Something Different

Language School is pretty routine, so there hasn't been much to blog about for the last couple months. However, it's coming to an end. Only one and half more months, and then I'm on the move again. In anticipation of this I've decided to move my blog over to tumblr because I've heard it is simpler to use, especially when I get to Congo and have a much slower internet connection. So the new blog address is... http://jonblomberg.tumblr.com/

Winter Camp

Winter has arrived in force. It's more snow than I have ever seen. And starting this weekend, Word of Life Bethel (where I'm doing language school) is putting on Winter Camps for the kids of Quebec.

This morning they had the Polar Bear Plunge. I just took pictures. Maybe next week I'll do it.
The onlookers.

Late Christmas

I just realized how long it has been since I've posted anything on the blog. I'll try to get back in the habit of posting stuff by posting some photos of my nephews who I got to visit in Central Asia over Christmas. Good times.

A Defective view of Hell or a Defective Heart

I was listing to a sermon yesterday that John Piper gave at a conference in Cape Town last month. He talked about the relationship between evangelism and social justice, which I thought was quite good. It is something I think about often since I will be dealing with it when I go overseas. Here is an excerpt from it:

"If God had not put Christ forward to bear his own wrath, if Christ had not become a curse for us, as Galatians 3:13 says, then all the nations and all Jews would have perished under God’s wrath and entered into everlasting suffering in hell, as Jesus said in Matthew 25:46.

The reason I draw out this implication of the cross is to hold together in this congress and in the church of Christ two truths that are often felt to be at odds with each other, but don’t have to be.

One truth is that when the gospel takes root in our souls it impels us out toward the alleviation of all unjust suffering in this age. That’s what love does!

The other truth is that when the gospel takes root in our souls it awakens us to the horrible reality of eternal suffering in hell, under the wrath of a just and omnipotent God. And it impels us to rescue the perishing, and to warn people to flee from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

I plead with you. Don’t choose between those two truths. Embrace them both. It doesn’t mean we all spend our time in the same way. God forbid. But it means we let the Bible define reality and define love.

Could Lausanne say—could the evangelical church say—we Christians care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering? I hope we can say that. But if we feel resistant to saying “especially eternal suffering,” or if we feel resistant to saying “we care about all suffering in this age,” then either we have a defective view of hell or a defective heart.

I pray that Lausanne would have neither."

It's snowing

That dreaded day has arrived. Sure it looks nice, but it's cold. And I don't really like the cold. I haven't ventured out to take any pictures of it yet. Instead I stayed inside and took pictures of my beard and other random stuff. It's what happens when I get bored.

It's time for the winter beard. Every white hair is the result of learning a new irregularity in french grammar. There are many.
I also do puzzles of warm places.
And I take random pictures of candles. Just for practice.

Right Now

I was standing in the kitchen making popcorn, and I looked behind me and thought, "this is a good picture of my life right now." There are only 3 more weeks of school this semester. I have a big exam tomorrow, a chapel presentation on Wednesday, and then more tests. So all my school work is spread out on the table. I have the coffee going to keep me going. I have the cookbook open trying to figure out what I should eat besides popcorn. And of course there's the beautiful christmas decorations in the background. 3 more weeks and then a break.

October Newsletter

My latest newsletter. If you click on the image it gets bigger.