Thoughts and Other Things

For this entire year, I have had the privilege of leading my small congregation through the book of Acts during our weekly Bible Study sessions. We recently completed the book and I was so moved by Paul's last journey - by how a journey God had ordained could turn so chaotic. In the midst of trying to prove himself innocent to his vicious accusers, God had appeared to Paul, telling him that he would now go to Rome. Paul was currently in Jerusalem, another destination God had revealed beforehand. Not only did God tell him he'd have to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), He also had told him what would transpire there. "Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Acts 21:11 After the prophet Agabus delivered this prophesy, Paul's companions begged him not to go to Jerusalem. They believed this...

I’ve been through seasons in my life where God was silent and have often taught about it, but recently, God has been teaching me about how we sometimes think He is silent when it is actually us who are failing to perceive His speaking. In Job 33, Elihu speaks these words to Job: “Why do you complain to him that he answers none of man’s words? For God does speak – now one way, now another – though man may not perceive it” (Job 33:13-14). Elihu says this to Job because earlier Job complained saying: “I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer” (Job 30:20). Job was convinced that God was not paying him any attention, but Elihu helps him understand that God does speak, it is us who sometimes fail to discern that He is speaking.  Elihu goes on to describe the various ways in which God speaks: through dreams and visions (Job 33:15), through an audible voice (Job 33:16) and also through suffering (Job 33:19). God might not have been communicating to Job through words or visions as w...

I remember the first time I rode a bicycle - I was nervous but excited. Dad would hold my bicycle so I wouldn’t fall. I was so scared that I made sure that he did not to let go, but somehow, when I was paying more attention on my footwork and road ahead, I noticed that he wasn’t there anymore. I looked back and saw that he was no longer holding me. My heart begun pounding - I knew that since he let go the potential of me falling off and getting injured was greater. I felt safe with dad near, but now he had let go.  But I didn’t fall (at least not that day). I got the hang of riding a bicycle, but my dad had to let go and let me be on my own so I could learn.  Growing up I didn’t mind being surrounded by people, whether my family or people at my church because I felt comforted knowing that I was not alone and that I wouldn’t ‘fall’ because someone was always around to hold me up. This made me very dependent. As a last born (the treasure of the family if I might add), when the t...

I heard walking does good for your mental wellbeing, so I left the car and walked around the block - I'm disagreeing.  For a girl, walking doesn't do much for your mind,  except fill it with concern 'cause of all the strange eyes observing your behind.  Instead of setting your heart at ease and clearing your head, you pick up more anxiety and frustration instead.  There's no time to hear yourself thinking when your thoughts must wrestle to rise above the cat-calling. There's no time to relax when the hoots of cars passing make your heart jump - oops almost falling.  Definately no time to take in the "fresh" air when you're trying to determine if no one is following you.  No time to release tension when you're trying to avoid the approaching group of men - "please do not pursue".  No longer walking, now almost jogging. Your thoughts filling with worst case scenarios, your brain almost clogging.  Anticipating the moment you'll walk thro...

W hile getting ready for our youth service last week, I was pondering on a very popular ‘youth Scripture’: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young” (1 Timothy 4:12). Being active in ministry from a young age, I know and have lived by this verse. Being young and female in leadership, I am familiar with what is to be undermined and I know what it is to strive to ensure it doesn’t happen. But God’s Word being God’s Word, it never seizes to surprise with ‘newness’. Reading this text this time around, God impressed on my heart that while some of us are quick to make sure that no one looks down on us, we are blinded to how we look down on ourselves - we are despised in our own eyes. I had been learning abit about how the fall into sin impacted our sight and I got drawn back to it while exploring this understanding. Sin literally changed the way we see, not just the world, but ourselves. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they se...