Living the Scriptures Literally!

this is a remarkable article about a man who lived the Bible literally for one year. read an interview here… comments welcome.

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/10/10/what-happens-when-an-agnostic-follows-the-bible-literally-for-one-year/

A Parable

by Sarah Wright

They were quick, silent, and efficient. Before she realized what was happening, they had stuffed a rag in her mouth, pinned her arms to her sides, and pulled her into the alley. They stopped behind a pile of garbage bags. Her purse was the first thing to go, followed quickly by her jeans and panties. She struggled and they hit her with practiced ease. Finally, one of them hit her head with enough force to knock her unconscious. They were soon finished. They walked out onto the street and away into the approaching dawn.

Some time later, the sound of purposeful footsteps drew near. The pastor’s wife happened to be running a few errands nearby. She reached into her purse and pulled out a stick of chewing gum. After popping the gum into her mouth, she crumpled the wrapper and tried to drop it in her purse. At that moment, however, a slight breeze caught the wrapper and bounced it to the mouth of the alley. The pastor’s wife paused.

~ ~ ~

Great, now I have to chase after that blasted little piece of paper. Couldn’t I just leave it? It’s really small, that alley’s really dark, and there’s already so much trash in it, you’d hardly notice one little gum wrapper.

No. With my luck, another one of Mrs. Harrison’s granddaughters is walking right behind me and is going to go running back to her grandma to report my latest misdemeanor, littering on a public street. How was I supposed to know that girl at the register was the
granddaughter of the biggest gossip in the congregation? It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t also married to The Head Elder. I can just see her now, looking all prim and proper in the front pew. I wonder if she ever unbends around any of the fifty zillion grandchildren.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten upset with the girl in the store. But couldn’t she see I was in a hurry? The stupid register was clearly ringing the wrong price. But she couldn’t just take my word for it, no, I’m only the pastor’s wife. She had to go and call somebody else who had to go and take their sweet time getting to the register, then take their sweet time finding the right price, and finally take their sweet time getting back to the register. I should have just walked out. But what did that girl have to be so emotional for, anyway? All I did was keep telling her I was in a hurry. You know, places to go, people to
see. But no, she had to go and start crying. Stupid teenagers and their stupid hormones.

What’s that? Are those a woman’s feet sticking out from behind that pile of garbage? Is she ok? This isn’t exactly the type of place you lie down for a nap. Oh my gosh, I hope she isn’t dead. I don’t think I could handle that. Is she dead is she dead is she dead…

Oh, wait. Yup, that’s definitely a beer can right next to her. Some drunk passed out from a night of partying. Still, this probably isn’t the best place for her to sleep it off. Somebody might come and do something to her. I wonder if I should help her find
a taxi or something.

Yeah, and then we all know what’s going to happen next. Mrs. Harrison’s granddaughter is going to see the pastor’s wife walking down the street and supporting an obviously intoxicated woman. There goes the pastor’s wife, hanging out with her alcoholic
friends again. You know that pastor’s wife, a model of decorum she is. She was looking a little tired last Sunday morning, and now we all know why. Out livin’ it up Saturday night! I can just see the rumors fly.

Thank you, no. Someone with less of a reputation at stake is going to have to help this lost lamb home.

~ ~ ~

The pastor’s wife snatched up the crumpled wrapper and thrust it into her purse. Her angry footsteps quickly receded.

The next sound to come near the alley was the happy yapping of a small terrier. It trotted into the alley, dragging its leash behind it. Spying the woman, the terrier walked over and curiously sniffed at one leg.

“Jack!” The terrier looked up and wagged its tail as the small group leader hurried into the alley.

~ ~ ~

That silly dog, running off every chance he gets. Why did Tom have to choose a little ankle biter instead of a nice, big, sedate dog that I spend half the time walking and the other half running after? At least with him around to keep me running, I won’t have to
worry about that gym membership. But I won’t be able to chase after him much longer, not with this baby growing inside of me. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl. I hope it’s a girl.

If it’s a girl, her name will be Elizabeth Ann. I’ll be able to dress her in that adorable pink dress that was in the store window. And all of those cute little booties and socks. Then, when she gets older, I can do her hair every morning before school. We’ll be best friends and she’ll tell me about all of her little girl crushes. She’ll love me forever and ever
and we’ll never fight. At least, not like Mom and I. Of course, I won’t have to spend all of my time taking care of a “mentally challenged” baby brother, either.

What did she see in him, anyway? It wasn’t like he was anything special. He didn’t get the best grades in the class, like I did. He didn’t become sixth grade class president, like I did. He was never captain of the cheer leading squad, like I was. He never even graduated high school, let alone get a full-ride scholarship to one of the best Christian
universities on the West Coast, like I did. No, she was more proud of him when he remembered to say, “Please” and “Thank you.” We went out to dinner to celebrate when he learned how to color inside of the lines, but I had to get engaged before my parents took me out anywhere to celebrate.

And then when he went and died, Mom cried for days. You’d think she’d have been happy that she didn’t have to take care of him anymore, but no, she missed him. I was happy. I thought we’d finally be able to have a normal mother-daughter relationship. But all she ever wanted to do was talk about him, the brother who still wet his bed when he was fifteen.

Oh, great, what’s the dog found this time? I hope it’s not another rat. That was disgusting when he found the last one and dragged it inside the house.

Oh my goodness, what’s that thing sticking out there? Jack, get away from that! It’s some filthy, dirty, homeless woman! She has to be sick, only a sick person would fall asleep next to some stinking trash bags. Healthy people have nice normal beds and nice
normal lives. She doesn’t even have a cardboard box or a bridge to go hide under. Thank God that I’m not like her.

If she’s sick, maybe that means I can get whatever she has. What would that do to my baby? Would my baby get sick, too? Would I have some sort of defected baby?

No, God couldn’t do that to me, not after making me grow up with one.

~ ~ ~

The small group leader quickly grabbed for the terrier’s leash and dragged the dog out of the alley without glancing backwards. The terrier’s yipping faded away into the distance.

A little while later, a Mormon woman walked into the alley, carrying a bag of trash. As she headed toward the garbage pile, she looked down and gasped, horrified. The trash bag dropped from her hand and she rushed up to the prostrate woman. With one hand,
she gently reached out to touch the woman’s face, while the other fumbled in her pocket for a cell phone.

The woman on the ground stirred at the Mormon woman’s touch and, with a sharp intake of breath, opened her eyes. She saw the anxious face of the Mormon woman above her own and burst into uncontrollable sobbing, hugging her arms close to her body.

~ ~ ~

I’m so sorry, honey. It will be ok, I promise. You’re safe, I’m here to help you. You’re in good hands, now.

Guest Speaker

we will be having a guest speaker this week.

Professor Kurtes Quesinberry will be preaching from Mark 14:1-11

Prof. Quesinberry has taught Practical Theology at Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology since 2001. His M.Div. was earned at Fuller Theological Seminary and he is currently pursuing a Th.D. from Asia Baptist Graduate
Theological Seminary in Hong Kong.

Rev. Quesinberry has pastored at several churches in America and in Korea. He was Chaplain with the US Army and is now retired after over 20 years of service. Rev. Quesinberry’s passion is worship and is currently leading a project to translate lyrically and poetically well-known Korean praise music and distribute them to the world Christian community. He is married with four children.

A Living Sacrifice

by Sarah Wright

Dave mentioned at one of the Sunday morning meetings Paul’s words about giving our bodies as a living sacrifice and worshiping wholly, and then it came up in our women’s Bible study last week. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember the exact verses. I think it is in
Romans, though. Anyways, these words came into my head:

“Wholly Yours – A Living Sacrifice”

I give You my eyes
that I might see Your beauty.
I give you my arms
that they might rise to praise You.
I give You my legs
that they might stand before You.
I give You my heart
that it might be made joyful.

I give You my ears
that they might hear Your words.
I give you my shoulders
that they might bow before You.
I give You my feet
that they might go where You lead.
I give You my spirit
that it might be made humble.

I give You my hands
that they might show Your mercy.
I give you my back
that it might support another.
I give You my tongue
that it might be a tree of life.
I give You my self
that I might be wholly Yours.

Free Bible Reading Plans

Bible Reading plans are now available online at our media box account here. There are three to choose from according to your personal need. They were actually taken from DiscipleshipJournal which has some other great free resources.

God bless you as you search for Jesus in the Scriptures…

Pastor Dave

What Does it Mean to Glorify God?

After today’s Women’s Bible Study, I researched just this question. After all, God is infinite, omnipotent, omniscient, creator of the universe. What can I, a broken sinner, do to bring glory to Him? The whole concept made no sense. One might as well ask a drop of rainwater (acid rain at that) to glorify the Atlantic Ocean.

My seach brought me to this interesting article.

In the Hebrew, the word glorify is kabod; and in the Greek, it is doxazo. Interestingly enough, there are really two different aspects of this word:

First, to glorify means to shine, to demonstrate and to manifest the divine. (Exodus 16:7; 24:16) In other words, glory represents the Lord’s presence.

Quite a tall order. And it gets even more intense:

That glory also filled the tabernacle in the wilderness. Listen to Exodus 40:34-35: “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.”

That leaves my head spinning. The same presence, the same glory, that left even Moses, who stood in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai, couldn’t enter into it, is to enter into us.

Glory, then, seems to be the vehicle that conveys and reveals the true presence of God. In Scripture, glory means possession of the character, beauty and majesty that belong to the Lord. It means an exact representation of His being. It means reflecting His presence, His essence, His Life and His Name. Thus, to glorify God is to manifest all that God is. It’s showing forth His Self and not our own. (John 14:13; 16:14) It’s His glory brought to light in us.

Go read the rest. I’ll be stewing on it for days.

Foreign Food Markets

by Pastor Dave

For those who don’t know, there are some places to get some of those home goodies you miss so much.

Hannam Market

• Hannam Market is near Itaewon. to get there, you need to get yourself to Hangangjin station (brown line 6) and take exit 2.
• As you walk outside you will come across a foobridge that will take you over the large southbound highway (across the road you should see a Harley-Davidson and a Volvo dealership). You need to go over the bridge and walk south down the hill.
• After a minute or two you will stumble across the Hannam Market (It’s downstairs).

Namdaemun International Market

• Namdaemun Market is in central Seoul. you need to get yourself to Hoehyeon Station (sky-blue line 4).
• Take exit 5 and turn right into the market area.
• About 100m down you should come across what looks like a downstairs mall on the right (There is a small arc entrance that will take you down stairs.).
• This is the place. Here you can get all kinds of imported goodies.

Good luck.

Missing Your Shows?

by Janice

If u are looking for or missing old TV shows (CSI, Top Model, Survivor, you name it) from home. There’s a great share site that’s virus free you can check out. It’s great because you can download them, and then burn them to disk to watch on your TV if u’d like. The site is: www.tvtorrents.com. The site occasionally goes offline because it often exceeds it’s bandwith, but check back in a day or two, and they usually have it cleared up. Any issues, or questions, send me a message: jaundice_p@hotmail.com

Traveler

by Janice Pinnock

I’ve always been a traveler, though not always that far from home. In the last fifteen years of my life, I have spent more time away from home than I have actually inhabiting it. Sometimes, I wonder if I don’t escape from home, simply for the hope that I might miss it. Home has provided me with a place to rest my head, and to partake in a meal, but seldom to experience love, understanding and enlightenment. Perhaps this is why I seek to travel, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

What a shock it was to me to arrive in Korea, and realize that this recent traveling expedition has really and finally done it! I’m so far now…that I can’t just jump home, even if I wanted to. In addition to being hung by my contract, I am also hung by my relationships to people and to a church. Had I thought this possible before I packed up my bags, with a quick independent kiss to my brand new husband before boarding the plane? Absolutely not! Being that seasoned traveler, without any particular attachments to “home,” I assumed this would be a similar situation. I assumed it would confirm my independence from people, and to place, and that really, although I would miss him, I’d be okay. I’ve always been okay.

But here I am, completely defunct of that former confidence I had percieved. Being lonely takes on new meaning. Missing a human being reaches new heights. Tears of frustration as the days drag by add levels of sadness I never imagined possible. I found home, with a brand new husband, and left it there, in search of something untangible. So, where do I turn? Who do I look to?

Fortunately for me, I found God in Korea. Or shall I say, I rekindled our relationship. I realize that he brought me here without my realization. In my mind it was just another trip, in God’s mind, it must have been the “ultimate trip.” It was a trip to learning about myself, learning about God, learning about people, and learning about the power that God holds in his hands. My loneliness is cured when I remember that the Lord is watching me, tapping me on the shoulders and saying, “let’s go have an ice cream and cheer up.” My sadness is quelled when God cathes my tears and reminds me to close my eyes and share my tearful prayers with him. My thoughts of missing people are removed when God reminds me that if he can exist inside me always, then certainly a few thousand miles cannot separate me from those I love. And, when I’m frustrated God reminds me that my frustration is nothing quite like the one he experienced on the cross. He gently probes me during the times when I feel lost, and I can’t help but be humbled by his ability to change my feelings instantly.

So on this journey I’ve traveled closer to home. My eternal home that is, and I am happy, because if I can feel His grace in my saddest moments, I can hardly wait for my homecoming in the sky.