Born To Die

If you're someone involved in the music ministry of your local church, there's no doubt that this season brings a massive influx of Christmas-themed worship songs on your Sunday service setlist. I can probably no longer count how many modern worship arrangements I've heard of those timeless Christmas songs, some of them I like and some of them I feel like it did not give the song justice. But then again, there's nothing bad with proclaiming year after year that this time is indeed the fulfilling of Biblical prophecy: that Jesus Christ had come in the form of a man, in the most humbling manner I might add, that He would one day bear our sin and shame in a death that we deserved in the first place.

Which brings me to a song I'd love to share. (No, I won't do a cover of it.) You see, of late I've somehow now become one of those people who would listen to the more heavier genres of music. But there's something about this song that is very somber to me: how the lyrics reflect one's thoughts about the birth of our Saviour and how His birth has indeed changed the world as we know it. I am more than convinced that I have lost count of how many times I almost cried when I give this song a listen.

The song is called I Celebrate The Day, written by Matt Thiessen.

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could covey 
If only I could find the words
To say to let You know how much
You've touched my life

Because here is where You're finding me
In the exact same place as New Years Eve
And from the lack of my persistancy
We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare
The things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that 
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That You were born so I might live

I celebrate the day that You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life 

In less than a month, I'll be twenty years of age. Back in those days in which church meant Sunday School and bragging rights on who's got the coolest craft made from the activity; it's funny how I use to brush off the notion that Jesus, not the gifts or some red bearded guy, is the reason for the yearly celebration. Today, I stand here in absolute awe of how He was able to take a wretch like me and slowly but surely transform me into His image. I am way far from perfect; but I'll forever be thankful that when the fullness of time had come, as Paul notes in Galatians, Christ came to free us from sin.

Even though my foundation is not on solid rocks, I will continue to persevere.

At work! but YOLO. kidding, how pagan of me.

It all starts with Apostle Paul...

Paul the apostle was an incredibly godly godly man, a man of God. Who suffered and went though many trials, as he was stoned, insulted, flogged, persecuted and the list goes on (2 Corinthians 11:22-33). Regardless, he remained and stood firm in the faith, and continued to worship God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. Let us not neglect that, it was Paul's obedience to God and submission to the Holy Spirit that placed him in such trials.

Currently, however, it is hard for me to relate with Paul, because persecution, floggings and so forth, I have not/yet to experience, by God's grace. But, what has really been speaking to me, comes from the book of Acts (17:18), where Paul was preaching to the people of Athens. In this passage, while Paul was preaching the Gospel, he began to offend the Greeks and Athenians, because he told them the wrongs of the practices within their culture. Not because he wanted to purposely, but because their culture conflicted with the true Gospel. (note: he didn't force or create his own opportunity to preach, but God provided an opening). As you read verse 18 of that chapter, you see that some labelled Paul a "Babbler". A babbler as Google definition defines, "a person who babbles" = makes no sense or speaking out of their butts.

Now, Paul being called a babbler, is like calling the most educated man in our society an idiot. In the bible times, not everyone knew how to read and or write. For someone to be literate in itself, places him or her (mostly him) on a pedestal not many have the opportunity to be on. Now, we are speaking about Paul, a  pharisee of pharisees, who read the in and outs of the old testament and knows every rule and law given by God. He was an incredibly educated man. So when Paul is labelled a babbler, it's calling him a man who is clueless and speaks nonsense, almost like a crazy man if you think about it. Do you see the irony in this?

Now, I won't ramble on, but what I have been struggling with lately, is realizing and seeing, no matter how smart, how much you learn and know, or how "great" you can be as an individual, if you truly live and follow the rules, laws and commandments of Jesus Christ, you will be rejected by society. You will be seen as an inferior. And this happens time and time again in scripture. (Elijah to Jesus).

Not to say, you will be rejected wherever you go, no. What I am saying is, if we are to live like Christ and truly follow his rules, laws and decrees, God will place trials before you. So when it happens, be like Paul and remain in Him, as we owe God our life and more. With God, there is no compromise in faith and in truth. Let us understand, just because we have been placed in this culture, we do not have to be of this culture.

I don't know what God is doing in each and every one of your lives, but I really do hope that you grow strong and firm in truth that comes in Christ. As I hope I do as well.

With love!





Books I really recommend; Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan AND the Holy Bible, maybe with commentaries by John Mac. :)

My thoughts.

As I write this blog, I worry it's more from my flesh than for His glory. Even that statement alone worries me.

I have a lot bottled within me, friends, school, work, church, my family and just all my brokenness. I want to start of stating, I am spiritually, physically and mentally drained. But I have to say, I enjoy every second of it. Sometimes I want to cry out and I do at times and to be honest, I love it. Every tear I cry signifies something great, something worth crying over. When Jesus was crucified, many (probably all) of his followers cried and those tears that they shed, should be shed from our eyes, too. So if I have one thing to cry over or about, it should be the cross. I pray I can and will understand the cross better.

One thing I really really really ask God for, is to be more like Christ himself. But the problem is, I am not actually willing to be like him. It's funny isn't it? When I pray to be more like Jesus, I have come to realize, I'm just seeking for knowledge more than continuous sanctification and repentance. I mean yeah, I would like to tweak and change a few things here and there, my temper, my pride, my lack of patience, self-righteousness and the list goes on and on and on. What about the one Jesus makes extremely clear? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your Soul and with all your Mind & Love your neighbors as you love yourself (More than yourself).

On the surface it looks a little easy and yeah, I try. But in reality, this is the layout of the narrow road we are to walk on. The rich young ruler who was nice and neat on the outside, willing to give up some of his wealth etc... But when it really came down to it, God or Money, he couldn't do it. I feel the same way.

In class when we touch on "God or religion", I think I have the "right" answer and feel convicted to speak, but I just can't do it. When I'm driving home and someone cuts me off, I like to test my engine. When I worry about people judging me, I judge them.When someone bumps into me, I get too prideful to not look back with a grin. When I should be spending time with God, I don't. When I should be loving those around me, I don't. In a days time, I have done all this. Tell me, is this how Christ looks like?

But this isn't even what I wanted to say.

I was listening to a sermon on the Rich man and Lazarus (By D.A Carson) a few nights ago, and I felt convicted of something that was said.

The Rich man found his worth in his wealth, Luke 16:19 "there was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day".

"purple and fine linen" = expensive. No need to be dressed in it, but he did. Purple dye was expensive, because there were only two (very expensive) ways to make it during biblical times. Thus, dressed in purple and fine linen (his undergarments were probably purple) had a hedonistic and symbolic value to it as it identified wealth. Also, living in luxury everyday, self-explanatory (indulging in worldly things). This is what he knew and that's what he desired. It's clear that his worth came from the eyes of men.

Now, it's not to say owning nice things and being wealthy is a bad thing. By no means! wow, I just realized I can't fully explain what's going through my brain without summarizing the sermon. haha. Main point, putting value in anything other than God is pure idolatry.

Idolatry is not exclusive to money, it's also to someone, education (obsessed over it), PERSONALITY, your character. The list goes on and on. This is what breaks my heart, my heart is not fully in God. I idolize so many things, I even idolize myself, the greatest sin, taking away God's glory for my own gain. I think at times that I am not so bad, other times I look to others and say "check out what 'I' can do". Worst, I even think to myself, check out what I can do for Him.

If I value God "so much", if he is my all and if my value is in Him, why do I still live the way that I do? And how do I kill the idols in my life? The easy answer is Jesus, but getting there is what kills me. My flesh won't allow me to, but my spirit so wants to.

So I have to question and ask myself, how much of the cross do I understand? If I know the gospel, if I know a little bit of truth and I say I love Christ, how come I don't know how to abound in what I have? Why do I care so much about the eyes of men, when He made it known that he does not look at the outward appearance but the heart?  How come I still do the things that I do, when Christ already fully paid for it on that cross? So the command, love God and those around me, am I living it? I guess this is the great mercy He has on all of us, while we still sin and fill our hearts with things other than Him, He allows us to repent and to be sanctified.

Each and everyday, I see more visibly the purple linens I wear around my body and if im not fighting it with Christ and the Holy Spirit , then, I am losing this race.

Why Judas? Just why?

A year or two ago, this topic captured my thoughts and I've been trying to come to grips with this ever since.

Jesus had 12 disciples. He picked all of them. One of them was Judas Iscariot.
This should be no spoiler, but Judas betrayed Jesus by turning Jesus in to the officials and that eventually lead to His crucifixion.

So have you also ever wondered why Jesus would pick Judas in the first place, Jesus being God and knowing all things?
Judas wasn't even one of the many disciples (often 70-80) that followed Jesus, but he was one of the closer bunch, the Twelve. This meant that Judas lived, ate, talked, travelled, etc. with Christ for 3 consecutive years.
That is 3 full years, 36 months, 156 weeks, 1095 days, or countless hours of Jesus pouring and investing into the lives of these 12 men, among whom was Judas.
Why would you give so much when you know that this guy is a lost cause? How could anyone live with, dine with, and make family someone who they knew will stab them in the back later on? Why would you teach them truth you know for sure that they will reject (Jesus is God, so He knew). And why would you let the other disciples put up with him if he won't carry on Christ's work with them? Why would you do all this? Why would Jesus pick Judas in the first place?
Just why?

What's more intriguing (or disturbing) is that Jesus had placed Judas as the group's financial officer. Judas was in charge of the money. Jesus knew his heart. Jesus knew that he wasn't the most honest guy around. Jesus knew that he would, at times, take some of the money for himself. Jesus knew that he would make excuses about giving to the poor to pocket a few funds here and there.
Why would you place such a person in charge of your whole group's finances? Why would you even trust such a person?

On and on and on and on...
We can keep asking questions as to why Jesus would pick Judas; why Jesus would love Him; why He would show him so much grace.

This is not to say that we should be unwise with our decisions, be irresponsible with our resources, time, and people we've been entrusted, or the like.

The remarkable lesson here is that Jesus loved unconditionally.
Jesus gave Judas much more than he deserved. He showed Judas immeasurable grace.
And Jesus showed Judas undeniable value and made him one of His own.

How many of us would do such a thing? What about the Judas figures in our life?
When God calls us to love them, do we question God and ask,

"I'll love them all...but why Judas? Just why?"

Jesus did. And God has given us His Spirit. So will we love as He did?

Oh and...we betray Jesus like Judas did too pretty often. So the next time you see another "Judas," cut them some slack and love them like Jesus did.

One Year Later

Dear First Year Me,

At this point of the year, you are about to make one of the greatest decisions you’ve ever made to this day. Exhausted and reluctant, you'll find yourself at an ACF prayer meeting on a cold November Friday morning. You'll be reluctant coming in, but you'll be blessed coming out. You'll feel immediately welcomed; you'll be prayed for, and most of all, you’ll find yourself immediately surrounded by such an awesome group of brothers and sisters in Christ. Without a second thought, you’ve immediately committed yourself to this fellowship. Just like what the person who invited you said over text, this fellowship indeed felt like family.

You’ll find yourself taking in so much in so little time. You’ll immediately realize that the body of Christ on campus is much bigger than you think it is. ACF alone doesn’t give justice who made the ultimate sacrifice just to make God's name known on campus. At Unity Worship Night, you’ll find yourself surrounded by many who also decided to follow Jesus, as the hymn of old would go. You’re going to sit back after that evening with so much to take in yet again. And by then, you have realized how the Kingdom of God is indeed at work contrary to the pessimistic notions you had before.

You’ll find yourself day by day being transformed as you dive yourself deeper into the fellowship. The man that once was a two-faced, lukewarm Christian will become history. You’ll take your relationship with Jesus Christ with more commitment that you’ve had before. You’ll desire more of the Scriptures and even more of what the Gospel really says (not the watered down Bridge to Life deal, though that’s a good starting point).

Coming into ACF at the second half of the fall semester, you’re going to make a last minute decision to join the winter retreat that everyone's talking about. You’ll have the money and the resources to volunteer through music worship, but apart from that you’re in for one of the greatest three days you’ll always look forward to during the start of the year. You’re going to meet a lot of people you’ll become close with, you’ll get to share parts of yourself that you dare not tell everyone else, and most of all, you’re going to have a lot of fun.

And the blessings don’t stop after you have left the retreat to go back to your typical caffeine-driven routine in the city. The relationships you created will be developed even more. Including one in which you’ll be challenged to let go of your pride and be real. It is going to be one of the most awkward encounters you’ll have, but I promise you that showing up there the one day after retreat, is worth it. Then, months down the line, you’ll be really thankful for this person. (You know who you are, and if you’re reading this, allow me to say I’m really blessed to know you and I really praise God for you.)

A couple of months and a lot of memories later, you’ll find yourself in a week-long challenge of making His name known. You'll be required to wear a shirt that makes you stand out from everyone else on the campus. You’ll meet awesome people who made it their week-long mission’s trip to assist the cause you’ve joined. You’ll know Jesus like you’ve never known Him before. You’ll meet radical people who have boldly reached out into the cold world that desperately needs a saviour. You’ll even find yourself in a flashmob at the Student Centre's foodcourt one morning. You’ve never done something like this before. This week will go in a flash, capping it with a trip up the CN Tower with some of the volunteers. After everything has been said and done, you'll wish that you can do it all over again. Yet of all things, you’ve learned something that stuck to your mind ‘til this day – that every day of our lives we have the opportunity to attract people to Jesus not just through explicitly proclaiming His word, but also through our actions. You'll from then on strive to be a better you, not by your own but by His spirit.

The memories go on. I wish I could continue to write here on how making this decision will turn your walk around with Jesus in a really radical way. Yet my words will only give little justice to what joining this fellowship has done to you because you’ll find yourself investing in so much time, energy, and resources to this tight-knit family of brothers and sisters in Christ. But to sum it all up; you were already blessed coming in, but you are going to be even more blessed coming out. The investments you’ve made here will come back to you at a rate you’ll never imagine.

Leading up to this point, you'll realize that you’ve made the best decision of your life as far as being in UTSC is concerned. It's time to make some memories!

Welcome to UTSC's ACF.

JohnDy

As Thou Hast Been, Thou Forever And Ever Will Be

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23, ESV)

Great is Thy faithfulness
O God, my Father and King
There is no shadowy presence
to Your promise I cling

Thy changest not
Thy compassions
As Thou hast been
Thou forever and ever will be

It's been a while since that Father's day post that I actually went in here and legitimately posted something. A lot of ups and downs in this journey we call life has happened. Some of which I really praise God for and some of which I find my heart sinking just at the thought of it. But if there's anything that I've been reflecting on of late, that song (despite the screams) and that passage pretty much sums it up.

To be honest, there are days in which I just suddenly feel at my lowest. There are days I let my insecurities get the most of me. Last week, even, there was a day in which I did not feel like waking up at all. Yet again, the mere thought of God's faithfulness to us keeps me going. To know that we love, live for, and serve an almighty God who's ever so faithful and ever so constant just blows my mind up, honestly.

I mean, just wow. To know that we have a God who's on our side even when we feel like He's not there... don't you find that more than encouraging? Now, I don't know where exactly each and everyone who would read this is current at in their journey, but what I just want to get to is simple: we have a God who is faithful. And to me, when there are days in which I look back and question why some things have occurred the way they are, I find it encouraging to know that God has indeed a faithful plan for everything.

He is indeed faithful to us. He is faithful then. He is faithful now. And He will be faithful in the future.

Assurance of Salvation

Last Friday, TPoon and I had the opportunity to visit some brothers and sisters from University of Toronto (St.George Campus) Chinese Christian Fellowship or UTCCF for short. It was definitely an interesting experience. We went through a bible study of Acts 4 and how Peter and John were common and ordinary men who spoke with authority and boldness that can only be found through Christ. During this meeting, the leaders posed a question for all of us;

" What do you fear? What is hold you back from sharing The Gospel?"

For me, it was judgement. I kept it broad because I was coming from different points of view. The first is being judged by others and the second was judging others out of my own sinfulness and hypocrisy.

The leaders gave us time to encourage one another anonymously through little sticky notes. I only received one sticky note compared to everyone else who had two or more. It read;

"I suggest you look up 'assurance of salvation'"

To be honest, I didn't think much of it. But when I finally looked it up. I think God really talked to me through this person.

Check it out:

https://bible.org/seriespage/assurance-salvation

This site explains  assurance versus security, reasons why people lack assurance, the foundations of assurance, and the principles of assurance.

It's a little bit of a long read so grab a mug of tea, find a cozy place, and be encouraged to look at sharing The Gospel in a different light.

Hope this helps,
G

Forgiveness

*Written on November 7th 2012
This Heart of Mine

This heart of mine

Is solely for the divine

Who died for me

Who had set me free

I can see why it’s hard for you to believe

A child born from a virgin

How can that be?

The book tells us that the world will see us as fools

That they will mock the believers and call them tools

So I will guard this heart of mine

And keep it solely for the divine

I’m not saying that you’re wrong

But I’m telling you that I’ll try to be strong

Because you probably won’t see where I draw the line

And your words will chip away at this heart of mine

Instead of seeking revenge

I will love you

For you are my sisters and brothers

Ultimately from the same spiritual father

___________________________________________________________________

I know I'm not the greatest poet out there but I tried. :P

Anyway, on a more serious note, I wanted to rant on forgiveness. Forgiveness is a concept that I personally struggle with. I try my best to carry my cross every single day and try to act lovingly to those who have hurt me (whether they know it or not). I guess a good place to start with is a little background on me. 

I grew up as a Pastor's Kid (PK) and I have always lived under some sort of expectation. I had not only my parents' expectations but the expectations of the congregation, my teachers, my peers, and my brother. I obviously could not meet all of these expectations, and eventually I went into a silent form of rebellion. I thought that fighting back would somehow preserve what little pride and dignity I had but ended up losing self-respect and found a new hatred for myself and the world. Long story short, I was a very angry, lonely, and hurt child.

It was in my first year of university that God began teaching and challenging me to learn how to love whole-heartedly, not act out on my anger, and to truly forgive and let go. 

He first taught me to be obedient and told me to leave an unevenly-yoked and unhealthy relationship I had with a Non-Christian. Don't get me wrong, the guy was practically the guy of my dreams but the one thing he could not do for me was challenge and support me in my fragile faith. There was a lot of hurt that came from that separation and I really had to talk to God and ask Him to give me His strength and love in order to let go, and also for humility to ask for forgiveness from the guy.

The second part of the lesson was to forgive a few brothers and sisters who have unknowingly hurt me. Here, He was teaching me that asking for forgiveness first and acknowledging that you have sinned against the second party before anything really puts you in your place. You have come before them in humility and when you finally forgive them, it's coming out of sincerity instead out of obligation. (This may be different for others, but this is where I am with God.)

The third part of the lesson is still ongoing. To this day, I have a fragile relationship with my family. We disagree on many things and I still have a harder time opening up to them. I have pride and so do they. I think the saying is something along the lines of "The hardest people to love are the ones close to you." And it's true. Your family can't stop being your family. You live with them for most of your life. Their love is the most important love to you in this world (after God's of course). We can hurt each other so easily and have a hard time building the trust again. So, what I'm trying to say is that God is teaching me to really love and forgive intentionally with my family. Whether it's with my father, mother, brother, or extended family. 

I'm not going to lie, my family has made the deepest cuts on my fragile heart. And the only reason why I haven't left this household is by God's grace and mercy. But this is definitely a hard lesson He's putting me through.

But a word of encouragement! 

1.When you forgive and have been forgiven, you definitely have this sense of being renewed. 

2.Our Heavenly Father loves even the hardest people to love. 

3.He is with you every step of the way. He knows how you feel and He will help you only when you ask Him to. 

4.You WILL find peace in Him.

What does the bible say about forgiveness?

Matthew 6:14-15

1 John 1:9

Isaiah 43:25-26

Acts 3:19

2 Corinthians 5:17

Ephesians 1:7

Hope this helps,
G

My Thoughts On Father's Day

The 16th of August, year 2004.

It was an unusual afternoon.

Instead of the usual chaos that goes with the rush of getting to school on time, the day started for me with the sight of the window reflecting the tropical Manila sunlight.

Surprised, I rushed out of the room and into the den.

Silence filled that room. Deafening silence.

Moments later, I see my mom arriving home with a melancholy composure. My uncle with him. We went back up to the room and that's when she broke the news to me.

My father of forty-four years is now gone.

It didn't sink into me yet. But days down the line, as we lowered down his body into that grave, I knew that my video game buddy and foodie friend is going to be gone forever. During that moment, my mother comforted me with the idea that I still have another father - our Heavenly Father. Being a kid then, I wouldn't settle for that. I wanted him back. I didn't mind if his long battle with hypertension would mean that if he made it out alive during his last battle that August afternoon of 2004 that he would be like a vegetable, I just wanted him by my side. To have someone guide me in every decision I would make as a man - from the smallest of things to the biggest decisions like who would I marry.

Fast-forward to 2013.

It has been years down the line. Ten years, to be exact. And with him being gone for that long, I slowly but surely through the years was able to accept the reality that hit me that day. I don't know how I was able to do so, let me go ahead and be honest with you. But if there was one piece of encouragement that stuck with me all these years, it's that I know my Heavenly Father is with me every single step of the way. That through Him, I don't need to live in the aftermath of that day; He is by my side, I may not see it, each and every day that I would live on this earth.

I found myself in a circle of about twenty people for this year's celebration of Father's Day. It was almost 11:30 in the morning then. If I had not gone to the ACF getaway, I would find myself preparing to assist the multimedia technician for the afternoon's worship service at my church. But yeah, I found myself in that circle at a cottage in Quinte West.

One by one, we talked about our relationships with our Heavenly and Earthly Fathers. I rarely tell the story, to be honest with you, so I couldn't blame some of the people's facial reactions when I told the story of my Earthly Father's sudden departure. But leading to the discussion, I found myself reflecting on Psalm 136.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

The chapter goes on to tell how God delivered His chosen people from the yoke of slavery in Egypt to the promised land. But as far as yesterday was concerned, verse one just stuck to me.

Indeed, He is good.

Indeed, His love goes on forever.

Ten years is a long time. A couple television shows, getting lost in my faith and getting back, and migrating to Canada has happened to name a few during that time being. There would be days that I wish I still have him by my side. Knowing how big of a foodie he could be, I'm sure he would love to have migrated here. (Not to mention, his father a.k.a. my grandfather is also based in here.)

But... I can't change the past now.

The only thing I could hold on to is the fact that my Heavenly Father is with me. He wasn't enough for me then. But now, He is more than I could ask. That when I thought that I would have to force myself to survive this life without a father-figure, He was there.

Thank You for being so constant, Jesus. For being only good.

As a song would say, not for a moment did You forsake me. And indeed, all this time You were there.

Mission

Hey everyone (actually... we didn't advertise this much at this time, so 'everyone' is probably only 5 people!), Tristan here.

Since I'll be leaving soon to go on my missions trip with Carpenter Tools International, I decided to write something before I go. I apologize for the lack of brevity in this post, but I will be gone a long time. Take your time reading through this and please keep me in your prayers!

There is no shortage of emotion that I'm feeling as of this moment. Some include the following:

1. I'm worried. What if I am detained by airport security for looking suspicious? What if I forget to leave my pocket knife at home and I'm called in for questioning and delayed and miss my flight? What if they think my toothpaste is explosive? What if I forget my lyrics? What if the people don't like me? What if they are hostile to my testimony and presentation of the gospel?

2. I'm scared. I don't know Japanese. How would I communicate with them effectively and clearly? Will they understand how great the message of the gospel is as well as its severity? It takes a lot of effort for me to get to know new people because I'm afraid of what they'll think of me at times. For those of you who think the opposite of me, I'm, luckily, a good actor in certain social settings. I am afraid of the evil that I will encounter and the spiritual attacks that my team and I will be subject to.

3. I'm going to get lonely and homesick. No mom or dad. No Toronto, or Canada for that matter. No comfortable blankie to sleep with. No lifelong friends accessible a call or a text away when I feel discouraged.

Allow me to refute myself biblically.

1. Psalm 23:2 He leads me beside still waters. Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" (emphases added)

Worrying, when understanding it as its most fundamental level is a sin. When a believer truly worries, they are saying "Almighty God! You have created the heavens and the earth. You have weaved this gargantuan, cosmic tapestry filled with celestial beauty and yet we small insignificant creatures are the object of your love. You have designed everything so that we may perfectly enjoy your creation. You have designed animals and plants and ecosystems and our own bodies to work amazingly and intricately and 'invisibly'. You have done all these things and they are good. But this thing, this object of my worry? I don't think you have thought about this before and therefore I can't trust fully in you in this. I don't believe that "all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) I don't believe that Jesus has "rule and authority" or "power and dominion" (Ephesians 1:21) over all things. I don't have faith that you, Almighty God, are good and are sovereign. Do not worry.

"Nothing in my hands I bring// simply to the cross I cling"

2. A search of the term "do not be afraid" on BibleGateway yields 81 results. And that's only of the exact term "do not be afraid", without counting all the other passages to take heart, or to have courage. I heard today that the most frequently "do not" found in the Bible is "do not be afraid". Hebrews 13:6

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (emphases added)

How can a child of God be afraid? When you step on the ground, do you doubt for a second that it will not hold you up? When you are a child, when your father tells you that everything will be alright, everything will be alright.  Philipians 1:6 he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Who began this? Jesus, who is "the founder and perfecter of our faith". Almighty God himself will preserve those who truly believe in him till the very end. Without doubt, without question. The purpose of God's protection is NOT so that he will protect us against evil to live comfortable lives.

Romans 5:3-5 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame,

God's promise to preserve those who believe is so that they will be able to endure and be able to push forward, inch by inch to further the Kingdom. Not so they will never experience hardship.

3. Hebrews 13:5 ...for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 " Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. " Ephesians 6:18 ...To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. (emphases added)

My fellow brothers and sisters, we are never truly alone. We are adopted children of the Almighty God, this status sealed by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. We have profound access to God through prayer and through reading his Word.

Even further, I know that I am not alone. The brothers and sisters that I am so blessed to have are praying and interceding on my behalf. What loneliness have I to fear? What anything have I to fear?

I hope that you, reader, will pray for me for the next month and half. I pray that you will reflect on whatever mission field God has made accessible to you and be faithful to it. Sow the seeds of the gospel and pray it lands on good soil. I pray that you will embody this verse as your life's calling:

1 Corinthians 9:19  For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.

I hope to come back alive with many stories to tell. Please partner with me in prayer.

- Tristan

Welcome!

I know what you're thinking... "WOW. How many social media sites does ACF need?!"

Nonetheless, we're now presenting... THE ACF UTSC INTERACTIVE BLOG!!!
*insert congratulatory sound effect of choice*

This will be a place for those of you interested to write posts sharing about what God has taught you or has been teaching you, thoughts/pictures/videos/quotes/Bible verses/stories/articles/etc. that you'd like to share with the readers, and to connect with one another through the comments (hence, interactive)!

Ultimately, it is a place of encouragement, continued fellowship, and unity between all peoples.

In a few weeks (most likely after the Cottage Getaway), we will be opening the blog to those of you who are interested in contributing something. There will be an explanation later on how the process will work.
For now, stay tuned!

In Christ,
ACF Execs