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sanctified_logic
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Name: J. Elijah
Country: Dominican Republic
Metro: Santo Domingo
Birthday: 7/8/1979
Gender: Male
Interests: Public Policy,
Theology/Hermeneutics,
International Relations,
Languages,
Youth Ministry/Discipleship,
Carribean Food,
African-American History/Genealogy,
Reading,
The Economist,
Black Enterprise,
Charisma
Expertise: U.S.-Cuba Relations,
Policy Analysis,
Missions
Spiritual Development
Leadership
Occupation: Education/training
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
12/17/2004
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| first of all, i have a new site...i am going to close this one next week...second, here is the username change: bajan_dominican_dreams, third, here is what i posted today!!!
What a day!!! Okay, I have to admit something...today is my 26th birthday!!! I feel like I am crossing some threshold of my 20s...I am officially closer to 30 than I am to 20!!! Nevertheless, this has been a birthday that I will not forget.
I am making preparations at my parent's home because Jessica is coming to spend the weekend with us...that is exciting in itself!!!:) Two little miracles so far:
1. I lost $60 the other day...this was my $$$ to purchase a flight back to the DR. I searched high and low for this $$$ and it was nowhere to be found. I prayed and looked and questioned everyone who was ever near my room. To make a long story short, I was having a very short time of prayer and at the end I tagged a quick request to God...please solve this $$$ mystery...well, I went back to a place that a checked a hundred times and THERE IT WAS!!! I gave God one of the most authentic praises I have ever given. I resolved in my heart to never doubt that His heart is FOR me and His eye is ON me!!!
2. I go to purchase this ticket on orbitz.com. As I make the purchase, a notice comes up that this ticket price has been reduced by more than $40!!! God knows that I needed the extra cash...with a girlfriend coming to visit for the weekend and this being my last week in the States until winter break...shucks!!!
If this is any indication of what being close to 30 is like, BRING IT ON, JESUS!!!:)
Just remember, Yahu!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is Able!!!!:) | | |
| Finally, I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was not able to do Xanga from the computer in the DR because of the filter that was on it or something like that...anyways...here is my futile attempt at a quality post...I am going to break this down by subjects:
LOVE: Yes, I have a girlfriend and it is very serious. Jessica Humphrey and I have taken the blissful challenge of crossing the lines of friendship in order to pursue a romantic relationship...It has been one of the best decisions of this season in life. I am learning so much, but more than anything, I am enjoying the journey...Jessica truly embodies beauty and grace... I am TRULY a blessed man today!!!!!
CAREER: I am going on my second year of teaching at King's Christian School in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. On Friday, June 17th, I said goodbye to my sixth graders at their graduation. I was in charge of planning and executing this graduation...what an experience!!! I realized on that night how much I was meant to be the teacher for these students. They will always have a special place in my heart since they were my first class...pictures of the graduation will come soon:) While I had a great experience teaching 6th grade, I believe that I am going to be teaching 9th grade and above this upcoming school year and most of my classes will be literature, grammar, and Bible.
TRAVELS: I just came from my East Coast Adventure!!! I got to visit friends and family in NY, NJ, PA, DC, VA, SC, and FL...what a trip it was!!! Let me know if I did not send you the photos!!!
GOD STUFF: I am enamored with my new Message Bible. I had one before but it was misplaced and I never found it. What is most impacting is that I feel a genuine connection with the Spirit of truth. KJV is great, but for me, it appeals more to my love of rhetoric and language; the Message bypasses all of my preferences and hang ups and goes directly to my heart...it has produced radical changes in my life...it was a verse from the Message translation that gave me the courage to step out and move to the Dominican Republic last year...I will share that one later...Oh, forget it…I have to share it now!!!
Isaiah 61.8-9: “Because I, GOD, love fair dealing and hate thievery and crime, I’ll pay your wages on time and in full, and establish my eternal covenant with you. Your descendants will become well-known all over. Your children in foreign countries will be recognized at once as the people I have blessed.”
This verse gave me assurance of God’s hand in everything from my salary to my effectiveness as a teacher!!!! I will let this verse preach all by itself!!!J
GOVERNMENT STUFF:
- G8 Summit: Poverty eradication begins with accountable and responsible government. Poverty will not be alleviated in the developing world until corruption and greed are dealt with in the political and governmental ranks of a nation. Why continue to put water in a cracked pot that is always going to leak?
- Washington, DC: Christians must beware of putting undue expectations on legislators, judicial officials, and the office of the President. Many Christians are expecting Congress and the President to do what only God can—that is change the heart of this nation. To what extent can Christians be objectively and responsibly involved in politics and government?
It has been fun catching up…as you can see, I am still never short of thoughts and words!!! Let’s all remain in touch!!!!
Blessings!!!!
Elijah | | |
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28 Days of Power
The 28 Days of Power was inspired by my former team leader, SLDD, and all around mentor (unbeknown to him!!!). In 1999, he challenged our team to read a chapter of Acts a day since there were only 28 chapters in the book. We were believing God for great things on our trip to Curacao and Aruba that summer. What better place to re-visit than the book of Acts. And since I am a Pentecostal loyalistJ, reading Acts is like one big revival service with the Holy Ghost as the main speaker (for a change!!!). God placed this on my heart to do again and invite friends on board. Well, it has really taken off and we have a good group here reading, praying, and opening themselves to the power of the Holy Spirit. I and my co-leader, Anny, are really digging in and locating the heart of God. Pentecost is contagious!!!! You are welcomed to join us at anytime!!!!
Each day, God has not failed to give me deeper understanding of and delight in these powerful accounts. My threefold prayer for 2005 is that 1.) He would teach me His ways, 2.) Only send me forward with His manifest presence, and 3.) SHOW ME HIS GLORY!!! Reading Acts with this in mind has been phenomenal. It all comes down to power, folks!!! Acts is all about sustaining the power of Pentecost in everyday living. In other words, it is about how to keep the fire after the service is over!!!!
Here are some things that hit home for me in these passages:
- Acts makes reference to so many OT passages and figures. Isn’t amazing that while God is pouring out something new and fresh, He does not abandon the former? It is like past, present, and future all meet at the Day of Pentecost!!!
- The “sound” is the key to understanding the promise. What am I talking about? Before the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, a “sound” was released. This brings me back to Elijah who stated that he heard the “sound” like an abundance of rain. We must be still and sensitive enough to hear the “sound” before the manifestation of the promise.
- The Holy Spirit is awesome!!! These passages say that there were people from EVERY nation in Jerusalem at the time. This tells me that there were people well acquainted with spiritual activity. I believe that people in the room, looking on, passing by all sensed the difference in this experience.
- We cannot down play the unexplainable side of this event. Since we are Spirit-filled people, who have seen abuses and are seeking to walk in a balanced, sound doctrine of the Holy Spirit, we tend to shy away from the “extremes”, but the reality is that the Day of Pentecost was quite extreme. It was so extreme that people mistook them for drunk people!!! If someone stood up and started speaking in a foreign language, I would not think they were drunk. I would assume that they were rather smart and cultured. I am not sure that the Bible gives us all the details, but if they were mistaken for drunk, I am sure that it was not just a friendly, quasi- UN meeting going it. I am sure that the Day of Pentecost would make Brownsville, Toronto, and Azusa Street looking like VBS!!! We cannot forget the extreme side of God.
- Daily habits establish authority and open doors to power and provision
As you can see, Acts 2 grabbed me, but believe it or not, there are hidden treasures in other chapters that I will share soon…here is a sneak preview…open your eyes to the Spirit of Jesus in Acts 7!!!!
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| First of all, I want to make it clear that my confessions for 2005 are my personal character goals for 2005, not prophetic insight for the body of Christ...just in case anyone was confused:)
Well, I have hit a place that is enigmatic to say the least. I am slowly becoming disconnected from my American life. Two things this week caused me to come to this conclusion. First, I completely forgot about MLK Day!!! I mean, I have been celebrating Dr. King's birthday all of my life. I truly made it a holiday and not just a day off of school (this only applied to the schools I attended that actually acknowleged his birthday as a true national holiday) or work. I usually celebrated by going to a dinner or watching a documentary on TV. This year, the 3rd Monday of January was just another day. It was during a telephone conversation with a friend that I was reminded. I really almost cried. The second event that I missed was the presidential inauguration ceremony on this past Thursday.
While my life is very busy and I often forget things, missing these two events has spoken loudly to me. Major parts of my identity have been wrapped in these two notions: my African-American history and my love for all things governmental. What is going on here???
It appears to me that when we focus on the call of God in the present moment, other "things" take a back seat. This is a striking blow to my self-concept. Is this a part of my Christ-conformation? Quite possibly!!! I like the fact that I am coming into a place of questioning who I am...let me put that another way...when examining my whole self, I have to ask, "Who WAS I, who AM I, and who WILL I be?" With that in mind, I have a deep weekend ahead of me!!!:) I am in one of those places where I MUST meet God now. My inner man is crying out in urgency for God to touch, speak, move, etc. Wait!!! Has anyone else ever noticed that no matter what we call it, when God manifests, it has the same effect. If He speaks, touches, "moves"(what is that anyways?), it all feels the same and it all has the same effect...absolute freedom, unspeakable joy, and a determination to know Him more!!! His touch speaks and his voice touches...What a God!!!!! | | |
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Confessions for 2005
1. This is the year of the classic truths
2. This is the year of sacrifice
3. This is the year of remembering the word of the Lord
4. This is the year of prudence (common sense) and wisdom
5. This is the year of supernatural power
6. This is the year of confidence and honesty
7. This is the year of the easy yoke and light burden
8. This is the year of clarity
9. This is the year that words do not fall to the ground
Never forget these:
1. Love, Live, Serve and Give
2. Love, Sacrifice, Humility, Redemption
3. Wisdom, Holiness, Passion, and Truth
This is the year that His glory passes by my life and establishes a new depth of relationship. While His hand covers me in the rock, I will delight in seeing the backside of God and be changed as His pure goodness intersects with my redeemed reality. Exposure to His glory will result in my prosperity that His pre-eminence be made known in my every sphere of influence. His name is my thrill forever!!! To God be the glory!!! | | |
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