Josh Kling on Josh Kling: weird weird weird

New video update.

2008-12-11T02:23:00.000-08:00

For info on SBS, Titus, and YWAM Taiwan visit ywamtaipei.com.

the final countdown

2008-11-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

we have less than 7 weeks left in SBS.

The Masculating Day.

2008-10-19T02:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
   It's been a couple of week since my last update, so I thought I would inform you all of what's going on in Josh land.
   In terms of how the school is doing, we've come into the home stretch; the prophets. I've been excited to get into the prophets since the beginning of the school, and now I get to dive head-first into them.
   But first, let me catch you all up on how the wisdom literature was.
   By far the wisdom lit. has affected me the most practically, but that's mostly the purpose of the that section of scripture anyways. It is "to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity" (prov 1:3). Logic suggests that I should be affected by it, yet it took me by surprise.
   Life outside of school work has been cool too. A few weeks ago me, and four girls from my class, went with Joy to Taichung to visit her parents. Two other guys were also invited, but that skiped out at the last second because of work. So I ended up being the only guy hanging out with six girls all day, and surprisingly, it was one of the most masculating days I've ever had.
   Joy recently made the decision to walk with God not a few months earlier. And her parents are cool with it too, which is a huge blessing. So we got to go and sort of be representatives to Joy's parents, which was a great honor. I had a great time, despite being the only man among six women. I felt more a man than I have for a long time.
The prophets so far have been amazing. I'm color coding Isaiah right now, so I'll let you know how that goes next week.

   I also have some visitors coming from Lakeside in a few days. The Mentiks are visiting some missionaries that my church is partners with, and they're going to swing over to Danshui for a day to say hi. It's going to be on a lecture for Isaiah, so they will get the full experience of what life is like in SBS land.

Peace and love to all.

Also, I found about 5,000 Taiwanese dollars under my bible during lecture for proverbs, and I'm still living off it. That was well over a month of food.
Praise God, and thanks to all those who are praying for me. Keep it up for my school fees for the last semester. XD

Ever wonder what my time in SBS looks like?

2008-10-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

yours truly.

Josh

one o-clock convo

2008-09-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

Below is a conversation I had with a pastor on staff at my church at one in the morning (here in Taiwan, not at home) "Sensitive Country" is used instead of the actual name of the possible outreach locals of the school I'm praying about attending, because most of them are actually sensitive locations.

1:11amJosh:

how goes it Mr. Baltzley

guess what

1:12amChristopher:

what?

you're getting married?

1:12amJosh:

I wish

there is this coarse that is optional after the one I'm doing

1:12amChristopher:

and...

1:13amJosh:

you take what you learned for 9 months and go teach the bible for a couple of months

1:13amChristopher:

you're considering staying on?

1:13amJosh:

God willing

locals for the next one are

1:13amChristopher:

do you know where?

1:13amJosh

Sensitive country
Sensitive country

~~Sensitive country~~

it would be intense to go

1:15amChristopher:

Yeah ~~Sensitive Country~~! My good friend Jeff is the country leader for ~~Sensitive Country thing~~. It would be fantastic if you could connect with him.

1:15amJosh:

it would

If I get accepted and the funds come in

1:15amChristopher:

pray. ask others to pray. let people know of the need ahead of time so they have time to respond.

1:16amJosh

I have a break coming up and i'm thinking of making some calls to let some people know what's up

1:16amChristopher:

remember: when you ask -- think of it as advocating before people for those you will be teaching. they will benefit, if others give.

1:17amChristopher:

you're a facilitator. bringing together those who need to give with those who need assistance, but no voice to ask.

1:18amJosh:

indeed

every place they send teams there is desperate need for teachers

the base here is getting together a teaching ministry that uses Taiwan as a launch-point

1:19amChristopher:

good stuff.

1:19amJosh:

indeed it sounds really cool.

so, I hear lakeside-OV is going great (link for people in the Folsom/Orangevale area)

(thanks Chris ;D)

The course is called Titus (click here get more info), and it's an optional coarse after SBS that I can use all that I have learned about the bible for nine months, learn how to teach it, and then go to places in Asia/Central Asia/Middle East/Southeast Asia/wherever there is a need for teachers. Some of these places are literally begging for these teams to go and teach. These are places that are so hungry for the word they would do anything to get a Titus team to go and serve for just a week or host a short seminar.

Here is where you come in. I'm still in need for funds to finish my schooling here, and I have no idea where the money can come from for this awesome program that I want to do. I ask that you pray with me and consider contributing in any way you can.

Please please email me if you want to help.

[|||||| ]50%

2008-08-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

That, ladies and gentlemen is how the SBSer checks his or her progress. When you start the coarse, it's with a new bible, and by the end, every single page is broken in nice and proper. Every day a few more of these pages get a little warn and you can actually see your progress as you move through the bible. Right now you see the entire new testament (save Matthew) and the whole Pentateuch. The little worn section in the middle is Psalms. We move through like four or five a week so you can see some wear on those guys.
The Pentateuch was amazing. There have been a few spots that really made my heart sing to the point where I actually had to leave the room and just kinda soak in the Idea that is currently blowing my mind. For the first one I didn't have to look very far. Genesis chapter one, the first few verses actually got me really good. Just the Idea that from the beginning, before anything, God. Then God creates everything. It's really cool to meditate on, and it put so much other scripture in context that talks about God being so worthy of praise just because of the fact that he is the source of all things. The trees really do clap their hands, and the rivers actually cry out, testifying to the greatness of the Creator, the source.

The second one that really Got me was Deuteronomy chapter eleven. I never really thought the Pentateuch would be so life giving going into it, but It says so much about the character of God. he Law it self isn't even the focus of most Moses' books, but rather the reason for the Law. It's instruction on how to love God, on how mankind is to begin to repair relationship with his Creator (speaking for the original readers of coarse.)
Deut. chapter eleven I love. It sets up for the part of the book that gets into specific law, and focuses on the big picture of loving God and loving others. It's challenging too because it's repeated over and over in the text that it is those that love and know God keep his commandments.
10:12-13
"And now, Israel, what does the Lord you God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?" (esv)
11:1
"You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always." (esv)

The lecturer for this book, Debi (who by the way is one of the coolest Koreans you could ever meet) thinks Jesus' favorite book is Deuteronomy. Her argument is that he quotes the most from that book than any other. I'm not saying anything but, maybe you should rethink what youre favorite book is.

This translates so well into New Testament-ness. It almost feels like to me that Deuteronomy is Moses epistle to Israel.
We read in 1John 3:23:
"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." (esv)
John knows what I'm talking about.

Ok, that's all for some of my unfinished thoughts after completing the Penteteuch.

Grace and peace all!
~ Josh

Josh's Epistle to the Supporters

2008-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be cool to send my supporters an epistle, and now I'm posting it on my blog.

enjoy.

    I, Joshua, an earnest student in the name of Christ Jesus, our common Lord and Savior, greet you from Taiwan.
    I continue in my studies of scripture, increasing in righteousness, faith, and knowledge as is allotted me by the grace of God.
    I thank the Lord of heaven and earth for the provision and offerings of prayer on my behalf that all of you offer for me as frequently as the Spirit prompts you. The offering of which is made acceptable and holy by the great high priest that we have in Jesus Christ y the blood of his atoning sacrifice.
    By God's grace he has provided you to me as an arm of provision as I train and study the word of God, and by God's grace I am able to undertake the task and bear the load he has given me.
    I ask today that if it is the will of God, that you continue to be as an arm of provision, a support, as the wrist supports the hand, in prayer and money. For we know that the church is one body, though many, are one in Christ. For as Paul wrote,

“For in one Spirit we are all baptized into one body – Jews and Greeks, slaves or free...”

I testify today that I am working as I am, though I find my work difficult, and as I have confessed to you previously in my blog, I have not always worked to my full potential in Christ as I should, and am challenged by the words of James that one should work, for works are evidence of faith.
My checker, mentor, friend and brother in Christ, Mike brown testifies:

“Josh has incredible insight into the word of God! Although the quantity of his work is often less, his depth of incite is among the top in our SBS...Continue to pray for this man of God as he is being stretched and challenged in so much more than just charting.”

    The Spirit that is in me testifies to the call God has called me to.
    He has testified in my heart and my soul to do the will of God because the One who testifies pulls my heart and my soul. I am compelled to move forward even though he has not chosen to reveal to me any specific ministry of which I am to work, there are opportunities that the Lord has presented that I am still praying over in fear.
    So then brothers and sisters, I ask that if it be the will of God, you would partner with me as John wrote to the churches in Asia Minor to partner with those who were sent to them,

“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

    I humbly ask and seek that you would prayerfully consider and inquire the Spirit, that you may become my fellow worker in truth, and as to how you might do so. For I come before you in fear and trembling that I do not wish you give what God does not will, only that you may seek and ask.
    I greet Jeff Krieser and Chris Baltzley, overseers of the church that I call home, and all who attend and all the other overseers and elders, I pray the Lord continues to bear fruit in the ministries that have been commissioned you in Christ Jesus. I also greet my family in the flesh, and tell you that I plan to see you soon, as the Lord wills, all of you. I finally greet all of my kinsmen whom I love and cherish, as do I with all who I am sending this too.
    Now to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen

MY EYES!

2008-08-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

Prayer request: I'm thinking about seeing the eye doctor over the break if not sooner. I think I might be turning near sighted. It might be just the five months of staring at things that are about 2 feet of me for hours on end, but it's been a while since I've seen the optometrist, and I've kind of noticed some graduated effect over the last few years. Last night I tried on a classmates glasses and I could see so much better, plus I looked a lot smarter, but that isn't my primary concern. Please pray with me on this and for healing, even though I think it would be cool to have glasses, it would also be nice to have good eyesight.

May God bless you, and keep you, and cause his face to shine upon you.

Josh

Thought Explosion on Sacrifice

2008-08-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update in a few weeks, Were just now getting into the old testament and work load is steping up a notch, I was also sick for a good 3 to 4 days last week and it killed my working schedule for last week. I had to pull an all nighter to finish charting Leviticus, but it paid off and I was able to finish it.
Speaking of Leviticus, ever since charting it, I get more of a sense of need for the ultamate realization of the promise of Abraham (i.e. Christ). God's holiness is so emphasized in Leviticus, and because of his holiness, Israel must do all these things and shed so much blood for their sins so that they can draw near to God.
I really take for granted the freedom I have in Christ to just be able to come before God because of Christ's sacrifice. We are truly set free in Christ from having to make myself clean, because God has covered me and paid for my debt.
In chapter 16 of Leviticus it talks about the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is the day when the priest makes atonement first for all of his sins, then for all the sins of the people of Israel. It breaks my heart because Israel had to do this every year to be clean. Every year they had to make themselves clean of all their sin.

Side Note: This post is more like a thought explosion, It isn't really very eloquent or polished as far as articles go on these kind of things because I'm still processing and thinking and praying through this thought, so forgive me.

I believe Hebrews does a better job than me of explaining this thought.
Heb 10:1-14.

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

1For since the law has but^(A) a shadow^(B) of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities,^(C) it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3But^(D) in these sacrifices^(E) there is a reminder of sins every year. 4For^(F) it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Consequently,^(G) when Christ^[a] came into the world, he said,

   ^(H) "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
   but a body have you prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
   you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
   as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'"

8When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in^(I) sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added,^(J) "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10And by that will^(K) we have been sanctified through the offering of^(L) the body of Jesus Christ^(M) once for all.
11And every priest stands^(N) daily at his service,^(O) offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,^(P) which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ^[b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he^(Q) sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time^(R) until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering^(S) he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Ok, I hope you enjoyed my thought-explosion post

In Christ,

Josh

It's Supernatural!

2008-07-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

It's Supernatural with Sid Roth is one of my favorite shows. Just because I think Sid Roth is rad, and because of the tittle.

It' Supernatural!

It sounds like the title of a mediocre paperback sci-fi novel, and to me, that's awesome.
The show consists of Mr. Roth talking to people about spiritual experiences they have had. I don't watch for the other people's stories, I watch because Sid gets really into these other people's experiences.

It's been occurring to me lately as I'm going through the bible, especially now in the Old Testament, that my concept of natural, as opposed to supernatural is blurring a little. Not in the way that everything starts to seem magical and mysterious, but it's almost like everything has been right in front of me the whole time.
Sin is a great example of what I'm talking about. It's emphasized in Genesis allot how sin is a big deal, and how it effects everyone around you. You may be thinking: "Well obviously". But subconsciously, I've always thought that it's this mysterious evil force. It is evil, but it isn't as mysterious as I once thought. It's a natural occurrence in this world (though it couldn't be farther from the original design).
Another great example is spiritual warfare, or prayer, or anything else that you might think of as spiritual, but is (or should be) mare natural than I previously thought. God showing up in your front yard is as supernatural as his Spirit dwelling inside of you. Interceding for a friend is as natural as God sending mana from heaven. Telling someone that Jesus has won, is as supernatural as fire coming down from heaven.

Ok, I'm out. I start Exodus in lecture tomorrow.

May the God of grace peace and revelation be with you all.

~Joush~

YAY

2008-07-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Yay

Done with New Testament

Revelation

2008-07-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

Revelation is amazing.

I am so loving lecture, charting, and just reading this book. John recorded what he saw and what was spoken to him, but what he saw and what he heard was truly God.
Before I ever really took a look at this book, I thought that it was some mysterious prophecy that needed an in-depth understanding of the biblical context, and required a PHD to interpret. Though I still don't know what all that it talks about means, and I don't think I'll ever completely understand it, but what is so amazing is that the book shows God's sovereignty and power and justice. God is in control, the whole time. He will settle every debt completely, and will make everything new. And because of that fact, that God is just and sovereign and true to carry it out, that we have a call to answer for endurance through any and all tribulation.
*sigh*

I love it.

That's it for now.

Grace and peace from the one who is, who was, and who is to come. Amen

Jesus Explodes my Brains

2008-07-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, Just wanted to share some feelings and thoughts I've had since we've started to chart the gospel of John.

The divinity of Christ blows my mind.
Allow me to explain...

I've heard a lot of teachings on the humanity of Christ, the divinity of Christ, the divinity and humanity of Christ, and so on... as I'm sure a lot of you have.
The teachings range from the extremely practical to stuff, to the profoundly metaphorical. A lot of them are good, some of them are great, and a few might have been a bit off.
What I love about the Gospel of John are two things; John is unlike any of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, or Luke), and it comes alive when you read it. The use of time elements and places makes it easier to see what's happening in the text, the words basically jump out at you. Well, at lest for me. One thing in particular jumps out in the first 3 chapters (which, so far, are my favorite chapters in the book) is the divinity of Christ.
How he was, and is, and is to come. How he bears witness to himself because he has been from the beginning (John 3:32).

Yeah I could go on, but I need to finish charting John. I'll be sure to make a post about my thoughts after I'm done.

May God multiply your grace peace and love, for we are only able to love because he first loved us and displayed his grace int the form of his Son, that we may have life to the fullest, and peace that surpasses all understanding.
~ Joush out

Round 2.. FIGHT!!

2008-06-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

Okay,
I feel rested enough to update you all and inform you that we are done with the first 3 months of class.

wooooooo!

it all went by so fast, and I learned so much.

We are done with all Paul's epistles, all the general epistles, the Peters, and when we get back we do the Johns (1 2 and 3 John, the gospel of John, and Revelation), then after that we are on to the Pentateuch, that is the first 5 books of the bible. We'll be flipping from the end all the way to the beginning, and I can't wait to get into the OT. I know we'll be charting it differently because of the different styles and purposes of each book. The format is allot different than an epistle or a gospel. So we'll see what it's like to chart

As for now, I'm relaxing, trying to digest what I've learned so far while trying to catch up on sleep.

peace out

Last week of quarter one... OVER!

2008-06-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

Time of another update from yours truly of the things

...but I'm about to collapse of tiredness. so here are some teasers.

~Thanks to God

~the last 3 books we did this quarter: 2 Peter Jude and James

~one week of nothing to do and my brain can't stop moving.

~Thanks to God

ok... can't...type anymore...

peace ... out

goodbye Paul

2008-06-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand were done with all Paul's epistles.

that is all

Stickey-Arm

2008-05-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hello out there.

It's been a busy few weeks so I haven't gotten any time to set aside for blogging.
I'm going to try to hit a few different points for this update, but a few things are in opposition of you guys getting a full update tonight, which means you might have to wait till tomorrow to see Part two of my update Saga.

1. It is really hot and humid, and I may start suffering from sticky-arm. It's when you keep you arm in one place for about a minute and sticks to whatever you in contact with.

2. I only got about 3 hours of sleep last night

3. My laptop explodes because of the immense heat. In which case you won't hear from me for like a week.

wait... yup, it's too late for me.

I have sticky-arm. *sigh*

ALAS! I shall continue!

Well last week we charted 1 Thessalonians, 2Thessalonians, and 1Timothy. Plus a test on 6 books including all three of Paul's missionary journeys, general chronology of acts, and other stuff on the last 6 books that we did. I don't know how I did on the test because I was really distracted by Romans, because it was due the day after the test, which was yesterday.
Before I go on, I feel I have to explain something:
I really want to tell all you people that are praying for me and supporting me what's really going on in my head, heart, and soul (I'll spare you what that fried chicken did to me in the body department). I remember when the base leader Don Gillman (who is a really cool guy by the way) was talking, he mentioned that it was good to talk about everything that's going on when you're in the field, and not just all praise reports and thanksgiving.
So I'm going to make my best effort, by the power of the Spirit, to tell you guys what's going on here.

That said, I was 4 charts away from finishing Romans. This will actually be the fourth book that I haven't been able to finish. Whether it was time management, or what, I don't know. and I just want to come clean with all of you who are investing in me with your prayers and support.

There are also a couple of other things I want to address in the "things that would be way cool to do and I think God might be calling me to" folder.

There is this thing called Titus, it's kind of like the optional outreach for SBS. It's about 3 weeks of training, and then they send you with a small group of people to go teach the bible in a developing country. You spend 3 months teaching on what you've been learning for 9 months and it's supposed to be the most amazing thing. I sometimes take for granted the awesome opportunity I have to study God's word. Some people would really give their right arm for the chance to do what I'm doing. The team that just came back from that recently did a presentation of what they did in Mongolia, and I swear I could feel my heart start to burn. The church in Mongolia were so hungry for the word and it would be amazing to be able to bless the church in some place like Mongolia like that. I'm really thinking and praying about doing this coarse, and I hope and pray that all of you would think and pray about joining me in ministry for this school.

OK, well that's all for this one folks.

peace out

Books that Start with PH's

2008-05-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

Looks like it's time for another update ladies and gentlemen.

What's up with picture? Ho, nothing. We killed our first Roach last week and I forgot to mention it. You can tell because I still have my crazy facial hair.

So work has been really hard core as of this last week. As you recall, We had Acts due and it was a marathon. I studied the longest I have ever studied in my entire life. 26 hours straight, from 5 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday. It was due at 12:30 on Saturday, but my brain just stopped working. So I left the College (where there's a place open 24 hours to study), stumbled down the hill, and rolled into the classroom, printed out my charts, stumbled some more into my room, and lost conciseness on my bed for 12 hours.
That was the hardest I've worked in my entire life, and I never want to do that again. I realize in retrospect that that was a stupid thing for me to do. For every successive hour I stayed up, it took longer and longer to complete each chart. The reason I had to do this was a combination of procrastination and a series of responsibilities that fell on crucial hours. I ended up not being able to finish Acts all the way.
I felt horrible all the way home from turning it in. Acts is a really crucial book for the rest of the new testament, especially for the rest of Paul's epistles. I felt like I've failed those of you who have invested time and money into what I'm doing. Until I realized a few things.
It's not for me all that money was given, all that time spent. It was for God in the first place.
And it's so God that we are starting on Philippians and Philemon this week. Philippians mostly addresses unity in the Philippian church. Paul uses himself, Christ and two others that he's sending to the church as examples of humility.
One of the person's name is Epaphroditus. The Philippians send him as a help to Paul, but he ends up getting sick and almost dies in fact. Here, let me quote the text, it does a better job than me:
Philippians 2:25-30

"25I have thought it necessary to send to you^(B) Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and^(C) fellow soldier, and your messenger and^(D) minister to my need, 26for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29So^(E) receive him in the Lord with all joy, and^(F) honor such men, 30for he nearly died^(G) for the work of Christ, risking his life^(H) to complete what was lacking in your service to me."

and later in 4:18:

"18I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied,^(A) having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent,^(B) a fragrant offering,^(C) a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God."

Although I don't resonate completely with Epaphroditus' situation and context. Paul does write here how it's less what you bring and more how you bring an offering to God. God desires a right heart more than a good service or a truly helpful hand.

I feel like I identify with Onesimus a lot in Paul's letter to Philemon. If you don't know the background for the book let me give you the short rundown with no sources, because I don't have time to give you a long rundown with sources.
Basically Philemon is the leader of a church (likely the Colossian church), and Onesimus stole something from him.

You know what?

It's a short read, really, it's only a chapter.

Go pick up a bible and read it really quick. It's the one right before Hebrews so you can't miss it. Try to read in the context that Philemon has no obligation culturally or legally not to accept him or let him go unpunished because he's a slave.

After you do that, here's some ways you guys can pray for me and ministry here in Taiwan.

~ Time management. I see a need for greater discipline in my life that goes back years, and I know God can use this class to bring change in that area

~ Continue praying for ministry hours. I'm on evangelism and it's a little daunting going up to people without really knowing how they will react, or how to approach people of a different culture than in the states about God. For boldness and a real heart for the people here. Pray that I will all but explode if I don't tell them about the good news that is in Christ Jesus our Savior.

~ Pray for the students here to take more time to hear from God in between work and ministry and everything. I feel like it's too easy not to have any quiet times when your studying the bible like a text book all the time.

That's all folks.

Peace,
Josh

Shenaniganz and NinjaZ

2008-04-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

OK, not all we are doing is studying and ministry. one day a week we get together for family night.

It's themed.

There is food.

And this time ninja warriors are a foot!

We have a fellowship thing called family night. That's me on the left if you can't tell. I don't usually act this deadly.

We also have base fun day every month. the whole base gets together to have fellowship and get to know each other. We play games and have a picnic. This time though it was raining, but that didn't stop us from having fun.

That's me in the air by the way.

And did I mention that I shaved? I'm contemplating growing something else. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

OK, enough of the shenanigans.
Were on to Acts this week after Luke, and it's already really cool. It's understood that Luke wrote both, and they very well could have been one book, since the max length for scrolls in that day just happen to fit each book. They are also together like a quarter of the whole New Testament. So we, after this week, have covered a good lot of the New Testament, which feels good.
Though, the more I do, the more I wish we could spend more time on each book. You really could spend a whole year studying all that Luke wrote, or all that John or Paul wrote, without even touching the Old Testament. Man, I can't wait till Exodus!
This next week we also get into ministry for this quarter. I felt like I should write down evangelism for my first choice after praying about it. I'm just a tad nervous about it because I know like 3 phrases in Chinese, but I thought it would be okay because I put one choice on there that almost nobody would pick.
Well later when they put the list up for who got what ministry options, my name wasn't on it. I went to go talk to Scott our school leader and he said he'll just throw me on evangelism with him.
So now I get to go to the metro station and talk to people about Jesus in English, and hope they understand me!
Nah, I'm not that faithless, I know God can use my pinky toe more than my mouth if he wanted to.

It's time to peace out dudes and dudets, but before I go, here are a few prayer requests:

~ Pray that the whole class does everything in more of a spirit of thankfulness. I among others have been asking so much of God and it just occurred to me that I'm not nearly thankful enough, let alone everything aside from school.

~ Ministry. Ministry is coming up for us all this week, so pray that God uses us and that we are continually sensitive to the Spirit.

Peace out!

VIDEO FINALLY

2008-04-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

I just threw this up really quick, sorry for the quality/lastminuteness of the video,i did it in like a few minutes.

Work work work...

2008-04-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hello from the other side....

OFTHEWORLD that is!

hahaha!

no?

Well, I thought it was funny.

I also thought I would be doing a multimedia themed update, but time, resources, and intercontinental lag are in the way of my achieving that lofty goal, so you all will have to settle for purely text format for this time.

OK. Things are really starting to get into the swing... er, of things? And we are already working on our third book. We started out on Galations, then moved through Titus, and now we are on Ephesians.
If you know your bible, you might be thinking: "Those aren't so bad! The biggest out of those three are about 6 chapters."
Let me take you through what work that we are doing step by step:
1. Read the book from beginning to end without stopping, out loud.
(this isn't so bad, for the larger books we can do this in a group.)
2. Color code all the who's places, times, trinity (God, Jesus, Spirit). Plus any key phrases, or words that repeat. (this isn't all together mandatory, but it helps a lot when it comes to the next steps)
3. Paraphrase every paragraph in four words or less, using words from the text, the text has to be in succession.
(it starts to get a little hard here, but yours truly seems to have a knack for this step. ;D)
4. Take those PT's (paragraph Tittles) and find where they divide into sections, and then smaller sections. Even smaller depending on the book size.
5. Put those through a program that generates charts (I would show you what they look like, but technical problems are keeping me from doing so. *sigh*)
6. Chart. basically sum up the paragraphs again (not further, just in a longer, slightly more thorough way using arrows. ) color code that. then on the outside of the charts, we make observations about the text, interpret those observations, derive timeless truths from those interpretations, then make some applications on those timeless truths.
This is the real heart of the inductive method. because you are starting with the text, and not with preconceptions.

I have to do all this, plus a paper of the basic context of the book (time, authorship, culture of the original readers, some other stuff.) and a final application. the final application is just what I should apply through the book personally, in practical ways.
It's a lot of work and most of us are still in the process of learning, so pray that me and the rest of the class really dig into the word and learn the process. Also that God be in our inspiration, interpretation, and application.
A bunch of us have to go to Hong Kong on the 20th to get visa stuff taken care of, so pray for safe passage and quick processing for visas.

alright,

Peace out, cool cats

Josh

2008-03-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

So. I'm sitting here right now on the couch of our apartment in Dan Shui, just chillin' updating my blog.

Woah.

Let me tell you how I got here.

Well my last day in the states spent hanging out with my sister which was cool, I don't get to spend a lot of time with her so, I got to chill with her while I got my hair cut, and some stiff for my mandolin while I'm here. We left for the airport about 8 or so, and got on board the plane around 12:30. I had a good flight and I had the whole freaking row to myself, and directly resulted in about all 4 hours of sleep I got out of the 14 hour flight. For me that's quite a bit for a flight.
I almost never sleep on the plane.
When I got there I had no problems through customs and a couple of the staff were right there waiting for me. I arrived around 6 and we got to our apartment at about 8 or so.
It's pretty nice.
We have two bathrooms, a kitchen with a working stove, couches, and were right next to a bunch of good places to eat and study. I room with 3 other guys, but it's not that bad. We all have plenty of room. My roomies consist of two Canadians, one Fijian, three Californians (one of which originally hails from South Africa), a guy from New Jersey, a Korean, and a guy from Washington state. All of which are so far really cool people to live with.
One great thing about living here is the food. Oh, man. It is really good. Tonight I ate at this Korean place and it was the best kimchie I've ever had. If you don't know what kimchie is, that's ok, but you should know because it's really good.
As far as class goes, tonight is our last night of freedom before the looming behemoth that is SBS gets officially underway. For an idea of how much work I'll be doing: One of my good friends that is also going to be staffing this school was telling me when he was taking the class, he remembers studying, and then realized that it was about time for the sun to be coming up. He went over to the window and watched the sun come up.
Said: "Wow."
And then went back to work.
This as you can see makes me a tad nervous, but greater is He that dwells within me, then he that dwells within the world.
On that note I think I'll leave you all with a very sincere;

Peace and love to you all.

P.S. Video update on it's way.

LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT

2008-03-22T17:12:00.001-07:00

I'm doing video updates to supplement my blog. I have my first one up.
look ---------------------------------------->

Just click on the little camera on the stickam box. It will say view movies, click on it and you can select what update to view, though I only have one up right now.

Five days left

2008-03-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, were down to the final days. I have five days left in this country for the next 9 months, and I can't help but not feel all that excited yet. I don't know what's wrong with me. I must not be getting enough sleep or enough vitamins in my diet. I don't know. While most of my close friends and family are like this crazy guy.
But right now I feel pretty "meh".
To tell you the truth, at this point I'm taking it one step at a time because it helps me not to get stressed out about all the details. If I get tied up in all of that, I feel I might miss out on some stuff.
well, this is a short update, I'll have much more to talk about in about a week.

Peace

Gah! I'm Freakin' Out!

2008-03-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

Well Now it's down to about 22 more days until I leave for the longest overseas trip I've had since my DTS, and I'm freakin' a little. There is so much stuff that has to happen before SBS can happen. I have to get my car taken care of, I need to do a yard sale, I need to take care of all my stuff due to a subject that will be addressed in a later blog post ( just because I don't feel like getting into it right now).
This is just me being a worrier. I'll be fine and I know it somewhere under all the anxieties and stuff I'm feeling right now.
On a slightly different note, I've decided to take the mandolin with me. I've been teaching myself how to play for the past 4 months and it's and optimal travel size. I'm still debating whether or not to take my bass with me. I just recently got my chops back, and I don't know if I want to go through a huge slump like that again. I'll pray about it. maybe playing the mandolin will keep my musicality up while I'm in Taiwan.
The money situation is going well. I bought my ticket, so that's taken care of. I still need to do a yard sale, and take care of a lot of the stuff that I'm not using anyways. My dad is also giving me $800 - $900 dollars in the form of a boat and motor he's letting me sell, plus he's taking my car off my hands for about $200. I also need to talk to some people about support. Even if it is like $5 bucks a month through the church it would help. I Hate this part of it, but it's not like I'm playing a loan shark or anything. I just need to get an answer from people on what they are going to do.
I guess that's it for this times edition. Sorry I'm leaving off on a low note.

Peace

1.5 Months Till Lift Off

2008-02-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

If your reading this that means that you, my friend, are reading my first official blog post leading up to, and during my trip to Taipei Taiwan.
In case you haven't heard the reason for my prolonged departure, I'm attending a nine month biblical studies coarse, but if you want to hear more about it and you haven't by some chance gotten a support letter from me, just ask and I'll fill you in on the details. In a nutshell I'll be in deep study of all 66 books of the bible to help equip me for my future in some kind of vocational ministry.
Once I get there I'll start doing video updates over to the left side of the Page over there, so you can see my shining face on a daily basis, and if I'm online when you are reading this, you just might see me. I don't know if there is going to be Wireless access at where we are staying, but if there is, look forward to a almost 24 hour broadcast from Taiwan.
Well, I must be off.
See you on the internets.

Josh