FYI Opps

You got your money's worth today folks... 2 for one and I haven't posted for a month! LOL - ok I ment to tell you why my heart is filled with such joy. with in the last 2 Terms I have been building relationships. These relationships have taken much more time then I anticipated. But they have come. In the last couple of weeks I have had several students from the past some who have not been coming and some who have been coming to SDA ask me when the religion classes are. I scheduled myself to teach in the morning and not in the evening... Partly for selfish financial motives which i regret. Because i didn't pray and ask for guidance on such a matter. (the decision caused more headache then i care to discuss). But that's what I did. So now I know of several students who want to join my religion class - who are not even taking english at SDA language institute, But because of my poor scheduling I am having to teach them after my 9pm class. I cannot tell you the joy of reading with someone Genesis Chapter 1! Yes Genesis Chapter 1. I plan to go through the first 3 chapters and continue on to share the story of salvation with her. If you have any ideas of how to progress fromt there I am all ears. Think... teaching someone something as big as the bible for the first time. So many ways to start... So much to share! What a privilage. After 4.5 months this is the Joy from th refiners fire. Part of me wishes that if this is the reward for the fire, then CRANK IT! But one day at a time. One degree at a time. Little bites at a time. God is Good. Amen.

Refiners Fire

This is not my own blog and they are not my own words. But it is how I feel as a lay my head down to sleep tonight:http://scarbrock.blogspot.com/2007/12/refiner-fire.html

Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 21
Key Verse: Zechariah 13:9

"The process of refining metals is used in the Bible as a metaphor of
spiritual purification. In a sense, if you have something made of pure gold or
pure silver, it is made of the leftovers. Refining is a process by which
everything else is removed and only the pure metal remains. It is accomplished
through firing, putting the metal over the fire until it is a liquid from which
can be drawn all the dross.

Our lives are not pure gold by any means. God's desire is that we be holy as
He is holy. That means there are things that need to be removed from our lives.
It also means that He will assist in that process!

God's intent is not to destroy us but to purify us. Sometimes His method is
akin to the intense heat of the refiner's fire. Our response to the process is
crucial. We can either allow Him to work in our lives, cooperating in removing
that which is impure, or we can resist or rebel.

To His people, God sent the message through the prophet Zechariah that He
would "refine them like silver and test them like gold" (13:9). That is painful,
but look at the promise: "They will call on my name and I will answer them; I
will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" The
blessing will be ours.

Don't resist or rebel against God's refining fire. Learn from the tough
times. Look for the ways in which God is using your difficulties to refine
you."

God has revealed a little bit to me today that it does take pain and suffering for us to fully rely on God as we should and that it will take some more rough times to get through to us what we should or shouldn't be doing in our lives. Sometimes (a lot of times) I miss judge someone or a situation before I take the time to get to know something or someone. I can admit that I misjudged/prejudged my new roomates before I gave them a chance. I believe in the past week I have built a closer relationship with them more so than I had with my prior roomates. It will come with time though. The purifiers fire is not an instantanious blast of fire, but a timely simmer. Although there is much pain. In the end there is much gladness. Through my pain and suffering I have made some poor choices. I judged the leadership of my company for loosing their vision. But it seems that I myself had lost my vision, and may not be entirely set on what my vision is yet again, but it takes a good second to tern a frigate ship back to the right heading. I am not quite sure if I am to stay at wonju or to venture to another place in seoul to study. I pray ... Psalms 5:8 to lead me and to put the plan in my face so i may know what he wants of me. Change takes time. TIme that I was to impatient to see. Please continue to pray for a solid vision for my future.