Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Magnified with purpose

Last Sunday (3.8.2010), I attended Image Church (19417 36th Ave W Lynnwood, WA 98036) on a Sunday for the first time. I've gone to their Thursday service once before in December, and just as much I have been blessed and awed at the presence of God in this place.

What I found delightful is how this church was planted only two years ago and yet it is already so solid and established. They branched off their main church in Spokane (if i recall correctly) and started this church with a different vision; a vision in which our church planting group has also been compelled by from God.

The moment I walked in and the praise started I was SSSSOOOOO moved, almost even slain by the spirit. This group of Christians were so loving and community based, it was so refreshing to see. The imageChurch is definitely led by the holy spirit in sync with the most valuable book ever written.

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New entry (3.18.10)

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted anything. I've been really busy >.<

So, I've read through my past entries and have found it pretty depressing xp.

It may also seem unlike me to "mope" about the past issues I wrote about, although there are many more that I keep to myself between God and me ;), but I wanted to assure you all that it's with a purpose.

Sometimes we brush off things that happen in our lives or things we realize about ourselves, therefore diluting the real issues that God wants us to see clearly. Our issues, problems, fears, worries, sorrows, angers, bitterness, hurts, addictions, tendencies, insufficiencies...The world tells us, that to focus on these things is to be weak and weakness is something always frowned upon.
It is in our weakness though, that Jesus preaches, teaches, saves, heals, and graciously loves. Learning the TRUTH about "me" is liberating only with Christ and then from there we are lead to glory. So learn the cutting truth about your "me" and lift it to God; He has plans for you.

Whenever I get home from work, I like to spend a few hours to myself reading, eating, and most of all...watching movies or tv for pure entertainment. One show I have come to appreciate is South Park. I don't promote the way they bash on political issues as their episodes are all pretty much propaganda, but there is always a lot of material they use in their story lines and script that I can use :).
Today, I pluck their idea of the image of Jesus Christ: skinny, all about world peace, loving (although South Park puts it in a sarcastic manner), limp, and weak. The world definitely sees being a Christian as weak. But in this current season of suffering and hopelessness, I have found that being a Christian requires strength, wit, patience, guts, courage, and endurance. however, all this does not come through the ability of man as the world and satan so makes us believe. At a Dare2Share conference I went to 3 years back, I remember the pastor talking about the way the world perceives Jesus. The animation of Jesus on South Park pretty much sums it up, but the pastor shed a new light that in his opinion Jesus was quite the contrary. Back in the day, when Jesus physically walked this earth, his occupation was carpentry. Have you seen carpenters? I don't know about carpenters of today, but carpenters back in the day were much like black smiths: Big, burley, strong, muscular, and pretty much BUFF. He had to carry trees for his entire life (which makes me wonder..to carry that cross to calvary isn't an easy task, and Jesus, having dragged around tree trunks and wooden boards his whole life built in him the stamina to carry it as far as he did) haha. Jesus was quite the man, the pastor described. I don't know how much truth there is to Jesus' physique, but the point I'm trying to make is, as a Christian, weakness is strength. Kinda like one of those quotes: a real man cries!

Anywho. This journey of mine hasn't been an easy one, but as I lookk back, I have definitely climbed pretty high from where I started.

So currently, I'm a nomad; visiting other churches and not tied down to one place, but having the fellowship of my life with my beloved Bridegroom. I am everyday filled with the holy spirit and led by the soft voice of God to live the days of my life.

It was so necessary to explore what I had hidden away or tried to be stronger than. I grew up telling myself that things would get better, that I am strong and can get over whatever obstacles came my way. I still believe it, but without the focus of "me". It took a leap of faith and definitely courage to jump into the black abyss that every person has in their hearts because we are born into sin, and I had to do it alone. I must, however make a shout out to a dear and loving supporter; Jessica Byrd.

Jessica, I know you'll be one of the first to read this entry and I just want to say thank you and from the bottom of my heart I love you. I know that my road would not have been as narrow as the bible mentions, without your prayers, your corrections, encouragement, and love. I thank God that whenever I was close to stepping out of line and go wayward, you stepped in with your sense of justice and pleaded the case for Christ. You were never on my side, you were on His and that's what I love about you the most. When I think of you, the holy spirit is stirred in me :) Thank you for living your life the righteous way as it inspires me to look up always even if the clouds are stormy. Your life is a spirit shaking testimony not because of miracles, prophesies, or anything of the supernatural, but simply because you live each step of your life prayerfully. GOD BLESS YOU. As we joke: If you were a man, I'd marry you! <3


As I end this entry I want to implore you, my readers, that we MUST KNOW the trinity. Not piece by piece as God the Father (.) *period, Jesus the Son (.) and the Holy Spirit (.) but as ONE: God the Father, He as Jesus the Son of God, and Jesus-our God as the holy spirit. Read the bible. Everything lies within being still, ALWAYS praying, and DAILY reading scripture not to just get something out of it, but simply because God is real. Do these things without the expectancy of God doing anything for you, but because He's our King and we are his soldiers..doing these things are His orders and as his subjects, reading the bible, serving led by the spirit, praying, and worshiping Him is a gesture of ours that we acknowledge His omnipotent authority in our life.
Read the Old Testament to learn our Lord's patterns as God the Father.
Read the New Testament and fall in love with the books of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John and I'm sure you will as we learn about God's love and grace through these parts of scripture.
Then continue to read on and learn about the Holy Spirit. How does it become potent in our lives?

The world is becoming an uglier place and Christians, real Christians, must rise up. This spiritual warfare is becoming louder and morbid: stealing, loss, deaths, suicides, addictions, rapes, hurting, killing, separating..

Last sunday, God gave me a glimpse of the end times and I broke down. My body shook and my face was hot and tingly..God spoke so clearly to my heart His plans for this world and showed me the world for what it is today. There are Christians out there who truly believe they are saved and that they are Christians, but when Christ comes to "search our hearts" to see if the holy spirit is there, we will be shocked as some we have believed to be genuine Christians turn out not to be. Only the holy spirit can give us that knowledge and discernment, so hold tight of the Trinity.

In any case, as you may be able to tell through my tone of this entry, I am inspired and ..fine :) haha. I am coming out again and opening myself up again to people :) I still remain, however, unattached to any place or any one and continue to roam "like a nomad" as Jessica would put it. :)

See ya'll next time!

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