NY's resolution

Greetings to you all.  I know it has been almost a week since I wrote last.  I do apologize.  Also, I was looking at my old posts and realized that I only had three posts in November and only three posts so far in December.  As I come up on a busy week and then another two weeks of break, I am realizing it is going to be hard to keep up with this for the rest of the year.  However, my goal of this blog is going to change slightly in 2012.  I really did enjoy it when I was writing daily, but it is not really practical with my school work, work, and time with friends.  So my New Year's resolution is to shoot for at least twice but hopes for three times a week.  That is my plan of attack.  Hope you guys continue to enjoy this blog.   

This last week has been a pretty good week.  I got through all my classes and homework last week, minus a few reading assignments.  This weekend was really fun, just spent most of it with friends.  Then this week has had its ups and downs already.  I worked a bar tending job last night and it was a very high profile event.  However, we pulled it off very successfully and got many compliments.  Then after we cleaned up, we sat around with a few bottles of left over wine and champagne, some left over plates of food, and we ate, drank, and just had a good time.  We laughed the entire time and it was a blast.  Then today I didn't get much accomplished, other than taking my car to the mechanic.  It was leaking coolant, so I took it in.  Then at six o'clock tonight my phone decided to finally receive my voice mail that the mechanic had left at four.  Some times technology makes me so angry.  So now I will have to call them back in the morning and find out what they know about my car.  Hopes and prays are that it is something simple.  

So I have two thoughts for the day.  One comes from an email from my friend.  The second one comes from my own original thinking.  I will put the second one in its own post right after this one.  My own thought for the day is from a comment that I made to a friend.  He was talking about being ready to go out in the world and start sharing the Gospel.  He wants to see if he can get a job with a church, and all his job would be is to go out, meet people, share the Gospel, and recommend the church he is working for.  He made the comment that he doesn't need a four year education to witness to people.  I told him that if that is what he wants to do, good for him.  I also told him I do not feel adequate and prepared to be out there working yet.  Then I thought about it to myself.  How lazy could I be?  What an incredibly terrible excuse for me to hide behind!  Here I am writing several times in this blog, and telling people I meet that it is EVERY Christians' duty to be a witness and spread the Word of our Lord.  And yet, even still I find an excuse to not go out and do it myself.  I use my education as a wall to hide behind instead of a tool for bettering my spreading the Gospel.  I tell myself I am not ready just because I haven't finished my classes here, when ninety-eight percent of all Christians never take a single class here.  I just wanted to look in the mirror and say, "Satin, get behind me."  But that doesn't work since I am Satin in that scenario.  I am the one who is hindering the spread of the Gospel, when I am suppose to be doing everything in my power to support and increase it.  So my thought is this, you do not have to be an ordained pastor, you do not have to be a theology major, you do not even have to be a highly educated person to tell others that Jesus loves them.  Any Christian who knows that they are a forgiven, baptized child of God can and should tell everyone about our Lord and Savior, including me.  It was a good reminder that as a pastor, if I really expect people to listen to me, I must be a witness to it through my actions first.  I do not want to be a hypocrite or Pharisee telling others to live a different way than I do.  So I am ready to be out there telling others about Jesus, because by His Spirit, I do know His love and forgiveness.  I love what I am learning here, and I do need the education to be a good pastor, however, to be a good Christian I just need to remember all my Lord has done for me and have the courage to tell others.  All Praise be to Him who has forgiven me and does indeed love me.  

My prayer is a hymn I love:

LSB 826

Hark the voice of Jesus crying, “Who will go and work for me today?

Fields are white and harvests waiting- Who will bear the sheaves away?”

Loud and long the Master calleth; Rich reward He offers thee

Who will answer, gladly saying “Here am I, send me, send me?”

If you cannot speak like angels, if you cannot preach like Paul,

You can tell the love of Jesus, You can say He died for all.

If you cannot rouse the wicked With the judgment’s dread alarms,

You can lead the little children To the Savior’s waiting arms

If you cannot be a watchman, Standing high on Zion’s wall

Pointing out the path to heaven, Offering life and peace to all

With your prayers and with your bounties, You can do what God commands;

You can be like faithful Aaron, Holding up the prophet’s hands.

Let none hear you idly say, “There is nothing I can do,”

While the multitudes are dying And the Master calls for you.

Take the task He gives you gladly, Let His work your be;

Answer quickly when He calleth, “Here I am, send me, send me!” Amen.