The Kissing Disease

Mono. Our unexpected visitor. My roomie, Michelle, got mono and now Kelley and I are just waiting to see where it springs up next. Apparently, she has the "Asian" strain (didn't know there was a difference) and it's highly contagious through the air. Crazy. I could get mono, also known as the kissing disease, and not even have to kiss anyone to get it! I'm not sure how I feel about that. She's had it for about two weeks now and she'll sleep 14 hours a night on average. Crazy kid! Also, with the WSU peeps visiting this past week she's completely worn out. So now, everyone in "the fam" here is pretty much sick except for me. There's been a head cold going around, some sort of flu thing and now mono. I think I'm the only one who hasn't gotten sick yet. I'm hoping I get a choice as to what I catch. I'll take a head cold, please. If anything, it will be amazing if I don't get mono as I share everything with Michelle (drinks, food, etc) and snuggle with her quite frequently. The doctor told her that whoever is going to get it already has it. How comforting, I could be a carrier and not even know it for another 4 to 6 weeks when symptoms arise. Would anybody like a kiss?

WSU Visitors

I said goodbye to some friends today. It was sad to see them go, but I know it won't be long until I see them back at WSU again. For the past week I have been hanging out with my fellow Cougs and showing them around my hometown. It was fun and refreshing (as I thrive on relationships), and I got to catch up with some amazing people I haven't seen all year. I realized how much I miss WSU and all the people there. How much I thrive in that community of believers. I'm beginning to see just how extroverted I really am. Without relationships my life would fall apart. Ha, I'm dependent on conversations and silliness from those around me. So, having them here was amazing, and although I'm exhausted it was all worth it. Thank you Cougs, for coming, visiting and encouraging those of us over here. I hope you were able to get a glimpse of God's goodness and catch a heart for the world.

Draw near

I haven't blogged in awhile and I guess it's because I don't really know what to blog about. I haven't had any insights into life, nothing dramatic happen. It's just been...life. Hmmm, life as I know it. Today I'm fasting. Right now I'm really hungry. This is the first time it's hit me all day, strange I thought I'd be hungrier this afternoon. Anyways, I was prayer walking on campus today and God opened my eyes a little more to Himself. As I looked around and watched all the students I realized how vast the population is and how small I am. How can I reach all these people? What am I really doing here? Can I really accomplish what God has for me? A lot of those thoughts have to do with the fact that I came back from break and none of my six promising students can meet with me any longer (2 no longer want to and 4 of them have "time constraints"). Thinking over that is rather dreadful. So, as I pondered that and looked out over campus I realized how much of it is all about God. Ok, how all of it is about Him. How so much of this year is all about Him working in me and somehow reaching the nations. I'm reminded of a quote from my dear friend Steven from earlier this year. I don't remember it exactly, but it went something like this, "Coming into this year I thought it was going to be about 80% of God using me to reach this campus and 20% of God working in me. But now I've realized that it's about 100% of God working in me and somehow through that, He's going to reach the campus."How true that is. It's all about drawing near to God. How He pulls us into His presence and then uses us when we least expect it. That's why it's an outpouring of His love for us. How can it be an outpouring if we're not being poured into? I guess I've been changing my priorities a lot lately. Making it more about Him and less about me doing things for Him. More about His love and less about how I can love others. I can do all things through Christ who strenthens me. Hmmm, so that means I need Christ's strength, which comes from Him (not myself). Yeah, that's it. It's all about Jesus. How often we get it wrong, how often we forego a relationship with God and get caught up in the performance. He made us for His enjoyment. He enjoys our presence. As a team we're reading "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer, in it he states that God is waiting for us, and waiting and waiting. Incredible that God is waiting for us to draw near to Him, to pursue Him. To reach out and grab onto His hand and just be in His presence. This is all random, and I guess I do have something to blog about. God is incredible and I'll never understand His ways, but maybe that's the beauty of it.

I couldn't resist...

Ok, read my post below and this will make more sense. I quite often feel that I have the most common name in America. So I googled my name (below), but then I went on to google the most common name. I found NameStatistics.com. It's cool. You should do it. Anyways, I first tried Jessica. Here are the results:

• Jessica is a very rare male name.
  Very few men in the US are named Jessica.
  Be proud of your unique name!

Whew, I was worried there for a minute...

• Jessica is the #26 most common female name.
  0.49% of females in the US are named Jessica.
  Around 624750 US females are named Jessica!

Oh my goodness!! 624,750!! Wow, that's a lot of Jessicas! But still only .5%, interesting. For some reason I thought it would be more than that. It was afterall, the most common name for girls in the 80's.

• Jessica is the #83290 most common last name.
  0.0005% of last names in the US are Jessica.
  Around 1250 US last names are Jessica!

Huh? What amazes me is that people actually have the last name Jessica...Who are these people? Haha, I find this very amusing. There are around 1250 last names Jessica? I never saw that coming.
Ok, now for the last name. Anderson. We'll see how this goes...

• Anderson is the #11 most common last name.
  0.311% of last names in the US are Anderson.
  Around 777500 US last names are Anderson!

#11 most common...Impressive. Higher than I thought it would be. I guess my name isn't as common as I thought. #49 for first name and #11 for last name doesn't seem like it would be the most common. In fact, according to lifesmith.com Mary Smith is the most common girl's name. Weird, I actually know a Mary Smith! But I guess that shouldn't be surprising should it. It is afterall, the most common.

Google

Have you ever googled yourself? Well, I was curious as to what lay out there in cyberspace with my name on it. Of course, Jessica Anderson isn't exactly uncommon (sometimes I'm convinced it's the most common name in America) so I was interested to see what I would find.

#1 Australian Authors - Jessica Anderson:
The site reads: "Jessica Anderson was born in Brisbane in 1925 and has lived most of her life in Sydney, other than a few years in London. She started her career as a novelist rather later in life than most, although she has previously written short stories for newspapers and novel dramatisations for radio." Interesting...it seems I have also won a number of awards. Wow, I'm old! 1925?! (That's way before Jessica became the most popular girls name in America during the 80's)
#2 Goalie Pages - About Me, Jessica Anderson:
The site reads: "My name is Jessica Anderson, I'm 23 years old, born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I am currently living in Cincinnati and attending Cincinnati State Technical College, majoring in Computer Graphics (graduating summer 2005). I graduated from John Abbott College in 2001, with a degree in Office System Technology. I then attended Concordia University for two years, majoring in History. I played for The John Abbott College Lady Islanders for four years (97 - 01). I played for The Concordia Stingers for two years (01/02 - 02/03). I'm a goalie of course." Hmmm...I'm a goalie of course. Of course I am! What else would I be? I even compare myself to Mike Richter. Assertive, perhaps?
#3 Jessica Anderson Online Portfolio
I think this site is the portfolio of the previously mentioned goalie. Wow, what a find! It's actually pretty cool. So in theory could I use her, I mean my, pictures on this blog? I am technically Jessica Anderson (although biologically a different Jessica Anderson). As I browse her portfolio, it's actually quite impressive...maybe I could have her design my blog? Hmmm...I mean, have me design my blog. Interesting thought. I should look into that.
Here's an interesting one:
#5 Jessica Anderson (II)
Apparently I'm also an actress who has starred in Passions where I was a gang girl, Big Momma's House 2 in which I was the bikini girl, and in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang where I played an upscale woman. Hmmm...all those roles seem to point to extra more than star, but hey, I'll take what I can get. I also don't understand the II. Oh wait, I play the piano. That's cool.

In Google you never know what you'll get. This has been fun. I think you should all Google yourselves and let me know what you find. Of course, not everyone can be a writer/goalie/computer graphics artist/budding actress but hey, nobody's perfect (or so commonly named).

The Love Bug

Lately I've been involved in numerous relationship talks. None about me, mind you...We're just not there yet. Anyways, a number of friends have been having "drama" of sorts in the relationship department. It's interesting, before Thailand I wasn't thinking about much in that area. In fact, Thailand was the first time I really talked about relationships, past included, in a long time. Since then there has only been more to digest as so many people apparently had their "Stint goggles" on. Interesting... It's funny how when you start asking questions people talk. But until that initial question into their love life is posed, they are silent. Then, it explodes and within an hour you've learned more about them and their year/month/week/whatever of relationship drama than you ever thought possible. Maybe that's how we work. We have all these ideas, feelings and hopes about relationships but because the Christian dating world can be confusing and messed up at times, we never talk about them openly. Then, when it comes up in conversation and we're in a setting that's safe, we have so much on our minds it all comes out. All cards are on the table. You are so grateful for someone to listen that you tell all. I was surprised by brutal honesty at times, but then I appreciated it. There are not many times when I'm in a conversation that is completely honest. So even though I've talked about relationships and thought about relationships more in the past four weeks than I have all year, it's not all that bad. Kind of weird, a little High Schoolish at times, but really not all that bad. In fact, it's refreshing to have an honest conversation about a topic so seldom touched on lately. All this talk of relationships (and it being so soon after Valentine's Day) reminds me of a book I used to read my sisters when they were younger: Love Bugs by David A. Carter. From which I'll take my application point: "About one thing I have no doubt... The Love Bug will bite you if you don't watch out."

Rainy day reading...

I just started reading Black by Ted Dekker. It's an unbelievable novel with incredible imagination. I have been more places in Black than I thought possible. I'm a little over halfway through it and I really can't put it down. It follows a young man named Thomas Hunter who is convinced that he is living in two realities. Whenever he falls asleep in one, he wakes up in the other. One reality is Denver, Colorado 2010, the other is a colored forest where Elyon lives with His people set come 200 years in the future. How Dekker came up with this is beyond me. I've always been a Randy Alcorn fan, but Ted Dekker plays on a whole other level. While Alcorn gives incredible plot and amazing visions of Heaven, Dekker comes up with an adrenaline-laced storyline and an incredible post-Earth Narnia of sorts that is beyond my comprehension. Both weave in spiritual truth without making it seem forced. I've fallen in love with Elyon, Jesus, all over again because of these books. I seriously recommend you read Dekker. And Alcorn. While you're at it read Perretti too. We are so blessed to have such amazing men of God writing fiction novels with incredible Truth and conviction! I'm also glad it's raining out today. Bring on the chai tea and good reads.

Wishing I was there again...

Fellowship

Fellowship. That's my key word of the day, maybe the year. I didn't realize how much I was missing out on relationships until Thailand. I think because I get along with everyone on my team so well I don't notice the lack of variety in my life. At the conference I got to hang out with all sorts of amazing people and I loved every minute of it! Sometimes I forget how isolated I am. Being over here in ministry is hard. We don't have community like it is in the States. There aren't relationships outside of "work" here. Back at WSU, I had friends in different groups. I floated between groups hanging out here and there. I can't do that in East Asia. Until Thailand, I didn't realize how much I missed those relationships and the fellowship that comes with it. Part of that makes me excited to go back to WSU, which is good. Through all this I've seen a bigger picture of what God has for us in heaven. I can't wait for the day when all these relationships continue on. When it doesn't end because you have to get on an airplane and travel from place to place. I honestly can't wait for eternity when we have all the time we could ever want to build into relationships that never end. There won't be good byes, or "see you next time." It will just be us and God in constant fellowship. Praise God for His beautiful plan and eternal love! Praise God for fellowship!

It's good to be back

Well, if you haven't heard by now, I'm back in East Asia. One word: cold! Our apartment is freezing, and of course, the heat isn't working like it used to. At least I have my electric blanket to keep me warm at night. Anyways, our apartment was as we left it. I really missed East Asia. Yesterday, Michelle and I went shopping and as we were in the taxi driving to our destination (the first stop was actually Starbucks, go figure...) I felt comfortable. I realized how much I missed people on bikes and horns going crazy. How much I missed the statue of the boy and dog that has never made sense to me. I even missed not being able to fully communicate with the taxi driver.
The people at Starbucks didn't recognize us. But then, when they realized their most valuable customers had returned (based on sales), they were excited to see us and hear of our travels (ok, really all they wanted to know is why we didn't tell them we were going to Thailand because then we could have bought them things). We even saw our Aussie friend who works upstairs. He looked excited to see us, at least I think so...Auchan was exciting. It actually wasn't as busy as usual. We got back home and then had a team dinner. We had dumplings delivered. It was good. I really did miss East Asia more than I thought I did. It's good to be home.

Superbowl Monday

Yes, even though I'm half-way around the world I will watching the Superbowl live Monday morning at 6:15am. I only have one comment:
GO SEAHAWKS!!!

Lost Luggage...

I have so much I want to say, but I'm running out of internet minutes. One thing I want to let you know is traveling in big groups is never efficient. For example so far we have lost three pieces of luggage since coming to Thailand. The first one was David's suitcase (lost by the airline) and it was recovered. The second was my laptop that got lost in a taxi (the whole story I'm sure will come later) and is still MIA...although the Bangkok police are looking for it. And the third was our dear friend's viola she trusted us with and we left in Samui. So, word of advice: when traveling in large group keep count of pieces of luggage and assign people to certain things. Don't assume somebody else has it. (Or never trust your six friends traveling on vacation in vacation mode with something that is valued at more than $4,000 (the viola). )

Narnia in Bangkok

Movie theaters in Thailand should be standardized throughout the rest of the world. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had watching a movie. Not to mention the movie itself was amazing, Narnia was awesome! For $15 we got "Gold Class" treatment which included a complimentary drink from their seating area. The seating area was this waiting room that had these huge plush red chairs and posters of movie stars all over the walls. It was unreal! They escorted us to our chairs in the theater (where we had assigned seating) and brought us popcorn. The seats were massage chairs. Yes, massage chairs. I couldn't figure it out for awhile, but then I got the hang of it. We even got pillows and blankets! The chairs reclined, of course, so you could practically lay down if you wanted to. They were like leather lay-z-boys! Overall it was my favorite thing we did in Bangkok. I have to say that Narnia was even better just because we saw it in Thailand in massage chairs.
However, the one thing that was unusual is at the beginning of the film they play their national anthem while showing pictures of their king and you have to stand up to pay respects to the king of Thailand. Different and an interesting experience. It was strange sitting there and thinking about how Aslan parallels our King and these Thai people paid respect to their king before watching a movie about the true King and what He did for them. Thailand is a Buddhist country and they take religion seriously. It broke my heart to see them searching for something more. It made me appreciate even more the blessing I had being raised in a Christian home and in a country where you are free to worship Jesus. Just coming from a land where religion is illegal and then walking into a country where Buddhism is everywhere, it was a weird sensation. Gave me a lot to think about and be thankful for. So, thank you Jesus for giving me Your Light. Please help me to be a light for you shining in to the darkest of countries, whether they're atheist or Buddhist.

*this started to be a post about movie theaters and turned into something else...hmmm...God is good!

Packing and ponderings on TL

Ahhh, the joys of packing. Ok, so there's nothing joyfull about it. In fact, I don't like packing (the only thing worse is the dreaded unpacking). But this occassion I am actually excited about it as I am packing to head off to Thailand! The land of sun and beaches. Yay! It's weird packing tank tops, skirts and flip flops when it's 30 degrees out. We'll be flying out Sunday afternoon at about 3:30 (11:30pm Saturday night, PST) and landing in Bangkok where we'll stay two nights. Then we'll fly down to beautiful Koh Samui. Where we'll lay on the beach, maybe swim in a lagoon, eat Mexican food, admire sunsets and stars (we haven't really seen any since August) and maybe take up some snorkeling. Some others in my group are going to go scuba diving, but since I have this irrational fear of depth and sharks I'll stay close to shore. Chaweng is the main beach on Koh Samui and that's where our hotel is. We'll be right in the middle of everything. So this might be my last post for awhile. I might share an adventure or two from Thailand when I get the chance. We'll see. So I'll be on Koh Samui until Feb 3rd and then I'm headed to the Mid Year conference on the other side of Thailand for two weeks of conferences and classes. I'll be back in country on Feb 19. Please be praying for safe travels. I think the thing I'm most excited about it being able to build deeper relationships with my friends outside of work and East Asia. It will be fun to hang out and do life together in a new and exciting context, away from everyday life. Have some adventures together and laugh a lot. It will also be nice to see the sky and stars at night, and get back in touch with the beauty of God through His creation.

Chivalry

Kelley and I just finished watching Kate & Leopold. If you have not watched it, I suggest that you do. It is a good movie and reminds me a lot of chivalry (although throughout it Kate, Meg Ryan's character, is quite mean to Leopold). First, the plot line: Stuart (Kate's ex boyfriend) goes back in time and upon returning lures back the Duke of Albany, Leopold (who also happened to invent elevators). So Leopold is from 1876, stuck in 2000 (or so) and ends up falling in love with Kate. Anyways, the movie is mostly about chivalry and Leopold is excellent at it (being from the 19th century helps a great deal).
Why am I caught up in chivalry you ask? Because the same methods that Leopold used (assuming they are actually 1876 methods) still work today, however they seem to be long forgotten. The age of opening doors for ladies and bringing them flowers is fading. Yes, there are still men out there who do these sorts of things but unfortunately there are many, many who don't get it. At one point in the movie Leopold is giving Kate's brother Charlie advice on calling a girl he likes. Leopold was one who actually secured her number for Charlie and is surprised that Charlie is acting so "inconsiderate" of her feelings, I believe he calls him a merry-Andrew. He tells Charlie, "Everything plays a farce to you. Women respond to sincerity. No-one wants to be romanced by a buffoon." So true! And yet so many women allow themselves to be romanced by a buffoon. Just today I was reading an article on MSN that gave an example of how a girl who so badly wanted to be married that she dated this guy even though she knew he was a jerk and not worthy of her. In the end, he proposed, but not to her. No, instead he proposed to the girl he was dating behind her back! So how does this happen? How do these buffoons end up with girls and end up marrying them? Why do these girls settle? Simple: girls are desperate to get married and thus make it easy for guys who are too lazy to be chivalrous. If women instead held their ground and only dated those men who were sincere and who did actually court them then men would be forced to become those types of men. When a woman dates a man who treats her badly then she only encourages his behavior. I'm not saying that you can date a man and change him. That is never a good idea. Instead, expect more from them. Of course, a man will never be a Leopold (let's face it, that's all Hollywood), but what does it hurt to set the bar higher? Why not expect him to open your door, bring you flowers and write you letters that say how much he appreciates you? And if you do happen to find one who does this, be appreciative. Thank him, encourage him.
Letters, that brings up something else from the movie. In the same conversation with Charlie that was previously mentioned, Leopold also talks about letters. After hearing that Kate is going to dinner with a man whose intentions are unclear. Leopold is concerned about her, rightfully so. He asks to chaperone her and she retorts, "I'm alone with you. Do I need a chaperone?" To which he replies, "We are not courting, Kate. If we were, as a man of honor, I would have informed you of my intentions in writing." Ponder that...I know all you girls are sighing. Interesting enough he does just that later on and it works! Guys, take note.
I'm not writing this as a "girls need to be treated better" campaign. However, I am encouraging those women around me to not throw themselves at every guy who comes along. Just wait, be patient and encourage chivalry. Make him make his intentions known. Would you rather date a man who has no concern for your emotional well-being right now, or wait 1, 2 or maybe even 5 years for a man who would do anything for you, even bring you a warm bioche smothered in marmalade and fresh creamery butter in bed.
It's all in God's timing. Don't rush a relationship or try and date every available guy to the expense of your heart and emotions. Men were made to pursue, they were created to be chivalrous. Encourage them and let them pursue you. Enjoy the wait and enjoy what God has for you right now. God created marriage to mirror His relationship with us and to bring Himself glory. He wants the best for you. The question is are you willing to wait for it?

Puddle Jumping

Last night Kelley and I found ourselves caught in the middle of a downpour. We had just finished dinner with Michelle's family (visiting from the states) and went to leave Pizza Hut when we noticed the incredible rain shower. Kelley and I attempted to hail a cab, but after 15 minutes standing waiting for a taxi we decided to try and walk back. Well, by the time we started walking the rain had already begun to run off of my Gore-Tex jacket and onto my pants. By the time we were half to the boy's place (to pick up Kelley's bike) we were soaked through. At that point, we figured what the heck and took up the sport of puddle jumping. I remember one particular puddle where Kelley said, "you can't even see the bottom!" To which I jumped in and exclaimed, "there it is" as the muddy and God-only-knows-what water covered my shoes. By the time we reached the boy's place we were drenched. However, despite the fact that I was freezing cold and my shoes will probably never dry in this humid climate, it was fun. I revisited a time in my life when puddle jumping was an art and being drenched in a down pour was enjoyable and laughable. That night, even in the cold, I enjoyed laughing with one of my closest friends and reinventing the art of puddle jumping.

Procrastinating from writing my PL...

This is fun...and entertaining. I can find lots of fun stuff online when there's something that I don't want to do. Superheros never get old.

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl 87% Superman 70% Spider-Man 70% Hulk 70% Wonder Woman 67% Robin 65% The Flash 65% Batman 60% Iron Man 60% Green Lantern 50% Catwoman 50%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...


Go ahead, take the quiz! Then we can compare results...it'll help us to get to know each other better, a personality test of sorts. Ah, the art of procrastination. See, if I wasn't so good at it I'd never have found this quiz, and you'd never know what superhero you so strongly represent. The moral of the story is: Procrastination is key motivation for finding meaningless information on the internet.

It's all about trust (and so is this blog)

This past weekend we attended a life options retreat where we are told all of our options with the company and then asked to consider going on a second year of STINT or joining the company. Sounds intimidating. However, once we got there, it turned out to be a very relaxing weekend.
All of it has to do with the fact that I know for sure what I'm doing next year: going back to WSU and finishing up school. However, past that, I really don't know. I could go on STINT again, either back here to EA or somewhere else (maybe Spanish speaking...). I could join staff, probably do ICS (international), but I'm not really sure the company is where God wants me. Other options include entering the workforce, going to more school (not really considering this option), or living in a van down by the river. That last option is sounding better and better. Past next year I really have no idea what God has in store for me. I can really only guess.
I don't feel called back here, but then again, it might not happen until next year. I still have a heart for Latin America, so there's always that option. I would love to use my Spanish in my service to Yahweh, but we'll see what He thinks about that. So with that, I've been struggling a lot with why am I here this year? If God doesn't intend to call me back, why? This weekend helped to bring it all up again. Thinking about where God is taking me and where I've been. At least I know what I'm doing next year, but even then there are questions (such as: where am I going to live? Am I going to be able to graduate in a year? What is it going to be like going back to WSU after this year?).
I guess it's all about trusting God. I keep telling myself that, but as many of you know trusting is easier said than done. Trusting in His sovereignty and His ultimate plan for my life. What part does this year play in my life? Maybe I'll never be able to answer that question. I can tell you I've learned many valuable lessons here that it would be hard to learn elsewhere. I've seen God work in ways I didn't know were possible, and I've been able to picture Him as more of an all-powerful, almighty God instead of the American version of watered-down Christian God who prompts us to attend Bible studies and church. God called me here I'm certain of that. I just need to stop questioning and start trusting, start having faith in His plan. Who can understand the mind of God? Therefore, who am I to think I can understand His plan for me and my future.
Anyways, this is a snippet of what goes through my mind every time I think about my future. My biggest fear is that I'll miss what God has for me. Either I'll miss it from a lack of paying attention or miss it because it wasn't I wanted for my life. My prayer is that no matter where God takes me past this year that I would trust and follow Him with reckless abandon. Not caring about what the world thinks, but pursuing a life of righteousness that He has called me to. That I wouldn't question His leading but that I would follow with faith like a child. Trusting in Him for the fulfillment of His kingdom purposes in my life.

Dis be our collaborationz...part 2

Our paper went over well...thanks for all the positive feedback! The guy teaching our "Overview of the Bible" class emailed us back and was impressed. He enjoyed our "creative piece of ghetto speak" and said that it contains "a deep understanding of the story-line of the scriptures." Whew. What a relief! Kelley and I were pretty worried about how he might react, not knowing his take on "ghetto speak." Anyways, Kelley and I have decided that we might collaborate more often, so look forward to upcoming articles/essay/whatnot.

Dis be our collaborationz...

Proceed with caution...Kelley and I had to write a paper for a training session about salvation history. This is what came out...it's interesting and funny. It will make more sense if you read it out loud. We just hope the guy who is teaching the class understands that we love salvation, we also just happen to love using ebonics. Enjoy!

Grab yo’self some chicken, pull up a rocker and gather ‘round, I’s gonna tell you a lil’ story:
Once upon a time in a turf called Eden, there dwelt this Supreme Being. His homeboyz (there were three) called Him Yahweh, so we’ll go with dat. He worked sum of His awesome powerz and made man in His image. Now, this is where da story gets flavor’d, He gave man Eden (how cool is that?) and man dwelt there with Eve, his babymama. They lived in peace under Yahweh’s blessing, in Yahweh’s place, oh and I did I mention they were Yahweh’s peeps? Anywho, it was all grand ‘til one day dis thug, slug, serpent, whatever it is you be wanting to call him, came slitherin’ round da crib. Now he deceived Eve into thinkin’ that Yahweh was holdin’ out on her and her boo. So she broke the only house rule and sampled dat forbidden fruit. Well dat broke Yahweh’s heart. He loved them peeps, but because He was Truth and He was Holy, he had to kick dem out. Adam and Eve were evicted from Yahweh’s place. Now they’s no longer Yahweh’s peeps either. Not lookin’ too good, huh? Good thing Yahweh’s into hope and restoration.
Fast forward to Abram. Nows Abram’s name just didn’t suit. Y’all see, Yahweh called him and gave him a promise, a “covenant” of sorts. He changed his name to Abraham just to prove that the old has gone and the new has come (or is comin’). He gave him Canaan and blessed all the peoples through him. Dat’s right, dat’s the promise. Abraham was pops to Isaac, Isaac was daddy to Jacob and Jacob somehow had twelve sons. Stop. Dat’s a lot of sons. Ok, scene change; nows we be headed to Egypt where the situation is less than ideal for all of Jacob’s (aka Israel’s) chillens and whatnot. See, them crazy Egyptians they done locked them up. Makin’ them do all this hard labor and stuff, gettin’ calluses you know da drill. Aight, where was I? Oh yeah, slavery. Anywayz, 400 years later Yahweh tells Moses to show up, deliver the people from slavery, part a sea, and get some new rules. After some hard hearts, bland breakfasts, cold star-filled nights and forty years in the desert, the people of Israel, Yahweh’s people, show up on da scene, holla at a wall and take their promised land, Canaan. Sweetest milk and hunny e’er sampled. Thus, the partial kingdom. Nows I knowz what y’all thinkin’, “it ain’t a kingdom without a king.” Dat’s what all theys were thinkin’ too; see they forgot Yahweh was their king. Finally, after a bogus king, they got a solid, smooth king David. David was down and loved Yahweh and he was the closest thing to a Messiah Israel would see for a good long time now. On the flip side of David’s reign, the kings gots worse and worse until finally Yahweh was so far away, He couldn’t stand it. Yahweh called up Assyria and Babylon and befo’ theys knew it Israel was back in chains. You’d think by now they would have learned. Hmpf…
To make a looooong story short(er), trial and error proved dat these people couldn’t play by da rules, His rules. So Yahweh was like ‘these people need sum help’, and He promised a better king, a Messiah who would finally bring Yahweh’s folks back into Yahweh’s hood and they could f i n a l l y once again have Yahweh’s goodies. Well if dat ain’t the best news I’ve heard all day…I know you’re smilin’ right now, shoot I’m grinnin’ ear to ear. How you ask? Well let me tell ya. Jesus, dat’s right I said it. Jesus. Got a pretty ring to it don’t it? If that name cain’t calm waters I dunno what can. So, Yahweh sent His son Jesus to die fo’ all da people forever…fo’ eva eva. He did for Israel what Israel couldn’t do fo’ theyselves and thus fulfilled dat promise to our boy Abraham. All them thangs that separated us from Yahweh, Jesus took away when He died so that nothin’ else would stand in our way. You could say He stood in the gap (I think dat’s called intercession). So now dats where we be at, wit Jesus wearin’ the crown, sittin’ on the throne, reignin’ in our hearts. Hallelujah! Can I get a ‘amen’? Are you here to testify? Preach it, brotha! And dat still ain’t even the best part. The best part is what’s still ‘round da corner: a kingdom where Yahweh once again lives among His people in His place. Another Eden. A better Eden. A final destination. Home. Mmm Hmm!