Two things can be attributed to the composition of this blog, one I am reading the unabridged edition of Les Miserables all 1500 pages and two Romans 13:11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
There is great deal of darkness and light comparisons that take place in LM. The strange thing is that Victor Hugo wrote this book when he was in exile and anti-church. I found however a deep understanding of Jesus in his portrayal of the Bishop of Dinge. He writes that this man of God has a radiance because of his imitation of Christ. He has put on the armor of light to borrow, from Romans.
So why do we wander spiritually naked?
So may times we live life praising Jesus for what he saved us from but not what he has saved us for...
So many complain that Christianity is a list of do not's and therefore if they ever experience the grace of God they do not know that there is a mission at hand. Much writing has taken place of late reviewing what Jesus has called us to and I am not going to rehash the entirety of this but I want to look at the idea of light and dark.
We live in a world that awaits the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ and the redemption of our bodies. But as those who have the first fruits of his Spirit we have a responsibility to bring light where we go. Jesus coming is the dawn of the new day and we now live in that light and we should reflect that light to diminish the the darkness around us. Bits of light bringing hope living for a future hope. I feel however that this is not the case. I feel the light has become dim as we have chased after things that have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God and our glorious king Jesus. We have sought power through governments and riches and so dimmed the light that it is hard to recognize. We have accepted suffering in the lives of others as we pursue comfort. We have lost the mission in midst of our desire for gain. I suffer from this as well. As we try to stem the tide of the "evil" of society, evil has taken root in us.
May I suggest a course forward... Put on the Armor of light because salvation is ever more near. Let's live as people who are obsessed with becoming more like Jesus Christ. May we pray, may we live and embody faith, hope and love. May the Jesus that we love become the Jesus who we obey.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update
Dear Family and Friends,
Starting out from scratch has been a very exciting experience for us. We have learned so much these past few months and have grown in the process. We feel confidant in the vision of Fusion Church and pray daily that God will bring the right people to be a part of it.
This month has been a busy one. We are looking for a place to hold our monthly vision meetings that will start in September. It has been a little difficult to find a place that can accommodate our needs and our budget. Please pray that we find a place soon so that we can move forward planning these meetings.
We have also been meeting some new families that we are hopeful will get onboard with our vision and be involved in our church. It has been very encouraging to meet people who get excited about what we want to do here. Please pray that we will continue to meet these people and that God will build His church here in Chico.
We are also still consistently serving at the Jesus Center and it is going great! It is a wonderful experience to help those who really need it. We are looking into other ways that we can serve together with our families as well. We also ask for prayer that we will find areas to serve that can help teach our children the value of this very important act.
Again we thank you all for your very faithful support! It is very encouraging and humbling knowing there are people praying for us. If you have not yet sent in your support for July please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. As you know December is getting closer as is our deadline for our next fundraising goal. Please pray that we will reach this goal. If you have not yet committed support to us and would still like to you may do so at anytime on the above listed website.
Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes
Starting out from scratch has been a very exciting experience for us. We have learned so much these past few months and have grown in the process. We feel confidant in the vision of Fusion Church and pray daily that God will bring the right people to be a part of it.
This month has been a busy one. We are looking for a place to hold our monthly vision meetings that will start in September. It has been a little difficult to find a place that can accommodate our needs and our budget. Please pray that we find a place soon so that we can move forward planning these meetings.
We have also been meeting some new families that we are hopeful will get onboard with our vision and be involved in our church. It has been very encouraging to meet people who get excited about what we want to do here. Please pray that we will continue to meet these people and that God will build His church here in Chico.
We are also still consistently serving at the Jesus Center and it is going great! It is a wonderful experience to help those who really need it. We are looking into other ways that we can serve together with our families as well. We also ask for prayer that we will find areas to serve that can help teach our children the value of this very important act.
Again we thank you all for your very faithful support! It is very encouraging and humbling knowing there are people praying for us. If you have not yet sent in your support for July please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. As you know December is getting closer as is our deadline for our next fundraising goal. Please pray that we will reach this goal. If you have not yet committed support to us and would still like to you may do so at anytime on the above listed website.
Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes
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