Unexpected Word

I have been meaning to write about this for some time, but something has seemed to come up, or I couldn't come up with the right words to write this.

One Tuesday night, a man with the gift of prophecy came to Christ Community to talk. He is also a musician. It was amazing. I could tell the Lord was there when he first started worship; you just could feel His presence. This man's wife sang and his son played electric guitar with him. His son is a very talented guitar player. There was no sheet music he was following; he was just free styling it as his Dad played the melody. It was so beautiful and wonderful to hear them.

After the music and him teaching on being caught in the middle, he said if anyone wanted prayer they should come up to the front and he would pray over you. At first I wasn't sure if that meant we were all supposed to go up or only some people. After thinking about it for a second I decided I wanted to go up, but I was a little scared to (for silly reasons). It was partly cause I wasn't sure I would like what I would hear, but my curiosity won over my fear. I wanted to know he would say to me.

It took a really long time for the guy to pray for everyone. I was right around the end, so I had time to prepare for what might be said to me. I was hoping it would be something profound, something about my future or certain desires and the timing of their fulfillment. In actuality, it was about the complete opposite of that. The whole thing was recorded, but I did not get a CD, so what I have to share is what I wrote down right after I was prayed for. So here is the basic gist of what was said: (I wish I could show you how my notes are for this cause they are all over, but I'm organizing it for you. =D)

"Back in the Bible days Israel used these huge, like 40,000 tons, stones to make the foundations of the temples. They would move them into place and hand chisel the pillars. You have these big blocks for a foundation. The blocks for the foundation are moving, but they move slowly. Wait and be patient. It takes time; they're not just something you can pick up and move quickly even though you may want that to happen. The foundation is being moved so that something strong can be built on it. Talk to God and share your heart with Him; spend time with Him. PATIENCE!"

When I heard I had to be patient, I sighed and gave a little chuckle. It was frustrating and encouraging all at the same time. Frustrating because I wanted so badly to know something really important and be enlightened about where my life was going; and that is not what I was told. But encouraged because it clarified something I've struggled with about myself. Often times I wonder if God is changing me in any way. A lot of my friends will be able to point out exactly what God is doing in their lives all the time. It has seemed like God is always working in other peoples lives, but it hasn't really appeared like God is doing anything in mine. There are a couple times where that hasn't been the case, but for the most part I feel like I progress really slowly in my relationship with God compared to others. Now it makes sense, kind of. It has helped me to understand why I feel like that, but not why I have been chosen to have my life work that way. SO frustration and some encouragement. And because I have that innate desire to know everything, it makes sense why I would be told to be patient. *sigh -_- lol!

A Sacrifice

A while back, like a long time, an email was sent to me with a story attatched from a pastor. Unfortunately I can't find the email (I must've deleted it by accident), but I remember the story because it left a big impression in my mind. Tonight I was thinking of this story. The story is told by the pastor and it goes something like this...

A man, his son, and the son's friend went out for a fishing trip. (If not fishing, it was something where they were out in water.) During the trip a storm came upon the little boat. Both the son and friend fell overboard. The father was trying to help both of them back onto the boat, but he couldn't do it. He could only save one of the boys. The father had a choice to make, did he help his only son and let the friend die, or did he help the friend and let his only son die. The father knew his son was a Christian and that he would eventually see him again one day, and the he knew the friend wasn't a Christian. So what did he do? He yelled goodbye to his son and helped the friend into the boat. His son drowned, to save the life of someone who didn't know God.

This is a very condensed version of the story, but the point is the father let his only son die so that the non-Christian friend wouldn't. The pastor who told this story was the friend of the son. Because of the father's sacrifice, he gave his life to God. He used this story in his sermon to get the point across about what God did for us when He allowed His only son to die for us so that we could be saved. It struck me as a very interesting and thought provoking way to describe the sacrifice God made for us.

Different Perspective

So I'm gonna do that really annoying thing where I take something secular and turn it into something Christian when it's not. I know there are Christians that hate it when other Christians do that, but I've been thinking about this for a while and it's something I need share.

Here is Taylor Swifts song "You Belong with Me"

You're on the phone with your girlfriend, She's upset
She's going off about something that you said
She doesnt get your humour like I do

I'm in the room, its a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesnt like
And she'll never know your story like I do

But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming bout the day when you'll wake up and find
That what you're lookin for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me
You belong with me

Walkin the streets with you in your worn out jeans
I cant help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on the park bench thinkin to myself
Hey isnt this easy?

And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I havent seen it in awhile, since she brought you down
You say you find I know you better than that
Hey, Whatcha doing with a girl like that?

She wears high heels, I wear sneakers
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming bout the day when you'll wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me

Standin by, waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know that?
You belong with me
You belong with me

Oh I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry
I know your favorite songs and you tell me about your dreams
I think I know where you belong. I think I know it's with me.

Can't you see that I'm the one who understand you?
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me

Standing by or waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know that
You belong with me
You belong with me

Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me
You belong with me

Since being introduced to it by a friend, I've listened to it several times and I must admit that I love this song. While one day I was listening to it, a thought occured to me; this describes God. Call me crazy and stretching it a little, but it's true. The song is about a girl who isn't popular. Instead she's just an average girl. She knows everything about him and how to comfort him. But he wants the popular girl and the 'fun' even though there seems to be a lot of hardship that comes along with that. The girl isn't pushy. She just waits for the time when the guy will realize what she has to offer him. God is the same in many ways. He isn't the really flashy popular girl who causes all the heartache. He's the one who is always there to comfort us, the one who knows everything about us. All He wants is for us to realize that sin may be fun to have a relationship with, but she has a lot of problems and causes a lot of heartache. If only we would turn to Him and devote ourselves to loving Him, everything would work out and we would always be joyful. just as Taylor keeps trying to tell her neighbor she loves him, God keeps trying to let us know how much He loves us. But we keep going back to the popular girl, and we turn our eyes away from the signs that He is placing in the window. So yeah, those are some of my thoughts about this song.