Insulin

So there I was standing in front of the urinal in the community centre for the second time when I realized I had forgotten to take my insulin that morning, I quickly ran my fingers over the pockets of my pants and patted the pockets in my jacket : Pen, Ipod, Lifesavers, folded paper--No insulin!!!

There was nothing to be done but to return to our warm ups, with the ministry team Aspire from EBC we were Visiting the Pathway Brethren In Christ Church (Held in the priorly mentioned community centre), currently warming up hands to play instruments and lungs to sing songs. I glanced at the clock and it read a meagre 9 a.m. three hours until the end of the service and the chance of an 8 mm syringe to pierce my skin, releasing multiple cc's of insulin into my bloodstream allowing my bladder to cease its evacuation plan and my muscles to relax. I whispered a prayer that God would grant me the grace of being able to bear the symptoms of hyper glucoma for the meantime. Regardless of this thorn in my side, and the acoustics of the room being appalling the group was able to get through all of our songs!

It was my week (on a rotation) to share my testimony, due to my current situation I slipped in a ,mention of my Diabetes and how these negative things in our lives can be used to the Lords will and Glory. Often times I don't let all know that I am diabetic because many people, when realizing that one is diabetic feel it is the Lords will for them to be a diabetes Police officer scrutinizing your diet and health. Today was an exception to this rule of thumb I hold. Wouldn't you know after ward someone thanks me for mentioning that aspect in my testimony because they were undergoing a situation that related! Regardless I was very relieved when I was able to screw the syringe onto the vial, prime the cannister and plunge the needle into my arm, awwwwe.

Some forgotten evening in early January I promised Melissa I would build her a river on February first, so this afternoon Tim and I went to gather supplies for this mystery river that (I hope) will be presented tomorrow to Melissa who's last guess was a cardboard box filled with water. We shall see. It has just crossed my mind to some how incorporate our fish, I don't think it would work though.

Ah, yes our fish! Tim has a bluish Beta Named Brom taken from the Eragon trilogy, Melissa has a red Beta named Hernando I guess its a Mexican name possibly taken from her sojourn to Mexico last fall. Heather has a Beta Named Kooks after I have no Idea, I know this word from elementary school potty humour so I laughed when I first heard it but apparently that is unique to Norfolk slang, Lastly my skittish beta, who lives in an old glass peanut butter jar, named Augustine, after my favourite historical figure. Well I have to go to the wash room (Maybe I need some insulin:) .

Hezekiah Zombie Sonata

There once was a man, who had an appointment with his doctor that was the kind that no one wants to have. The news was not any good, the report was that the man would soon die. At this news he went into his house and turned from the world facing one of the walls in the home, in this posture he wept and prayed to God, realizing that only He could alter the future, only he had the power to change. After this day God allowed King Hezekiah to live fifteen years longer. There times when I am confronted with something in my life that I cannot change, sin in my life, I cannot take it away, Obstacles larger than my will, The decisions of other people, disease and tragedy. In times such as these I turn my face to the wall and give up myself crying out to the one who has the power to change.

Of course after the miracle of Hezekiah he sinned against God, which I feel I will as well.

Saturdays are the misfits of the weeks in the year. It is the day that I sleep in later waking up at some double digit time and start the day at a snails pace. Some time this morning, Tim Melissa and I went down to the local Tim Hortons for a little pick me up. Upon entering the building I saw the line was rather long, it included a Pastor from a local church who always go for the "hip" look (Like most youth pastors) several older men who are likely having an early lunch having eaten breakfast at some ungodly hour of the morning and, a few teenagers flicking zippos on and off. Tim and Melissa marched me forward regardless of my pessimism regarding the line up. In mere minues later we were rewarded with hot beverages and rather interesting conversation.

Imagine having a widows peak on your house in the country, only instead of the plain wooden railing in a square shape you had a ladder leading up to a Tie Fighter mounted on a pivoting platform! That would be awesome, you could sit in the cockpit and see all the surrounding landscape, Tim suggested having a great computer setup there, to play Video games that possibly include zombie apocalypse while yourself being in the best location, ready for take off just in case a real zombie out break occurs!

Apart from homework this afternoon I took out my old bass guitar and slogged away at learning moonlight sonata, just going to say this once, it is much harder on the bass guitar than on the piano. yes well time to roll on to the harder music I suppose. Today was relatively quite, with alot of our friends having gone for the weekend, but in school quiet weekends are productive ones. Good thing I don't have pole mounted Tie fighter, there would never be weekend I wasn't out trying to hunt down and crush the rebellion.

Eating arms and carrying futons.

Its on rather chilly days such as today that the alarm at 6:30 seems rather uninviting. Regardless though I rose from my bed. In the last two weeks I have had the joy of waking up at this time to join my bible study group for 7:30, three days a week, we have been working our way through the book of Isaiah and I must say it has been a learning experience. While I have read the book in the past I have never slowly studied the content as we are doing in a group.

Today, we read the Ninth chapter and I was reading from the NKJV which translated one section of the passage that Manasseh ans Ephraim would eat the flesh from their arms! This was clarified in the NIV as to mean that the offspring would be devoured, I am glad that there were other there to help through this. Of course this followed with more than one person attempting to take chunks out of their own or a neighbours forearm. Certainly all of the tricky aspects and ominous doom in the chapter was wrapped about the promise of the Prince of Peace.

Conveniently there is a Thrift store across the road from the college where a few days ago I noticed a killer futon with a wooden frame. When Melissa heard this she was interested and so after lunch today with a group we headed over to check things out. Needless to say twenty minutes later six college students could be seen carrying a wooden frame and a rather large mattress across Fergus street to a dorm building. O, those college students.

Well six is coming on fast and i must leave for youth shortly, tonight we are focussing on the ten commandments and the need of obedience to them as well as the commandments or rules that parents lay down. To get the point across I love using dynamic teaching styles, So along with Kristy we will be having the junior youth play human checkers. Of course the thought of them co-operating with it is a hard one to believe. O, those junior youth.

Nature of Atonement

This being mt first post on my third blog, I want to set the stage. This first post perhaps will be a lens to interpret other writing through, a small examination of atonement. Atonement that I have experienced and appreciate. While I by no means plan on continually commenting on theological writings and concepts it may be important to see the deepest part of a person and there convictions before taking part in the reading of light hearted reading of articles. Now without further delay, a short survey of atonement as I comprehend it.

Why Atonement?

When Adam committed the sin of disobedience to God humanity fell. When Adam chose sin to be his master in place of God he would pass his master to his children and so on. Each person is born with the guilt of sin, an inherit sin from Adam. This of course is the base for all the sin that is committed in everyones lives. In this condition we are guilty and if justice was to be served to us in this condition we would be granted nothing lighter than damnation. (Romans 6:23) Now God is sovereign and did have the power to pardon all of there sin as perhaps some liberal universalist theologians may suggest but to work according to His own nature and set the example. If death is the just result of our condition only death could deliver us. it is here that Sacrifice comes into role.

Sacrifice

Under the mosaic covenant Jewish Priests offered sacrifices daily to cover the sins of the people but Jesus offered a better sacrifice than they priests could offer, the blood of animals could not remit the sins of man. But Jesus offers himself, the perfect sacrifice for sin and as the sin in the old covenant was put upon an animal that was offered so was all sin put on Christ. The difference being that with Christ his single offering was enough for all time.

Substitution

As it was our punishment to death it was Christ who bore the punishment. It is our place to have to die and be punished for our sin but Christ stood in our place of punishment for us. Ultimately the innocent took the guilt of the guilty. Apart from the reality of Christs substitution there is no way to God.

Propitiation

The punishment that sinners would have had to bear would have been from the wrath of God. This isn't a hot rage but a Holy considerate justice that needs to be met. When Jesus became the substitute he also became the propitiation, that is the full measure that Gods holy wrath called for. Jesus became what was needed to appease the Wrath of God. To do this it was as if as Christ was dying he became the greatest sinner and bore death as a sinner, death without hope, with the sting.

Reconciliation

By this work of Christ we are at peace with God without wrath directed towards us, if it is accepted. We are no longer at enmity with God.

Lastly

While Jesus was fully God he was also Fully Human. He lived in a way to set the moral example, he set the new humanity apart from the one that Adam blemished, one that can be entered through his atonement. And we are called to follow Him.