Contemplating Carl: March 2011
God has been so good to me. I am in my fifth year of theological study, having already earned a Bachelors degree in Pastoral Ministry and Bible and now about to start my third of twelve quarters of a Masters in Divinity degree. God has been so good to me. Being a Canadian citizen I have been unable to work for a living here in America; I have also not been able to procure grants or student loans to pay for school. But God has seen fit to provide for my every need concerning education. God has been so good to me.
I just want to thank everyone who has participated in the call that God has given me for this season, to equip myself for the work he has called me to. We are co-laborers in Christ. My accomplishments in our Lord are your accomplishments as well. My successes in our savior are your successes as well. I thank God everyday for everyone who has made the decision to be faithful in ministering to me in my need.
God has called his people to be a people of obedience. Fully submitted to the call and mission of Jesus. I am continually awed by those who remain faithful to this call to obedience, even at a great cost. Psalm 128:1 says, “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.” And Jeremiah 7:23 says, “Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.” There are so many other promises concerning those who are obedient to God.
Recently a friend of mine, who is fairly new in the Lord, told me that following God is counterintuitive. Further elaborated he said you would think you should do something and in reality it is the opposite that God is asking of you. The first example that came to my mind when he said that was that in order to be prosperous in the kingdom of God one must be committed to generosity and giving.
 |
| Studying in the Library at Fuller Theological Seminary |
Now I have always tried to be generous; even with little I try to be faithful to give. For me the idea of tithing or giving has always been connected to looking after those in need in our midst. But in January God told me to commit to giving a tithe, above and beyond what I was already giving, to the church that I am serving at here in Cali. Now, just being honest this has been hard for me to do, because I am working with very little and every penny is counted on to make it. A couple of weeks ago my finances came down to either tithing or paying for gas to get to school. I wish I could say it was an easy decision, but it wasn’t. I went to the bank emptied my account and gave my tithe to the church and started to think what class was most important to attend as I only had gas left to get to one. The next day I went to my weekly meeting with my pastor and on the way home we stopped, checked the mail, and there was an envelope addressed to me. I opened the letter and there was a note and $200. I was so overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness that I started to cry. God had already set into place the provision that I needed. Even if I hadn’t been obedient God was faithful, but how would I have felt if I was disobedient at that moment. God has been so good to me.
Prayer, and the Divine Orchestration of God
 |
| A picture of me and the camera that was filming the footage for a video that I shot with some friends in Honolulu while I was back |
At the end of my second quarter I headed home to Hawaii to spend sometime with my mom and help her out. I had a week in between the end of the winter quarter and the beginning of the spring quarter. So I wanted to spend it being a blessing to my mother. It has been difficult for her since Bob, her husband and my stepfather, has been stuck in Canada for the last six months taking care of some necessary paper work. (This is an area that I would ask you to pray please that God would make a way. I too will be working on my visa in order to finish my studies.)
My trip back to Honolulu was good and God moved mightily. I had the opportunity to speak everyday that I was on the island. It is amazing how God orchestrates things. On many of the times that I shared someone would comment that that was exactly what God had been speaking to them about and that I either confirmed or clarified.
Before I left Hawaii I was part of the birth of a community called “The Parking Spot” (named such because we literally met in a parking spot at the Pac Rim dorms). Upon learning that I was going to be in Honolulu my friend Mel, who is leading this wonderful community now, asked me to come share with them. He told me they were going through a series on passion. I had a great message about releasing the potential of passion prepared for the meeting; but God had different plans for that evening.
I took a nap prior to the gathering; I pulled an all-nighter finishing a paper for school the night before. I woke up and God told me that he had a different message for me to give at the gathering. So as I dressed and drove to the Pac Rim dorms I spent time in prayer asking God what I was to speak on. I arrived, greeted everyone, and then we began worship. It was then that God gave me the message for the night. A passage from Psalms and three points that he was calling The Parking Spot to become passionate about; community, prayer, and holiness. God spoke powerfully calling us to our knees before him in an extended time of corporate prayer. Remember that this gathering took place in a oil stained, gravel strewn parking spot; the entire community got on their knees. When I stood up after the prayer time my legs were trembling, God had transformed that dirty parking space into holy ground. After, many in the group shared how they had prayed prior to the meeting that God would speak to them through me exactly what they needed to hear. Thinking back now the time they were praying was the same time I heard God tell me that he had a different message for me to speak at The Parking Spot. It is amazing how God orchestrates things.
Comments