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Monday, 28 December 2009

Engagement Pictures

Here are some of the pictures that I promised...

I just picked out some of my favorites, but you can see more in my album.

Enjoy :)

Well, there you go... Let me know what you think!

Wednesday, 23 December 2009

Inhumane

I caught something on the History channel the other night... it was called "102 Minutes That Changed America". It was about what happened on September 11th, 2001.
As I was watching it, I was moved to tears. There was an evolution of emotions. Seeing people's reactions to the fire coming from the first tower raised a ton of questions... "What happened here?", "Is this some sort of accident?"
There were people jumping out of the building left and right, unable to handle a number of different things... Too much smoke... too much heat... not being able to handle that their fate was no longer in their hands... This was the saddest thing I've ever seen...
Then the second plane hit the other tower... Right then, people began to realize that this was no accident... This was somehow planned... This was terrorism... People were angry. The responses I heard the most were either, "Oh my God." or something along the lines of, "We need to return fire."
As I was watching, I saw thousands of New York City citizens running frantically. They were running towards ground zero and away from ground zero- it was chaos, but it seemed that the police handled things very well. People who were recording the event from their homes weren't sure if they should stay where they were or if they should vacate their building. I saw the mass hysteria and the bitterness and the depression of the people. Many citizens were interviewed and a lot of them reported having friends in the World Trade Center- hoping and praying they were ok.
A little while later in the video, I heard the worried voice of a fire fighter on another fire fighter's radio. He was checking all the corners of a room for people who needed help out of the WTC. His voice sounded horrified... as if he knew what was about to happen- and not even a minute later, his tower came falling down.
This was a moment that changed our history- and you can see the change being effected immediately on the video.
Then the second tower fell, and their was silence.

As smoke, debris, and ashes filled the streets, one of the people documenting what was happening began filming a pigeon which had just landed on the sidewalk. I assume the pigeon was wondering what made today so different than any other day. Why was everything so quiet? Why are so many people running? Where is all this mess coming from? After all, the pigeon doesn't need to worry about other pigeons blowing up it's nest. It typically doesn't need to worry about smoke and fire consuming the trees. It doesn't need to worry about retaliation. It just does what it does... it searches the streets of New York City for food. And it carries the food back to it's nest, it sleeps, and that is its day.
And we often say that what happened on September 11th 2001 was inhumane... I don't know if that's the right word... I mean, I don't see pigeons bombing pigeons. Or lemurs bombing coyotes or whatever... It wasn't right, it wasn't just, and it wasn't Godly... that much we can be sure about... but from the beginning of time, human kind has done very "inhumane" things... and only the culture in which we live, can determine whether or not our inhumane acts are justifiable.
We are so stupid sometimes...
We are so small... and we don't even realize it... We are so small. Think about how big our world is. Then compare it Jupiter. Then compare it to the sun. Then compare it to our entire universe. We are not big at all. We are dust in the wind- and sometimes, we must be humbled. We are smart... but yet, how much we know certainly has nothing to say about how wise we actually are... most of the time, we're not wise at all.
I mean... what gives anyone the right to say who is deserving of life and who isn't? What right do we have to play God? What right do we have to say what justice is? What gives us the right to attack those who don't agree with our way of life? And what gives us the right to retaliate? This is the nature of all that is inhumane... It is humane to love our enemies. It is humane to pray for those who persecute us. It is humane to leave justice in the hands of our Creator- but not to play God. Not to attack in hopes to harm, kill, or destroy. Not to retaliate.

Monday, 14 December 2009

God Became Man

I was asked to write something for our Christmas Eve service. The theme is Jesus as the light of the world. All input would be great!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Then, God, through His Word, created the heavens and the Earth. The Earth was formless and empty. Darkness covered the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.

God said, "Let there be Light" and there was light. He saw the light and said that it - is - good. Then, God separated the light from the darkness.

Through the Word, God created everything. And without the Word, nothing was made that has been made. Everything He made, God said was good. Everything was perfect. He created a man named Adam and from the rib of Adam, He created a woman named Eve. He created them in His image, made to be pure and without sin, yet with the ability to choose to do right or to do wrong. He placed the man and the woman in the garden called Eden and said, "You can eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or you will die."

The devil, representing all darkness, came to Eve disguised as a serpent. He convinced her that God lied to her about the fruit on that tree. He said, "You won't die if you eat it! Your eyes will be open and you will know the things that God knows! Eat the fruit." So Eve ate it and she gave some to her husband, Adam. Adam ate the fruit and just as God had said, death entered the world.

Sin and death had entered the world, separating human kind from God, but in the Word, there was life. And that life is the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, but the darkness could not understand that light.

God had a plan to connect with human kind again. He would send His Son, who would die by crucifixion, so that we may be forgiven for our sins... so that light can overpower the darkness:

The people walking in the darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. For unto us, a child is born. Unto us, a son is given and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!

Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this!

He is the firstborn Son of God, born to a young virgin in the town of Bethlehem. And He will be called Immanuel- God with us.

God sent ahead of the Word, a man to testify to that light that was coming. This man was called John the Baptizer. He himself was not the light, but he came as a witness to the light so that all men might believe. The true light that gives light of all men, women, and children will be coming into the World.

The Word was in the world, and even though he was the world's creator, they did not recognize Him as God. They rejected Him. But to those who did not reject Him, and to those who believed in His name, He gave right to be called children of God. Children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God!

One night, more than two thousand years ago, the Word became flesh, born in a stable in the town of Bethlehem. And he lived with us, as a man, yet He was God. We have seen His glory; the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, born of grace and truth. This was Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The light of the world.

Saturday, 12 December 2009

Tiger Woods Quits

Tiger Woods decided to quit golf, indefinitely, in hopes to try and save his marriage.
At least 11 women have admitted to having sex with Tiger Woods. I really hope and pray that he can save his marriage. One thing is for certain, Tiger, just like any one of us, needs forgiveness... and not only from his wife (which is totally her choice!). Our culture really looks up to him... and just like any human being, he made terrible choices and horrible mistakes. But one thing we need to remember is that he is still a person... not a monster. And he really does have a heart.
It seems to me that Tiger is really trying to set things right again (no one backs out of a multimillion dollar career for anything not worth it!). Quitting Golf to focus on what really matters in life sure speaks for itself.
Do you think Tiger Woods did the right thing by quitting?

Thursday, 10 December 2009

The Perfect Gift

Shalom.

In the beginning, there was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

There was a time when the winter solstice was on December 25th. This was a time where the Romans (and many other pagans) celebrated the beginning of longer days with light. Christianity recognized an allegory between this pagan time of festivities and the True Light coming to earth. So because the light came to earth, Christianity adopted this holiday, calling it Christmas, literally meaning "Christ's Mass". They called it "Christ's Mass" because they figured the most important part of celebrating Jesus' birth was to attend mass and enjoy the Lord's supper with the other believers. The first recorded use of this term, we know of is in CE 1038.

So we celebrate Christmas near the winter solstice to celebrate the Light coming to earth. So why was Jesus "the Light?" Well, light is pure. Light separates the darkness. Darkness... it really isn't anything... it isn't tangible. It is simply the absence of light. And in this dark world, although the light was there, the darkness couldn't understand it... So God chose a young woman named Mary to carry Him into the world, so we could see the light- so we could know who God is- so we could finally connect with God again. However, Mary was a virgin and not yet married. But an angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. Then she will become pregnant, and give birth to a son that will be called the Son of God.

But this "Son of God" is God incarnate, because He was there in the beginning, with God.

God saw our brokenness. He saw mankind in the darkness and He heard mankind's cry. He always has... And because our God is a loving God... and because our God is a just God, he prepared a way for salvation, through His Son, Jesus Christ- through Himself- the Light of men- the Light of the World.

Through God- Through God limiting himself, becoming man, we can now recognize the Light. We are able to attain salvation, if we believe in His name. And to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-- not born of flesh, natural descent, nor a man's decision, nor a husband's will, but born of spirit-- born of God.

Brothers and sisters-- You are not mere men and women. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You are a new creation; a citizen of heaven. You are a child of God... because you've seen the Light of men... Now you've received the perfect gift: the gift of and from Christ.