This week is missions week here at Moody. We don't have classes for the rest of the week, but we are all required to attend 12 hours of sessions about missions. It's pretty cool, and next Monday and Tuesday are study/reading days, or as my Theology professor Dr. Barbieri called them "See how far you can get away from campus days." I do have to use them for study and reading, because I have a reading report due for OT Survey that Thursday and still need to read quite a bit before I can write it.
I wanted to address something, just clear it up for everyone. We're not that busy up here. I realized how many times we had written that we were "so busy" in previous posts, and it's not that dramatic. Are we tired when we get home? Yes. Are we sometimes cranky? Well, Stephanie is, but not me. Do we have goofy schedules? Yes. But we have plenty of free time, it's just not usable for social interaction sometimes. You see, we have large chunks of time when we just sit around and watch TV, or cook, or eat. We even have about 8 hours every day when we just sleep. It's ridiculous, really. Honestly, though, it's not that bad. Stephanie has Thursdays off of work and I have Saturdays off, and we both have Sundays all to ourselves. Just wanted to clear that up.
During chapel this morning, the drama team came up and narrated stories of different Moody graduates who went out into the rest of the world in international missions and became martyrs. It was just incredible to listen to these stories, and the fact that they were true - you could imagine everything so clearly, it was absolutely moving. If you haven't seen the movie End of the Spear, you need to. People act like people only died for their faith in the early church, but today there are huge numbers of Christians around the world being persecuted and even killed. Imagine being killed by the same people you are trying to reach with a message that will change their lives, and nobody is forcing them to accept it. But for the simple opportunity to present it to them, those people are willing to die. The speaker this morning quoted D.L. Moody when someone asked him "Mr. Moody, do you have a martyr's grace?" which means, do you have the grace toward others so that even if they would kill you, you would love them to the very end. He responded in saying "No, I don't, but if God wanted me to be a martyr, He would give me the grace." Think about what that would be like. Could you give up your life like that, willingly, for the sake of the gospel? It's worth thinking about.
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Cor 12:9
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6 comments:
Jesse and Stephanie, I have not talked with you two for awhile. speaking of which i lost your phone number. If you would so desire you could email it to me.
In response to your question however, i beleive i would be willing to die. of course its a lot easier saying this now. but I would die fighting back. should I? I dont know. maybe In certain situations. If its a war of course. to die not fighting back would be the most difficult by a marginal difference. at least for me. even if i knew that I would die either way. email me or call me some time. talk to you later
Today is my birthday! I have a painting class on Tuesdays. One of the ladies who comes also brigs her mom who is 85 years old. Her mom lives in a cottage near the nursing home's large building. So after painting we all went to the "restaurant" at the nursing home for lunch. It was all very lovely and fancy and cooked to order, but there is nothing like going to the nursing home for lunch on your birthday. It made me really resolve to take better care of myself and my loved ones.
That's just my story for the day.
Gary and I have talked much about this and we both have the "gift" (if you would call it that) of maryterdom. We have read many mission biographies and we ask ourselves if we were in the same shoes, what would we do?
Central had it's misson's emphasis weekend a week and half ago and it went well. We had a missionary speaker from Wycliffe who shared about his time in Papua New Guinea reaching out to a native people group who had never heard the Gospel before. We had another speaker Sunday morning who shared about missions and then Sunday night we showed an awesome movie about a college girl who went to China to teach English and through that came in contact with a 9-yr.-old Chinese orphan whom she worked to get her adopted in the U.S. If you ever have the chance to see it, it's called "Home Beyond the Sun".
Yes it is good be busy, especially when you are bein busy for the Lord. I hope I never get so I cannot do that. I love being busy as long as I dont overdo and get stressed out. I think we have to have a balanced life, I too get cranky when I get tired. Jesse you must have a special gift if dont get a little irritable when you get tired. Share that with Grandpa would you. Maybe you are more tolerable because of what you are doing and knowing it is what the Lord wants of your life right now. I get excited when I see your posts, I check them often. I am glad you at least have some time together. I have cut my working days at the store to 2 days a week and every other Saturday, but I am leading 2 bible studies and 1 on line group, so that keeps me busy plus I am into making baby quilts, I think with 16 grandchildren I may be able to used them some day.
Well gotta go, Aunt Lisa and kids are coming over so I can repair a pair of sweats for a couple of the cheerleaders. Love you, Grandma Jan
I do get cranky, I was just kidding about Stephanie being the only one to get cranky. In fact, she is probably less cranky than me most of the time. I don't know, I guess you would have to ask her.
I knew you just kidding, so was I.
Grandma
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