John chapter 11

Had a pretty long day!
Went to school at 9, went to my two lectures for the day and spent the rest of the day at the library reading for all my courses! I half-enjoyed my English readings, in which I had to read Stephen King...He's so interesting, but at the same time, he's just nuts. I had to analyze this one short story, and it's about a man who talks to his therapist for days about this "Boogeyman" that killed three of his children. How does it end? This man catches the therapist take the mask off his face and HE is the boogeyman. Scary.

Anyhow:

I really enjoyed this chapter. It's a very good story and it taught me a couple of valuable lessons. It's also sad though, because now we're approaching the end of Jesus' teachings and miracles and getting close to the time of Jesus' death. I found a funny part though. When Jesus wants to go to Judea, his disciples tell him to go around it because people wanted to stone him there. Jesus told them that it's better to face it and go through the light than to try to sneak around the darkness. And just a few verses later, it says that he went around Jerusalem in another journey because he was avoiding the Pharisees that wanted to kill him. Anyone want to explain that? It's funny though, haha.

Jesus promised that Lazarus would not die of his sickness; however, he ended up passing away in a few days. When Jesus came back, Mary, whom Jesus made a promise about Lazarus to, didn't come to greet Jesus right away. I can understand that, for she may have been very upset at Jesus. Then Jesus teaches us a very important lesson about patience and he DOES raise Lazarus up from the dead. This shows that not everything works in our way all the time, but Jesus does have a way of doing things in his own way that is, in the end, in our best interest.

And then it talks about Jesus crying because he saw that Mary was so hurt and broken. I wonder if Jesus cries for us too, when he sees us that we're in trouble and need him. Sometimes, in my desperate times, I feel like Jesus is right beside me too. Cheesy, I know, but there's just something about that blind comfort.

I'm so excited for tomorrow guys! Try to come right by 6.


Roh

So Hot Hot Hot - wondergirls.
i got my library card renewed. uippe

I read on and on, but nothign really hit me until verse 35.
"Jesus wept". Simple yet soo many thoughts come into my head.
Roh talked about Christ crying for Lazarus and wonders if He cries for us?
Hearing that breaks my heart because it shows how much He loves us.
We know we aren't even worthy of knowing his Name, but the fact that he is giving us a chance to know Him?
A relationship is out of the question! but to realize that God truly cares for us and cries when we fall is really touching. aha

Also verse 37!
A reminder came into thought!
Just like how Jesus healed the blind man for Gods Glory! It's the same thing here.
Jesus purposely left Lazarus dead (Harsh aha) but in the end, raised him so that people would believe.
How else do Humans believe if their eyes dont see it for themselves?
SO basically everything happens for a reason. and that reason is to bring glory to God.
Easy as stripping a cheesestring.

Tomorrow.!! la la la.
Cheers

Hey, did I tell you guys that my school choir started learning Bohemian Rhapsody this week? It's gonna be so sweet. Sigh.
Speaking of choir, this weekend I'm going to be away at a choir retreat, leaving tomorrow and coming back Sunday evening, therefore I won't be at praise practice tomorrow nor church on Sunday, which I absolutely hate. The dates had been predetermined since months ago and I'll have to help out with..stuff, so I regrettably couldn't get out of it, either. Anyways, I'll miss you guys (actually, which is kind of sad. sometimes I think I'm genuinely obsessed with you guys or something. anybody else get that? no? just me? hahaha, awkward turtle...) and I'll secretly sing like, praise songs in my head as the rest of the choir's learning Bach and deliciously classical things like that, haha. But I'm pumped for this week's praise nonetheless! Hope y'all have an amazing time of prayer and praise tomorrow and bring da house down for G-O-D on Sunday, brrap! Brrap! Haha, never again, I got it

JOHN 11

This may very well be my favourite chapter in our readings, thus far. I really enjoyed the story and it brought Jesus to light in a very different way for me. I think oftentimes, I forget that while Jesus was 100% God, he was fully man, as well. He knew what it meant to feel pain, to be tempted, to have human compassion. And it appears that this verse affected a number of us today: v.35's "Jesus wept." made me experience all these emotions. The phrase is famous for being the shortest verse in the New Testament, and I remember the first time I'd heard it, it was taken out of its context within the story of Lazarus, and the entirety of its two words still struck a strong chord. Maybe it's visualizing our Lord experiencing such a human reaction, weeping..I can compare it to when he's on Gethsemane before he's taken away, praying to God "If it is possible, may this cup be taken away from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.", and it's like for the first time, you see him fearful of something and I remember this initially threw me off. It reminds me that Jesus understands everything that we go through. All the hurt that we experience, he's felt it before. And sometimes I think I fail to remember that and choose not to find peace in him first through hard times, figuring that, you know, he's beyond all such petty human struggles, but this verse reminds me that he came to this earth, taking the form of a man, and took the rebuke, took the unbelievers, and ultimately sin of the world upon his shoulders. If anyone understands, it's our Jesus.

I really liked Roh's bit about Jesus having his own way of doing things, on his own time.

I probably won't have a chance to send out my devos this coming weekend, unless Lake Simcoe decides to throw me a bit-o-Internet out of its murky waters. So I'll send those out on Sunday, when I get back!

BYE GUYS.
Hannah

soooo tireeed... slept in accounting. So embarrassing...

John 11. 9/11 Sad stories
Again Jesus shows people his miracles by doing something not many have seen. Little sprinkle here and some there and Lazarus is back from the dead, which later Jesus does by himself.
The whole Jesus wept part made me too think about the human-God relationship we have. This is one of the only "religions" that i know that has such a strong connection with their god. We actually see miracles today and see God speak to us in but i dont understand why people continue to not believe in our God. It makes me frustrated...
Jesus crying gives me a sense of understanding towards Gods feelings with us. I suppose he "weeps" for us daily since Adam and Eve.... (btw i still dont understand the stupidity of Adam... its all the womens fault...)

anywho... im super tired.... see all of you guys tomorrow! except Hannah....btw Hannah Bohemian Rhapsody is the bomb! I played the saxophone to that song a while back... its sickkkkk
night!
-Isaac

NOTE: I almost forgot. For whatever reason, the forum won't let Steven make an account, so "on his behalf", haha: He's been doing the devos on his own, and once he gets his username working he'll be sending those out. Hopefully soontime! =)

Devo 11 (September 11, 2008)
John -Chapter 11- that's a lot of 11s!
Damn.. I jus realized how cool it would've been if I did my devo beforehand and waited to submit it at 11:11pm
That would've been sick... right guys?
To be honest.. I didn't really take away anything from this Chapter.. except Jesus kinda contradicts himself a few times here.
Jesus weeps at the death of Lazarus.. yet he knew he would die, he knew when he died, and he stayed 2 extra days from where he received the news. So why did Jesus cry?
Anyways.. I think the topic of resurrection and reading about it on 9/11 is sort of a huge coincidence.
Maybe if we pray hard enough for the ones who fell victim on that tragic day, we could bring them to life... but probably not =S
Ah... I'm feeling slightly nostalgic right now.. it's a good feeling I guess, remembering my "awesome" childhood haha

G'night all~ see you all tmr (today >_>)!