Sure

this semester
thus far
has been a great learning and growing experience for me.
i have been challenged in ways i would have never wished.
but i have found confidence in ways that only He could validate.
more than anything i have learned
to a much greater depth
who He is.
and who i am.
and there is this question that He has been asking.
do you trust me?
and this has been the most vivid question that i've heard
since the day i stepped off the plane in tel aviv.
i can answer that question, by the way,
immediately in the affirmative.
now.

one thing that i have struggled with is this issue of adequacy.
knowledge. capacity. understanding.
i'm not a genius. i know this.
[even though jim isom still rings in my head, "your genius lies in your calling."]
but what do i know?
and how do i know it?
the how- so much more than the what- clings to my identity as the most vital thing that i could possess.
Jesus Christ, who lived as a man and as the very representation of the Father- He died and rose again to life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
and because of this free gift of atonement through the blood of Jesus, we are offered justification through faith in Him.
and only because of the justifying work of Jesus on the cross, we have the Spirit who dwells with us for our sanctification

romans 5.1,9,16,18
1 peter 1.2
hebrews 10.14

and i'm not unsure.
i don't know everything. and i never will.
but what i must know, i know.

His love.
never.
fails.

Waiting

another great article from boundless.org

It's Good to Wait by Candice Watters

office

seriously.
i am sitting in what i call my office.
aka the laundry room.
i get my best work done on the dryer.
with laundry going. smells wonderful. and its warm...
currently 3 pages in to an 8 pager on yet another great book by Cloud and Townsend.
maybe i'll fill in the details later

Aslan

“I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."

winter

did i mention that we got our first snow? [the mountains are there, really, just hidden behind the clouds]

upon talking with kathryn a few days ago, i decided that in order for me to not dread, despise, and hate winter, i should take up a winter activity.

i'm leaning towards one of these...




[snowshoeing or cross-country skiing]

Name

yes, joy follows obedience,
and perspective is a gift.

[more to come]

actually, the following is the more that i promised...

Henri J.M. Nouwen.
i am blessed by his heart.
and i am learning from his testimony.

"I am telling you all this because I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her vulnerable self.

"...when [Jesus] was asked to prove his power as the Son of God by the relevant behavior of changing stones into bread, he clung to his mission to proclaim the word he said, "Human beings live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

"We keep hearing from others as well as saying to ourselves that having power - provided it is used in the service to God and your fellow human beings - is a good thing. With this rationalization, crusades took place; inquisitions were organized; indians were enslaved; positions of great influence were desired; ...splendid cathedrals, and opulent seminaries were built; and much moral manipulation of conscience was engaged in. Every time we see a major crisis in the history of the Church, such as the Great Schism of the eleventh century, or the immense secularization of the twentieth century, we always see that a major cause of rupture is the power exercised by those who claim to be followers of the poor and powerless Jesus...

"The long painful history of the Church is the history of people ever and again tempted to choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader over being led...

"One thing is clear to me: the temptation of power is the greatest when intimacy is a threat. Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead. Many Christian empire-builders have been people unable to give and receive love.

"Powerlessness and humility in the spiritual life do not refer to people who have no spine and who let everyone else make decisions for them. They refer to people who are so deeply in love with Jesus that they are ready to follow him wherever he guides them, always trusting that, with him, they will find life and find it abundantly."

and i guess these are only a few of the lines that captured my attention [i might as well just have reiterated the whole book]. however, the heart stands out in all 80 short pages, and this heart is one surrendered and humble. and it is not that everyone needs to give their lives to the lifestyle that Henri Nouwen chose, but should everyone seek to have a heart like Jesus as Nouwen did? i think yes.

and i am so BLESSED to have been able to serve and worship under this kind of leadership. i am blessed by the heart of Jesus that i have seen reflected. i am blessed by the need, not to be relevant, spectacular, or powerful, but to have healthy, intimate, and vulnerable relationships. to give and receive love. for real. like Jesus. the greatest blessing that i wouldn't trade for anything.

112

Psalm 112

1 PRAISE THE LORD! BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO FEARS THE LORD,
WHO GREATLY DELIGHTS IN HIS COMMANDMENTS!

2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.

4 LIGHT DAWNS IN THE DARKNESS FOR THE UPRIGHT;
He is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.

7 He is not afraid of bad news;
HIS HEART IS FIRM, TRUSTING IN THE LORD.

8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
10The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!

[oh and yes, those are the northern lights. i will see them someday!]

faceoff

here's an article from boundless.com [this is where i'm doing my internship this semester].
tim sweetman is talking about the facebook addiction that many of us know so well.
i think he does a great job stating the case for prioritization.
i must agree with him that the Word of God must take precedence.

here's a clip:

"Honestly, I don't think I understand the gravity of my distain of daily time with God. It's not an issue of salvation, of course, but I do think that it's essential to my spiritual health and growth. The thing is, I can spend hours upon hours on the internet browsing Facebook or messing with my electronic devices; I find it absolutely disgusting when this takes the place of God.

What is my true priority in life? I need a serious wake-up call."

here's the whole article:
Facebook Faceoff

beloved

“The woman was made from the rib he had taken out of the man;
not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be
trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under
his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”

– Matthew Henry

emotions

"God could have created us without any capacity for
feelings. But then, in a very real sense, we would have
been left without the capacity for relationships, with
Him or with one another. To eliminate emotions
would not only rid us of fear of the dark, sadness over
death, and anger at inconvenience, but also the deep
love of one close to us, and the joy of connecting with a
friend. Without emotions we are hollow people."

[H. Norman Wright]