just felt like saying that sometimes life throws the unexpected at you and perhaps that is what makes it a crazy ride. or is that just obvious?

countdown

15 days to illegality and counting. or maybe i shouldn't put things like that on here!

how to spell faith.

While reading an article by Sarah Bainbridge (whoever she is) (but click here for the article) I came across this statement:



Faith is not spelt R-I-S-K. It is spelt T-R-U-S-T.

and of course,

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."



Our faith is tied up with our TRUST in our Father. What a thought. And of course, when we trust, well what does that do to our faith?

Perhaps the vision that Jesus has for his church:

People made community. A community without walls, made up of every type, color, race and culture. Real people, with flesh and blood, with ugly pasts, broken and imperfect, being transformed. A community where people without hope, without resources and without love can go and instead of being judged for their imperfections, flaws and sins, be loved. A place where those who have always been last, marginalized and rejected are served by those who have been first. Where those who have forgotten how to dream, learn again to have dreams. A home where those who have forgotten what it is to belong or have never had a father or a mother, learn again what it is to be part of a family.

A community of people who are learning to love God with all their heart, soul and strength. A community where people are committed to loving their neighbor more than themselves. A unselfish love, completely sacrificial.

A community that remembers the poor, and is willing to suffer and go without in order to help another. That doesn’t just use tithes and offerings for their personal projects, buildings or institutions, but rather to help those who are hungry, thirsty and don’t have a place to sleep or clothes to cover their nakedness, those who are sick, whether with AIDS or lung cancer, and those who find themselves in prison. And not only give of their money but of their homes, of their time and their love. People who lay down their lives at the feet of Christ and say, “Here is my life, do with it as you wish.”

A community of imperfect, forgiven sinners who despite their mistakes, forgive, 70 times 7. People who refuse to speak badly of another. People who fight for justice and lift up the oppressed, while always turning the other cheek. A community angered by injustice in their society and willing to fight for justice, even at the risk of losing it’s reputation.

A community of people that pray together. That seek after God, that long for his presence here on earth. That try to live like Jesus lived, imitating him in all that he did, always in contact with the rejected- prostitutes, beggars, homosexuals and immigrants. People who study his life together along with the rest of the Bible. People full of the Holy Spirit, living by Him in love, joy and peace, patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. Leaving behind the old person with all those old desires, crucified with Christ. People that become like Christ a little more each day, each day striving for holiness, and always covered by God’s immense grace. People willing to lay down pride and be vulnerable. People that understand that the reason they are there has nothing to do with personal merit and that they love only because He first loved them.

A community of people committed to living out Jesus’ love and everything else that he said to a broken world. Always beginning with the person next to them, be it a friend or an enemy, be it easy or hard.

A group of people willing to allow God to do all this in them. And then these people, this church, will shine like the sun amidst a cold, dark world and the glory of God will be seen through these imperfect, striving, broken yet whole, human beings, His church.

Quizás la visión que tenga Jesús para su iglesia:

Personas hechas una comunidad. Una comunidad sin paredes, construida de gente de todo tipo, color, raza y cultura. Personas de verdad, con sangre y huesos, con pasados, quebrantados, imperfectos. Una comunidad donde las personas sin esperanza, sin recursos, sin amor puedan acudir y en vez de ser juzgados por sus imperfecciones, defectos y pecados, ser amados. Un lugar donde los que siempre hayan sido los últimos, los marginados, los rechazados sean servidos por los primeros. Donde los que hayan olvidado soñar, aprendan de nuevo a tener sueños. Un hogar donde los que hayan olvidado lo que es pertenecer o no hayan tenido padres y madres, aprendan de nuevo a ser parte de una familia.

Una comunidad de personas que estén aprendiendo a amar a Dios con toda su alma, su corazón y su fuerza. Una comunidad de personas comprometidas a amar a su prójimo más que a sí mismo. Un amor nada egoísta, desinteresado.

Una comunidad que tenga en cuenta a los pobres, y esté dispuesta a pasar necesidad para ayudar a otro. Que no sólo use sus diezmos y ofrendas para sus proyectos personales, edificios e instituciones, sino para la ayuda a los que pasen hambre, sed y no tengan donde dormir ni con que vestirse, los que no gocen de buena salud, sea SIDA o cáncer del pulmón, y los que se encuentren en la cárcel. Y que no sólo dé de su dinero sino también de sus hogares, de su tiempo y de su amor. Gente que entregue su vida a los pies de Cristo y diga, “aquí la tienes, haz con ella lo que quieras.”

Una comunidad de pecadores perdonados que no sean perfectos y aunque cometan errores, perdonen, hasta 70 veces 7. Personas que se nieguen a hablar mal de otro. Personas que luchen por la justicia y levanten al oprimido, siempre mostrando la otra mejilla. Una comunidad no conforme con la injusticia en su sociedad y dispuesta a luchar por la justicia, aunque pierda su reputación.

Una comunidad de personas que oren juntos. Que busquen a Dios, que anhelen su presencia aquí, en esta tierra. Que intenten vivir como Jesús vivió, imitándole en todo lo que hizo, siempre en contacto con los marginados- prostitutas, mendigos, homosexuales e inmigrantes, estudiando juntos su vida y lo demás de la Biblia. Personas llenas del Espíritu Santo, viviendo según él, en amor, alegría y paz, de paciencia, amabilidad y bondad, fidelidad, humildad y dominio propio. Dejando atrás la vieja persona con todos sus malos deseos, crucificada con Cristo. Personas que cada día sean más como Cristo, cada día vivan más en santidad, y siempre cubiertas con la gracia inmensa de Dios. Personas que entiendan que el hecho de que están ahí no ha sido por merito propio y que aman sólo porque Él les amó primero.

Una comunidad de personas comprometidas a mostrar ese amor de Jesús y todo lo que él dijo a un mundo roto. Siempre empezando con la persona a su lado, sea su amigo o enemigo, sea fácil o difícil.

Un grupo de personas que esté dispuesto a dejar que Dios haga todo esto en ellos. Y entonces estas personas, esta iglesia, brillará como el sol en medio de un mundo oscuro y frío y la gloria de Dios se mostrará a través de estos imperfectos, quebrantados pero completos, seres humanos, sus hijos, su iglesia.

eye actualización

It's been four weeks since the eye op and I'm doing okay. Not great, not horrible. Apparently it just takes a while to recover. My pupils seems to be constantly dilated, which means I see blurry. And I'm tired of seeing blurry. It's definitely better than before. And it's definitely better in the early afternoon than at night.
They aren't are dry now. For the first two weeks and something they were dry as a kite. Or maybe it's bone. During the op I was high as a kite thanks to the Valium, but that's not the point. The point is I don't have to use eye drops near as much. I feel like I am putting them in about every hour (in spurts) rather than every 12 minutes. Progress.

What I don't know is if I will have perfect vision when it's all said and done. It will take about three months to know for sure. If I don't I can go under the laser again for free and they will touch it up. That would be another three months of recuperation though (and four hours of possible post-op agony). In the scope of things though it's nothing really. Anything for 20/20 without the aid of glasses/contacts!

old quote

I came across an old quote by Dostoyevski that made me think...


To love a person means to see him as God intended him to be.
-Dostoyevski

sanctus real

whatever you're doing.

campus america

it's 2009 and 90,90,90

for a few days i purposely avoided blogging. from about december 26th till december 27th. cause on the 26th i realized that for the past 3 years i have posted exactly 90 times each year. and as of the 26th i had 90 for 2008. so for 2 days i didn't blog so it would stay there. that's not cheating very much. and as far as i can remember it hasn't been on purpose (until those two days). then i went to madrid where i didn't have internet so from the 27th till the 31st i wasn't avoiding blogging. just for the record.

happy 2009 by the way. here they say happy new year to everyone till about the third week of february...