Category Archives: News

First Impressions of Townhall II

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Well last Sunday, several Xenos members and I began our training at Townhall II. We are being trained throughout the summer for volunteer work on their crisis helpline. Our training is going to consist of lectures on various topics of crisis, lectures on responding to crises, role plays as callers and listeners, and several sessions of taking contract calls. We are going to receive a total of 80 hours of training which sounds like a lot, but I think we’ll need all the hours we can get in order to help those in crisis. The past three sessions have been very interesting, and the skills we’re learning are quite valuable!

I have learned a great deal already: the importance of listening, validation of feelings, and how to help others to make their own decisions in dealing with their issues. These skills are valuable even when dealing with relationships! It was even interesting reading a handout we received on empathy. It said the greatest display of empathy was sacrificial love! It almost felt like reading one of Paul’s Epistles!

I was really struck by the fact that giving advice was a negative thing in dealing with people in crisis. How would giving advice be a bad thing? I thought at first. I learned that giving advice could only make matters worse, for myself and the person in crisis! Why? Well, there are two possible outcomes. The advice could work, but where does that leave the person? They have become dependent on me for future solutions, they don’t need to solve their own problems when I could do it for them. That sure would make things harder for them to learn how to deal with their own issues, and it would put more pressure on me for them to start to depend on me for solving all their issues! What about the other outcome? The advice fails, so now they’re angry and more frustrated with their issues! Whose to blame for their failure? Well it’s me! If the the advice fails, the person doesn’t have to take responsibility for their actions and only grows worse in their issue! Not to mention, they’ll cease to trust the crisis helpline! This is a crucial skill I hope to take away. It helps gives others the opportunity to start making their own decisions, and it helps them start maturing as a person. If you can’t make your own decisions, how are you going live your life? You have to rely on and take from others! This skill will be a helpful aspect in helping others grow spiritually and mature! Hopefully, it’ll help me to mature spiritually too!

Well, we still got several weeks to go, but I’m very much excited to help out those in real need. I can’t wait to see how I can use these skills in helping me relate and love others more deeply and significantly as well! Praise God!

What’s the Big Deal with Jabez?

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Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.

-Prayer of Jabez, 1 Chron 4:9-10 NASB

This little prayer, that spontaneously appears in the overwhelming genealogies of 1 Chronicles. It doesn’t have any references. It doesn’t mention who Jabez’s father was so he may not have even been a part of the genealogy. Seems a bit insignificant doesn’t it? I’m sure it has some significance because God granted him his prayer, but there’s not much you can take from the passage personally. Or is there!?

Well, not really. It’s a neat little snippet in the bible. I’m sure Jabez was a sweet dude, but how is that a book about this prayer had such an influence in the Christian community? It’s amazing how a book about this passage was even able to become a #1 bestseller in the New York Times! Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez sold millions of copies!

This may be old news. My mother, a renowned fundy, couldn’t even remember the significance of the book, yet even today people are swayed by such miniscule passages like little Jabez. At the core, Christians today will so easily seek ways to benefit self!! Jabez’s prayer was in fact about material gain, however, God found favor in his prayer. Why did he? We can’t know for sure because the passage is just there. A random prayer in the middle of a genealogy, a guy who was only mentioned once throughout the bible.

Why do you think Christians today are so appealed by books that promote self benefit? They seek ways to grow spiritually by themselves rather then by building relationships and actually giving a crap about the people in their Bodies of Christ? Why build your house on the sand rather than on the foundation of the rock? The things of this world will pass away, but the things we store up in heaven will not pass away…

Sorry Guys!

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Sorry, I haven’t posted anything in over a month (or maybe 2). I have been busy with the school work, and I find myself with a bit of writer’s block. I have a draft that is almost done. Though, its been a while since I’ve worked with it and can’t decide whether I should start fresh or not. So I apologize to all you guys (especially Joe) for keeping you waiting on my blogs. I hope to find a topic soon enough to be worthy of blogging about and then actually writing the blog. So, I hope you guys are willing to wait a little long!