The First Missionary (Mk 5:1-20)

Ok, so I can't take credit for all of the following thoughts in this post, but I had to write something on here to share but also so I can put my thoughts onto pap... well, internet.

Who was the first recorded missionary sent out by Christ?

Max Lucado, in his book "He Still Moves Stones" provides an answer. Someone well trained? A long, devoted follower? A close disciple? Nope, this disciple was found in a graveyard. Not only that, but the first missionary was a raving lunatic. "He's the man your mom told you to avoid. He's the fellow Police lock up. He's the derenged man who stalks neighborhoods and murders families." THIS, is the first missionary of the church!

"Jesus' mere appearance humbles the demons. They had dominated this man, they cower before God. They had laced the region with fear, they beg for mercy from Jesus." They would feel safer in a herd of pigs rather than be in the presence of the Father. But the story is not over. After Jesus had put the demons into the swine, the herders went and told the people, who in turn came to see Jesus for themselves. What do they do? They ask Jesus to leave! The man who saved the region from the demons was asked to leave! Why? "Good question. What would cause a church to prefer slumber over revival? What would cause a nation to prefer slavery over freedom? What would cause people to prefer yesterday's traditions over today's living God? The answer, fear of change."

Wow... kudos to Lucado. I love random, yet important facts about my God and Lord. Years ago, I heard God described as ironic. The ironic God. The God who chose the youngest brother to become top dog, the God who chose by heart rather than looks, the God whose son was born in a manger rather than a throne, the God who choses grace over punishment. A God who displays power through mercy, rather than domineering.

In honor of the High Priest,
Potter

Dirt Poor...

Wow, I have no money!

Ok, so I'm over it and God is amazing. "Why?" is He amazing you ask? Probably because I have begun to see Him in a different light over the past few months. I have discovered a God who honestly and really cares about what I am going through. Sure, I have always complain to Him when I was hurting and would grovel before Him when I messed up, but I would always talk toward the sky not really knowing what I was talking to. I have had awesome classes in Genesis/Exodus, Hebrews, and the Corinthian letters. Brother Gilmore and brother Lipe have shown me that the Bible is more than a book of rules and regs, it's a way God shows me that I can be so much better than I am now. The Hebrew writer shows me that Christ can honestly say to me "I've been there, you can make it!" and "You ARE worth all the suffering I endured." Christ could have made the decision in the garden that he didn't want us, but he didn't do that.

Just the other day I saw God at work (and I love it when that happens!).

My roommate had split up from a relationship he had with his girlfriend for over 1 1/2 years. I caught him wondering aimlessly through the commons not knowing what to do. I took Him out for ice cream and he explained his distrust in relationships. First his parents divorce and now his own relationship was in jeopardy. He had initially talked to her over AIM (big mistake), so I encouraged him to take time now to talk to her face to face, or atleast over the phone. He did so, but it didn't seem to have an effect. He spent the night on his face in prayer. Only 24 hours went by before his girlfriend called me up looking for him. Justin later came to me and said, "Potter, God is amazing. Through this he has revitalized my relationship with Jennifer." In the short break they had, they experienced life without each other, and it was very foreign to them. In the same way, it can be like that with God! Just today, I heard the quote in class, "The degree that one remembers the covenant of God, reflects the degree that one remains faithful to God" After all, thats why God's covenant always requires an act. Circumcision, rainbows, and baptism all reflect signs of God's covenants. Do you take time to appreciate God's covenant everyday? I pray God will continue to fill me with joy and endurance to serve his will! Thank you Father...

Because of Our High Priest,
Potter

September 17 - Friday

Hey ya'll

Today has been an awesome day. I had no sleep last night due to extreme heat enjoyed by roommates, but its ok. Ya'll, the weather has been awesome up here for days, and each day seemed to reflect a different mood. Yesterday I think was the best. We didn't get rain, but we had deep, dark clouds hovering the sky which sheltered us from the sun. The wind was up to about 5mph and the weather felt about 75 degrees. I LOVE IT. Today it's bright, sunshiny, and yes, the yellow jackets are out. I can't wait till winter because I brought my russian hat along with me and it will look awesome with my leather jacket!

I'm scared for my beta (siamese fighting fish) though. It's true, he's been around for over a year and his tail is starting to wither. tear.

God has truly shown his glory to me today. Yesterday I was not feeling the spirit. I prayed all day yesterday for God to fill me with joy and non-sluggishness. Today, I couldn't go to sleep even if I wanted to. It's the first time I felt like this in a long time!

Because of His blessings,
Potter

I love the Lord messiah, Deep down in my heart

Ok, so it's official. I'm lazy! Ya'll I try so hard, but the sleep and procrastination just takes over when it comes to school work! But on the other hand, school is going as well to be expected. Homework is somewhat-light and work at Pizza Hut is not as hard as I remember it. Praise God right?

Today I had my bible classes and I love them so much! In Hebrews, I learned something I've never thought about before. To those who studied Hebrews, this may not be a shock, but it certainly got my wheels cranking. Chapter 2 of Hebrews is dedicated to describing the "humanity" of Christ, atleast while he was on the earth. Why did Christ come to the earth? Heb 2 shows that Christ came back to restore man to the dominion he once had! What? You mean man is worth something? man is a blemish in God's eye. I mean, God did kill off man when he sinned, right? Not only did Christ come to restore our former dominion, but to make us sons of glory (2:10). Heb 2:16 says that Christ came to give us aid (which in greek, the context word means a parent who runs to a child crying out). Heb 2:18 says Christ will come running to you and I when we cry out because he suffered the temptations as us. Praise God for His compassion to us!

In Genesis/Exodus, brother Gilmore got fired up and gave a mind-blowing anti-evolution sermon. He touched subjects such as "why is creationism illegal", "how does evolution break scientific protocol", and "evolution is a religion." In 1963, the US Supreme court passed ruling stating Bible is not to be taught in public schools. The court also stated that if something is to be taught, it must pass 5 criteria of science, ofcourse non of which evolution passes. In fact, according to the Supreme court ruling, mathematics technically can't be taught. Who said we didn't have an infallable government? Well, he said a lot more, but it's really late!

Because of His Blessings,
Potter

Greetings and Salutations

Ok, so I just started Pizza Hut again and made a ton of money! WOOHOO, praise the Lord! Ok, so I'm over with the materialism.

A new Month

So classes are going full fledge (word?), and I haven't polished up on the awesome study habits I wanted. Oh well, I passed past classes without studying... However, Bible classes are amazing!!! I love them so much! Today was mission emphasis day, and I am so inspired to go to Scotland. It may be a hype, but I know ministry is a need over there. There are only 5 missionaries there right now and there are only about 500 members in the whole country (out of 5 million, woah). Surprisingly, the speaker, a native of Scotland, informed us that Scotland was one of the founding countries of the restoration movement. Many churches sprung up in the 50's. However, the church fell so hard there that only a handful of people remained with the Church of Christ. He says only 5 remained. All of them either left the church, or went back to the church of Scotland (Presbyterian) because of their strong influences. It's considered important to attend church in Scotland (and US too), but the missionary said he had to teach very elementary stories to his converts because they were simply not explained in church services. The missionaries sent over were the first to open bibles to answer questions of converts. May the Father bless the missionaries and converts throughout the world! Thank God for strong churches in the US, and may we strive toward other countries to spread Christ. Because of His Blessings, Jeremy