I am so proud of my project (I got an A+!) that I want to share it with the world! Here goes:
“Mankind is divided into two sorts: such as live according to man, and such as live according to God. These we call the two cities…The Heavenly City outshines Rome. There, instead of victory is truth.”
After the conversion of Constantine, the church was finally growing in the vast empire of Rome. Throughout each city and town, people were turning to Christ for their salvation. It was a glorious time after years of persecution. However not everyone favored Christianity. In fact, there was one man who wanted nothing to do with this faith. He was soon to find out that with this faith he would reach the hearts of many. This is the story of Aurelius Augustine.
Various people today have been inspired by this man’s story. Including Switchfoot’s front man Jon Foreman who in a song expressed his version of what was going on in Augustine’s mind:
Augustine just woke up with a broken heart
All this time he's never been awake before
At 31 his whole world is a question mark
All this time he's never been awake before
Watching dreams that he once had
Feed the flame inside his head
In a quiet desperation of the emptiness
He says:
There’s got to be something more
Than what I'm living for
I'm crying out to you ……
Do we really know what was going on in Augustine’s mind? Most of us don’t. But we should never hesitate to tell the story of this man.
Augustine was born in Tagaste, a city located in Northern Africa, in 354 AD. His mother, Monica, was a devout Christian. However his father was a pagan. Augustine never had an interest in the faith of his mother; on the contrary he was more interested in following his father’s ways. As a teenager, Augustine had an active sex life, and spent most of his time disturbing other people’s property, cheating, and stealing. When he turned 17, he decided to go to Carthage for his higher studies. During this period, various emperors were ruling different parts of the empire. The last emperor to rule all of Rome, which was about Augustine’s time, was Valentino I. Christianity was being tolerated at the time, but it was something that Augustine himself did not tolerate. That is why he was inspired by the teachings of Cicero and Manichaean philosophers. He kept this from his mother who strongly opposed Manichaeism.[1] After college, Augustine decided to go back to his hometown Thagaste, to teach rhetoric and Manichaeism. It wasn’t long before Monica found out about the profession he chose. Out of rage, she threw him out of the house. However, Monica still had hope that her son would accept Jesus and become a Christian. Because of this, she followed her son to Carthage where he had moved to teach. She pleaded and begged her son to accept Christ. But Augustine refused to consider it. One day, Augustine was offered a professorship in Rome. His mother begged him not to go. Augustine reassured his mother that he would stay in Carthage and that she should go home and rest. As soon as his mother left for Thagaste, Augustine left for Rome.
A year passed and Augustine once again moved, this time to Milan, Italy. There he taught rhetoric and of course Manichaeism. There was a man in Milan that would teach every day at the cathedral. His name was Ambrose and the way that he taught impressed and amazed Augustine. Consequently, Augustine started attending the services. He then dropped Manichaeism and started teaching Neoplatonism.[2] Monica then, who had searched for him for over a year, found him and was determined to find him a wife. Augustine had fallen in love with a concubine, who had given him a son, but he refused to get married because of social and political position. Because he had to forsake his lover and son, and the sudden change in philosophies, Augustine became troubled and struggled for a long time. He sought after letting go of his earthly pleasure but as he later stated in Confessions, “Our real pleasure consisted in doing something that was forbidden. The evil in me was foul, but I loved it.”
One day he felt extremely overwhelmed by these things and so decided to take a walk in his garden. As he was walking he claimed to hear a child like voice saying, “Take up and read.” Startled by this, he went inside and on top of the table laid Paul’s epistles that he had been reading. He picked them up and read the first thing that he saw. Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness not in quarrels or rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites.”- Romans 13:13-14
Later he wrote that all shadow of doubt that he had was gone at that moment. He immediately accepted Christ as Savior. This caused quite a polemic in his life. He resigned his professorship, sent a letter to Ambrose and left with his friends and mother for a villa in Cassiciacum. He continued discussion philosophy and speaking against Neoplatonist views.
After 6 months, he returned and was baptized by Ambrose. After he got baptized he headed for Thagaste to become a writer and a thinker. During these set of trips, his mother, lover, son, and one of his closest friends passed away. Due to the grief and pain that came with his losses he became stronger in the Lord and committed to go deeper in God’s Word. He then gathered his friends and started a small group in Thagaste committed to prayer and bible studies.
In 391 AD, Augustine moved to Hippo to start a monastery. On one Sunday while he was at a service at a monastery, whose bishop was Bishop Valerius, Valerius set aside his original sermon and emphasized on the need of priests in the monastery. The entire congregation encouraged Augustine to apply for the position. Against his will Augustine became a priest. He was very upset because his wish was to become a bishop not a priest. Many encouraged him and told him that good things come for those who wait. Since Augustine spoke the local language, Punic, he assigned Augustine with various tasks. Five years after Valerius died, Augustine became the bishop of Hippo.
Augustine released a series of thirteen books that compose what we now know as The Confessions of St. Augustine. This autobiography talks about Augustine’s early life and his thoughts about God and man. Another great book came about when Augustine was confronted with the accusations that Christianity was causing the wars in Rome at that time and that people should turn back to the Roman Gods. Augustine’s response was City of God. He said that the reason Rome was being attacked or punished was not because of new faith but for their past sins. Augustine’s life long struggle with sin and the final release from it gave birth to a great man and his great works. Augustine continued discussion topics and debating against them. One of them was Pelagianism. Pelagius, a British monk, taught that there was no original sin and that man’s tendency to sin is his own choice. Thus not needing any divine grace, individuals must make up their mind to the will of God. Pelagius was excommunicated but the theory was carried on by young Julian of Eclanum. Julian would continuously make personal remarks against Augustine and his friends. Augustine debated with him for the last 10 years of his life. In 429, Northern Africa was attacked by the Vandals. The city of Hippo, one of the few fortified cities, became overwhelmed with refugees. By the third month of siege, Augustine of Hippo, a 76 year old man, died of a fever. Thankfully his works and teachings survived and are the basis of many churches today.
In Augustine we see the perfect example of the words, “I once was lost, but now I’m found.” From a life of utter sin, he accepted the sacrifice of Christ, thus becoming one of the most influential church fathers. Augustine will never be forgotten.
[1] A belief that is based on the teachings of Manes, who combined Christianity with the concept of dualism. Manichaeism states that the world came about as a mixture of light and darkness which represents good and evil. One’s soul, which originated from the Kingdom of Light, wants to escape the body, which represents the Kingdom of darkness. Manicheans believe that the soul can attain such freedom through wisdom, not renunciation of material or sensual things. (Sinful life)
[2] Dominant teaching of philosophy based of Plato’s theory of forms which states that “all things owe their identities to unchanging forms in which they share. Our knowledge comes from recognizing the essential form of a thing, rather than from observing its incidental qualities.
Hope you liked it! Comment if youd like!
Peace
Guimel Sibingo
Monday, January 15, 2007
Monday, January 8, 2007
First Day Of School...after Xmas break...
Just like any other boring day.....
I was excited for 10 minutes then the reas of the day drifted by with no excitment.
Im tired of living in this boredom. I really feel like leaving Portugal and go somewhere where I belong.
Im just so tired of this life right now. Hopefully God will do something sometime.
Peace Out
I was excited for 10 minutes then the reas of the day drifted by with no excitment.
Im tired of living in this boredom. I really feel like leaving Portugal and go somewhere where I belong.
Im just so tired of this life right now. Hopefully God will do something sometime.
Peace Out
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
My Hillsong United Experience....
A lot of you saw me be excited about this one thing...Hillsong United coming to Portugal! So Im going to try to tell you how it all went in simple words or maybe not so simple. Anyways,
Summer of 2006 had been pretty good but it was about to get better. We were at a conference for teens and I was looking around the stuff that they were selling. As I was passing several booths, one caught my attention. A poster talking about the conference Mais Que Musica 2006 saying that Hillsong United was going to come. Boy was I excited! I talked to the guy he gave me some information and a week later I already had a ticket!
After a few weeks my mom came with the news that she had signed us up with the choir that was going to sing during the entire conference! I was SUPER excited because I would be singing on the same stage as them! So, I went to the practices, learned the songs, met very cool people and was super excited about everything!
On October 19, 2006 we had arrived early because the choir was going to do a soundcheck. We each were given special bracelets to go in while the other people had to wait till it begun. It felt so good! So the first night was a blessing. We sang some songs and pastor Gary Clark from Hillsong London gave a wonderful message. I saw some of my friends there and it was just amazing.
What was more amazing was the second night. Because the second night was when the Hillsong United concert took place. We got there early and stood right next to the door so that when people told us to make a line we would go in first. I saw some of my old friends there and we all stood in an incredibly LONG line. It blew me away at how long it was. We were singing and really bored and wanted to go in. After a long wait, we finally got it and the place was quickly getting packed with people so we had to find seats fast. But we really didnt need to because later on in the concert people got really close to the stage and stood during the entire concert. It was an amazing worship experience and a dream come true for me. It was amazing to sing the songs that I had listened to so much in the car or at home but this time LIVE!
After the concert, I was soooo sweaty! We bought the United t-shirts that the guys brought from Australia, they were sold out in almost 3 hours!
On the third day it was the day for the seminaries. I went to the Praise&Worship seminary with the United guys. I learned a lot about songwriting and worship teams and had fun with friends. The guys were always being overcrowded by people on breaks so I only got bried conversations with some. But I got to talk a lot to the drummer which was awesome for me.
That night was the CCC concert (the church hosting the conference) along with Hillsong United. Us, the choir were ready and I had so much fun onstage! When Hillsong United came, I was so happy! It was the best worship experience and I felt very honored to be on the same stage with such great Christian music moguls. I loved it.
The next day, the guys went to play at CCC. Thats where I got to talk to Joel Houston. I got the poster that I had made signed and Joel and I had a good talk. It was an honor to meet the people that I so admire. Their character and their lives have been a great inspiration for my life.
It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I had been praying for this for two years and it was a dream come true. I have been a huge Hillsong fan since I was 9 and it was the greatest experience ever!
Hopefully I will be able to write more when I get to see Switchfoot some time in my life! But for now this is all I have!
If you want to see pictures you can go to http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/independent_girl/Hillsong%20United/
Thank you for all of those who have prayed for me!
God Bless!
Guimel
Summer of 2006 had been pretty good but it was about to get better. We were at a conference for teens and I was looking around the stuff that they were selling. As I was passing several booths, one caught my attention. A poster talking about the conference Mais Que Musica 2006 saying that Hillsong United was going to come. Boy was I excited! I talked to the guy he gave me some information and a week later I already had a ticket!
After a few weeks my mom came with the news that she had signed us up with the choir that was going to sing during the entire conference! I was SUPER excited because I would be singing on the same stage as them! So, I went to the practices, learned the songs, met very cool people and was super excited about everything!
On October 19, 2006 we had arrived early because the choir was going to do a soundcheck. We each were given special bracelets to go in while the other people had to wait till it begun. It felt so good! So the first night was a blessing. We sang some songs and pastor Gary Clark from Hillsong London gave a wonderful message. I saw some of my friends there and it was just amazing.
What was more amazing was the second night. Because the second night was when the Hillsong United concert took place. We got there early and stood right next to the door so that when people told us to make a line we would go in first. I saw some of my old friends there and we all stood in an incredibly LONG line. It blew me away at how long it was. We were singing and really bored and wanted to go in. After a long wait, we finally got it and the place was quickly getting packed with people so we had to find seats fast. But we really didnt need to because later on in the concert people got really close to the stage and stood during the entire concert. It was an amazing worship experience and a dream come true for me. It was amazing to sing the songs that I had listened to so much in the car or at home but this time LIVE!
After the concert, I was soooo sweaty! We bought the United t-shirts that the guys brought from Australia, they were sold out in almost 3 hours!
On the third day it was the day for the seminaries. I went to the Praise&Worship seminary with the United guys. I learned a lot about songwriting and worship teams and had fun with friends. The guys were always being overcrowded by people on breaks so I only got bried conversations with some. But I got to talk a lot to the drummer which was awesome for me.
That night was the CCC concert (the church hosting the conference) along with Hillsong United. Us, the choir were ready and I had so much fun onstage! When Hillsong United came, I was so happy! It was the best worship experience and I felt very honored to be on the same stage with such great Christian music moguls. I loved it.
The next day, the guys went to play at CCC. Thats where I got to talk to Joel Houston. I got the poster that I had made signed and Joel and I had a good talk. It was an honor to meet the people that I so admire. Their character and their lives have been a great inspiration for my life.
It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I had been praying for this for two years and it was a dream come true. I have been a huge Hillsong fan since I was 9 and it was the greatest experience ever!
Hopefully I will be able to write more when I get to see Switchfoot some time in my life! But for now this is all I have!
If you want to see pictures you can go to http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/independent_girl/Hillsong%20United/
Thank you for all of those who have prayed for me!
God Bless!
Guimel
Monday, January 1, 2007
The Art
The Art
This is all so beautiful
But how much of this will really be
Enough to keep me on my feet
This is how it feels, when it's for real
But how much can be invisible
Enough for me to just believe
And I'm chasing the wind
And ending up right where I began
I know that there's an art to starting over again
Knowing God will never waste the pain
You can only try so hard, to right a wrong
This song will only last so long
Life takes time, so let it live alone
I may never know why, I should just let it go
But do I really want a God that I can understand
Still I close my eyes, try to reason why
But since when do my desires, dominate the plan
And I'm chasing the wind
And ending up right where we begin
I know that there's an art to starting over again
Knowing God will never waste the pain
You can only try so hard, to right a wrong
This song will only last so long
Life is just the art of living on
And life is in slow motion
And when the silence is deafening
Hold on tight, you're gonna cry
There's always a reason why
I know that there's an art to starting over again
And I know that God will never waste my pain
You can only try so hard, to walk alone
This song will only last so long
Life is just the art of living on
It comes down to the art of living on
But how much of this will really be
Enough to keep me on my feet
This is how it feels, when it's for real
But how much can be invisible
Enough for me to just believe
And I'm chasing the wind
And ending up right where I began
I know that there's an art to starting over again
Knowing God will never waste the pain
You can only try so hard, to right a wrong
This song will only last so long
Life takes time, so let it live alone
I may never know why, I should just let it go
But do I really want a God that I can understand
Still I close my eyes, try to reason why
But since when do my desires, dominate the plan
And I'm chasing the wind
And ending up right where we begin
I know that there's an art to starting over again
Knowing God will never waste the pain
You can only try so hard, to right a wrong
This song will only last so long
Life is just the art of living on
And life is in slow motion
And when the silence is deafening
Hold on tight, you're gonna cry
There's always a reason why
I know that there's an art to starting over again
And I know that God will never waste my pain
You can only try so hard, to walk alone
This song will only last so long
Life is just the art of living on
It comes down to the art of living on
song performed by Rachel Lampa
As it was portrayed on my last post, I was really upset on New Year. And that pretty much made me feel like the next 364 days would be even worse. I had a really negative attitude towards 2007. And that certainly didnt make things any better. However this song, performed by Rachel Lampa has helped me a lot. Rachel Lampa is a Christian music artist and some of you dont really enjoy Christian music but she really is one of a kind with a beautiful voice and beautiful songs.
So this serves as a lesson for me and for everyone else. When life seems to bring you down, remember there is a good purpose for everything.
Peace
Guimel
Not Everything Is As We Want It To Be....
The first few minutes of 2007.....
I really wanted them to feel good and festive...but no, all I felt was a sudden sadness because my mother and my sister were fighting again. As I heard their heated conversation I started to wonder wether I should have been born or not...
On a day as important as this one, things feel monotonous and very sad. Not only because of a simple fight but because my entire world could crumble down in days if this continues.
Unfortunately I cannot share much on a blog because its pretty public, but if you are out there and you feel like praying for a hopeless 14-year-old, go ahead, I would appreciate it.
Happy 07.
I really wanted them to feel good and festive...but no, all I felt was a sudden sadness because my mother and my sister were fighting again. As I heard their heated conversation I started to wonder wether I should have been born or not...
On a day as important as this one, things feel monotonous and very sad. Not only because of a simple fight but because my entire world could crumble down in days if this continues.
Unfortunately I cannot share much on a blog because its pretty public, but if you are out there and you feel like praying for a hopeless 14-year-old, go ahead, I would appreciate it.
Happy 07.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Is This A New Year Or Just Another Night?
2006 is almost over.....sad day for me, but at the same time a very happy day because were starting a new year! 2007!
I would like to post my favorite memories of 06. There are good memories and bad memories but in the end they are all memories.
Gosh, this sounds so stupid, OK! lets just get to it:
In the beginning of the year I was pretty much in a real spiritual blah. My relationship with God was there, but I had been going through series of doubts and hard times, trying to figure out what God and this world is really all about. Around the month of April or May I began engaging in the WDYB (What Do You Believe) Forum from the Official Switchfoot Message Boards and met some pretty cool people. Those people challenged my faith and I realized that I really didnt know much about my own faith. That summer I changed and grew a lot in my faith and I thank God that Im finally confident of what I believe in and that I realize that I dont know everything and that Ive got plenty of room to grow.
Another good memory, going back to April of 06, I completed one year of being a rockinface Switchfoot Fan!!!!! I was pretty happy because Ive never been a fan of a band for that long and having so much fun and being so "obsessed" with them. They are an awesome band.
On the first week of July I was baptized, and that I have to say was one of those experiences that adds to your spiritual walk so much. You may not notice in the beginning but after awhile, if you really took it seriously, you see changes in your behavior. Not because of the waters alone. Im not saying that the water has holy powers or something, but there is a difference because the more you get closer to God the more you change, and that can happen even when your not baptized but it just adds a bit more to the experience. It was cool.
As soon as school started in September thats when my spiritual life just grew a lot in a short period of time. I had tons of troubles at school. A lot of the people I used to hang out with moved or graduated (I have a lot of older friends) and I was left with people that I cant entirely relate to, plus, my computer wasnt working and I didnt have my online friends to go to, so I spent a lot of time with Jesus and the television. Haha. Well more of Jesus and less of television, I hope. Anyways, I had a lot more space to talk to God more and to learn how to keep a relationship with God even when things are going well and knowing how to set priorities. Good times.
I also started my first year of highschool! Yes its true, I am a freshman! BUT going to highschool in a small school you do miss out on all the experiences that a freshman in a bigger highschool so Im not diggin highschool too much. There is no fun. Well there is, but in my book half of the stuff isnt as fun as it could be.
My relationship with mom has improved and I am very grateful for that. I think that my growing in maturity increased my appreciation and love for my mother, something that she has always had for me. I thank God everyday for her.
AND I got to go to my first Hillsong United concert! I loved it and I got to meet all of them! Except for Marty Sampson, he didnt even come because he was going to get married the next month, which is cool. It was an amazing worship experience that I will blog soon. I enjoyed it!
Switchfoot released their new album Oh! Gravity and that is also one of the good things that happened this year.
This year I started my piano lessons and I am having a lot of fun learning and playing!
This year was definitely a good year.
In 07 I hope to be able to visit the United States for the first time and go to a Switchfoot Concert.
My resolutions will remain private because if I make them public I probably wont feel as bad if I dont follow through with it.
So those are my memories, pretty boring huh? Oh well! :D
Peace
I would like to post my favorite memories of 06. There are good memories and bad memories but in the end they are all memories.
Gosh, this sounds so stupid, OK! lets just get to it:
In the beginning of the year I was pretty much in a real spiritual blah. My relationship with God was there, but I had been going through series of doubts and hard times, trying to figure out what God and this world is really all about. Around the month of April or May I began engaging in the WDYB (What Do You Believe) Forum from the Official Switchfoot Message Boards and met some pretty cool people. Those people challenged my faith and I realized that I really didnt know much about my own faith. That summer I changed and grew a lot in my faith and I thank God that Im finally confident of what I believe in and that I realize that I dont know everything and that Ive got plenty of room to grow.
Another good memory, going back to April of 06, I completed one year of being a rockinface Switchfoot Fan!!!!! I was pretty happy because Ive never been a fan of a band for that long and having so much fun and being so "obsessed" with them. They are an awesome band.
On the first week of July I was baptized, and that I have to say was one of those experiences that adds to your spiritual walk so much. You may not notice in the beginning but after awhile, if you really took it seriously, you see changes in your behavior. Not because of the waters alone. Im not saying that the water has holy powers or something, but there is a difference because the more you get closer to God the more you change, and that can happen even when your not baptized but it just adds a bit more to the experience. It was cool.
As soon as school started in September thats when my spiritual life just grew a lot in a short period of time. I had tons of troubles at school. A lot of the people I used to hang out with moved or graduated (I have a lot of older friends) and I was left with people that I cant entirely relate to, plus, my computer wasnt working and I didnt have my online friends to go to, so I spent a lot of time with Jesus and the television. Haha. Well more of Jesus and less of television, I hope. Anyways, I had a lot more space to talk to God more and to learn how to keep a relationship with God even when things are going well and knowing how to set priorities. Good times.
I also started my first year of highschool! Yes its true, I am a freshman! BUT going to highschool in a small school you do miss out on all the experiences that a freshman in a bigger highschool so Im not diggin highschool too much. There is no fun. Well there is, but in my book half of the stuff isnt as fun as it could be.
My relationship with mom has improved and I am very grateful for that. I think that my growing in maturity increased my appreciation and love for my mother, something that she has always had for me. I thank God everyday for her.
AND I got to go to my first Hillsong United concert! I loved it and I got to meet all of them! Except for Marty Sampson, he didnt even come because he was going to get married the next month, which is cool. It was an amazing worship experience that I will blog soon. I enjoyed it!
Switchfoot released their new album Oh! Gravity and that is also one of the good things that happened this year.
This year I started my piano lessons and I am having a lot of fun learning and playing!
This year was definitely a good year.
In 07 I hope to be able to visit the United States for the first time and go to a Switchfoot Concert.
My resolutions will remain private because if I make them public I probably wont feel as bad if I dont follow through with it.
So those are my memories, pretty boring huh? Oh well! :D
Peace
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Starting Isn't Always The Easiest Thing....
As overrated as it may sound, I'm starting a blog. I have tried in past times but in those years I really had nothing to write about because my brain was dead basically. I was blind, I guess. Living by a set of rules, until I found true freedom inside. Sometimes its hard starting out with something new, and when I feel trapped by pressure and people, I let it all out and talk to my Best Friend. Well I guess this is another way to let the real me out. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it real. The grammar may not always be great, and I may have the hardest time explaining my heart but I won't ever say "I didn't try."
I'll also record certain events in my life. Stuff that happens at school and what not. Hopefully SOMEONE will read this and comment. But if not, its ok because I'm just letting it all out. As selfish as it sounds, its kind of for my own benefit. Which can be good sometimes. So, Ill be back with more boring stuff soon, hope you all enjoy it and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this and not delete it 3 months from now.
Peace
Guimel Sibingo
I'll also record certain events in my life. Stuff that happens at school and what not. Hopefully SOMEONE will read this and comment. But if not, its ok because I'm just letting it all out. As selfish as it sounds, its kind of for my own benefit. Which can be good sometimes. So, Ill be back with more boring stuff soon, hope you all enjoy it and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this and not delete it 3 months from now.
Peace
Guimel Sibingo
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