For starters, this computers keeps locking up in the middle of my blog. So ya, I planned to wake up 9 am in the morning . However, I went back to bed and slept in until 10 am! (Funny how that works!) Then, I got a shower and got dressed. Following that, I had Nesquick cereal with a glass of orange juice ( and also a glass of milk!) More to be added this was done at 11:21 p.m ( the point is, i'm trying to talk on msn and will tell you about the rest of my day then...msn locks up my comp. if explorer is running too!) (Yep,i'm focusing on this blog: i get 10 minutes in then it locks up!) So ya, the pulp from the orange juice mixed into the milk ( i used the same glass...d'oh!) . To solve the problem, I cleaned it out with water then had a glass 0f milk! Moving on, I decided to start reading the bible before I went to church (Ephesians 5 to be exact) However before I could finish, it was time to leave for church: the environment was so much different than usual! For starters, there was barely any youth there: my first hint as to why was that Aaron W. told me there was gonna be a family survival camp. Indeed, it was approved to be true at the beginning of the service ( alot of adults were gone too!) Second of all, the Pastor and his wife was not there ( they were probably gone to the family survival camp with their kids) Filling in for him was one of the deacons: maynard k.
By the way, here was the structure for today's service:
-Welcome
-Praise Time
-Presentation of Tithes and Offerings
-Offertory
-Children's Hymn
-Birthday Celebration
- Pastoral Prayer
-Ministry of Music
-Message
-Hymn
-Benediction
Adding to the change in atmosphere was the fact that they began to question whether or not children's church was even gonna go ahead due to the lack of kids. However at the last minute, someone told the congregation they were off to watch a movie ( I commented " talk about improv!" (quietly of course!))
Next of all, the deacon leading in the absence of the pastor called us to prayer before or after the normal prayer time about the bill about same-sex marriage: he informed us that the bill could be passed as early as tomorrow and that this may be the last oppourtunity we get to pray about it before a vote takes place. ( I found it to be rather crazy) He also mentioned that only 7 votes needed to be swayed in order for the bill to pass (anyone who wants to make comments on this blog or the issue of same-sex marriage can go right ahead!)
Adding to the changed atmosphere was the fact that less people could be heard singing than usual and the voices that could be heard were the adults and older members (usually, there is an even number of people singing from each age group:so, the sound produced was different!).
Also, the deacon asked the congregation what to pray about and joted it down on pen and paper ( Usually, the pastor has prayer requests decided before it even starts: unless someone raises their hand and speaks). I found this to be a very practical way to handle the issue: I was impressed! Adding to the list, was how the deacon kept the message shorter than 20 minutes : short and to the point ( there was no pun intented,right susan s.?).It was basically him reading out the story of the women at the well that jesus encountered as accounted in John 4:1-29;39-41..he basically gave a history of the well:here are the main points I recorded:
-This was (probably) the same well that Jacob dug thousands of years ago
-It was passed down from generation to generation: from Jacob to Joseph,etc..
- some people were buried in/near it and other events
-people in those days would've came from far away to go to that well
- The well still exists today and has become quite the tourist attraction
Here's some key background information he stated:
-There was bad blood between the Jews and Samaritans
- This was because when the Jews were in exile, some of them decided to disobey god and intermarry with the local people
-The Samaritans got their lineage from what these Jews would've called "Half-breeds"
Here are the main message points:
-Alot of things about this encounter were unusual
-Jesus was a Jew talking to a Samaritan ( That would've been looked bad upon in those days)
-Jesus was a man speaking to a women ( they were viewed to be of lower status in those days than men)
- The women had come to the well at high noon( the hottest time of day) instead of coming during the morning while things were cooler to draw water
-Jesus made use of what he had to work with to portray spiritual principles to the women
(He often was recorded as doing this: as well as telling parables!)
-Jesus offered her living water: a water that would be able to quench her spiritual need: a condition all of us as humans commonly possess
(the deacon uses these references to back-up that living water is a common theme in the bible:
- Jeremiah 2:13 -Psalm 36:9 - John 7)
- Jesus lacked condemnation of her sins ( being with a man without them being married)
-Jesus was able to see right through her and know everything about her!
The women used three tests to determine how Jesus could've been able to see-through her:
1. The test of easy answers (John 4:17)
2. The test of religious talk (John 4:19-20)
3. The test of scripture
-After she realized he was the messiah (that the first five books of the Old Testament tesfied of), she witnessed of how he told her everything she ever did
The main lesson of this passage is that she was an unlikely witness
The main application being that since often calls the most unlikely witnessed, we don't have to ever think that we can't be used by god
He also noted that her witness avoided:
- Other people's conclusions
- "threats of hell"
- answering questions not asked
He begged the question, " Are you afraid to be a witness because you are not a theologian?" ( he also begged over questions that i can't remember word-for-word!)
-He ended by stating , "The best definition I have ever heard of witnessing is , ' One beggar telling another beggar were to find food!' "
Those are most of the main points!
Moving on after church, Dad took me with him on errands to Costco ( to fill up a propane tank and to get some lunch: 2 sets of pre-cooked chicken wings (hot and ready to go) and to Kent ( to get stabilizers for the basement at the cabin in terra nova, to get a new eavesdrop installed and to weigh the cost of putting in new flooring! ) ( I managed to tell him how the bible talks about the importance of weighing the cost before getting into something: it related directly because jesus used the image of building a tower and dad was weighing the costs of putting in new flooring: both are building-related!)
Afterwards, we finished off the wings at dad's house(around 2/2:30 p.m) , feed the rabbit its medication and food and packed up to go to mom's house. Next off, we arrived at mom's (at around 4/4:30 p.m?) Next, I played halo for 40 minutes ( instead of 30 minutes). From 5-5:30 p.m, I took Molly for a walk around the block. After that, I got some water into my system ( and other stuff) and walked down to bowring park: it was about 6/6:15 p.m by the time I got down there. I then realized I should try out Sarah C.'s idea: to read the bible in the park! ( I looked around and managed to find the perfect spot people who live in newfoundland, take note of this!) It is under this huge tree that hangs over a green picnic bench a few feet away from Red Oak Catering in Bowring Park: it provides enough privacy and shelter that one can read ( or eat) in the cool and enjoy nature for what its really like! At around 6:20 p.m, I left to head back home ( Sarah C. called me on the way home: I told her about my day and we ran outta time before she could tell me about hers!) However, I got back home at 7:05 p.m: mom was not impressed. (We were supposed to have been at my Aunt Linda's in downtown at 7 pm). So, I had to try to make up for lost time by getting a shower, shaved and changed A.S.A.P ( It was 8pm by the time we got there!) From 8 to about 10/10:30 p.m, we did the following:
-hung out
-chatted
- had supper ( pizza and soft drinks: although some people had alcohol...not me though!)
- had 3 "toasts" : 1 to Greg, 1 to Mom and a special toast to mom that Alexis called!
- some great convos. about basketball, improv, video games,etc..
- Watched some world players poker ( i think thats what its called?)
- told them about my plans (some definite, some perceived)for the summer
( accounts vary depending on what individuals decided to spend their time doing: this is more like what i did!)
Anyhow, we got back around 10:30/11 pm. (Since then, my computer has locked up 5 times!) So i've done the following upon getting home:
-talked on msn
- skimmed over one news story on the heat waves going through canada
-updated my blog
I made two major errors today:
1. Failing to respect deadlines by walking too far away from home and being late for getting to Aunt Linda's
2. Failing to open the door for tenille when we stopped at linda's
(Its getting too late to finish reading Ephesians 5: I guess i'll finish the analyzing today: at least its 1/2 way done!)
For more details, ask me.... comments/ commentaries please!
