Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Life update:

Plans had been formed to 1) find an extra job in Grass Valley, 2) save money, and 3) use said money to move to Sacramento and get my own place. Phase One had been completed - washing dishes at Rebecca's Mighty Muffins - and all was proceeding according to plan.

Last Sunday night, however, my car was stolen.

The plan has been, and is being, adjusted substantially. Details once the fragments settle into place. Suffice to say, the goal of being in Sacramento at the end of the year is looking well in hand.

Pray for me. Pretty stressed, not a little lonely, but hoping for the best.

Incidentally, I've invented a word.

Godwork: n. a seeming coincidence which is clearly an act of God, usu. resulting in an obvious, often long-awaited blessing.

Oddly enough, I didn't care terribly much when I discovered my car was missing. I knew God could use that for the best, and I'd manage. The stressful bit is having to decide on a timeline for moving to Sacramento, given a number of recently-emerged factors.

I get the feeling it's gonna require more work than I'd like. Which is to say, any work at all. I'm also getting the feeling that this is all part of God's plan to break me of my absurd laziness. Part of me is, understandably, dreading that process, but I'll be glad for it.

Much is coming.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

I would like to note that there has been an uncharacteristic amount of activity over at Nightsawake 2.0. Please do visit.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

As per the directions, I post the following:

1. Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written.

I'll at least pick a few of the above. The default jello flavor is champagne, because if there's gonna be any jello wrestling, it's gonna be a classy affair.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
-Isaiah 5:20 (New Living Translation)

Yesterday, Pastor Steve continued his sermon series on the book of Revelation. We had come at last to Judgment Day. Steve was excited about the message that morning, and us along with him. His energy was contagious. At last he read aloud the passage in which Satan's two servants are cast alive into the lake of fire, receiving their just reward, and he called for an amen! ...with rather weak results. He tried again, with a little goading, and we responded loudly, if still a little uncomfortably. Same thing when Satan himself was condemned to eternal torment. It was hard for us to cheer, somehow.

I thought about it during the service, and I realized that they all deserved it. For one thing, God's justice is just. The Bible is clear on that. And if you take into account what Satan and his servants do in the book of Revelation alone, their punishment should be harsh indeed.

Still, it's hard for me to cheer someone else's demise.

A case of sympathy for the devil? Perhaps. Largely, with me, it's just the fact that I myself totally deserve punishment for things I've done. Thanks to Jesus' grace, I'll be fine on the day of judgment. If we take the images from Revelation, God will call me to account for everything I've ever done in my life. Every secret, every vile thought, every drop of malice... and in the end, I'll have no excuse. And in the very end, He'll say, "All right. I'm glad that's done. Welcome home, son." Sometimes I envision myself feeling guilty for accepting grace, like it's a cop-out or something. But nah. I think I'll likely be a little to thankful at the moment.

I hate the idea that not everyone will make it to Heaven. Hate it. Some days it's easier than others to accept the idea that people are given a choice to take in Jesus, and that God knows everyone's heart, and is thus the only person who can rightly judge us. Some days I see people perpetrating evil in the world, malevolent and unrepentant, and I pray for justice. A second later, though, I often pray for their hearts to soften instead.

Some won't repent, but I pray that all will.

Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
-Luke 15:3-7 (New International Version)