The Footprints of Jesus

In many times throughout my life, I've often wondered where God was in my preoccupations, both in great times and in tougher times. Just recently, I experienced a trying time at my workplace, having been told that I have done something that caused my management to lose some trust in me. It had something to do with my interactions with the individuals I work for. If you're curious about the details click here to read an entry on my new blog page. Basically, I struggled with pain and hurt and felt hopeless because of things in my past that are creeping in to my work. I felt that I was hopeless not to change and I felt as though my pride was a big issue that could play a part in keeping me from making reconciliation.
In my struggle in this situation, I came to the Lord the other day and asked him to cleanse my heart of the pride that still thrives within me. I told the Lord that I wanted to do things according to His will, and not by my own will. When I did this a phenomonal image entered my mind. This image is a familiar image that I've seen over and over again, and have experienced in real life many times before. This image was of big footprints left in the snow that I were stepping into, in order to keep on the preexisting path. In the image, I was a child, walking in the footsteps of my father, not able to cover the prints with my feet and barely able to step into each step as my father's stance was larger than my own. As the image lasted a thought also came to me. What if the footprints ahead of me stopped suddently, that means I would make my own path once after stepping out of the prints my father had made. I would set my own destination and I would have to walk in the deep snow in order to do it.
The meaning of all this for was that while walking in the footprints of Jesus as His child, if I long to walk according to His path for me, I need to walk in the existing prints He leaves for me and not be impatient by creating a path I think He might want me to go out on. That was a great reminder for me to be patient and wait for the steps God wants me to take. How good God is and how wise He is in making me wait. The Lord does not want me to tread in the deep snow on my own to get stuck or to fill my snowboots. Instead, He wants us to take steps inside the prints He leaves for us because we are His small children and He is our big daddy.

A breath of fresh air? Not just for quitters!

This afternoon, a commercial for Nicorette caught my attention while I was at work. I basically just saw the ending of a commercial where this guy was talking about how Nicorette gum helped him quit smoking. It wasn't the marketing approach or any glitzy graphics that caught my attention, but the phrase the man says at the end of the commercial. The man says, "I still want to smoke, I just don't have to." Now that was an interesting phrase to me.

The thought that entered my mind was, "man, that's a lot like sin." A long time ago, the apostle Paul wrote to the early church in Rome, who apparently were struggling with sin. He said in Romans 6:13-14,

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."

In vv. 16-18:

"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

Our message is that Jesus is like Nicorette. Jesus saves that which enslaves us. Now as for smokers, one might agree or deny that smoking is a type of enslavement, but it is an addiction. Sin, like smoking, causes us harm and will bring us to death. So Jesus is the Nicorette of salvation. Jesus frees us from sin.

However, as a Christ-follower, time and time again I rediscover that sin has not left my life. I indeed am a sinner. However, like a Nicoretter user free of the cigarette, I very often "want to [sin] but I don't have to" because Jesus has broken my chains of freedom and offers me righteousness, which brings healing and life. This is not because of what I've done, but because what He has done for me.

How great to see a message of freedom likened to the freedom through Christ on a simple commercial! Great.

Speculation

RUSSELL DOERKSEN HAS A.D.D!!

Waiting for Freedom!!!

So, it's December 3, 22 days until Christmas day and two weeks until my freedom is granted and I can escape school for three weeks for the grandest holiday ever!! My family is planning a trip to Whitecourt, Alberta, to visit my sister, Amanda, and her husband, Russell. It's about time that we come visit them and see how their living situation is without just hearing about it. I'm kind of stoked for the holiday, not just for the trip, but for actually being able to spend time with my family for longer than just a weekend [and a rare one at that].

I express my desire to escape from school because right now school seems to be a burden, which for me is rather unorthodox. Since coming to Providence College in the Fall of 2004, I have fallen in love with learning and classes and the like. I have been stretched so much since attending Prov that for me to say that I am sick of school is like a fish saying, "I want to breathe air." However, things have changed and I am in need of a break from school. Perhaps it's because the classes I'm taking aren't as intriguing as the ones I've taken before. The most likely reason is probably because during the whole semester I've been distracted by the friends that live in close proximity from me. Homework has tended to take a back seat to fun with my really good friends he in dorm. Alas, freedom is in the back of my mind because homework definitely isn't, which is the reason why I have been handing in a handful of my assignments in late. Maybe by second semester I will be regenerated and my desire to do work will be back. I guess one can only hope.

I keep thinking about where I will be next year, which is my senior year in my degree program at Prov. Mine is a four year program, which differs from pretty much everybody else's, who complete their programs in three years. So that means that 99% of my freshman class is gone next year, and I will remain to bask in my depression, knowing that I will be alone, with hardly anyone left from my original social circle around, except for the others in four year programs. So, I have been thinking about where I will be living next year. Should I live in dormitory again [of course I will by vying for my own room]? Or should I live off campus where one of my friends is considering also? Here's an opportunity for you to respond to my blog: what do you think?

Not ANOTHER Writer's Block?

So, like always I am reflecting on my tendancy to forget to blog. "I know I have some flavourful foibles to share, I just know it!"
Well, where I find myself now is in the middle of the first semester of my third year already.
I DO have a beef about school rite now. They cancelled YE 2007. That is a bunch of bull b/c YE brings in so many Christian youth and youth who are seeking God. It's always been a highlight. Apparently the leadership is being changed up a bit and now they are taking a break to decipher what needs to be done with that and with other foci of the event. I really hope that they seek God on this fully and offer opportunities for students to suggest ideas. Sorry for any of you who imensely enjoy Youth Encounter and will be deathly disappointed by the cancelation. I certainly am. Oh well, I imagine the school is doing what they feel is necessary.

A school shooting like no other

Yesterday, a 32 year old man barricaded a small amish school building in Pennsylvania to take "revenge for an old grudge" and opened fire on innocent school girls that ranged from 6 to 13 years of age, killing two girls immediately [plus an adult teacher's aid], before turning the gun on himself. while 2 died later in hospital, with five injured in total. Apparently this man was angry at God and life, he was emotionally and spiritually detached because of the death of his daughter three years ago. He had also apparantly molested young girls a few decades previous without his family knowing. According to his wife he was an outstanding husband who loved and cared for their family. This sparks wonder in my head as to why a loving husband would tear apart an isolated, innocent community. I think of Job in the Old Testament who lost his livelihood and still didn't deny God or rebuke Him; although he believed his fate was due to some sin in his life. I think this man, named Charles Carl Roberts, is an extreme example of people blaming God for what has befallen them. In the case of Roberts it seems that he gave up on God all together, seemingly without telling anyone. He allowed himself to go insane with rage.
On the opposite end of the story are the families of the little girls that were killed, who have completely forgiven Roberts and have begun the healing process. As a support to these families even Roberts' wife is asking prayer for her family and for the families of those lost.
I think that in all the stories that we hear about school shootings in North America this is the one that can offer the best spiritual lesson. In the complete article (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15113706/) the mother of a victim is quoted to say, "There’s two things that happen to your faith. Either you let it go and get bitter, or you grow stronger — and we’ll grow stronger." I think that that's a truth that no one can deny and this horrible incident proves it. I just hope that it doesn't take another incident like this to make people realize the truth.

My Sentiment

Well, I haven't been all that good at regular blog entries I admit, but the my personal purpose of this blog is clearly stated on this page: to share thoughts from the heart and mind. What's annoying is that I cannot offer great insights all the time or don't feel like entering posts all the time either. What's also unnerving is the fact that sometimes when I do have a thought I would like to share I often do not think to enter it here to share.
Gosh--I guess I can only say this: that I really need to be less hard on myself for failing to enter blogs regularly, I know that I'm not the only person like that.

There is one thing I would like to share, and that is my current emotions in coincidence with a class I am taking this semester. New Religious Movements is a class that studies the new relious waves that root from Protestant Christianity, some that ironically devalue Christ to only creature of prophetic character and do not consider him Savior and Lord. My question is 'HOW?' How can they do that? My mind is stirring because I cannot imagine how people could allow themselves to be misled in such a way, especially ones who have been a part of the Christian church and have a fair amount of experience in the Faith. For instance, the Jehovah's Witnesses, who actually use the Christian Bible as a key resource but often reinterrupt small things--like changing the occurance of the word 'the' in some passages to 'a' [interestingly this is often enough to throw people way off of the path of righteousness]. It hurts me to know how NRMs like these separate the figures of the godhead like this and how it actually winds up leading people on to believe in many ungodly things. That, I think is a shame.

I think we as Christians need to be praying for these people. I think we as Christians need to be learning about these people and what they actually believe. And, in the particular case of JWs but others too, we as Christians need to welcome them into our homes and speak to them about true freedom in Christ Jesus.