year 7 conference in Coventry - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

It's actually, One Meaningful Thing I'm About to Do today :) since the conference starts tomorrow morning. As I was saying yesterday at the end of the article, I need to finish this 30day challenge with the "One Meaningful Thing I Did Today" here - and so I'm taking the weekend off :) to spend time with the saints and the young people.... There's a year 7 young people's conference I'm going to for the weekend - so excited and happy about it! :) But I'm still considering what challenge should I start on Monday September the 19th... As for today, here it is:

Year 7 Conference in Coventry - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today

Not sure if YOU were raised up in a Christian family, or a family of seeking believers, but when someone grows up in such an environment he / she is very blessed! Just imagine: your whole life as you grow up you're surrounded by God-men, people who love God, those who are being transformed daily, people who enjoy God! I still remember how many of the other believers we met with when I was young took care of me, helped me, were really interested in me, and they were so happy to see me! I was growing up in the saints' homes, they visited our home, we were together... - such a blessing!

In such an environment you grow up loving the Lord, knowing the Lord, singing, reading the Bible... - but it is quite difficult to know One Particular Point in your life when YOU GOT SAVED. Some people do remember such a time, others remember the time the Lord touched them and they got baptized - but me, together with so many others, I don't remember "when I was saved"! Of course, I WAS SAVED, and I AM SAVED, but there wasn't a specific time in my life - that I remember - that I took this decision... Well, the same happens with many children and young people today, and so we are very burdened to SOLIDIFY THEIR SALVATION, to make sure they are saved!

To be saved is simple - you repent and believe into the Lord! Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved(Rom. 10:13)! So this weekend we have a small conference dedicated to the young people in school year 7 who are open and ready to receive the gospel! As I was sharing yesterday, we are praying so much for this time! We are praying that the Lord would have a way to expose the world, expose Satan, the Satanic scheme and his usurpation, the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh... and strengthen the young ones to choose the Lord! Pray for us in this time - we need the prayers of all the Body!

For the Lord to return, He needs a generation of young people who are absolute for Him, those who are the voluntary consecrated ones, the Nazarites of today! David defeated Goliath when he was 13 years old - therefore, there's no limit to the age: you can't say, "You're too young...". As soon as someone is conscious of being a sinner, conscious of God's salvation and His way of redemption, he can repent and believe into the Lord! We pray for these ones - who know their God and have resolutions of heart! Lord, gain these ones even this weekend! Gain some young ones all over the earth to meet Your need!

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I am looking forward to your comments - what do you think the next challenge should be? Leave me your thoughts... [most probable: one picture of London and some description + one thing about the Lord I enjoyed today! - but I want to hear what YOU think...]

Having KFC for the Lord with the saints - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

There we go again, fast-food on the blog and talk about fast food! It is NOT healthy to have KFC regularly, and it is NOT recommended to have it too often. Before I came to the UK I used to hold KFC to a very high standard, loving even the smell of it... It was a special time for me when I had KFC :) - but then I discovered so many other fast food places or even the wonderful Nando's, with the grilled chicken... yummy... :) And so from time to time I pay a visit to these "establishments" / places / fast food restaurants. But that's not the point of this story - rather, it is that I can be,

Having KFC for the Lord with the saints - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today

This article is NOT intended to promote KFC or any other fast food restaurant, as neither is it to promote Pepsi (but maybe I'll recommend the pure water to quench your thirst...). No. Sometimes as I am with the young ones - the students, the young people, the saints - we have some KFC together. Not regularly, of course. Most older saints, including the parents, don't recommend it - and neither do I. But since the young people like it, one of the ways we can shepherd them is to "take them out to KFC"(or McDonald's / Subway / other fast food places, if they prefer it), go have some ice cream or coffee together, etc.

What I recently experienced is that you can use a KFC place to have some fellowship with the saints. You can order something to eat, and sit down and have some fellowship. There is a particular brother I'm having fellowship with almost every Tuesday evening - right after my gym time, as he also finishes his work, we would meet and have one whole hour together right before the prayer meeting. We would have either KFC or McDonald's or something else short to eat, and then go through a book called, The God-Man Living. It was such a building up time and such a sweet time!

Of course, after a while, having KFC every week can become too much, so we would choose either another place to eat(since we needed to have dinner, right?) - but we would continue our fellowship. And this is how we got together for several months, having a weekly time of talking about our day, turning our heart to the Lord, having some KFC :) or something to eat / drink, then getting into either the Word of God or a spiritual book(like, the God-man living). It's not easy to set a regular time aside every week to meet with someone and enjoy the Lord, but once you have it, you will taste the Lord together and you will be built up with the other one in a very sweet way!

Can you believe that a coffee shop, a tea shop, or a fast food place like KFC can be a place where you can enjoy the Lord with the saints?

What we need to do - and what I want to continue to learn to do - is to take care of one another in a very human way, yet at the same time in a divine way. Divinely human - that's what we are, as believers in the Lord. We need to eat - so we go out and eat together; we need to spiritually feed and be built up, so we get into the truth together and pray together! Believe me, KFC or any other fast food / dessert place will  become a different place once you get together with the saints there! I have experienced it so many times that it is very rare that I sit in a KFC or Nando's without the saints - it's uncomfortable to be there by myself!

Especially now that the university starts its schedule, and as school also is starting, we can use any opportunity we have to take care of one another, be built up together, and also spend time to know the saints. Starbucks or Costa Coffee (or any other coffee shop) are good places to get together, sit down, take care of some young ones or new ones, and read something together. It's so simple, so human, yet it can be filled with the divine presence once we exercise our spirit! Can you believe that? You can exercise your spirit when you have your tea at your favourite tea shop, or when you grab a Colonel's meal at KFC! Or, as they have new meals, you can get a Boneless Banquet or a Godfather meal :) - with another brother!

One more thing: when it comes to taking care of the saints and being built up together, the money we spend for this we actually give to the Lord for His purpose. You may invite a young brother(if you're a brother) out to eat some KFC(for example), and pay for his side - if you are before the Lord about this, you actually spend both your time and money on the Lord and His Body. You can give real value and meaning to your money by spending them on the Lord, the saints, the new ones, the young ones - His flock! What a privilege, to waste ourselves on Him!

Disclaimer: for the record and also for our conscience / good health, we need to do our best to eat healthy and drink healthy, even to take care of our body as of the temple of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes though, for the sake of others, unless it goes against our principles / conscience, we can "go along" with them and go out have some dinner somewhere - and the Lord will accompany us :) We are where we are, and we are not here to force others to eat what we eat or to stop them eating stuff... - but we are here to enjoy the Lord and bring others to enjoy Him more! Lord, have Your way in us!

Praying My Problems Away - Glorious Freedom! - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

What a busy day today! The whole day at work was filled with emails, quotes, orders, calls, payments, paperwork, online stuff, twitter, facebook, people, customer care, prices, updates, issues, quickly do that, help me with this, pick up that phone, send this email, check up on this payment, delete this or that, disable that product, etc... And it was good! I mean, I like it being busy! It always keep the blood pumping, you don't have time to get bored, you even find fun things to do or talk about! It may sound crazy, but among the busy-ness you may have some nice conversations, have a laugh, do some helping of one another, etc. Of course, you guessed it right, this can happen mainly in a small-size company, where everyone needs to know how to do everything! :)

But after work and during work, whenever you're alone or when you're exposed, there's this particular PROBLEM which is obvious to everyone else around you but not to you! I'm not talking about necessarily a BIG problem, a HUGE issue, or a HUMONGOUS thing - there's something particular about you, a need or a problem, an issue, that just bothers you or others! You try to think about it from this angle or that angle, try to solve it, ask for advice and people are kind and help you out of the goodness of their heart, and... still, the problem remains. Believe me - we will ALWAYS have problems and be problems: human beings never solve problems entirely; rather, when one problem is "seemingly solved", other 10 come up right away! This brings me to this,

One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - Praying My Problems Away: Glorious Freedom!

This post is not about "self-help" or "how to solve all the problems"; it's not about solutions in relationships or how to make a lot of money ;) - no, it's just my experience today with this particular problem that was bothering me. You can try your best to guess it - it doesn't matter what the problem / the need was; what matters is what happened (at least today). You know, you can even ask older ones with more maturity and experience, even some with professional qualifications, to help you with your problem. And it may get solved temporarily - but more than other 10 problems will come up! You meet one need and you're happy - but 10 more needs come up!

Today I discovered - or I should say, re-discovered - the key to freedom from problems: PRAYER! Yes, we need to pray to the Lord - especially pray over His word, who has the power to "discern between spirit and the soul"(Heb. 4:12) - and especially pray with a companion! We need companions, we need saints that we run to when we are happy or not so happy - just to open up, fellowship, and especially to pray! The best companion you can have is one who leads you to pray with him! Why do we try to do so much and really accomplish so little, when we can accomplish much more through our prayer than through our working!?! [adaptation from Watchman Nee] The best way to deal with the problems or to try to figure out how to meet the need is to pray.

I had this privilege both at lunch time(remember? Redeeming the lunch break time...) and after the prayer meeting (remember? The most meaningful thing on a Tuesday Night is the prayer meeting!) to pray with a companion and get mingled with the Triune God! Don't pray "for the problem" - focus mainly on your spirit which is mingled with the divine Spirit! Pray over the Word of God! Pray for God's economy to be accomplished! Pray for God's purpose to be fulfilled! Pray for the building up of His Body! Even pray for other saints, other people, the young ones, the church life, the Lord's work, the Lord's recovery! When you pray for God's interest, God's purpose - just like Daniel prayed 3 times a day towards God's city & God's house - God will meet His need and He will also take care of your need!

When you pray with a companion and open up, there's a RELEASE within! The problems will never go away and the need will always be there - but the burden of it, the weight of it, can crush you down and bring you to desperation and disappointment! The best way to deal with it is to ENJOY THE LORD with your companion, praying over the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit(Eph. 6:17)! This Word of God will kill the enemy in the air and the enemy in you, and you will be released from Satan's usurpation! WHAT A RELEASE the Savior gave me - Christ indeed has set me free! What a freedom, to "pray your problems away" with a companion!

Remember: before you get the answer, you get the Answer; before you get the things you asked for - you get the One! Before you get the object - you get the Person! Before you get the answer, you get the Lord! Problems are here to help you turn to the Lord and enjoy Him - He is the solution, He is the One who can release you, and He can solve your problems by giving you more of Him!(enjoy this wonderful song online) .... I just love Him so much more right now! Lord, I cast all my anxieties on You - I give them, I commit them, I throw them once for all! Lord, I throw my whole life with all its cares on You - because it matters to You concerning me(1 Pet. 5:7)!!!

On Time 4 the LTM + Thorough Cleaning - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-days challenge)

The most meaningful thing a human being can do - before the Lord's return with His kingdom or him being raptured to the heavens - is to enjoy the Lord and worship Him at the Lord's Table Meeting on the Lord's Day! Praise the Lord for this privilege! The Lord's Day is a new beginning - it's the first day of the week, the day of the Lord's resurrection from the dead, the real Sabbath, the day in which we all can gather to enjoy the Lord together, remember Him, and eat + drink together in the Lord's presence! Which brings me straight away to...

One Meaningful Thing I did Today - On Time for the Lord's Table Meeting + A Thorough Cleaning!

I don't know how you are in this respect, but many people I know - myself included - tend to be late especially for this, the Lord's Table Meeting. I don't know, maybe 5-10 minutes late... and sometimes I have no problem with this! I come late to the meeting, and "it's fine" with me... This doesn't mean I have a habit of being late, just that - due to unforseen or unplanned things - I somehow get to the meeting a bit late! When I get there, yes, I do exercise my spirit and participate, but recently I have been shined on by the Lord and convicted concerning this.

How comes I'm never late for work? Actually, if I'm late, I apologize, I promise I won't do it again, etc. How comes when I attend important outward events that I care for - I'm never late? How comes I'm never late when I'm supposed to meet someone at a certain time we both agreed on? How comes I'm never late for interviews? How comes I'm never late for the train or the plane - rather I plan to be there 30mins ahead or hours even? But... when it comes to meeting with the King of Kings at His table, when it comes to meet with the saints - the sons of God - to bring God praise and worship... I have almost no sense of guilt?

This is not to put guilt into people or even into me - but the Lord Jesus, the living Person within us, has something to say about this. Just contact Him and ask Him about it! That's what I did, and I was rebuked, corrected, adjusted, and exposed... so today, even though I had to take the tube (and not the bus as I used to) I made sure I was there right at 10.00am! O, the joy! O, the flow! O, the praise! I was sitting between two dear brothers and as we prayed and praised, the Spirit with our spirit... was so rich and so moving! Praise the Lord... Paying the price - YES, there is a price to pay! - to be on time at the meetings can also bring you some more practical experience and enjoyment of Christ!

This is also true about the home meetings, the prayer meetings, and all kinds of meetings - somehow we tend to get late (for various reasons) to the meeting, and... it can become a habit. Especially when you're young this is more true... In the Full Time Training you just CANNOT be late - and you learn to be regulated in this, in order to be a proper human being and a proper vessel in the Lord's hands. But what about when no one is demanding this from you - when there's no "serving one" that gets you to the meeting, but you have to do it yourself? Would you be early / on time because you just love the Lord? When we meet with the saints - this is the greatest joy on earth! It is here that our spirit never faints, and our lives are filled with worth!

The second thing, as mentioned in the title, is... THOROUGH CLEANING! I'm not sure you YOU are in this, but I both love and hate cleaning! I love cleaning and I love being clean, but at some points in time I just don't want to / hate cleaning! This doesn't mean that it's clean / messy in my room / place all the time, but it means that things pile up, the cleaning gets delayed, other more important things get in the way, etc - and the cleaning part sometimes gets forgotten! It's even more difficult when you have your own place - you don't live with people, parents don't see you to be on your case, you can "do what you want"... but many times the divine life in you and even your inward sense of being a clean-proper-human-being bothers you to CLEAN - and CLEAN THOROUGHLY!

When the divine life comes into us through our regeneration - when we are born again to be sons of God - we start a new life, and there's another Person in us. The Lord is very real and very practical. Though you may not feel anything when you tell Him daily, Lord Jesus I Love You! - yet when the time comes, when there's a practical thing happening, the Lord will be real to you within and He will speak to you specifically. He is not at peace with me enjoying the Lord in my room when my room is in a mess! Many times I repent to Him about the state of my room, the state of my heart, the state of my PC, my facebook comments and pictures, my twitter comments, etc... The Lord has something to say about everything we do/say/are! And the more we listen to Him, though we may do outward things in fellowship with Him, the more we gain Him!

So... please accept my apologies again for "using myself as an example" - I'm not different than anyone else and I'm not "special"; rather, I believe we all have this kind of experiences... - but the Lord somehow needs to make His home in our heart more! The inward enjoyment is expressed outwardly in a practical way by having Christ lived out in us - we become Jesusly human, human yet divine, proper human beings living Christ! ... to cut the story short, after such a wonderful time at the Table Meeting today there was a bothering in me, and when I got home, I was strengthened and motivated within to clean my place! Dusting, wiping, hoovering / vacuuming, washing dishes and cleaning, putting things where they belong, ironing the shirts (30mins of ironing!), arranging things, getting 2 loads of laundry done + putting them up to dry, putting out the trash / rubbish, etc... - these are just some of the things I had to do....

Lord, thoroughly clean my inward being! No separation or cloud between me and You! Shine on us, Lord, and may there be no hindrance. Keep speaking to us. Even in practical things, Lord, we want Your presence. Re-arrange the "furniture" in our heart, and strengthen us to cooperate with You even outwardly in our room, our house, our family, among the people we work / study with... Make us real Christians, real God-men!

Being Supportive Without Being Noticed - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

We all need support and a friendly advice. Some need this more than others, while some seem like they don't need anyone or anything - they are "all-inclusive" and they "know everything". Apparently I am the second kind of person, at least that's what hits the eye when one meets me / sees me. But within, just like everyone else, "I am NOT OK"! Here in the UK everyone asks you, instead of "How are you?" - "Y'alright? Y'alright?" In the beginning I would say like the rest, I'm fine, thanks... but then I realized - nah, I'm not fine at all! Funny thing though, sometimes I would answer them, NO, I'm NOT OK... and they would nod... [obviously, not even listening!]

This doesn't mean I have major problems or some issues(which I do, just like everyone else), but this means that we as human beings are NOT OK - we need help! We need the help of our parents when we grow up, the help of our teachers in school, the help of our friends(and sometimes this help is "not very helpful"), the help of our professors and teachers in university, the help of our family in need and at any point in life, the help of our workmates at work, etc - no matter how much we give the impression that we are OK, we actually are the product of being helped a lot by many many people in our life! Which brings me to,

One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - Being Supportive Without Being Noticed

Maybe I started a bit too dramatically than the principle and the "thing I did today", but even at work we need to help one another - and in the church life it is the same. Somehow we need to shepherd one another in a way that is not "obvious" or "to be applauded", but in an organic way and even "being supportive without being noticed". Things may be piled up on you - you have a lot of things to do, but someone comes and demands your immediate attention to help him. What do you do then? Do you care for "the many things to do", or do you care for the person? Most times I just "go right ahead as a steaming train" and "do my thing", but sometimes it's better to STOP and HELP / SUPPORT someone...

There's no incident or a particular event of today that I am referring to, but I realized it's all about the PEOPLE and not about the THINGS you do. At work, in the family life, in the church life, wherever we are - we need to care for people! And having a being that is open to them and available to them, caring more for people than for what you think you need to do or something that HAS to happen... that is noble and also much needed! I'm NOT that kind of a person, but there are situations, even pressing environments or surroundings, where the test comes and exposes me of my lack + brings me to pray,

O Lord, WHY? Why am I like that? Is it my disposition? I'm always right, I always judge others, and I always criticize others! Why don't I rather help or shepherd others - instead of having this "attitude"? O Lord.... Work Yourself into me to such an extent that You will live the God-man life on earth IN ME!

There was One Person that was like this - He did not live for Himself, He did not speak His own words, He did not do His own work, He did not seek His own glory, and He did not express Himself. This One expressed the Father by being one with the Father. Because He was always listening to the Father, the Lord Jesus also listened to the people and could meet their real need. Some people would come to Him with questions to ensnare Him, but He would answer in such a way that would show them that what they need is not "a doctrinal answer" but "a living Person who can save them". Some people were physically sick, but the Lord would not just heal their body but also their soul and their spirit.

Being right does not satisfy, and doing all things right / "according to the book" does not fully approve one before man or God. What really satisfies both man and God is the living of the God-man Jesus to be reproduced in the 21st century in many believers who express Him corporately as the Body of Christ! Only by allowing Christ to live in us can we support others, help others, in a way that it's almost un-noticed. The Lord ministered to people and then when they would try to crown Him as King, He would disappear / leave! I want to learn from Him by enjoying Him until He lives in me the same life He lived on earth 2k years ago - the life that pleased the Father!

... I thank the Lord for my workmates, for my family, for the people I know, for the saints in the church life, and for everyone that somehow the Lord brought in my life. They mostly did one thing towards me - showing me what I really am and exposing me of what I am not. I'm not supportive, I am not helpful towards others, and I can't do things that will not bring me appreciation from others. All the characteristics of the Lord which were aromatic, expressing the bountiful God - this is what I am not. But Lord, little by little, stitch by stitch, work Yourself into me / into us until we become Your duplication - Your increase and Your extension on the earth today!

going shopping with the Lord - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

I hope this blog doesn't become something "cheesy" or worse, a "bragging about what I do". It's not about WHAT I do or we do, it's about - in case you didn't notice - involving the Lord Jesus, the living Person within us, in everything we are and we do! The truth is that the Lord is a living person, and a Christian is one who not just "believes in God", but one who lives in an organic union with the Lord, consulting Him in everything. The Apostle Paul even said that it wasn't him who was living anymore but Christ living in him(Gal. 2:20). Christ is in us, Christ lives in us, and we live with Christ - we even live Christ. ... or at least we learn to!

It's such a privilege to converse with the Lord, turn to Him, and go about your daily life doing things here and there, meeting people and talking to them, and at the same time be one with the Lord! In the previous posts I was describing how I realized that I can take a nice walk, we can enjoy the Lord at the Table Meeting, we can go to the gym, we can go through the Bible and read it according to a schedule, we can provide proper customer service, redeem the time at lunch, update our phone contacts, leave the carnival, play football with the brothers, and get some rest - TOGETHER WITH THE LORD! Yes, you can do all these in yourself, with your friends / family, etc, but you can be One With The Lord in this! So....

One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - Going Shopping With The Lord!

For some people shopping is something they hate, and for others is something they are addicted to(or even therapeutic for them!). No matter in which camp you are, you NEED to do some shopping - at least for the basic things you need like food, drink, hygiene stuff, clothes, etc.... Sometimes you just DON'T HAVE MONEY, and so whether you would like to or not like to, you can't really go shopping (unless you do some window shopping and basically desiring the things on the display... - which is not that good). But once you get some money, unless you are a strong-willed person, it is so easy to just spend....(or at least that's just me).

When I was in Romania I used to earn my own money - when I started working and taking care of myself - I used them mainly for the basic needs, and the rest were for the church life, the saints, and... not much left actually. In the UK though, and in the Western Europe / USA / Modern Countries - with no reference to how much or little I earn right now - almost every salary can allow you to live a decent life and even think of more commodities or things you don't really need for your day-to-day living, but are "auxiliary", extra things. These things can become something that occupy you and enslave you, taking your time...

Anyways, coming back to shopping - I went shopping today, since I have built up a small shopping list already... and I was praying on the way, Lord, You know me! You know that "I think I need this and that" and I buy things which I eventually don't need or use! O, Lord, be with me! ... I had to buy two specific kinds of things: food and some pieces of clothing. I started with the clothing and as I was walking in the Marks and Spencer and looking at these new modern sweaters, shirts, trousers, jumpers, jackets... even though I knew I had what I need, there was a thought, What if you just get this one? You may need it later! You never know... and the one you have is a bit "old", it doesn't look as nice as this one!

I have to admit, both in the clothes department and in the food store I had to spend some time walking around and contacting the Lord! O Lord, I don't know myself and I'm afraid of myself - what decisions I may take and what things I may buy APART from You! I need You, Lord! You tell me, is this particular item what I need? .... Guess what, there was no "voice from heaven" talking to me or telling me to get this or not get that... but there was a sense of peace and life within! It's so small, so tender, that even putting something in the shopping basket can quench it...

I am learning. I want to learn this. I mostly fail, and I mainly learn - hopefully - through lots of failures and mistakes. But it all starts with my being - personally, in my private time with the Lord, on my own, where no one can see me or know what I'm doing. There and then, I need to turn to the Lord and build up a habit of contacting Him in everything. I want to build up this habit to such an extent that "I don't even need to ask Him - I just KNOW" because of the sense of life and peace within! It starts in my personal time and it goes on in the things I do - since what I do is an expression of what I am! In everything, everywhere, with whomever is there, and in any situation...

The real meaning of the things we do or we go through is not just accomplishing something or gaining something, but doing everything in oneness with the Lord. Having His smile while sleeping, waking up, taking a shower, brushing our teeth, having breakfast or skipping breakfast, at work, at school, with the workmates or the classmates, on our own, at lunch time, in our free time, in our busy schedule - we want His Smile! When the Lord within us is happy, we are happy! When we have LIFE and PEACE, we REALLY LIVE! We need to fight for this - watch for this - so that we may remain in this sweet touch with the Lord... - even until He comes!

Get some rest + the Prayer Meeting - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

After that football yesterday with the brothers, my whole body is aching... and it's the same with several of the brothers, I asked them on facebook. For some reason, though we played football "with our legs", even our back (in the case of the older ones) and our arms are hurting... Football exercises or stretches some muscles in the body that one does even not know he has! But exercise is good... even though I was almost limping when I was walking the whole day today...

On Tuesday evening right after work I usually have approx. 1.5hrs of gym - and it's so good to exercise before you go to the prayer meeting! You get your whole body in gear, and while you are at the gym, you can also get your spirit into gear! The Bible says that "bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness profits for all things"(1 Tim. 4:8) - so even while you exercise the physical muscles, why not exercise the "spiritual muscle", the spirit, to either call on the name of the Lord, pray, say Amen to the Lord, listen to some spiritual messages or some hymns, or converse with the Lord! ... but today since I was so tired, I...

One Meaningful Thing I Did Today -
Get Some Rest + The Prayer Meeting!

I got some rest right after work! You know, it's really good to get some rest! The human body needs rest, and in this rest there's also the supply to go on! You can't just "push it" and "press on" until there's no more breath in you... even in the Lord's work, in serving the Lord in our spirit, we need to learn how to REST first, enjoy the Lord first, and then do something for Him with Him in oneness! So I got some rest, and even though it was just a couple of hours, it gave me strength :) I was advised by someone I need to get some more rest... but being a "young man", many times I tend to discard such "menial and trivial things" as "taking a nap"...

O Lord, I want to learn how to balance my living, my resting, my eating, my exercising, my spiritual exercise, my cleaning, my attitude, my relationships... only You can do this in me, Lord - keep me coming to You about all these aspects of my living! Lord, make Your home deep down in my heart, and be the Proper Human Being who Fulfills God's Plan in me!

And after such a wonderful rest, I made it to the Prayer Meeting! Especially as Tuesday night draws close, there are a million reasons, problems, and other things that come up and give you that feeling, Nah, maybe I shouldn't go to the prayer meeting today - I suddenly need to do this or that, to go there, do some shopping, etc. It's in all of us, and it happens all the time! It doesn't happen on Wednesday or Saturday night, but when it comes to the Prayer Meeting time, it's almost as if there's an invisible person who brings up things to hinder you to get there!

But once you "get your bones to the meeting" and you get together with the saints and start fanning into flame the gift of God which is in you, once you start praying, you have the deep realization that you can be one with the Lord for the advancement of His kingdom! We may pray for the students, the young people, the freshers' fair, the Amana Bookshop in Central London, or even for the personal needs of the saints - but in all these, when you exercise your spirit, you touch the reality of the Praying Christ! We pray - one with the Lord! In all our prayers we basically say,

Come Lord Jesus! Your kingdom come! Your will be done! We bring You this situation or that person - may Your perfect will be done! Release on the earth what has already been released in the heavens! Bind the strong man and release the captives! Bring in Your kingdom in us, in the church, in our city, and on the whole earth! We stand here on earth one with You, Lord!

I guarantee you, no matter how tired you are when you get to the prayer meeting, and no matter whether you may have fallen asleep during the prayer, or maybe you didn't pray too much - it is the greatest blessing to participate in the prayer ministry of the church, even to have the Prayer of the Age! What can we do more than pray one with the Lord for what is on His heart? Why would we work so much and accomplish so little when we can pray more and the Lord will accomplish so much more? (adaptation from bro. Nee). It is so good to be in the prayer meeting of the church!

One Meaningful Thing Today: Customer Service Done Properly (30-day challenge)

Since one of our workmates is off on holiday to Poland (where I was a few weeks ago) and since the company I work for is a small company, we all felt it! It's August, and it's supposed to be a "dead month", everyone's in holiday, no one is shopping for lights or switches... but no, today especially the phone kept ringing and ringing! We did our best to cope with the situation, but there were a few cases today that we missed some calls - we were too busy with so many things to be done! ... anyways, this is a glimpse of things going on at where I work, which brings me to,

One Meaningful Thing Today:
Customer Service Done Properly!

I was NOT trained in customer service, but since I manage the online store I'm supposed to "know everything about every product on the website", so I also take calls from customers, helping them, especially when it comes to placing orders online, finding products online, browsing, issues with the payments or the website, etc. Anyways, today there were a few customers that simply called in, asked questions and, before I could even answer their question, they answered their own question and thanked me! How cool is that!

But this is not the Customer Service Done Properly I wanted to talk about - no, what I discovered today is that it's one word: LISTEN! We are all so full of ideas, opinions, feelings, moods, issues, and all other stuff. So when a customer calls, the best thing you can do is to LISTEN! And today it happened that this is what I did - I simply listened to this particular customer! Since the online stores and the online stuff is sometimes abstract and not-so-obvious, many times most people need help - at least they need assistance. Even in a physical superstore you need an assistant to show you where stuff is!

This particular customer was on the phone with me for at least 15 minutes, and most of the time I was listening to her going through the steps that the website indicated, clicking, entering data, card details, etc - I was just indicating small things here and there, "guiding her". But the key is that I was not "rushing her" - I simply listened and sometimes said something. It happened to me before several times - especially with elderly customers - that all we needed to do is to "assist" them and they would know how to do it! Most young customers are rushing, they think they know, they mess up, and they still blame us! This is not a stereotype, it's just something we as young ones tend to do! This particular customer eventually placed the online order and gave me a warm "thank you for your time, I really appreciate that! I will recommend you to my friends..."

This is NOT an add for the company I work, but a random story of a meaningful thing I did today - I listened to a customer and guided her, for an extended time over the phone, to place an order online on our website. The key: LISTEN. Now to the REAL side of the story - all the physical and outward things can have principles for life behind them, even spiritual principles. Here's at least 2 such principles I saw here:

• I need to learn to LISTEN to people - listen to the ones around me, to the saints, to my co-workers, to the ones in my vital group, to my siblings and family members, to everyone who happens to be around me and is somehow related to me. Yes, sometimes I can help or I can get help, but listening is most important. Watchman Nee said that the first characteristic of a servant of the Lord is that he is perfected and trained to LISTEN(to the Lord, to the saints, to the Spirit within, to the Lord's speaking, and to the people) (in, The Character of the Lord's Worker).
• When we come to the Lord, HE LISTENS TO US! This is our experience - we come to Him with all our problems, situations, cares, woes, tears, persons, relationships, disappointments, etc, and He listens to us, takes our burden upon Himself... He doesn't stop us to speak, He is not impatient, and He doesn't straight ahead rebuke us or turn His back on us. Sometimes He speaks to us, but most times He gives us the sense of life and peace, and He listens + comforts us / cares for us with His presence...

Lord, make me one who learns to LISTEN to people and LISTEN to the Lord! Which reminds me, maybe I should listen to the Lord right now and stop :) But not before I invite YOU - the reader - to leave your thoughts and comments below. What do you think? I know I have not explored in-depth what customer care means, but I hope you have a better experience or something that you think it would help me / others... :) 

One Meaningful Thing Today: Gym and Psalms(1) msg 2! (30-day challenge)

Though one can't really see this when they meet me, yes, I do go to the gym(sometimes even 3 times a week). I go to the gym especially after I finish work - since at work I mostly sit down in front of the screen and write, click, write more, adjust, take phone calls, talk to people, talk to my colleagues... - all which don't imply too much physical exercise... Anyways, after that wonderful rest Saturday and last night, on Monday - today - I was "full of energy" and full of life! So - as part of my first 30-day challenge, here's my,

One Meaningful Thing I did Today - Gym + Psalms(1) msg 2

Physical exercise is good; it keeps your blood pumping, it helps your body exercise even parts and muscles you didn't know you have, it relaxes the muscles, it keeps you fit, it revives and refreshes your whole being, it gives a you a good kind of tiredness, it keeps you away from many other sinful / useless activities, and... it also gives you time to listen to something / watch something. Many times the TV is on(at least 3-4 screens at the Archway Leisure Centre where I usually go) and there is sport, news, music, cooking, TV shows, etc. All kinds of entertainment, from tennis to cricket, from football to music, from witty shows to horse racing, from news to weather... - the whole world is there for you to enjoy: all you need to do is switch between the available channels to listen and watch!

But I prefer listening to something from my own device - and since I'm in "tech", I sometimes listen to tech podcasts - I love the TWIT.tv series with Leo Laporte(TWIT, TWIG, TWIS), the Buzz Out Loud, the people at Engadget(especially after they left - This Is My Next), and other tech podcasts. But today as I started listening to one of these podcasts I felt NO PEACE, no rest in me... and by now I know why - I FEED ON THE WRONG THING! Yes, many people listen to all kinds of music to keep their blood pumping and keep you going in a strong way - but as a believer in the Lord, you just don't feel peace and life when doing that(I tried, believe me...).

Even when listening to the seemingly harmless tech podcasts - sometimes the divine life in you just doesn't give you a good feeling!

So I started listening to the message for this week - message 2 of the Crystallization-Study of the Psalms, and I got LIFE! I realized there's a battle today for humanity - God wants to gain man, and Satan also wants to gain(mainly to ruin) man. Satan got in first, corrupted man, and now man has sin in himself + man is in direct rebellion to God. There's so much rebellion in me - and I can't get rid of it, I can't manage it, I can't change that, and I can't eradicate it! It's almost as if there's a cancer in me which is growing... and I can't do anything about it! Well, the only way, as revealed in Psalm 2, is to KISS THE SON! Just love the Lord! Open to Him in love, tell Him to draw you and to capture your heart... - and even if you're on the cross-trainer, on the treadmill, or lifting weights, if you genuinely groan and pray to the Lord, He will somehow gain your heart a bit more. It's not by the "smashing of those idols" but it's by "the beaming of His beauty, the unveiling of His heart"(see Has Thou Heard Him, Seen Him, Known Him?)

So,... I got to kiss the Lord while I was working out at the gym! People around me showing off, working on their 6-pack, running on the cross-trainer like crazy, or lifting an unbelievable amount of weights... but I could turn within and tell the Lord that I love Him! This may not completely change me or fully eliminate the rebellion in me, but I pray it may bring me more in an intrinsic way under God's government, under God's authority, in God's kingdom. I can tell you now, I love the Lord more....

[Disclaimer: Sorry, I am purposing in myself - today I'm talking about "One Meaningful Thing I Did Today and it's gonna be something outward", but there's something in me that just doesn't allow me to speak of outward things only - without adding the real MEANING, God as the meaning and reality of my human life! Going to the gym - such a random, common, tiring, or sometimes even boring thing - yet it can be filled with a precious touch of the Lord...]

One Meaningful Thing Today: The Most Important Thing In the Week, the LTM! (30-day challenge)

Today it is Sunday, also called the Lord's day, and there are many things I enjoyed doing / seeing / eating / being in... Many things I did today are meaningful and, sorry to say, there were some things, some words, some attitudes, and some thoughts that were not so meaningful - rather, when I think about them, it was a waste of time. What is time? How can you say some things are more meaningful than others? Well... coming back to the One Meaningful Thing I did today - and I think that both I'm happy, God is happy, and all the believers in the world are happy with it, is....

One Meaningful Thing I did Today - The Most Important Thing in the Week, being at the Lord's Table Meeting!

This doesn't mean that I missed the Table Meeting for a while, it just means that I had a renewed appreciation for the Lord's Table Meeting. Every Lord's Day, the first day of the week, the believers get together into the Lord's name to remember Him - the Lord fulfilled the Passover and replaced it with the new feast, the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table meeting(Matt. 26:26-30). We can be those who weekly attend the Table Meeting and just "be there", or we can be active participants, giving our best cooperation to the Lord to enjoy Him at the feast! The Lord Jesus Himself instituted His supper and it is one of the only things He told us to keep after He departs - even until He comes!

The Lord's Table meeting testifies to God, to the heavens, to the earth, and to Satan and all his angels - to the entire universe, that,

• Christ has been our enjoyment throughout the week - we have labored on Christ as the good land, we have enjoyed Him as the rich produce, and now we come together to feast on Him - both individually and even more corporately, in the portion of Christ in each believer!
• We are One Body in Christ! There is one Body in the universe, and we express it here on earth! We stand as one with all the believers in each locality - for the whole universe to see!
• We eat and drink of the Lord until He comes - we want to hasten His return, bring Him back... we will eat and drink of this bread and cup until the Lord comes! 
• Christ has died for us and has been raised - so that He may be our life, our constitution, our daily supply, and even replace us organically that He may live in us and we may live Him out!
• The Lord is satisfied and we are satisfied - this table is so enjoyable, to man is so accessible, and to God is so satisfying! Here man and God meet and man enjoys God while God enjoys man!

I am praying every Lord's Day that the Lord would uplift my appreciation of the Table Meeting - I don't want the enemy to spoil the significance of what we weekly celebrate in the Lord's presence! I love getting together with the saints in the locality where I am - whether in Bucharest, London, Timisoara, Deva, Cambridge, Reading, Romford, Charlotte NC, Raleigh NC, New York City, Warsaw, etc - and enjoy the Lord together at the Lord's Table Meeting! This is the most meaningful thing that I, as a human being on earth, can do on Sunday / the Lord's Day!

Note: there is NO OTHER THING I consider that I could have done more meaningful and better than this. It is a privilege to be at the Lord's Table Meeting on the Lord's Day, to meet the King of Kings, praise the Lord of Lords, and enjoy the God of the Universe who now is our Father! Yes, there are other things, more human and practical, more tangible and outward, but this Lord's Day this is it - this is the MOST meaningful thing today!

One Meaningful Thing Today: Fellowship and .... Walk! (30-day challenge)

I never thought it would be THAT hard to find ONE thing that is meaningful today, as part of the 30-day challenge.... I've been doing lots of things, as usual, and also thinking, Lord, which one of these things are "the most meaningful?" But I realized, this challenge is not "the MOST meaningful thing I did today", but simply, "ONE meaningful thing I did today). So the thing for today is actually two things, one spiritual and another human / natural.

One meaningful thing I did today - Spiritually -
Fellowship with the brothers!

Throughout the week tiredness is accumulated and towards the end of the week.... you get tired! As much as I would like to even attend some meetings, my body says, GET SOME REST! So today, after work(yes, I work on Saturdays at SparksDirect until 2pm), even though we had the brothers' meeting, I decided I need to get some rest... But I kept the door open, if the brothers would allow me, I can join them via skype and fellowship / pray! Even though I was so tired - I was literally laying in bed.... as soon as I got the "let's do this" response, I joined the fellowship. From here on my experience is similar to most of our experiences once we simply say, Amen, Lord! to His leading to go to the meeting - I got vitalized, refreshed, renewed, and even rested! We fellowshipped, we prayed, we fellowshipped again, we read some portions and shared some more... for almost 1.5h I felt so energized, so renewed.... There's something about the divine life, once you turn to your spirit and touch the Lord, the entire being is filled with life! The mind is life(Rom. 8:6), and even the body is filled with life! .... after that fellowship with the brothers, though I wasn't physically present at the meeting but in spirit I was there, I couldn't be in bed anymore, so I ....

One Meaningful Thing I did today - Human / Natural -
I took a nice walk!

I have to admit, I'm still learning how to have some refreshing and not-too-tiring activities, so today after the Skype call with the brothers I just went out for a walk! What a lovely evening! The sun was going down, the light was dimming, the birds were singing, the trees were green, there were so many parks, the people were smiling, the traffic was light.... and everything was so good! I love walking around and looking at the trees, the houses, the flowers, the gardens, the parks, the streets, the ups-and-downs of a street, the buildings, the bus stops, etc. I just took a walk for almost 1.5hrs in the fresh cool evening air, and I was refreshed not just spiritually but also physically! I did my best to not listen to any music or message, no podcast or any other thing... just listen to London, listen to Archway and Highgate, and observe... :) I loved it. I never knew -even though I worked and partly lived around this area - that there are so many other interesting places, buildings, parks, green spaces, streets with nice houses, etc.... And for some reason, as I was walking around, there was a song that came to me, something like, "Don't give me a second-hand Savior / Let me taste Him first time!" - I love the Lord and I want to know Him and experience Him personally, first hand!

.... Conclusion... Thank You Lord! I give this "30-day challenge" to You! Lord, a normal believer in Christ, a God-man, even Jesusly human... I want to learn and be open to this!

Some pics from the walk I took today - coming soon :)

30-day challenge, One Meaningful Thing I Did Today, from tomorrow onward!

I've been thinking about it a lot, as a small project - a 30-day challenge, one thing you do every day that you record on and update your blog about, and you keep on doing it every day for the 30 day period(inspired also by Matt Cutts)! What are the things that you would LOVE to do, but you never somehow find time to do them? Some people like taking pictures - and so do I :) - others like travelling, exploring, etc - and you NEVER find time to do them! But there's a 30 day period that you can set aside as a beginning - to do what you would like to do, one single thing, and only for 30 days!

So I'd like to start this 30-day challenge with one good topic: One Meaningful Thing I Did Today! We do a lot of things every day, starting from waking up in the morning ON TIME, and sometimes even earlier, brushing our teeth, showering, personal hygiene, dressing, cleaning, eating breakfast, travelling to work or school, doing our daily duties, have interactions with people(customers, friends, bosses, managers, co-workers, parents, family, siblings, etc), come back home, do our daily chores, meet people, etc. There are so many routine things we do - we are people of habit, and we feel at ease when we do a certain thing that we always do. We also like to do something new - but not for a very long time, unless we work on it to become a habit.

In all these things we do every day, we want to have a meaning, something that gives us a purpose, a sense... and sometimes even the small things we do become meaningful....

So here I am, wanting to daily recount ONE MEANINGFUL THING I DID TODAY for the next 30 days, starting from Tomorrow, the 20th of August 2011! I hope I can keep it up, and I hope it will work out... I'll see how it works out. Of course, I'm also considering projects like,

• one picture of the nature every day!
• reading 10 chapters from the Bible every day for 30 days, consistently;
• one picture of fast food stores in London / buildings in London;
• read one chapter of a book per day for 30 days;
• read one life-study message per day for 30 days;
• run every morning for 25mins for 30 days;
• 30 days with no fizzy drinks;
• 20 mins every day to learn a new language for 30 days;
• being thankful for one thing for 30 days;
• reviewing one website / one blog every day for 30 days;
• sharing one personal experience I had of the Lord every day for 30 days;
• one prayer per day at unceasinglypray website;

and many other things to do as a challenge! Of course, if you have a suggestion for a challenge (don't even THINK about saying "no facebook for 30 days!"), let me know :)

It all starts Tomorrow - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today :)