food when I want, how I want, and whatever I want (mostly), and then comparing it to a person living on the streets who has no idea when their next meal is, there is quite a substantial difference! When Mike is talking about this on page 58, I thought of the Bible verse from Romans 15:13:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"

Another thing I really enjoyed was Mikes thoughts on 'mercy' on pages 61-62. At this point in the book, Mike and Same are panhandling and watching people pass by without even a glance at them. Mike is starting to get upset with the fact nobody is showing them mercy and then he says:
"I felt my frustration rising until I realized how unentitled I really was. No one deserves mercy. And no one walking by owed us a dime. Mercy is, by definition, undeserved, or else it isn't mercy.
Every coin in  the case looked different after that."-Pg 62 

Why I liked this so much was because of a recent intercity experience I had with my classmates. We lived on the floor of a homeless shelter for a week, and we were complaining a LOT ! (not all of us, mainly me). And usually our complaints were about how/what we were being served or that the floor hurt our backs and that it was cold. But also a minute after, I would feel so awful for complaining because it could be so much worse. Yes I woke up cold, but at least I was inside and not out in the snow. No that was not the most tasty meal ever, but at least I was blessed with a meal! So when Mike had that realization the money he was given was undeserved and merciful, I connected with him because I had realizations like that a lot during my week at the shelter.

I am finding myself truly enjoying this book and the connections I have been able to make since i've been on the Inter City Experience trip. The author's story is so intriguing and the lessons learnt are worthwhile to keep for your own life and experiences.

Until next time!
Melina

What Is Love?

I just finished reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, and I will begin by saying that this book has been my favourite out of all the books offered in this class (minus the Bible, obviously!).

Not only does the author bring forward strong points and thoughts to grow on, but he also does it in a way that doesn't make you feel talked down to or that his views on dating are the only ways to date. I had made early judgments on this book, assuming that the author would be dictating how dating HAS to work, and that I probably wouldn't agree with many of his points. But now I find myself eating my own words! I agreed with every point he had. From his views on modesty and a girl's responsibility, all the way to his thoughts on how to be friends with the other sex, without tempting each other. 

I want to just touch on the friendship section of the book. He talks about how it is difficult to keep good relationships with the opposite sex without developing intimate feelings for them. He states friendship is based on a common goal or interest, but when the focus is turned away from the goal and instead on the relationship, it is no longer just a friendship. This really impacted me because I was struggling with understanding why my friendships with boys would stray away from friendship. (Either he or I would develop some sort of a crush)

I feel like this new information is already shifting some relationships in my life, and I really believe it's for the better.

On page 166, Joshua stats a very sad truth. He talks about women and how their focus when the word 'marriage' is mentioned, turns straight to the wedding. To that he wrote:

"Marriage is more than a wedding ceremony. A wedding is an event, but a marriage is a state of being. It's not a one time act; it's a lifelong commitment to be developed and maintained."

I loved this statement. I find women (myself included) focus too much on the wedding, and not what it represents. A wedding is like the words on the back of the book labeled Marriage! It gives you a little peak into what lies inside, but that little glance doesn't compare in importance to the actual book. You can't (or shouldn't) have a wedding if there’s no real commitment towards your future as one.

Ephesians 5:22-23: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour."

Lastly, my favourite part in the book was the poem on page 172. The poem is by Lena Lathrop and it's called "A Women's Question", and it asks men if they are deserving to ask for a women's heart. One of my favourite stanzas from this poem was:

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade

From this soft young check one day;

Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves,

As you did 'mong the blossoms of May?

I like this part because of the rhyming pattern and the connection between spring and fall. I enjoyed the whole poem mainly since it supported women to wait for Mr. Right, and not settle for anything less. 

This book has truly impacted me and my views on love and dating. I will be buying my own copy so that I can read it again. Thank you!

Melina

I Just Kissed Dating Goodbye!

For my first bible class book of  the semester, I decided to read 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' by Joshua Harris. My reason for choosing this book was because I have been reevaluating my views on dating and on what should be saved for marriage (what IS purity?).
The first powerful short story in the book was the Wedding Dream on pages 13-14, where a girl named Anna describes how at her wedding the women from her fiancé's past came up to the front with the couple. At the time she is hurt and doesn't understand what is really happening. The fiancé apologizes and explains to her that these are girls from his past that he has given part of his heart to.
This dream Anna had depicts a tragically sad truth of our society's way of dating. We are told that dating is important and good 'practice', but now we are simply given away pieces of our hearts and innocence because of our corrupt definition of 'dating' and 'love'.

One of my favourite messages Joshua presents is The Little Principle (on Page 28).

"An intimate relationship is a beautiful experience that God wants us to enjoy. After all, He stated that is wasn't good for man to be alone and created a woman to perfectly compliment him and  help him (Gen 28). But God has made the fulfillment of intimacy a by-product of commitment based love. If we want to experience the goodness of His plan, we need to reconnect the pursuit of intimacy with the pursuit of commitment.
This is what I call the Little Relationship Principle:
The joy of intimacy is the reward of commitment".

The main reason I enjoy this passage is because it challenges us to change our view of love being expressed by physical intimacy first and for most, to love being expressed FIRST through commitment.

In Chapter 5, we begin looking at what God's definition of love is. Joshua Harris uses the well known 1 Corinthians chapter 13 to define God's TRUE love.
(Love is patient, kind, does not envy, is not self seeking, is not proud, does not boast, etc)
Before this however, Joshua lays out two VERY different 'love stories'. The first is about a man who after dating a girl on and off for a year had sex because they were in love. The second story is about a man and a woman who decided that they would reserve all physical intimacy for marriage, as a way to show their love, and protect each other before they were married.
I thought this chapter did a really great job of deciphering the difference between the world's idea of love and God's idea of love. The story of couple #2 was so beautiful and pure to me. It gave me hope in the idea of finding someone who will love me enough to put my heart and my relationship with God ahead of his own physical desires.

The only big question I walk away from this first PCR with is this:
How do you go from wanting attention and secular dating views, to treating the opposite sex like brothers in Christ? How do you rid your heart of the world's definition and replace it with God's?

My assumption is simply time and prayer, but I am curious to what other people's thoughts would be on this question... Will definitely be asking that during our next discussion!

Until the next 80 pages!
So long!

Melina