Monday, December 17, 2007
Making little one's Christmas
My kids were full of joy tonight as they finally got real beds for Christmas handed down from some generous families in the church body with new sheets and comforters. They were ecstatic! They were so surprised, screamed and cried. My son cried for quite some time. The girls were cheezin' ear to ear. Praise God for His family.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Agloco on Hold
Sorry folks! Received through email:
We would like to update you on the status of AGLOCO's operations. We continue to believe in the AGLOCO concept, but our revenue is currently not sufficient to give Members a meaningful distribution. And though there are increases in membership, the resulting revenue is not enough to support operating costs. As a development team we are unable to continue to use our savings to fund the operations. If any Member would like to pursue continuing the operations of AGLOCO, you may contact us at agloco1@live.com .
We would like to thank every Member for supporting our effort to bring a piece of the Internet directly to the user. We hope that we can find a way to keep the operations going.
AGLOCO Development Team
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Cloak & Dagger Christians
Something occurred to me last night as I lay awake in bed: Christianity can be two things for us- a cloak or a dagger. Here's the difference:
If we use Christianity as a covering over our weaknesses and sinful natures, as a mask that conceals what is really in our hearts, then it is a cloak, a disguise. We just play the part, trying to ask ourselves in every situation, "What would Jesus do?" as if imitating Him externally will make us pure. Cloaked Christians tend to feel less compassion towards those who struggle, looking down on their weaknesses, and feeling proud of their own moral superiority. These are the ones in Jesus' parable who pray, "Thank you, God, that I am not like this tax collector."
A cloak is imposed from the outside and only covers over what is underneath, the heart of a person. We only reveal what seems "Christian-like" in us, and keep the rest tucked away in the depths of our heart. But God knows our hearts, and in smaller degrees so do other discerning individuals.
If our Christian experience acts as a dagger, however, then it pierces our hearts, changing our entire beings from the inside- out. It exposes every part of us, whether pretty or ugly, strong or weak, and it allows the love of Jesus to inhabit and eventually transform our very nature.
The scary part of dagger Christianity is that it requires transparency, admitting weaknesses and mistakes, and confessing our sins to one another. It demands that we take an honest look at ourselves and allow others to look into our hearts. This makes us vulnerable, but in the end it reveals what we truly are- fallen creatures who are fully dependent on His love and mercy. And we become so thankful that He made the sacrifice to love and die for us, even when we were still His enemies.
Let's not be mysterious cloak-wearers, hiding ourselves under a garment of false pretenses and Norman Rockwell-ian, "all is peachy with me" guises.
Let's become warriors, battling with unsheathed dagger the desires to hide our real selves in the closet of prideful shame. Jesus wants to use us in our weakness, even because of our weaknesses. Only then will we remain totally dependent on Him and compassionate and merciful toward others who struggle. And then we will truly be doing what Jesus called us to do- love one another as He loved us.
http://glory-story.blogspot.com/2006/05/cloaks-daggers.html
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Lord, I want to be where You are.
If we use Christianity as a covering over our weaknesses and sinful natures, as a mask that conceals what is really in our hearts, then it is a cloak, a disguise. We just play the part, trying to ask ourselves in every situation, "What would Jesus do?" as if imitating Him externally will make us pure. Cloaked Christians tend to feel less compassion towards those who struggle, looking down on their weaknesses, and feeling proud of their own moral superiority. These are the ones in Jesus' parable who pray, "Thank you, God, that I am not like this tax collector."
A cloak is imposed from the outside and only covers over what is underneath, the heart of a person. We only reveal what seems "Christian-like" in us, and keep the rest tucked away in the depths of our heart. But God knows our hearts, and in smaller degrees so do other discerning individuals.
If our Christian experience acts as a dagger, however, then it pierces our hearts, changing our entire beings from the inside- out. It exposes every part of us, whether pretty or ugly, strong or weak, and it allows the love of Jesus to inhabit and eventually transform our very nature.
The scary part of dagger Christianity is that it requires transparency, admitting weaknesses and mistakes, and confessing our sins to one another. It demands that we take an honest look at ourselves and allow others to look into our hearts. This makes us vulnerable, but in the end it reveals what we truly are- fallen creatures who are fully dependent on His love and mercy. And we become so thankful that He made the sacrifice to love and die for us, even when we were still His enemies.
Let's not be mysterious cloak-wearers, hiding ourselves under a garment of false pretenses and Norman Rockwell-ian, "all is peachy with me" guises.
Let's become warriors, battling with unsheathed dagger the desires to hide our real selves in the closet of prideful shame. Jesus wants to use us in our weakness, even because of our weaknesses. Only then will we remain totally dependent on Him and compassionate and merciful toward others who struggle. And then we will truly be doing what Jesus called us to do- love one another as He loved us.
http://glory-story.blogspot.com/2006/05/cloaks-daggers.html
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Lord, I want to be where You are.
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