Monday, June 17

incredibly sore this morning from the water polo we played yesterday. i somehow got to youth group, missed the prayer mtg that the counselors have before the service, and then led praise. i was badly unprepared. i had to get down and ask God for help. thank you, Lord, for carrying me, though i fail, time and time again.

after youth group, went to 11:30 service. praise was awesome. the worship team decided to get a bit more funky, the bass was kicked up a little bit higher, and the building was rocking. pastor v gave a rousing sermon on 1 samuel 7. mostly on the state of our church, where we were headed as a church.

3 principles in seeking the Lord:
a) committment
analogy to marriage- it is a consious decision that we make, and must constantly renew. else competing factors will edge into our hearts. if we want to experience true committment within our human relationships (guy/girl), we need to commit ourselves to God, and ask Him, Lord, teach me what committment is. Then, we can know, and have that type of committments within our human relationships.
b) intercession
we need to pray in preparation for what is coming, not just when it gets tough.
when situations DO get tough, we tend to stop praying. it's usually the first to go for a Christian, when it is the most important thing we have.
c) pouring out your heart
like pouring water on the ground. once you pour it out, you cannot retrieve it. there is no turning back.

3 crucial elements necessary for our church. as pv says, these are not crucial for every church. but it is, for ours. Lord, stir in me, that i may follow.

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after service, went to eat subway with some of the youth group kids and younger bro. i love hanging out with the youth group kids. they are seriously a lot of fun to talk to, and they are always saying something hilarious.

3:00- worship team practice. just awesome to be a part of this group
4:00- prayer mtg in prep for 5:00 service
5:00- great time of worship, and pv gives a great sermon, on same passage as 11:30, with a slightly diff focus (5:00 serivce is for seekers and young christians (and some of us "long time christians" who need to be awakened in fundamentals in a simple way)) i don't know how he does it. pastors are amazing.

ordered chinese delivery for dinner. boneless ribs and chicken with garlic sauce. it was pretty good. dave convinced me to play ball, so i went with dave, chuck and BJ.

proceeded to play basketball from 9pm until 2:10am. incredibly, i didn't cramp at all this time. plus, i didn't get as winded as i usually do. must be due to my working out. unexpected benefits. i felt better playing ball than i have in a long time. once boards are off my mind, i'm really going to focus on improving my game.

shower, clean. and sleep. i need to get up early at 7:45 for the orientation for the 3rd yr clerkships. can't believe it's actually happening. ooh, all the interaction with patients!!! i must seriously train myself not to laugh as a reaction to sad or weird things or situations.

night.

yakob at 3:25 AM

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