For those of you who didn't make it to our meeting last night: We got a christmas card from Melissa wishing us a christmas full of happiness and kindness and a new years letter: Hello dear sponsor!
I hope you are in good health surrounded by all your beautiful family, friends and all those who you love.
My name is Francisca Ercilia Palacios and I am Melissa’s mother.
I am writing this letter to you because Melissa can not write yet. I thank you a lot for the beautiful letter that you sent to her. I also thank you for the words that you wrote in the letter.
We are happy to receive this letter. Let me tell you that Melissa likes to play with dolls.
She has a doll called Belinda. This doll is beautiful and Melissa loves it.
Melissa has 5 siblings and she also lives with her father and mother. She is not attending school yet, because she is still too young.
Our community is beautiful. There is a river near my house and there are many trees, houses and animals too.
People are lovely and friendly here.
We always pray for you and your family and we ask God to bless you with health in large amounts. We also ask God to protect you in this New Year.
Thank you so much for everything.
God bless you.
With Love,
Melissa and Francisca
Also, we currently have hit our treasury amount and are in need of more funds to support this dear little girl and her family!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Holy Spirit's Work
I realize more and more lately that no scientific or historical evidence can convince people that Jesus is their personal savior. Sure science has disproved the theory of evolution. Sure it is historically proven that there was a man named Jesus who performed miracles and was even raised from the dead. But no miracle is great enough to convince a totally depraved human being to believe the gospel except through the Holy Spirit’s opening their eyes to the truth (Luke 10: 21-24, Matthew 17: 14-23, John 16:7-11). I certainly cannot convince them, neither could Paul or any other great apostle or martyr or preacher, but it is God who works in their hearts to show them the truth. With this in mind, it is still my job to be a witness for Christ, pointing everyone I possibly can to that open door. But I shouldn’t get discouraged by their stubborn rejection because it is the Holy Spirit’s work to open their hearts and make them receptive to His word. (See pastor Rayburn’s recent sermon on Revelation 3:7-13, “The Power of the Weak on Behalf of the Helpless.”)
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Do Hard Things
So I just finished the book by Brett and Alex Harris, Do Hard Things. Very inspiring, and I think you all should read it--they basically are thinking the exact same thing that we all were! Maybe God really is starting a movement--as they call it, a Rebelution. If you can, definitely read it over Christmas break! And we all need to get together.... more details to follow.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
P. S.
I would love to see this blog utilized more for discussion and reflection. I understand what busy lives we college students have but isn't to glorify God our chief end? In other words, shouldn't it be more important to us to talk about God than other trivial, time consuming task (homework included... but not forgetting to do that to God's glory too). And yet I know I am the worst when it comes to making time for blogging about Christ's work in my life....
Just a Thought.
Effie
Just a Thought.
Effie
A point for Discussion
Is it sinful to be “spurred” on to obedience by the fear of hell (rather than obeying out of a thankfulness to Christ for what he did on the cross for us)?
First and most importantly, turning to the Bible: Paul wrote of his struggle with sin in Romans 6-8 in which he always points back to God as the one whom he wants to obey and who helps him in his struggle. Romans 6:22 and 23, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is ETERNAL LIFE. For the WAGES of SIN is DEATH, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8: 2, “Through Jesus Christ…set me free from…sin and death.” And verse 5, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires.” I believe that the spirit would desire God and Heaven, so we have been set free from the dread and fear of Hell and we are to set our gaze on heaven. But Verse 15 is the crux, “ For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ “ Paul seems to be saying so clearly not to fear but to hope in Christ and this is the hope in which we should obey. Later on, in verse 23 he is still using this language when he says to “wait eagerly for our adoption as sons.”
Now we come to a sermon preached by the famous, morning star of the reformation, John Wycliffe, entitled “The Armor of Heaven:”
“The right spur is the love that God’s dear children have for the lasting prosperity that shall never end. The left spur is dread of the pains of hell, which are without number, and never may be counted out. With these two spurs prick thy horse if he be dull and unwilling to stir himself to good. And if the right spur of love be not sharp enough to make him go forward on his journey, prick him with the left spur of dread to rouse him.
‘This spur of dread shall make our horse awake, and keep him in the right way and speed him fast forward, and cause him always to flee from deadly sin, which is thus dearly bought and maketh man to be thus bitterly pained for ever.
‘And this is the right spur that should quicken thy horse to speed in his way: that thou learn to love Jesus Christ in all thy living. And therefore send thou thy thoughts into that land of life, where no disease is.
‘For there is nothing that men may fear, but instead pleasure and joy.
‘This is the right spur, which should stir men joyfully to love Jesus Christ, and to hasten in the heavenly way…This love would move such a man to live more virtuously, and to flee from sin, a hundred times more than any dread of the pain of hell. For perfect love putteth out all dread, and cleanseth the soul from filth, and maketh it to see God, and to flee oft to heaven in its desires, hoping to dwell there for ever.”
So I come to the conclusion first of all, that it is superior to obey out of a love for Christ, which stems from gratitude for his sacrifice on the cross saving us out of our miserable estate, for without him we would all be damned to Hell. Also, it should be understood that Salvation does not come from good works but, “it is by grace you have been saved, though faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8). So the logical train of thought would then be that since God saved us we should want to give something back to him out of gratitude, that being our obedience to His Law. We have to find a place for our obedience to come in (in other words, our good works) because the Bible repeatedly speaks of it (Psalm 119). Paul even says, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin” (Romans 6:1-2). Therefore, since the Bible commands us to put our sinful nature to death but that this action will not help us move towards Salvation in any way, we must conclude that we are to obey out of gratitude to Christ.
So, does this mean that Wycliffe was wrong in saying that we should use the dread of Hell to spur us on to obedience? While the joy of heaven is greater, some times our stubborn, sinful nature needs a hard jab, as if it were a horse being spurred on, to wake it up and send our actions in a God-fearing direction. The Bible is not only full of pictures of Salvation and hope, it also states that God is a just God, who in his wrath will condemn sinners. Yes, he has saved me, but the Bible doesn’t let me forget about the fire and brimstone he has saved me from. The dread of Hell drives my thoughts to how great God’s gift is for me, which in turn makes me “overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7).
In his letter to the Colossians Paul also overflows with thankfulness to our Savior, writing, “When you were DEAD in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us ALL our sins, having CANCELED the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them,TRIUMPHING over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:13-15).
Paul continues to say that “Since, then you have been raised with Christ set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God…put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:1 and 5), and he finishes out his letter with rules for holy living and a Christian household.
So is it wrong to be spurred to obedience by the fear of Hell? Or is it just better to be spurred on by the joy of our Salvation?
First and most importantly, turning to the Bible: Paul wrote of his struggle with sin in Romans 6-8 in which he always points back to God as the one whom he wants to obey and who helps him in his struggle. Romans 6:22 and 23, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is ETERNAL LIFE. For the WAGES of SIN is DEATH, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8: 2, “Through Jesus Christ…set me free from…sin and death.” And verse 5, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires.” I believe that the spirit would desire God and Heaven, so we have been set free from the dread and fear of Hell and we are to set our gaze on heaven. But Verse 15 is the crux, “ For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ “ Paul seems to be saying so clearly not to fear but to hope in Christ and this is the hope in which we should obey. Later on, in verse 23 he is still using this language when he says to “wait eagerly for our adoption as sons.”
Now we come to a sermon preached by the famous, morning star of the reformation, John Wycliffe, entitled “The Armor of Heaven:”
“The right spur is the love that God’s dear children have for the lasting prosperity that shall never end. The left spur is dread of the pains of hell, which are without number, and never may be counted out. With these two spurs prick thy horse if he be dull and unwilling to stir himself to good. And if the right spur of love be not sharp enough to make him go forward on his journey, prick him with the left spur of dread to rouse him.
‘This spur of dread shall make our horse awake, and keep him in the right way and speed him fast forward, and cause him always to flee from deadly sin, which is thus dearly bought and maketh man to be thus bitterly pained for ever.
‘And this is the right spur that should quicken thy horse to speed in his way: that thou learn to love Jesus Christ in all thy living. And therefore send thou thy thoughts into that land of life, where no disease is.
‘For there is nothing that men may fear, but instead pleasure and joy.
‘This is the right spur, which should stir men joyfully to love Jesus Christ, and to hasten in the heavenly way…This love would move such a man to live more virtuously, and to flee from sin, a hundred times more than any dread of the pain of hell. For perfect love putteth out all dread, and cleanseth the soul from filth, and maketh it to see God, and to flee oft to heaven in its desires, hoping to dwell there for ever.”
So I come to the conclusion first of all, that it is superior to obey out of a love for Christ, which stems from gratitude for his sacrifice on the cross saving us out of our miserable estate, for without him we would all be damned to Hell. Also, it should be understood that Salvation does not come from good works but, “it is by grace you have been saved, though faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8). So the logical train of thought would then be that since God saved us we should want to give something back to him out of gratitude, that being our obedience to His Law. We have to find a place for our obedience to come in (in other words, our good works) because the Bible repeatedly speaks of it (Psalm 119). Paul even says, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin” (Romans 6:1-2). Therefore, since the Bible commands us to put our sinful nature to death but that this action will not help us move towards Salvation in any way, we must conclude that we are to obey out of gratitude to Christ.
So, does this mean that Wycliffe was wrong in saying that we should use the dread of Hell to spur us on to obedience? While the joy of heaven is greater, some times our stubborn, sinful nature needs a hard jab, as if it were a horse being spurred on, to wake it up and send our actions in a God-fearing direction. The Bible is not only full of pictures of Salvation and hope, it also states that God is a just God, who in his wrath will condemn sinners. Yes, he has saved me, but the Bible doesn’t let me forget about the fire and brimstone he has saved me from. The dread of Hell drives my thoughts to how great God’s gift is for me, which in turn makes me “overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7).
In his letter to the Colossians Paul also overflows with thankfulness to our Savior, writing, “When you were DEAD in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us ALL our sins, having CANCELED the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them,TRIUMPHING over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:13-15).
Paul continues to say that “Since, then you have been raised with Christ set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God…put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:1 and 5), and he finishes out his letter with rules for holy living and a Christian household.
So is it wrong to be spurred to obedience by the fear of Hell? Or is it just better to be spurred on by the joy of our Salvation?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Melissa
Hey Girls,
Well, we got our first letter from Melissa, our World Vision Sponsor Child. I will give it to you both in Spanish and English, as in a few places their translation was lacking I thought and we all know spanish so it is more fun to get it straight that way. The Spanish was handwritten and in a few places hard to make out so bare with me on those points. It is formatted in three paragraphs : My Name, My Family, and My Community. On the back she traced her little hand.
“Mi nombre es Melissa Saratiel Aburto Palacio. Mi mama cellama Fca Ercili Palacio Reye. Mi papa cella Erick Jose Aburto Jimenez. Me gusta jugar con muncho jueguete i tambien con muneca i me gusta jugar bastante soy una nina muy alegre i contentan.
‘Vivo con mis Padre i mi hermano. Mi papa es Erick Jose Aburto Jimenez. Mi mama Fca Erilia Palacio Reye. Tengo 5 hermano, 3 yarone y 2 mujer, Wilmer Palacio, Lenin Palacio, Cristiam Palacio, Jerry Palacio, Dayan Palacio.
‘Mi comunidado es tan bonita hay tanton arbole, hay poco y rio, me gusta tanto porque grande, son una comunidad ta unidad, especia para mi, por eso estoy tan feliz de vivir en ella.
‘Esta carta me ayudo a escribirla mi mama Fca Ercilia Palacio Reyes.”
“Dear Sponsor,
My name is Melissa Saratiel Aburto Palacio
My mom is Francisca Erceli Placio Reyes and my dad is Erick Jose Aburto Jimenez
I like to play with dolls and I’m a happy child.
I live iwth my parents and siblings
My siblings are 3 brothers and 2 sisters Wilmer, Lenin Cristian, Jerry and Dayan and they are all Palacio.
My community is pretty and has lots of trees and a river
Its pretty big and people are united.
I live happily in it.
My mom helped me write this letter to you.”
In addition they sent us a fill out sheet with some basics about us and a map of where we live in relation to her, sticker and a maze to send to her. I filled it out as best I could for all of us and will send it back. Also, they requested an extra donation of $5 to get it shipped to her and a gift of $15 for the general fund which I readily accepted to. If you want to send her any additional letters or pictures as they recommend it, her address is:
Vision Mundial Nicaragua
Apto. 3691
Managua, Nicaragua
Make sure you write your return address on the back flap of the envelope and Melissa’s full name and ID number on the bottom back of the envelope and on the top of the letter itself. We should probably let each other know when we send anything to make sure we don’t over load World Vision :)
If you have any questions about what is okay to send or anything, I have a booklet that explains it all or I am sure you can look online at the website.
P.S. I don’t want to post our account number and ID number on here so just send me a personal email and I will let you know what it is!
Well, we got our first letter from Melissa, our World Vision Sponsor Child. I will give it to you both in Spanish and English, as in a few places their translation was lacking I thought and we all know spanish so it is more fun to get it straight that way. The Spanish was handwritten and in a few places hard to make out so bare with me on those points. It is formatted in three paragraphs : My Name, My Family, and My Community. On the back she traced her little hand.
“Mi nombre es Melissa Saratiel Aburto Palacio. Mi mama cellama Fca Ercili Palacio Reye. Mi papa cella Erick Jose Aburto Jimenez. Me gusta jugar con muncho jueguete i tambien con muneca i me gusta jugar bastante soy una nina muy alegre i contentan.
‘Vivo con mis Padre i mi hermano. Mi papa es Erick Jose Aburto Jimenez. Mi mama Fca Erilia Palacio Reye. Tengo 5 hermano, 3 yarone y 2 mujer, Wilmer Palacio, Lenin Palacio, Cristiam Palacio, Jerry Palacio, Dayan Palacio.
‘Mi comunidado es tan bonita hay tanton arbole, hay poco y rio, me gusta tanto porque grande, son una comunidad ta unidad, especia para mi, por eso estoy tan feliz de vivir en ella.
‘Esta carta me ayudo a escribirla mi mama Fca Ercilia Palacio Reyes.”
“Dear Sponsor,
My name is Melissa Saratiel Aburto Palacio
My mom is Francisca Erceli Placio Reyes and my dad is Erick Jose Aburto Jimenez
I like to play with dolls and I’m a happy child.
I live iwth my parents and siblings
My siblings are 3 brothers and 2 sisters Wilmer, Lenin Cristian, Jerry and Dayan and they are all Palacio.
My community is pretty and has lots of trees and a river
Its pretty big and people are united.
I live happily in it.
My mom helped me write this letter to you.”
In addition they sent us a fill out sheet with some basics about us and a map of where we live in relation to her, sticker and a maze to send to her. I filled it out as best I could for all of us and will send it back. Also, they requested an extra donation of $5 to get it shipped to her and a gift of $15 for the general fund which I readily accepted to. If you want to send her any additional letters or pictures as they recommend it, her address is:
Vision Mundial Nicaragua
Apto. 3691
Managua, Nicaragua
Make sure you write your return address on the back flap of the envelope and Melissa’s full name and ID number on the bottom back of the envelope and on the top of the letter itself. We should probably let each other know when we send anything to make sure we don’t over load World Vision :)
If you have any questions about what is okay to send or anything, I have a booklet that explains it all or I am sure you can look online at the website.
P.S. I don’t want to post our account number and ID number on here so just send me a personal email and I will let you know what it is!
Monday, July 14, 2008
God's Child
Today I was meditating on being a child of God. What does it mean to be God's child? Humility, teachableness, reverence...
So often, my pride gets in the way. I think I know all the answers. I think I'm getting pretty good at whatever--obeying God, being a "good Christian." If only I knew how much more there is for me to learn!
Teachableness... It's easy for me to assume something I think is true. Until someone comes along and tears apart my argument. I need that open spirit, ready to accept when I'm wrong and learn what's right.
Reverence... I am only a child, and God is my Father. I must come before Him with respect.
But He loves me so much, too! He knows I stumble, and He encourages my feeble efforts to obey Him. He forgives me, because I am His child, and He loves me.
Lord, I praise You because You are my Father. Even though You are so far beyond my comprehension, I can truly know You, my Father, Shepherd, Savior, Rock, Fortress, and trust You to take care of me. I know You will teach me what I need to know.
So often, my pride gets in the way. I think I know all the answers. I think I'm getting pretty good at whatever--obeying God, being a "good Christian." If only I knew how much more there is for me to learn!
Teachableness... It's easy for me to assume something I think is true. Until someone comes along and tears apart my argument. I need that open spirit, ready to accept when I'm wrong and learn what's right.
Reverence... I am only a child, and God is my Father. I must come before Him with respect.
But He loves me so much, too! He knows I stumble, and He encourages my feeble efforts to obey Him. He forgives me, because I am His child, and He loves me.
Lord, I praise You because You are my Father. Even though You are so far beyond my comprehension, I can truly know You, my Father, Shepherd, Savior, Rock, Fortress, and trust You to take care of me. I know You will teach me what I need to know.
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