James 5:16

A new pastor from an Anglican church in Kennewick (part of the Tri-Cities) came to speak at TCCAC (Tri-Cities Chinese Alliance Church) today for our English service.  He was speaking on Gal. 5:1, 13-26, (5:13 is a great verse, btw ["You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." (NIV)]) but he mentioned James 5:16, and I felt really drawn to that verse:

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

It's pretty simple and straightforward.  Still, it made me think about how I've kept in my feelings of homosexuality for so long, and only recently began opening up about them.  How could I expect to be healed if I never sought for help?  Granted, I tried to be honest with God and I thought I could get healing from Him without the need of anyone else, but it's difficult to be honest to Him when you're not honest with yourself.
Alvin was right when he said that I was taking the first steps to healing... even though that may not have been my primary intention to telling people.

(side note... James 5:15 says,"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." when paired with 5:16, it has that chiasmus thing going on... the A B B A of Sickness/Healing Sin/Forgiveness Sin/Forgiveness Sickness/Healing.  However, maybe 5:16 can be read as confessing your sins + prayer for sins = healing like how I'm reading it?  According to one commentary I just looked up, verse 15 is definitely talking solely about physical healing, but verse 16 may refer to health in the broadest sense, so including spiritual health).


*07/06/10 completion*
Funny that this verse so perfectly encapsulated what I'd felt, despite how simple it is.  I voraciously continued reading James 5, to see if maybe there was more to the letter that related to what I was going through.  No such luck.  But one thing's for sure, I'll continue praying, for myself and for others.  I hope that as a fellowship, we as CCF will be able to follow through with James 5:16.  I can see great things happening if we do.  =)

Glory to Him

"Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear 师母 (Pastor's Wife),
Happy birthday to you.

住你生日快乐，
住你生日快乐，
住你生日快乐，
住你生日快乐。"

The haunting melody sunk into the ears of the hundred of us singing.  We were in the church's kitchen/main area, celebrating the Pastor's Wife's 70th birthday, all expenses paid by our Pastor Guo.
The birthday girl, however, couldn't make it to the party.  Instead, she was staying half-a-mile away.  In hospice care.  In a coma.  Which she had been in for the past year-and-a-half.
An inexplicable, tragic accident in a swimming pool last January had left her in a coma, and it's been stressful times for our church.  Of course, the Pastor himself and his family have been hit the hardest.

Pastor Guo thanked everyone for pitching in where they could to make this birthday party happen.  Even though he paid for the food, the choir came and sang a few songs to the Pastor's Wife right before the dinner started, one member got duck from Seattle, my mom and grandma clipped about 3 dozen roses from their gardens, and many people helped set up and serve the food.  I couldn't help but tear up when he then said that while he may have lost her love through this trial... he gained all of our love.
It is undoubtedly true that we've grown stronger as a church body--and though there've been a few hiccups here and there, I can feel that we're closer because of this trial.

May we continue to glorify God through everything.

now, every time I think of glorifying God, I cannot help but think of the Youtube video that Alvin showed me about John Piper and his view of the prosperity gospel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s).
The lines that stick out the most have always been,
"I'll tell you what makes Jesus look beautiful.

It's when you smash your car and your little girl goes flying through the windshield and lands dead on the street.  And you say, through the deepest possible pain, 
'God is enough.  God is enough.  
He is good, 
He will take care of us, 
He will satisfy us, 
He will get us through this, 
He is our treasure.  
Whom have I in Heaven but you?  And on earth there is nothing that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart and my little girl may fail, but You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.'


That makes God look glorious."