Body, Mind, and Spirit – three legs to the tripod.
Body –> from dust to dust.
Mind –> powerful and the cause of incredible advancement but there must be more…
Spirit –> offering a fulfilling meaning to life…? We shall see what I learn. The Alpha course, I hope, will serve as a spark to reignite something in my spirit. Like a tripod all three legs must be extended or the camera will fall over.

This section of Psalm 119 contains the typical appeal to God for understanding of His commands and the wisdom/strength to follow them but it also has this unique line – ‘may those who fear you rejoice when they see me.’

It’s a funny supplication. It initially seems that the author is asking for recognition or glory but I wonder about the true intent behind the prayer.

What if we learned to take greater joy in the fellowship of the Christian church; the body of Christ?

Or what if our faith was so attractive/contagious/joyful that when other believers saw us they would be encouraged and enriched in their own walk? I know that I went through a time last year that I was bitter when I came across someone who seemed so full of the Spirit but now I gain great joy from it. It is a wonderful thing to see the hand of God at work in someone’s life; to see someone in constant communion with Christ.

I hope to get there and be an encouragement to friends around me – that those who fear the Lord would rejoice when they see me!

As I finish writing this up I am also reminded of a thought I had last night – that we as Christians in North America are not challenged enough to defend our faith or even explain our faith.
Perhaps we need more imaginary conversations? But more than likely we need to get up out of our comfortable couches and talk to some strangers!

The invasion of China by Japan before World War II was motivated by a number of things including the plentiful natural resources available to the Japanese along the Chinese mainland. The utter destruction and brutality, including the rape and murder of women and children, was motivated or more mildly put, allowed, by something else entirely. The Shinto beliefs that were prominent among the Japanese in those days promoted the Japanese people as higher life forms. The Chinese they were attacking were not divinely approved of, they were not as human, not as important, intelligent, special, or worthy of life as the Japanese people were. And so, the Chinese were dehumanized and thus their destruction was not an offense.

The Second World War was the result of another group of people that believed God had granted them a special favour and that they were the chosen and superior race. The Nazis were able to justify their treatment of Jews because the Jews were somehow thought to be less than human.

Closer to home… when Canada was initially colonized there was some awful treatment of the First Nations people. Somehow Europeans felt justified in their advancement into occupied territory, killing, raping, and devastating Native populations – often in the name of Christianity and the expansion of the Kingdom of God. These First Nations people were thought to be savages and again, less than human.

Now we come to today… and hopefully you have figured out the bias we are creating and what population we are dehumanizing. Will generations after look back and condemn our actions? Will it only be in hindsight that we see how similar we are to the Japanese, Nazis, and Europeans or old (not to mention similar instances in Cambodia and Sudan)?

A wanted life is always called a baby!

The Bible does not specifically address the issue of when an unborn fetus is considered a life. It was not an Ancient issue – it is a modern one. But David and Jeremiah both write about God’s intimate role in a mother’s womb:
Psalm 139:12-14 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Pastor Ken closed his talk by stating that the sixth commandment can be written in a more positive light to read; “You shall honor life”
There is so much more that can be said about this subject including the intrinsic value of life solely based on the fact that we, and all people, are created in the image of God but that is for a more advanced writing.

My research is not very deep – taken from the two speakers – so I hope I haven’t miss-quoted or miss-represented anything. I hope the idea is conveyed correctly and without offense. This would make a great NATS paper…

Teth is the section of Psalm 119 between verses 65 and 72.
Do good to Your servant according to Your word, O Lord. Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe in Your commands… You are good, and what You do is good; teach me Your decrees… The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

It’s a book. By Richard Bolles. I have been told to read it.

It’s interesting to reflect on this unemployment period in my life. I feel frustrated and depressed but find it hard to explain why. I feel like all that I’ve know and become familiar with over the last few years has changed. In school you always have something to do – whether it’s homework or friends you can stay pretty busy fairly easily. Now… there are still things to do I suppose but they don’t seem very fun, or very important at times for that matter. I’m used to being surrounded by and living with people. I used to eating different foods, hearing different languages, laughing with friends, staying up late watching movies or having deep conversations – but usually the movie wins out =) I’m used to being in an environment saturated with Christ. Jesus was talked about and I was repeatedly being challenged to pursue Him through the Word and prayer. I had purpose at Trinity. I was valued and even looked up to. I had tasks ahead of me that could be accomplished. Now what?
How do I find the community I’m used to in a new place? What will it look like – because it can’t look the same? As much as I’d like to be working and feel that sense of responsibility and purpose I know that it’s the people that I really miss. Trinity, I miss you. I miss random people walking into my apartment. I miss being interrupted from homework. I miss intramurals. I miss meetings with Ribes. I miss the familiarity of the Chemistry lab and the confidence I had in it. I miss the beautiful campus. Now what?
I’m stuck. I’m stuck between holding on that past – and some of it is not necessarily gone – and looking to what’s ahead. I don’t know whether I should be keeping strings attached to the people at Trinity – how? what does that look like? – or if I am to search for a completely new community.

The parachute book is about vocational calling and is for job hunters. Perhaps it’s not quite what I need.

I was reading this yesterday and was stopped at that first line – “You are my portion” – a thankful prayer and a desire of my heart, it is such a powerful phrase.

A friend of mine gets married today and as I think about how my marriage has begun I rejoice with him but I also think of these verses as a great prayer; that the Lord would truly be their portion and that He would teach them His ways, that together they would learn to live the blessed life.

Remember Your word to Your servant, for You have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

May Your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise;… I will always obey Your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your precepts. I will speak of Your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in Your commands because I love them.

I’m thinking about a lot of things today… some encouragements and even criticisms on the weekend to continue to pursue the ways of God and discover how He would have me live. It is an ongoing pursuit; a journey that will carry us the course of our lives; a decision that must be made continually, at every moment.
Just as a place to note these ideas… I’ve been trying to read through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in a couple different translations. I also read the story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den the other day and was inspired by the life of Daniel – definitely a strong biblical character and worth study and (whatever that word is that means to follow or copy the actions of…?). Finally, my pastor yesterday read from another section of John 15 in which Jesus calls himself the Resurrection and the Life; it would be interesting to look through the ‘I am’ statements of Jesus in the book of John again. I haven’t done that since my Bible class in grade 10 =) Thank you Mr Rosenau.