John 13

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I decided to take a break yesterday. Just from the blog, mind you, not the reading. I had a good bit of time on the road and then hanging out with the fam. But John 13 is a powerful chapter (which isn't?), so I'm going to spend a few lines on it today and maybe I'll write on 14 later.

One of the things to remember here is that at this point is that Jesus is done preaching to the crowds and the rest of his words are directed to his disciples alone. In a sense he is preparing the men to whom he will pass off his earthly work. Also, Jesus is very near his betrayal by Judas and he alone understands that. That's the context for the next few chapters.

The washing of the disciples feet piques my interest. I always wonder what this means for us today. I think a special foot-washing time done with the right heart and in the right context could be one implication, but what does it mean at large? To answer that it seems important to look at why Christ did this. I find four implied reasons in the passage: 1. He loves the disciples dearly (vs. 1-2); 2. It was an incredible expression of his humility (vs. 3); 3. It was a representation of the spiritual washing he brings (vs. 8-10); 4. To set an example for them to follow (vs. 12-17). To a Christ-follower then it means that we should be looking for practical ways to humbly love one another (vs. 34) and wash away the dirt and grime of the world. Spurgeon says it better than I ever will:

"In the world they criticize: this is the business of the public press, and it is very much the business of private circles. Hear how gossips say, ‘Do you see that spot? What a terrible walks that man must have had this morning: look at his feet! He has been very much in the mire you can see, for there are the traces upon him.’ That is the world’s way. Christ’s way is very different. He says nothing, but takes the basin and begins to wash away the stain. Do not judge and condemn, but seek the restoration and the improvement of the erring."

That's what this passage is calling me to do. Not to cut down my fellow believer but to bear (cover over) his burdens (1 Cor. 13:7), to be my brothers confessor (John 20:22-23), and to humble myself to serve my brother (Gal. 5:13). Christ states it most simply with a new commandment - "That you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
Often I over think it and carry myself away with all the complexities of loving my brother and how that should play out and what that should look like and when that should happen and who all that really includes. But it's not complex. It's simple. I know how to love. It's not hard. And I've been given great love. All I need is to remember how passionately Christ loves me in my utter brokenness and, with the love he pours into me, love the body of Christ.

Yeeaah, a John 14 post will have to wait till later... ha

Indian?

Tweet I really have no idea how to make Indian food. So I asked my resident "expert" what spices to use, picked out some veggies and rice, and threw it all together to see what would happen.

Ingredients:
Spices - Heavy on the curry, a good bit of ginger, cumin, and chili powder
A basil leaf
Squash
Carrots
Potato
Tomato
Onion
Garlic
And I didn't have cloves or chickpeas, but that would've been a very good addition.
I cooked the rice like normal with the basil leaf. When it was about done I tossed all the chopped vegetables in a skillet with some olive oil. Then I added the rice and the spices, continually stirring and tasting and adding till I achieved the right level of "Indianness." One major thing I would do differently is to cook the potatoes beforehand. They were not quite as soft as I would've liked.
All in all though, it was a pretty good dish! I think I'll toss this on a tortilla to have it tomorrow too.

John 12

Tweet I find myself aching today. I've been seeking an opportunity to go overseas this summer and work alongside a missionary doctor or PA who is completely immersed in the culture he lives in. If you don't know, I feel the Lord has called me to full-time medical mission work, so that's why I'm seeking out this particular opportunity. And I've been trying to find the chance to do this off and on for almost two and a half years now. I really believe that this summer will be the time, but every door I've knocked on (or even tried to forcefully open...) has remained closed. Today I got another one of those disheartening, we don't have anything for you, but here's somewhere else you can look emails.
So as I start emailing a couple more organizations and reading about the plethora of issues and needs out there (and opportunities that should be), my heart aches. This is my passion - to reach those people who are hurting and broken and need a Savior they've never even heard of. I know the need is there - and abundant! "... the fields are white for harvest." Yet I can't even find a way to get myself there. Then the Lord speaks to me - "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
My prayer today is that I would find the death of me. My passion shouldn't just drive me to work longer, press harder, and look further, but to get on my face and die daily. My passion shouldn't send me running to my strength, my ambition, and my desire, but to the will and power of the almighty God. Don't get me wrong, I should work hard to seek out God's will for my life, but if that's all I do, I will fail. Every time. The only way I will ever succeed in fulfilling the passions God himself has put inside of me is if I fall into the ground and die that he might do his will. I have to realize that my life is not something for me to use. It's something to be shattered and broken so that it will be ready for the Kingdom's use. To that end, the place I should be most often is probably not writing another email, filling out another application, or making another phone call. Those things are good and needed, but the things I absolutely need every day are to be in the Word seeking to know the character of God and on my face in total surrender of who I am, asking him to do his will in my life.
Psalm 138:8 -

"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands."

John 11

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Jesus Christ was everything the pharaohs wanted to be - a god-man. More specifically, the God-man.
(Grabbed your attention, right??)
What strikes me the most in this chapter is the incredible intertwining of the divinity and humanity of Jesus. The incarnation of the son of God has incredible impacts on our lives and our theology... But I shouldn't really try to delve into that for lack of off the cuff knowledge. Plus this post would get lengthy, fast.
If you really think about it, it is a ludicrous thought that he who held the highest power in heaven took on the same limited form as me. And yet he still had divine power and knowledge. That's exactly the juxtaposition we see playing out in this chapter.
Notice the back and forth. First, Christ is right on target with the will of God (v. 4). He sees the illness and immediately is able to recognize its purpose - something I often struggle to do. Then we see Christ's human love. To be with them in spirit or to send his power to heal Lazarus wasn't enough. He was willing to risk going back to where stoning was a real possibility so that he could be near, in the physical presence of, the ones he loved. We continue to see this back and forth throughout the chapter. Jesus easily tells the disciples that Lazarus had to die so they might believe (foreshadowing??) and reminds Martha that he is the resurrection and the life. However, Jesus is also deeply moved by their sadness and even weeps with them even though he knew the coming act of power would not only bring them joy, but also deeper faith in him. He then calmly asks the Lord to do his will (human) knowing exactly what that meant (divine).
I could go on, but I don't want to sound more redundant than I already have.
I get so caught up in this because it reminds me that my weakness is human, but not wrong. When school and work make me weary, when I feel pain because of mom's sickness, when I feel alone or overwhelmed, I can know my Savior felt the same things! Jesus understands the dichotomy between knowing and wanting God's will, but still hurting because we have to live in this physical world.
And that's why Hebrews 4:14-16 is so powerful:

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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."

Make It Now And Thank Me Later

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Meal of the night: spaghetti. After a week and a half of the fast, this is the best thing I've put in my mouth yet. Yes, even better than those glorious stuffed 'shrooms. I will admit from the get go, I used cans of tomatoes. I don't think it's against the rules because I got the ones that were straight tomatoes (or really close). I just didn't have time or know how to make paste. Plus tomatoes are out of season. What're you gonna do? Ok, caveats made...

This is pretty simple. Ingredients:

A few cloves of fresh garlic

A few fresh basil leaves

1lb 12 oz of diced tomatoes

~14 oz of tomato sauce

6 oz of tomato paste

A few slices of a yellow onion

Ok, first I put in the onion with a little olive oil and browned it with the garlic. Then I put in all forms of tomato and my diced basil. I also added ~10 oz of water to boil off. Get this boiling and keep it at a low boil for a good 30-40 minutes. Also, unless you love the feeling of boiling tomato sauce on your arm find your longest handled wooden spoon. I found the short metal spoon I started stirring with paid me back in great pain. That's really all it takes. I sautéed some mushrooms to go on top of my whole wheat pasta and I'll be honest, the celery was just to make the picture look better.

Oh! Side items... I put a little olive oil and garlic salt on Ezekiel bread and broiled it and cooked some fresh green beans too.

Best meal I've had!

John 10

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Today, I find myself very thankful for God's grace.
Often times I perceive myself as being less worthy to follow Christ than the many great men and women who have gone before me. Most of the Disciples of Christ laid down their lives for his cause while I sit here and struggle to even grasp the meaning of scripture. I know we are all equally unworthy to follow Christ because his power, majesty, and holiness are so far above any human, but from my mere human perspective people seem to have rank and I fall so far below the greats.
But then I come across a passage like this. Christ speaks of himself, the Devil and his wiles, salvation, judgement, and following him in parable form. From this side of things, I can begin to get a grasp of what the parable meant. Only, though, because I'm looking back after Christ completed his first work on earth. Then I read verse 6 - "This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them."
I don't want to sound snide, but it makes me glad that the Disciples didn't get it. For one reason, it means Jesus will go onto explain in more detail what the figure of speech meant. Another reason, though, is that it means the Disciples were just as fallible as I am. I think it's God's grace to us that we are all equally invalid people, sinners lacking understanding and I am grateful that the scripture doesn't hide this. The Disciples were just as unworthy to be following Jesus as I am.
What we can take from this on how to follow Christ well is to recognize our ignorance. It doesn't say here that the disciples asked Jesus to explain further, but there are instances where they do (Matthew 13:36, 15:15). I must not shy away from my ignorance and I must not embrace it either. Rather, I must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show me the meaning of the Word (John 14:26) and I must study the Word to find out what it meant then and what it means to me now. Then, I'll find myself in the company of all true disciples of Christ - ignorant, invalid sinners seeking to know Him more.

Edit: I just heard these lyrics and they seemed fitting especially today. The words are from Rock of Ages. I'm a fan of the Brooks Ritter/Sojourn version.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.

John 9

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I've already written 15 pages today (thank you J-term busy work... and maybe a whole lot of procrastination on my part) so this will be brief.
I love what the formerly blind man says to the people who continue to question how he was healed. He doesn't understand who Christ is, but he uses his head and calls out the pharisees stupidity. I think he even gets sarcastic in verse 30 - "Why, this is an amazing thing!" Then he perfectly articulates the ignorance of their claim that Jesus is a sinner and brightly illuminates why Christ must be from God.
My prayer is that in the face of the world's attempts to distort and dismiss the evident hand of God, we are able to clearly see his work and with equal clarity proclaim his truth.

Sweetness on Sprouted Grains

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Well dinner tonight is rather straight forward...

Nothing special here. Just a classic double peanut butter and banana sandwich. Yumm.

I do have another idea to throw out there today. It's super simple, but has been one of my favorites due to it's sweetness. 

The main tip I'd give is to keep the Ezekiel bread frozen (particularly if you're a college student who won't eat it that quickly). Break off a slice and put it in the microwave on defrost for about 1 minute. Have strawberries and grapes sliced and ready to go as soon as the bread is ready because it'll be warm and moist. I discovered that the longer the bread sits out the harder it gets. Voila. It's like a dessert! Ok, not really. But it is as close as I've found!

John 8

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John 8:14 -

Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going."

Ok, I'm going to take this in pieces and then we'll put them together at the end...
One of the most perilous Christian ministries (in my opinion) is the proclamation of the Word. Meekness, helping, bearing, holding your tongue, and listening are all crucial to the Christian's life; however, proclamation seems the most perilous because the speaker needs to be actively engaged in almost all of the disciplines to speak the Word. If you can't listen faithfully to a brother, how can he listen to you? If you don't have meekness like Christ, how will your brother respect you? If you're not helpful, how will a brother know your word is sincere? Speaking Truth is a perilous task! James 3:1 even says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."

The reason Christ claims his witness ("testimony," the truth he spoke) was valid is because he knew himself completely. Now don't you dare check out at this point and think this is a self-help message about knowing yourself. God have grace on my blogging soul if you do. But hang onto the fact that Jesus says, what I say is true because I know who I am.

What is the significance of Christ knowing who he was ("where I came from and where I am going")? John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh here to dwell among us. "... and the Word was God." So when Christ says that he knows who he is, he is saying he knows the Word and he knows God, "the Father."

Finally, putting the pieces together... Jesus says his testimony is true because he knows himself - the Word from God. Therefore, how can we know that we are speaking truth and even more that we are living in truth? Know the Word. Scripture doesn't just tell us over and over again of the importance of this spiritual discipline (1 Timothy 4:15, Matthew 4:4, 22:29, Acts 17:11, Hebrews 4:12), scripture also tells us that even our Savior leaned on it for his authority to speak!

Fajitas... Without Queso... And Carne...

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Ok, that got depressing fast. Oh to have a big plate of arroz mi pueblito! Ok, refocusing...
The dish of the day is very simple, everything that would come with fajitas except the meat.
Tomato, mushroom, jalapeno, red pepper, green bell pepper, fresh garlic, and some yellow onion.

I like to chop my tomato, onion, and bell pepper into long pieces; destem, half, and slice my mushrooms; and dice the smaller peppers. I start sauteing the onions first to give them extra time and once they're going I toss in the rest.

To maintain moisture and speed up the cooking
process I cover it. And if you're a college
student and your big lid is dirty, use a plate!

I heated some rice and black bean for some extra substance. Finally, wrap that sucker up! Mine was nice and spicy just the way I like it. Chow down y'all.