Today's sermon was so powerful and great and much needed about discipline, where it begins, why its necessary, what Jesus taught about discipline, the outcomes of discipline, how to discipline, etc I'll write down the outline in another post. It really helped me understand a few questions I had about discipline..
Schemes
If there is something I've learned, from all the things I've learned reading the OT, is that God doesn't like schemes and stratagems of man because they put their trust in men as opposed to trusting God. I learned this lesson today. My mom a few months ago said something to me that made me think I could use later on to lure her to church. She said that squared people will not even for the family's sake take some time to go to catholic church and so I thought well since she wouldn't consider herself to be a square or narrow-minded person if I use this line on her she'll be obligated to come to church with me! But I never did build the courage to tell her that until today. Last week she called me specifically to tell me that there would be a mass sometime last week for a cousin of mine to thank God for his life, I was reluctant at first but finally said yes thinking that this would be a good time to use her line to get her to come to church with me today. After I got out of the bathroom I saw her in her room sitting on the couch reading the newspaper and seized that opportunity to ask her to please take me to church, she said she would but asked me to wait a second while she took a bath and got changed..."yes!" I thought, "if she's bathed and changed she'll definitely have no excuse!" we hopped on the car and drove to church, on the way she was telling me how she had to go to my aunts house to take her somewhere and I thought "bummer, my plan had failed" but stubbornly enough decided to still use her line and as I got off the car I said, "mom when are you going to come to church with me you know you yourself once said that only squared people say no" with a indignant look on her face as if I had insulted her she said "oh please! you don't even make a sacrifice for your own family!" and sped off. Then I realized all those times I had read in the OT women and men scheming with good intentions but trusting in their schemes and not in God. Ouch! lesson learned. But also decided something else, a good friend had told me not to go to these things not even to please the family, and I agree it is the wisest thing. Instead of going hoping they'll feel obligated to go, I will decline politely and whenever possible explain the reasons why. I must first and foremost obey and love God above all things.
Delightful Dish
On the other hand, my sister and her boyfriend were cooking today and they prepared the most delicious Bacon and Shrimp fettuccine, in a milk based sauce, very low on salt just how i like em, "al dente".
That was all for today,
oh another thing, last Friday I went to the Book fair, we hold one every year during this same Month, and thinking I wouldn't find anything good since the "Christian" section was filled with the Joel Osteen books and the Rick Warren and the Make your life better today and now books...but I did find 2 wonderful books that I started reading during this weekend, one I found in a stand that was marked with a discount, it was all dirt filled but waiting there for me, John Piper's Dangerous Duty of Delight...and then in another place within the Book Fair, I found still in its plastic wrapping D.A. Carson's Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians.
Schemes
If there is something I've learned, from all the things I've learned reading the OT, is that God doesn't like schemes and stratagems of man because they put their trust in men as opposed to trusting God. I learned this lesson today. My mom a few months ago said something to me that made me think I could use later on to lure her to church. She said that squared people will not even for the family's sake take some time to go to catholic church and so I thought well since she wouldn't consider herself to be a square or narrow-minded person if I use this line on her she'll be obligated to come to church with me! But I never did build the courage to tell her that until today. Last week she called me specifically to tell me that there would be a mass sometime last week for a cousin of mine to thank God for his life, I was reluctant at first but finally said yes thinking that this would be a good time to use her line to get her to come to church with me today. After I got out of the bathroom I saw her in her room sitting on the couch reading the newspaper and seized that opportunity to ask her to please take me to church, she said she would but asked me to wait a second while she took a bath and got changed..."yes!" I thought, "if she's bathed and changed she'll definitely have no excuse!" we hopped on the car and drove to church, on the way she was telling me how she had to go to my aunts house to take her somewhere and I thought "bummer, my plan had failed" but stubbornly enough decided to still use her line and as I got off the car I said, "mom when are you going to come to church with me you know you yourself once said that only squared people say no" with a indignant look on her face as if I had insulted her she said "oh please! you don't even make a sacrifice for your own family!" and sped off. Then I realized all those times I had read in the OT women and men scheming with good intentions but trusting in their schemes and not in God. Ouch! lesson learned. But also decided something else, a good friend had told me not to go to these things not even to please the family, and I agree it is the wisest thing. Instead of going hoping they'll feel obligated to go, I will decline politely and whenever possible explain the reasons why. I must first and foremost obey and love God above all things.
Delightful Dish
On the other hand, my sister and her boyfriend were cooking today and they prepared the most delicious Bacon and Shrimp fettuccine, in a milk based sauce, very low on salt just how i like em, "al dente".
That was all for today,
oh another thing, last Friday I went to the Book fair, we hold one every year during this same Month, and thinking I wouldn't find anything good since the "Christian" section was filled with the Joel Osteen books and the Rick Warren and the Make your life better today and now books...but I did find 2 wonderful books that I started reading during this weekend, one I found in a stand that was marked with a discount, it was all dirt filled but waiting there for me, John Piper's Dangerous Duty of Delight...and then in another place within the Book Fair, I found still in its plastic wrapping D.A. Carson's Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians.
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