spiritual gifts?

spiritual gifts test :: results
1| Apostle
2| Exhortation
3| Pastor
4| Teacher
5| Administration

gift explanations ::

Administration
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to understand the goals of a given segment of the Church's ministry and to direct that area effectively, keeping the Church on course.
See Acts 15:12-21.

Apostle
It is the gift whereby the Spirit appoints certain Christ followers to lead, inspire and develop the churches of God by the proclamation and the teaching of true doctrine.
See Acts 12:1-5, Acts 14:21-23.

Craftsmanship
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit endows certain Christ followers the ability to use hands and minds to build up the Kingdom through artistic, creative means.
See Exodus 28:3-4.

Discernment
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to know with assurance whether some behavior is of God or of Satan.
See Acts 5:3-6, Acts 16:16-18.

Evangelist
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables particular Christ followers to share the Gospel to unbelievers in such a way that the unbeliever becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
See Acts 8:26-40.

Exhortation
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to stand beside fellow Christ followers in need and bring comfort, counsel and encouragement so they feel helped.
See Acts 11:23-24, Acts 14:21-22.

Faith
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christ followers with extraordinary confidence in God's promises, power, and presence so that they can take heroic stands for the future of God's work in the church.
See Hebrews 11.

Giving
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to offer their material blessings for the work of the church with exceptional willingness, cheerfulness and liberality.
See 2 Corinthians 8:1-5.

Healing
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit employs certain Christ followers to restore health to the sick.
See James 5:13-16, Luke 9:1-2.

Helping
It is the spiritual gift whereby the Spirit empowers certain Christ followers to willingly bear the burdens of other Christ followers and help them in such a way that they can do their tasks more effectively.
See Acts 6:2-4.

Hospitality
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to open their homes willingly and offer lodging, food, and fellowship cheerfully to other people.
See Genesis 18:1-15.

Intercession
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to pray for extended periods of time with great positive effect for the building of the Kingdom.
See 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

Knowledge
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to understand in an exceptional way the great truths of God's Word and to make them relevant to specific situations in the church.
See Ephesians 3:14-19.

Leadership
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to motivate, direct and inspire God's people in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to do the Church's work effectively.
See Hebrews 13:7, Judges 3:10, Exodus 18:13-16.

Mercy
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to feel exceptional empathy and compassion for those who are suffering so that they devote large amounts of time and energy to alleviate it.
See Luke 10:30-37.

Missionary
It is the special gift given by the Holy Spirit to certain members of the body of Christ [local church] to minister whatever other spiritual gifts they have in a second culture or second community.
See 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

Music
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to praise God through various forms of music and enhance the worship experience of the local congregation.
See 1 Corinthians 14:26, Mark 12:36.

Pastor
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christ followers to assume responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of believers.
See 1 Peter 5:1-11.

Prophet
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit empowers certain Christ followers to interpret and apply God's revelation in a given situation.
See 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, 1 Corinthians 14:30-33, 1 Corinthians 14:37.

Serving
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit empowers certain Christ followers to willingly bear the burdens of other Christ followers and help them in such a way that they can do their tasks more effectively.
See Galatians 6:1-2.

Teacher
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables particular Christ followers to communicate the truths of God's Word so that others can learn.
See Hebrews 5:12-14.

Wisdom
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit endows particular Christ followers with an understanding of God's will and work as it relates to the living of life.
See James 3:13-17.

the office season 5, episode 1: "weight loss"

Michael Scott: Does anyone have any idea what the number one cause of death is in this country.
Dwight Schrute: Shotgun weddings.
Jim Halpert: That's not what that is.


hahahhahah




i fight the tension between keeping a sense of humor about everything and using the same to stay detached from reality every day.




also, i like to read my nonfiction and watch my fiction.






my new favorite joke:

Two ducks are swimming on a lake. One duck says to the other duck, “Quack. Quack.” The other duck looks at him and says, “I was just about to say that!”










ways i am stereotypically asian american:
1) i LOVE bargains
2) i love rice - i would sleep in a bed of rice if i could!!
3) i keep things for a long time - cant stand throwing stuff out
4) hmm what else? oh in eighth grade i took an html class at community college. i liked computers (and apparently school) that much.
5) i saw my first asian on asian on-screen kiss the other day - it was weird - and i am 22
6) i read angryasianman.com?
7) but margaret cho scares me
8) i used to like boba but now not so much
9) i fill up on samples at costco!
10) i LOVE (to?) karaoke. but, like, 90s pop songs and metal ballads, not that jay chou guy. [lets go!]
11) im from the bay area...?
12) i love frozen yogurt!! especially the tart kind. and it's funny how SWIRL is crowded with asians all the time (ive filled two stamp cards there already)












/ / /
i run in the path of your commandments, o lord, for you have set my heart free.
[psalm 119:32]

thought for the day

christ is not valued at all if he is not valued above all.

this is going to be a hard year, isn't it.

On Suffering (a devotional)
Sometimes Stint feels like trying to juggle live animals. Just when you feel like everything is under control, the animals writhe around and you lose your balance. There are times when the suffering--whether from homesickness, culture shock, interpersonal struggles on your team or fatigue from doing evangelism--seems unbearable.

On top of that, there's a subtle belief in American Christianity that if we follow Jesus, nothing will ever go wrong for us. It's not a new idea. In fact, in Matthew 16 we see Peter saying much the same thing to Jesus. Jesus shares (in verse 21) that he will "suffer many things" and then be killed and come to life again.

Peter, no doubt with good intentions, pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him. "This will never happen to you," he says.

In a famous moment, Jesus says, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men." Jesus calls Peter's philosophy of the future satanic and tells him that he has in mind "the things of men."

I'll be frank. I prefer a life without suffering. Who doesn't? Even Jesus told the Father that his preference would be to avoid the cross if possible (Mark 14:36). But Jesus tells us that we if we live a life of avoiding pain and suffering, we can't truly become like him. In fact, immediately following this conversation with Peter he turns to the disciples and says, "If anyone will come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? "

There will be times of temptation on stint, when you will look at the world around you and think, "Why am I making all these sacrifices? I have Christian friends back home who are making plenty of money and living a life of ease. And here I am, suffering and in pain. What is the point of this?"

Remember, Christ suffered. If we are to become like him, we will experience suffering as well. And remember, too, that Jesus has called you to stint this year. Your friends may have been called to another context or job or place in life this year. Who know what the future holds? But for today, pick up your cross and follow. He has walked this road ahead of us, and he will give us strength to do the things he to which he has called us.
Posted by Matt Mikalatos at 8:48 AM
Labels: love the lord

amazing grace

44:10

barbara spooner:
it seems to me, that if there is a bad taste in your mouth, you spit it out.
you don't constantly swallow it back.



53:55

wiliam pitt:
why is it you only feel the thorns in your feet when you stop running?


1:27:45
this wife of yours, she feeds you well then?

she's given me an appetite. :)

1:28:20 (end)
although my memory is fading, two things remain clear:
i'm a great sinner, and christ is a great savior.

(post #500)

courage... courage... possibility.

We evangelicals apparently need to believe a version of the prosperity gospel where, at the least, none of us are below an understood “line of credibility” in Christian experience. And if we happen to go below that line, don’t expect instant encouragement. You may be surprised at what happens to you when you become walking evidence that not everyone is as happy, blessed, obedient and satisfied as they are supposed to be.

Ask yourself this question: Why is it that so many western Christians find the greatest challenges to their faith are experiences that do not even qualify as persecution or serious suffering? Why will the loss of a a job or the moral failure of a pastor lead to the end of faith? Why do interpersonal conflicts in a church cause so many to abandon Christianity altogether?

Is there something about these experiences that are inherently discouraging to a particular kind of faith experience? Perhaps a faith experience that says things should be turning out right most of the time?

The “real prosperity” gospel especially appeals to the idea that the church is fixing things, people and situations. In this kind of thinking the church has a repository of wisdom and power that can actually cause us to live in a different world than our neighbors, a world with different rules and a different outcome to the usual situations.

I don’t know of many Christians who want to stand up in front of a room full of unbelievers and say “I live in the same world as you do; a world with the same problems, the same questions and the same kinds of pain and failure. God doesn’t provide some kind of insurance or protection from this world, and Christians aren’t wise enough to understand or fix everything in this world. In some ways, you (atheists) may be wiser than any one of us. What we have to offer is the gospel of Jesus, and the truth of the gospel isn’t a pay off in this world. Whatever changes the Gospel makes in us, we remain human, fallen and in need of final rescue, redemption and resurrection. There is plenty wrong with us, and some of it is shocking and terrible. In this world, we’re on a pilgrimage to follow Jesus, to love neighbor and to live our lives in an authentically human way.”

What’s scary about that paragraph? It refutes the real prosperity gospel.

That’s why it scares me.

veronica mars: season 2, episode 18

VERONICA VOICEOVER: Peter, as I have learned from his postings, had, in his words, "yellow fever," and was extremely hot for a certain teacher. There was one incident in Peter's permanent file. It didn't say what happened, only that it involved Mr. Wu. Can't help but wonder if teacher decided to take a pet.

INT - NHS, CLASSROOM - CONTINUING.

He spots her.

MR. WU: Ah. Hello, Veronica.

She smiles and steps into the room.

VERONICA: Would you like to donate to the yearbook tribute for the kids on the bus?
MR. WU: Of course, I've been meaning to.

He goes to get his wallet.

VERONICA: I figured. Peter was a friend of mine. I know the two of you had a connection.
MR. WU: I'm sorry for your loss, you must miss him.
VERONICA: Do you...miss him?
MR. WU: As a bright and dedicated student, yes. In the way I think you're implying, no.

He hands her some cash and goes back to his tidying.

VERONICA: Peter was gearing up for what he called "the outing of all outings." I was wondering if he was pulling his favorite teacher out of the closet.
MR. WU: Veronica, I think that when you get out in the world a little more, you'll, you'll discover that not all well-dressed, articulate, detail-oriented men are gay. Many of them are just Asian.



hahahahaa

entp

ENTP - "Inventor". Enthusiastic interest in everything and always sensitive to possibilities. Non-conformist and innovative. 3.2% of the total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

risk taker, easy going, outgoing, social, open, rule breaker, thrill seeker, life of the party, comfortable in unfamiliar situations, appreciates strangeness, disorganized, adventurous, talented at presentation, aggressive, attention seeking, experience junky, insensitive, adaptable, not easily offended, messy, carefree, dangerous, fearless, careless, emotionally stable, spontaneous, improviser, always joking, player, wild and crazy, dominant, acts without thinking, not into organized religion, pro-weed legalization

favored careers:
dictator, computer consultant, international spy, tv producer, philosopher, comedian, music performer, it consultant, figher pilot, politician, diplomat, entertainer, game designer, bar owner, freelance writer, creative director, strategist, news anchor, professional skateboarder, airline pilot, comic book artist, college professor, private detective, mechanical engineer, lecturer, ambassador, astronomer, research scientist, judge, web developer, scholar, fbi agent, cia agent, electrical engineer, assassin

disfavored careers:
personal assistant, wedding planner, travel agent, secretary, interior decorator, clerical employee, government employee, social worker, pre school teacher, copy editor, child care worker, hospitality worker, occupational therapist, home maker

creative personality

The Creative Personality
Ten paradoxical traits of the creative personality.

By: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi


Of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives. Call it full-blast living.

Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives. Most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the result of creativity. What makes us different from apes--our language, values, artistic expression, scientific understanding, and technology--is the result of individual ingenuity that was recognized, rewarded, and transmitted through learning.

When we're creative, we feel we are living more fully than during the rest of life. The excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab comes dose to the ideal fulfillment we all hope to get from life, and so rarely do. Perhaps only sex, sports, music, and religious ecstasy--even when these experiences remain fleeting and leave no trace--provide a profound sense of being part of an entity greater than ourselves. But creativity also leaves an outcome that adds to the richness and complexity of the future.

I have devoted 30 years of research to how creative people live and work, to make more understandable the mysterious process by which they come up with new ideas and new things. Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals. If I had to express in one word what makes their personalities different from others, it's complexity. They show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an "individual," each of them is a "multitude."

Here are the 10 antithetical traits often present in creative people that are integrated with each other in a dialectical tension.

1. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're also often quiet and at rest. They work long hours, with great concentration, while projecting an aura of freshness and enthusiasm. This suggests a superior physical endowment, a genetic advantage. Yet it is surprising how often individuals who in their seventies and eighties exude energy and health remember childhoods plagued by illness. It seems that their energy is internally generated, due more to their focused minds than to the superiority of their genes.

This does not mean that creative people are hyperactive, always "on." In fact, they rest often and sleep a lot. The important thing is that they control their energy; it's not ruled by the calendar, the dock, an external schedule. When necessary, they can focus it like a laser beam; when not, creative types immediately recharge their batteries. They consider the rhythm of activity followed by idleness or reflection very important for the success of their work. This is not a bio-rhythm inherited with their genes; it was learned by trial and error as a strategy for achieving their goals.

One manifestation of energy is sexuality. Creative people are paradoxical in this respect also. They seem to have quite a strong dose of eros, or generalized libidinal energy, which some express directly into sexuality. At the same time, a certain spartan celibacy is also a part of their makeup; continence tends to accompany superior achievement. Without eros, it would be difficult to take life on with vigor; without restraint, the energy could easily dissipate.

2. Creative people tend to be smart yet naive at the same time. How smart they actually are is open to question. It is probably true that what psychologists call the "g factor," meaning a core of general intelligence, is high among people who make important creative contributions.

The earliest longitudinal study of superior mental abilities, initiated at Stanford University by the psychologist Lewis Terman in 1921, shows rather conclusively that children with very high IQs do well in life, but after a certain point IQ does not seem to be correlated any longer with superior performance in real life. Later studies suggest that the cutoff point is around 120; it might be difficult to do creative work with a lower IQ, but an IQ beyond 120 does not necessarily imply higher creativity

Another way of expressing this dialectic is the contrasting poles of wisdom and childishness. As Howard Gardner remarked in his study of the major creative geniuses of this century, a certain immaturity, both emotional and mental, can go hand in hand with deepest insights. Mozart comes immediately to mind.

Furthermore, people who bring about an acceptable novelty in a domain seem able to use well two opposite ways of thinking: the convergent and the divergent. Convergent thinking is measured by IQ tests, and it involves solving well-defined, rational problems that have one correct answer. Divergent thinking leads to no agreed-upon solution. It involves fluency, or the ability to generate a great quantity of ideas; flexibility, or the ability to switch from one perspective to another; and originality in picking unusual associations of ideas. These are the dimensions of thinking that most creativity tests measure and that most workshops try to enhance.

Yet there remains the nagging suspicion that at the highest levels of creative achievement the generation of novelty is not the main issue. People often claimed to have had only two or three good ideas in their entire career, but each idea was so generative that it kept them busy for a lifetime of testing, filling out, elaborating, and applying.

Divergent thinking is not much use without the ability to tell a good idea from a bad one, and this selectivity involves convergent thinking.

3. Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility. There is no question that a playfully light attitude is typical of creative individuals. But this playfulness doesn't go very far without its antithesis, a quality of doggedness, endurance, perseverance.

Nina Holton, whose playfully wild germs of ideas are the genesis of her sculpture, is very firm about the importance of hard work: "Tell anybody you're a sculptor and they'll say, 'Oh, how exciting, how wonderful.' And I tend to say, 'What's so wonderful?' It's like being a mason, or a carpenter, half the time. But they don't wish to hear that because they really only imagine the first part, the exciting part. But, as Khrushchev once said, that doesn't fry pancakes, you see. That germ of an idea does not make a sculpture which stands up. It just sits there. So the next stage is the hard work. Can you really translate it into a piece of sculpture?"

Jacob Rabinow, an electrical engineer, uses an interesting mental technique to slow himself down when work on an invention requires more endurance than intuition: "When I have a job that takes a lot of effort, slowly, I pretend I'm in jail. If I'm in jail, time is of no consequence. In other words, if it takes a week to cut this, it'll take a week. What else have I got to do? I'm going to be here for twenty years. See? This is a kind of mental trick. Otherwise you say, 'My God, it's not working,' and then you make mistakes. My way, you say time is of absolutely no consequence."

Despite the carefree air that many creative people affect, most of them work late into the night and persist when less driven individuals would not. Vasari wrote in 1550 that when Renaissance painter Paolo Uccello was working out the laws of visual perspective, he would walk back and forth all night, muttering to himself: "What a beautiful thing is this perspective!" while his wife called him back to bed with no success.

4. Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality. Great art and great science involve a leap of imagination into a world that is different from the present. The rest of society often views these new ideas. as fantasies without relevance to current reality. And they are right. But the whole point of art and science is to go beyond what we now consider real and create a new reality At the same time, this "escape" is not into a never-never land. What makes a novel idea creative is that once we see it, sooner or later we recognize that, strange as it is, it is true.

Most of us assume that artists--musicians, writers, poets, painters--are strong on the fantasy side, whereas scientists, politicians, and businesspeople are realists. This may be true in terms of day-to-day routine activities. But when a person begins to work creatively, all bets are off.

5. Creative people trend to be both extroverted and introverted. We're usually one or the other, either preferring to be in the thick of crowds or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show. In fact, in current psychological research, extroversion and introversion are considered the most stable personality traits that differentiate people from each other and that can be reliably measured. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to exhibit both traits simultaneously.

6. Creative people are humble and proud at the same time. It is remarkable to meet a famous person who you expect to be arrogant or supercilious, only to encounter self-deprecation and shyness instead. Yet there are good reasons why this should be so. These individuals are well aware that they stand, in Newton's words, "on the shoulders of giants." Their respect for the area in which they work makes them aware of the long line of previous contributions to it, putting their own in perspective. They're also aware of the role that luck played in their own achievements. And they're usually so focused on future projects and current challenges that past accomplishments, no matter how outstanding, are no longer very interesting to them. At the same time, they know that in comparison with others, they have accomplished a great deal. And this knowledge provides a sense of security, even pride.

7. Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping. When tests of masculinity/femininity are given to young people, over and over one finds that creative and talented girls are more dominant and tough than other girls, and creative boys are more sensitive and less aggressive than their male peers.

This tendency toward androgyny is sometimes understood in purely sexual terms, and therefore it gets confused with homosexuality. But psychological androgyny is a much wider concept referring to a person's ability to be at the same time aggressive and nurturant, sensitive and rigid, dominant and submissive, regardless of gender. A psychologically androgynous person in effect doubles his or her repertoire of responses. Creative individuals are more likely to have not only the strengths of their own gender but those of the other one, too.

8. Creative people are both rebellious and conservative. It is impossible to be creative without having first internalized an area of culture. So it's difficult to see how a person can be creative without being both traditional and conservative and at the same time rebellious and iconoclastic. Being only traditional leaves an area unchanged; constantly taking chances without regard to what has been valued in the past rarely leads to novelty that is accepted as an improvement. The artist Eva Zeisel, who says that the folk tradition in which she works is "her home," nevertheless produces ceramics that were recognized by the Museum of Modern Art as masterpieces of contemporary design. This is what she says about innovation for its own sake:

"This idea to create something is not my aim. To be different is a negative motive, and no creative thought or created thing grows out of a negative impulse. A negative impulse is always frustrating. And to be different means 'not like this' and 'not like that.' And the 'not like'--that's why postmodernism, with the prefix of 'post,' couldn't work. No negative impulse can work, can produce any happy creation. Only a positive one."

But the willingness to take risks, to break with the safety of tradition, is also necessary. The economist George Stigler is very emphatic in this regard: "I'd say one of the most common failures of able people is a lack of nerve. They'll play safe games. In innovation, you have to play a less safe game, if it's going to be interesting. It's not predictable that it'll go well."

9. Most creative people are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well. Without the passion, we soon lose interest in a difficult task. Yet without being objective about it, our work is not very good and lacks credibility. Here is how the historian Natalie Davis puts it:

"I think it is very important to find a way to be detached from what you write, so that you can't be so identified with your work that you can't accept criticism and response, and that is the danger of having as much affect as I do. But I am aware of that and of when I think it is particularly important to detach oneself from the work, and that is something where age really does help."

10. Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment. Most would agree with Rabinow's words: "Inventors have a low threshold of pain. Things bother them." A badly designed machine causes pain to an inventive engineer, just as the creative writer is hurt when reading bad prose.

Being alone at the forefront of a discipline also leaves you exposed and vulnerable. Eminence invites criticism and often vicious attacks. When an artist has invested years in making a sculpture, or a scientist in developing a theory, it is devastating if nobody cares.

Deep interest and involvement in obscure subjects often goes unrewarded, or even brings on ridicule. Divergent thinking is often perceived as deviant by the majority, and so the creative person may feel isolated and misunderstood.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for creative individuals to bear is the sense of loss and emptiness they experience when, for some reason, they cannot work. This is especially painful when a person feels his or her creativity drying out.

Yet when a person is working in the area of his of her expertise, worries and cares fall away, replaced by a sense of bliss. Perhaps the most important quality, the one that is most consistently present in all creative individuals, is the ability to enjoy the process of creation for its own sake. Without this trait, poets would give up striving for perfection and would write commercial jingles, economists would work for banks where they would earn at least twice as much as they do at universities, and physicists would stop doing basic research and join industrial laboratories where the conditions are better and the expectations more predictable.

From Creativity: The Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, published by HarperCollins, 1996.

Psychology Today, Jul/Aug 96
Last Reviewed 30 Aug 2004
Article ID: 1095

Psychology Today © Copyright 1991-2008 Sussex Publishers, LLC
115 East 23rd Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10010

more on prophecy

Prophecy is not the same thing as preaching..

The words preach and prophesy come from two entirely different Greek words. To "preach" means to proclaim, announce, cry, or tell. Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and PREACH the gospel.." (Mark 16:15). Note that He didn't say to prophesy the Gospel.

The word prophecy means to "bubble up, to flow forth, or to cause to drop like rain." Teaching and preaching are preplanned, but prophecy is not.

The Bible tells us that we are to "Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things." I Thessalonians 5:20-21. When a prophecy is given, we are to test it and hold on to what is good in it.

Seven Ways to Judge Prophecy

1. By their fruits you shall know them.
(Matthew 7:16-18,20)
2. Does it glorify Christ?
(John 16:14; I Corinthians 12:3; I John 4:1-2)
3. Does it agree with the Scriptures? (Isaiah 8:20)
4. Are their prophecies fulfilled? (Deuteronomy 18:22) Some prophecies are not of God even though they may come to pass. The benchmark remains that all prophecies should exalt the Lord Jesus.
5. Is the prophecy disjointed or confused? True prophecy is line upon line and precept upon precept.
(Isaiah 28:13)
6. Do the prophecies produce liberty or bondage? (Romans 8:15)
7. All believers have an unction (anointing) within them that tells them when something is wrong. Prophecies should witness with our spirit.
(I John 2:20,27)


Why Is Prophecy Important?

There are five reasons why prophecy is so important in the local church:

1. It brings life. Prophecy brought life to the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-4).
2. It gives spiritual vision. The Bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish.' The Lord gives vision through the prophetic word (Proverbs 29:13,18).
3. It edifies, exhorts, and comforts (I Corinthians 14:3).
4. It brings revival and restoration. True prophecy brings restoration and revival (Acts 2:16-18).
5. It guides you to your right position in Christ. Prophecy is used by God to direct you where you need to go (Acts 13:1-3)

veronica mars: season 2, episode 1!

36:40:


duncan's reading the brothers k!!!!



http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-K-David-James-Duncan/dp/055337849X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221525505&sr=8-1

Missionary Minded Small Groups

Missionary Minded Small Groups
Posted August 28th, 2008 by Paul Manuel

“Missional” is a term that has been overused and, as a result, misunderstood. So instead of using the ambiguous term “missional”, we at New City use the clearer phrase “missionary minded” to describe churches that reach out to their community in word and deed ministry. A missionary minded church has an outward focus in their mindset–and in all their ministries. What makes a small group missionary minded’? Tim Keller lists six ways:

1. its members love and talk positively about the city/neighborhood,
2. they speak in language that is not filled with pious tribal or technical terms and phrases, nor disdainful and embattled language,
3. in their Bible study they apply the gospel to the core concerns and stories of the people of the surrounding culture,
4. they are obviously interested in and engaged with the literature and art and thought of the surrounding culture and can discuss it both appreciatively and yet critically,
5. they exhibit deep concern for the poor and generosity with their money and purity and respect with regard to the opposite sex, and show humility toward people of other races and cultures,
6. they do not bash other Christians and churches.

Keller contends that if a small group is marked by these missionary minded traits then non-believing people from the city will be invited and will come and stay as they explore spiritual issues. If these marks are not there it will only be able to include believers or traditional, ‘Christianized’ people.

from Tim Keller, “Cultural Renewal.”

http://justhungry.com/100-japanese-foods-try

http://appetiteforchina.com/100-chinese-foods-to-try-before-you-die

what will heaven sound like?

We have never heard such a sound. C. S. Lewis was right. This is "the silent planet." We do know what a waterfall sounds like, what a thunderclap sounds like, even what an orchestra of harpists might sound like. So the similes work. But we have never heard it all mixed together into one coherent whole. Someday we will hear it. Someday we will be a part of it, as we sing a new song before the throne (Revelation 14:3).

I wonder what it will be like to become capable of sustained intensity, dramatic percussion and tender loveliness, all at once, forever, as the celebration of God's glory pours out of us.

the desert song!

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be empited again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

i really enjoy this writing... like a wise calm.

Exhausted souls find rest only in God’s promises, his presence, his goodness, his faithfulness, his purity, his love, his beauty, his forgiveness, his nearness, his power, his wisdom, his sovereignty, his justice, his grace in Christ. It isn’t a technique. It’s a miracle.