Worship the only one!

So far we've made it through 9 books out of 66 books of the bible reading them 6 times and putting a considerable amount of time picking apart each verse of scripture. I can say with confidence that I've only scratched the surface of what is hidden in the word yet God has shown me so much of himself through the character of Jesus and how the issues in their day are so tangibly applicable in our life setting now. What seems sort of paradoxical is how, the more I start to understand the messages of the bible the more broken and sinful I feel as an individual which has helped me understand the concept of grace, that my deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus and have nothing to earn of deserve it. God is re-defining the way I view myself, other people and the purpose I serve in this world.

It is very easy to get caught up in our work here. I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk putting ridiculous amount of hours into my work but I am starting to learn how to best manage my time so that I'm not so absorbed in my work that I miss out on building life long relationships and aiming to bless the Taiwanese people. The values that we've placed in our school from day one is to be grounded in truth, growing in relationship and giving out what we've received. What a terrible tragedy it would be for me to go through nine months of bible school and never step outside and share Jesus with the millions of people I'm surrounded by who so badly are in need for the message of redemption. It all boils down to the right persective of loving God and loving other people. I want to know God more through the word but I want to let that inspire me to make a difference in the lives of lost souls, not to achieve personal heights of accomplishment but to live in a response to the freedom I have as a believer. The things we do for God shouldn't be motivated by the effort to look spiritual but compelled by an expression of thankfulness.

"When i get honest with myself, I admit i am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty, I am trusting yet suspicious, I am honest and still play games. To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what Gods grace means. A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God." Erwin Manning-

In constant repair, learning to Love..

In the service of Jesus Christ

-Jer

(this picture is taken from the highest mountain in Taipei that we climbed two weekends ago, it overlooks the entire city)