Comments on: How I Had Fun in 2013 http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/12/31/how-i-had-fun-in-2013/ for friends of University Bible Fellowship Wed, 21 Oct 2015 04:34:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1 By: BK http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/12/31/how-i-had-fun-in-2013/#comment-11799 Wed, 01 Jan 2014 20:33:00 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=7357#comment-11799 Yes I did some maintenance today, upgraded to latest WordPress and did some backups. There is an option to turn on snow until January 4th.

]]> By: Ben Toh http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/12/31/how-i-had-fun-in-2013/#comment-11798 Wed, 01 Jan 2014 17:41:20 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=7357#comment-11798 Brian,

Are you having fun by having snow flakes fall on UBFriends page? It at first freaked me out, thinking that some virus had infected my PC.

]]> By: Ben Toh http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/12/31/how-i-had-fun-in-2013/#comment-11790 Tue, 31 Dec 2013 16:50:15 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=7357#comment-11790 Yeah, Brian. God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Dt 4:24). But God is also a fun person, just as anyone would simply love to hang around Jesus, who is God precisely and exactly.

The Pharisees think they represent God by acting holy, spiritual, austere and super-righteous. But they totally misrepresent God, who is also “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Ex 34:6-7).

Over the last few years I denied myself in order to stop doing religious activities that I did for over 2 decades because they became tedious, boring, predictable, ritualistic, habitual, legalistic and honestly quite tiresome. It really wasn’t easy to deny myself and simply just stop wearing a tie, stop writing testimonies, stop going to prayer meetings that were not edifying or encouraging, etc, because I did them every week without fail for 27 years!

In the lingo of Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward, I had to deny myself to stop completely the first half of life activities, so that God might help me discover the freedom and liberation of the second half of life.

]]> By: BK http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/12/31/how-i-had-fun-in-2013/#comment-11789 Tue, 31 Dec 2013 16:10:06 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=7357#comment-11789 “Deny yourself” and “take up your cross” are two teachings that are in desparate need of being redeemed.

To deny yourself may mean to sing in a jail cell. It may mean being joyful in a den of lions. It may mean praising God in a stable of animals. It may mean cheering on your favorite football team. Or it may mean talking to your wife. It might also mean staying in the conversation with a ministry you can’t stand to be part of…

]]> By: BK http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/12/31/how-i-had-fun-in-2013/#comment-11788 Tue, 31 Dec 2013 15:41:34 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=7357#comment-11788 “Is having fun a sin?”
>> The short answer is no. But there is a rather deep theological pondering that needs to be had in this regard :)

“I felt that Christian life should be one of self-denial”
>> It should :) But we must correctly understand what self-denial means…I think you captured part of that meaning here “Have fun!” We heard a Martin Sanders sermon recently that touched on that very subject. To deny yourself may at times mean to celebrate for no reason other than life itself.

“my catchphrase was “Have fun serving God.””
>> If starting Westloop is your idea of fun… then count me in! Thanks for sharing this article and being so transparent. Such vulnerability is a sign of a good leader, someone who can be trusted. My issues and allegations do not apply to Westloop ubf (I hope everyone there knows that!) And I hope the reconciliation and redemption you and Westloop have found will become effervescently contagious in 2014!

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