Tagged by drunkonsushi

(nonsense, I tell you, nonsense- but I'll do it only because it came from you)

It's Monday morning and already is the second day of the new year.  The crazy work schedule has messed me up real good.  The new year's thing didn't even hit home until I saw some of the entries of Cambodia Mission people.......  Craziness......  I suddenly feel so sober. 

Good to hear that you are back safely.  Looking forward to your stories.......  Post them pictures...  :)

Slow night on the 7th floor today.  Really glad that Sam is here with us tonight.  She's so good at putting things into perspectives, setting things straight for everyone, and putting out the fires all in one hour.  Bishop talked about shifting the focus away from not being perfect to the progress we make daily.  Focus on the progress, not the flaws one finds in herself.   Good stuff to digest on a very slow night on the 7th floor.

TGIF.....

I've completed my 2nd day at the notorious 7th today.  Despite the Peet's style coffee I gulped down w/ vengeance this morning, by 10am I was hurting with a headache that only resembled caffeine rebound.  I was in a complete overdrive, trying to minimize all the possible "noises."  Oh, well.  One can't control everything......  Should've bought some Starbucks stocks..... hahaha.....

I'm much relieved today.  After 2 months of aka training; ego bruising, intellectual abuse, and endless nights of insomnia, I now feel like I can stand on my own two feet to start walking.  I'm also very thankful to realize that God hears prayers.  And my prayers have been pretty darn sincere in these last few weeks.  The last item on the list is my baby sister who encourages me to get on my knees when I am distracted.  In the end, all I could honestly say is another "Thank you, Lord."

In light of the Oikos 40 day fast, I'm once again reminded of the urgency of fervent prayerful life.

THE AGONY OF PRAYER 5/25/2005

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. -- LUKE 22:44

Prayer is not difficult to understand. It is difficult to do. When was the last time your heart so grieved for those you were interceding for that your entire body agonized along with your mind and heart? (Heb. 5:7). We are a generation that avoids pain at all costs. This is why there are so few intercessors. Most Christians operate on the shallowest levels of prayer, but God wants to take us into the deep levels of intercessory prayer that only a few ever experience. Deep, prolonged intercession is painful. It involves standing before God when everyone else has gone away or sleeps (Luke 22:45). It involves experiencing brokenness with the Father over those who continually rebel against Him. How many of us will experience this kind of fervent intercession? We long for Pentecost in our lives and in our churches, but there is no Pentecost without Gethsemane and a cross. How do we become mature in our prayer life? By praying. When we do not feel like praying is precisely the time we ought to pray. There are no shortcuts to prayer. There are no books to read, seminars to attend, or inspirational mottoes to memorize that will transform us into intercessors. This comes only by committing ourselves to pray and then doing so. Why not accept God's invitation to become an intercessor? Don't allow yourself to become satisfied with shallow, self-centered praying. Stay with God in prayer until He leads you to pray at the level He wants. So easy to be said but much more challenging to carry out.....  Need to remind myself that I'm a victor in Christ.  Need to remember that He sees our heart and honors our efforts.  Must remember that love drives out fears of failure and feelings of inadequacy.