The Cows And Peanuts Cell Group

getting to know God, you and OTHERS too!

2009-04-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hey crazy cows and peculiar peanuts people! :)
How's everyone been huhhh? well, i'm here to update the blog :) haha, and of course write some of the thoughts that have been on my mind recently especially after easter and good friday :)

so, just yesterday i was reading this section of a book, and it was abt the great commision and making disciples.

Matthew28:18-20
¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

then it goes on to say (notice the words in italics?) :

1) we have made "go" optional.
and there and then, i was reminded of the fact that it was a commandment to make disciples, to spread the gospel. it isn't an "add-on" thing in our faith.

2) we have changed "all" to "some".
haha, admit it! i'm guilty too of choosing people easier to talk to, to minister God's word. sometimes, we even judge people according to their appearances, according to whether they have the same interests as us...

3)we have changed "teaching them to obey" to "suggesting that they obey"
ever tried to reach out to your friend with the gospel, trying to put everything nicely, say everything in the nicest way possible so that they will be more willing/ receptive yet losing the absolute truth in it?

so at the end of the day, i related this back to our recent Good friday and Easter outreach in church/ in Bay... and i reflected upon my actions as well on whether I have gone all out to reach out to the many non-believers who were in our midst, and well, i may not have done so, still hiding in my comfort zone...

how about you guys? have we been actively mixing around with our guests or even amongst ourselves? have we been sticking too much with people whom we're more comfortable with? (i'm sooooo guiltyyyyyy of that!)

the great commission is meant for all of us too! and you know what? it doesn't even have to take place in church, sometimes we make it seem as though we can only reach out to people in an evangelistic event in church aka. easter, gd friday, christmas...

my challenge and encouragement to you all is that as you all grow in God's word, let's make it an effort to get to know each other, get to know our other brothers and sisters in Christ, and to actively reach out to our guests :)

one practical thing we can do: let's try to find someone whom you won't ususally stand next to/ sit next to during the opening session for Bay, and think about one thing you can encourage them with this week. :)
or, try to ask someone what they think about God... :)

God's grace be upon you guys even as you seek to deepen your relationship with him by obeying his word. :) cheerios!

love you all!
cheriechong!

and this was how the chapter ended:
" we must chosoe the life, the life of discipleship as taught and practiced by Jesus and lived out by the 1st century followers. we must COURAGEOUSLY cast aside our non-discipleship Christianity and submit ourselves to a life of ACCOUNTABILITY, PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION AND MAKING DISCIPLES AMONG THE UNBELIEVING. this is our primary and exclusive work. this is the FAITH as Jesus taught it. to do anything less is failure."

-quoted from Choose The Life by Bill Hull

Mule Dude

2009-03-24T20:54:00.002-07:00

This is from some book mike asked me to type out for him. :D

Years ago I heard an interesting parable about an old mule and a farmer. The story illustrates well what I mean by “sanctified stubbornness.” Once upon a time, there was a farmer who owned an old mule. One day the mule fell into an abandoned well. The farmer came home and heard the old mule bellowing at the top of his lungs from the bottom of the pit. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer realized there was no way he could get the animal out of the deep, dry well. Realizing the mule had seen its best days many years ago, and knowing the well was worthless as a source of usable water, he decided to kill to birds with one stone. He called his neighbors together and told them what had happened. He decided the wisest thing to do was to bury the old mule in the well, hence putting the mule out of its misery and eliminating the hazard of the abandoned well at the same time.

So, as the old mule continued to bray, the farmer began to haul dirt and shovel it down on the mule to bury it. Initially the mule went crazy, thrashing and braying even louder! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and more dirt hit his back, the mule quieted down and relaxed under the barrage of dirt from above. He was about to accept his fate when he got an idea. With every new blow from the dirt, the mule would simply shake it off, and step up on the dirt accumulating earth beneath him. The farmer and his friends could not see into the dark well, but they were sure they were burying the old mule as they shoveled the dirt into the well.

“Shake it off and step up… Shake it off and step up… Shake it off and step up!” the old mule repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up.

You probably know where this story is headed! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped victoriously over the wall of the well to his newfound freedom! The very dirt intended to bury him actually lifted him to freedom and life! His “burial” became his salvation as he stood on top of his own grave – dirty, bruised, but alive. He refused to accept his fate, and kept shaking off the dirt and stepping up. As a result, he had a new lease on life and one great story to tell around the barnyard for the rest of his life!

When we find ourselves “down in the well,” so as to speak, buried by our challenges, we can do what the mule did – we can shake it off and step up. God supplies the motivation and the means for shaking it off and stepping up. His Spirit lives within us to empower our steps and His Word gives us the promises we stand upon to get out of the well. Here are my top 12 Bible passages that help keep my hope alive no matter what I’m facing:

A DOZEN REASONS TO ALWAYS HAVE HOPE

God is always with you. Hebrews 13:5

God loves you as His child. Romans 8:15-16

God proved His love for you at the cross. Romans 8:32

God’s power is available to you. Philippians 4:13

God can exceed your highest expectations. Ephesians 3:20

God understands you and your problems. Matthew 6:8

God promises to supply all your needs. Philippians 4:19

God’s grace is sufficient for you. 2 Corinthians 12:9

God works all things for good. Romans 8:28

God uses trials to produce maturity. James 1:2-4

God uses trials to display your faith. Philippians 2:15

God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. Romans 12:2

Shermehhh

TADAHHHZZZ

2009-03-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!! THIS IS IT!! THE COWSANDPEANUTS CELL BLOG!! HAHAHAHA ;)

This blog can be used for almost anything you guys want. Whining, shouting, ranting, prayer requests, exclaiming how bad Gabriel is at computers or even how terribly old and cranky Cherie seems to be despite her actual age. :D :D :D

We hope you all enjoyed the games at my house!! The bowling Chicken and water bombs were great weren't they?! HAHAHA!! We missed you Weijian, Constance and Melvin!! Get well soon Weijian and Constance!! :D

I'm still editing the photos, so yeah. Will upload the others soon.

Maybe a video too. ;)

Tata peeps~
Your coolest fellow CG member, Sherm