Monday, July 12, 2010
So, I thought I would do something a little different this time. Instead of posting something totally new for you to read, here's my challenge for you: if you want to get a glimpse of my life over the last two years and a half (the time that I've had this blog,) go back into the archives of my posts! It is always interesting to me to go back and read some of the stuff that I've written! :)
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Happy Fourth!
Today we celebrate the Fourth of July, the Independence Day of this nation!
Today we remember the founding of our nation and the freedom that it extends to all, but we cannot, and must not, forget that this freedom came at a high price!
Let us not forget then, as we celebrate this great day in our country's history, the One who shed His blood on the cross so that we can have an even greater freedom:
that of being set free from the bondage of sin!
Now that is freedom indeed!
Who am I?
No, I am not having an identity crisis. Rather I would like to give you a little “food for thought.” I recently heard the following quote: “Remember who you are and to Whom you belong". In pondering this saying, a conversation that I had with a pastor’s daughter just the other day comes to mind. It was while we were making small-talk about her job that she made the comment that if she were to have certain responsibilities that others at the same job have (but thankfully she doesn’t have these responsibilities), her dad’s Christian testimony and reputation could be ruined. That comment in itself shows that she values her dad's reputation; she has in the back of her mind who she is.
Who am I? Not only am I Angie Lehrman, daughter of Jerry and Bev Lehrman, but I am also a Christian, a “little-Christ”, and I belong to Christ! In every sense of the word, I truly am a Daughter of the King, the highest King of all! It is relatively easy to be concerned about the reputation of one’s family members--those who are physically present--for the family-relationship is something graspable, it is concrete. But what about the reputation that we believers give to our heavenly Father, the One Who we can’t see, yet is the most important One of all?
When we are among non-believers, what impression do they get of our Heavenly Father? Or do we even care at all about that? How do others, even other Christians, see us? Are we a clear reflection of the character of Christ in us? The fact the Christ is living in us should be very evident to anyone who comes in contact with us!
Being a Child of the King should affect every single aspect of our lives--not only our weekend habits of going to church, but also our weekday activities. It should determine our priorities, our conversation, our “when no one is around” activities, and even the most seemingly insignificant tasks such as the time we rise in the morning. It all reflects our focus on Christ and how important He is in our life.
We Christians are recipients of the greatest Gift ever given, the highest privilege of being called a “child of God; we are partakers of the Inheritance, we have been delivered from the darkness of sin, we have redemption and forgiveness of sin, we are strengthened with divine Strength, we are reconciled with Him. This long list, taken primarily from Colossians 1, does not even begin to scratch the surface of everything of who we are in Christ. Does that not put any weight on the great responsibility that we have , then, to live a life worthy of that which we have been called to live?
Col 1:10"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Since I don't have time to write much else...
but I wanted to post something...
here are a few random facts about me:
Hazelelponi, my stuffed monkey, makes me happy! (perhaps sometime I will give a further explanation as to why she makes me happy!)
Guarana, recheado cookies, and tapioca with cafe com leite are yummy!
I love comments *hint hint*!!
Friday, June 18, 2010
this will take more than just a minute to read...
This blog post is different from my most recent posts in one way in particular:
I am back in Kansas for the summer!
Yes, the semester and everything with it is over: classes, papers, Spring banquet, Friday afternoon Bible club, times with Melinda and Liz, graduation, choir and handbell tour, goodbyes. In August, things will start all over again, but it will not be like this last semester or even the one before. There will never be another semester like this past one, especially because all of the senior graduated and are gone. What am I going to do without Melinda and Liz, the two who are almost always together and were both practically my roommates, (even though technically it was only Melinda who actually slept in the same room as I did). I miss them...:(
This semester was a great semester. I really enjoyed my classes, especially Bible Doctrine 2 where we got an overview of the second-half of the major Bible doctrines such as hamartiology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. As I already mentioned in a previous post, I did my supplemental reading on eschatology, the study of the End Times and it was very fascinating, yet convicting and challenging at the same time, to read more about just a small facet of what will be happening in the future. Christ could return at any moment! Am I ready for this great event and am I telling others so that they too can be ready?
I also very much appreciate the class on the Gospel of John. Perhaps one of the best parts of the entire class was listening to (and reading along with) the Word of Promise’s dramatized audio of the book in one sitting both at the beginning and then at the end of the semester! Wow! If you have never read through the whole book without stopping for more than a short period of time, you should make it a goal to do so! It is well-worth the time! It was amazing to see themes repeating and being able to follow the message being woven throughout the book.
First semester, it seemed like Romans 8:28-29 was popping up everywhere: in class, in chapel, in church. Everywhere I turned around, it seemed like I was always being reminded of the great promise in these verses, so I have come to “label” those verses as the theme of last semester. This semester, however, I guess God wanted me to learn something else. Because there was such an obvious “theme” last semester, I was kind wondering what would it would be this semester, or even if there would be one. Sure enough! If someone were to ask me what it was, I would say that the theme or “truth” that I kept coming back to this semester was being convicted and almost overwhelmed by the importance of praying for each other. It was through various events that I was constantly being reminded of my failure to pray for my fellow classmates and believers, even though it seemed like “everything is going great!” How is my prayer life? Am I diligently praying for those around me?
From the 19th of May until the 6th of June, twenty-four of us were on a choir and handbell tour out to the East, getting to tour D.C. (in a few short hours), and also Philadelphia, along with simply being able to see the beautiful countryside of the East. I had never been any further east than Indiana, so pretty much this whole trip was an adventure for me! But this trip was more than just lots of fun: with the exception of only a couple nights, we held a program at a different church practically every night. While I enjoyed all of the songs that we sang, I think my favorite of them all is the last song, “It was His Grace”, which is based on the verse in Philippians 1:6 where it says “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” It was during the tour, where one was around everyone practically 24/7,that God showed me and convicted me of several areas in my life that I need to change, even though I truly am justified and accepted in His sight. It was, and still is, such a comfort then, to sing that last song and be reminded of the verse, and be reassured that God will continue to work in my life in order to make me more like Himself! I think it is safe to say that this verse has become one of my favorite verses over the last few weeks (and months)!
Until next time...:)
(hopefully there will be some pictures next time!)
I am back in Kansas for the summer!
Yes, the semester and everything with it is over: classes, papers, Spring banquet, Friday afternoon Bible club, times with Melinda and Liz, graduation, choir and handbell tour, goodbyes. In August, things will start all over again, but it will not be like this last semester or even the one before. There will never be another semester like this past one, especially because all of the senior graduated and are gone. What am I going to do without Melinda and Liz, the two who are almost always together and were both practically my roommates, (even though technically it was only Melinda who actually slept in the same room as I did). I miss them...:(
This semester was a great semester. I really enjoyed my classes, especially Bible Doctrine 2 where we got an overview of the second-half of the major Bible doctrines such as hamartiology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. As I already mentioned in a previous post, I did my supplemental reading on eschatology, the study of the End Times and it was very fascinating, yet convicting and challenging at the same time, to read more about just a small facet of what will be happening in the future. Christ could return at any moment! Am I ready for this great event and am I telling others so that they too can be ready?
I also very much appreciate the class on the Gospel of John. Perhaps one of the best parts of the entire class was listening to (and reading along with) the Word of Promise’s dramatized audio of the book in one sitting both at the beginning and then at the end of the semester! Wow! If you have never read through the whole book without stopping for more than a short period of time, you should make it a goal to do so! It is well-worth the time! It was amazing to see themes repeating and being able to follow the message being woven throughout the book.
First semester, it seemed like Romans 8:28-29 was popping up everywhere: in class, in chapel, in church. Everywhere I turned around, it seemed like I was always being reminded of the great promise in these verses, so I have come to “label” those verses as the theme of last semester. This semester, however, I guess God wanted me to learn something else. Because there was such an obvious “theme” last semester, I was kind wondering what would it would be this semester, or even if there would be one. Sure enough! If someone were to ask me what it was, I would say that the theme or “truth” that I kept coming back to this semester was being convicted and almost overwhelmed by the importance of praying for each other. It was through various events that I was constantly being reminded of my failure to pray for my fellow classmates and believers, even though it seemed like “everything is going great!” How is my prayer life? Am I diligently praying for those around me?
From the 19th of May until the 6th of June, twenty-four of us were on a choir and handbell tour out to the East, getting to tour D.C. (in a few short hours), and also Philadelphia, along with simply being able to see the beautiful countryside of the East. I had never been any further east than Indiana, so pretty much this whole trip was an adventure for me! But this trip was more than just lots of fun: with the exception of only a couple nights, we held a program at a different church practically every night. While I enjoyed all of the songs that we sang, I think my favorite of them all is the last song, “It was His Grace”, which is based on the verse in Philippians 1:6 where it says “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” It was during the tour, where one was around everyone practically 24/7,that God showed me and convicted me of several areas in my life that I need to change, even though I truly am justified and accepted in His sight. It was, and still is, such a comfort then, to sing that last song and be reminded of the verse, and be reassured that God will continue to work in my life in order to make me more like Himself! I think it is safe to say that this verse has become one of my favorite verses over the last few weeks (and months)!
Until next time...:)
(hopefully there will be some pictures next time!)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, May 07, 2010
I've been doing supplemental reading for one of my classes. We could choose what area of doctrine to do it on, so, since I don't know much about Eschatology, I decided to go with that subject. Wow, it has been amazing! I'm going through the book Maranatha: Our Lord Comes! by Raynold Showers. There is a whole chapter on the immanency of Christ's return and I have been more and more convicted of the reality of it. If I really believe that His return could be at any moment, my life will reflect that! At the end of the chapter is a quote, and I would like to share with you:
"Christians are to live 'like men who are awaiting their Master...; and their conduct and character are determined by that expectation.' " ~ F. W. Beare in A Commentary on the Epistle to the Philippians.
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