Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Fall Activities
Just got in from two hours of reading and writing outside. I can't get over how amazing it is out there. It is almost worth the torture of July and August heat to experience this weather. Why am I even inside right now?
For those of you interested in getting out and enjoying fresh air, let me suggest a game of Ultimate. For more info on this rapidly growing sport, check out the Ultimate Players Association or Atlanta Flying Disc Club.
For those not inclined to Ultimate, I hear there is some great football to be seen on Saturday.
I hope everyone gets out to enjoy the awesome weather this week!!!! Run, bike, hike, pray, do something outside!!!
Just got in from two hours of reading and writing outside. I can't get over how amazing it is out there. It is almost worth the torture of July and August heat to experience this weather. Why am I even inside right now?
For those of you interested in getting out and enjoying fresh air, let me suggest a game of Ultimate. For more info on this rapidly growing sport, check out the Ultimate Players Association or Atlanta Flying Disc Club.
For those not inclined to Ultimate, I hear there is some great football to be seen on Saturday.
I hope everyone gets out to enjoy the awesome weather this week!!!! Run, bike, hike, pray, do something outside!!!
Monday, September 29, 2003
Hey Folks! I'm back! Last week was a very busy week, but I enjoyed (almost) every minute of it. It looks like I'll get a bit of a breather this week, which will be perfect for playing outside!!!! Let's see...what deep and profound thoughts do I have today? Hmmm...I'll have to get back to you on the deep and profound.
In other news, my dad's department at North Point went down as a volunteer work staff for the Lighthouse Family Retreat Ministry. Very cool ministry worth checking out. Great opportunity for churches or small groups to serve others in Christ.
In other news, my dad's department at North Point went down as a volunteer work staff for the Lighthouse Family Retreat Ministry. Very cool ministry worth checking out. Great opportunity for churches or small groups to serve others in Christ.
Friday, September 26, 2003
I am still new to blogging and still developing my blog voice, but I've enjoyed learning more about this strange sub-culture by visiting other sites. I found the link to this interesting article on Melissa's site.
BTW, I'm a bit concerned about the focus of my blog lately. The current banner ads that Blogger is running on my page relate to coffee mugs...
BTW, I'm a bit concerned about the focus of my blog lately. The current banner ads that Blogger is running on my page relate to coffee mugs...
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Still Alive
Sorry for the lack of posts. My bohemian lifestyle of hanging out at coffee shops, reading, writing, and blogging has been temporarily suspended as I suddenly find myself working two jobs. I'm teaching Oedipus Rex by day and selling backpacks by night. I know most/none of you feel sorry for me, so I won't complain. Actually, I'm having fun. I LOVE TEACHING! My students this week are great. I hope everyone is having a great week!
Sorry for the lack of posts. My bohemian lifestyle of hanging out at coffee shops, reading, writing, and blogging has been temporarily suspended as I suddenly find myself working two jobs. I'm teaching Oedipus Rex by day and selling backpacks by night. I know most/none of you feel sorry for me, so I won't complain. Actually, I'm having fun. I LOVE TEACHING! My students this week are great. I hope everyone is having a great week!
Sunday, September 21, 2003
The Women's World Cup Soccer tournament has begun! I don't have ESPN, so I may be randomly popping in to take over your televisions...
God’s Living Room
On Friday, I jumped in the car with three of my friends and headed up to the little town of Fletcher just outside of Asheville. Two members of Recovering Alice were playing at a little Christian coffee house called the Encouraging Cup. This is one of my new favorite coffee shops—unfortunately, it is 4 hours away. With a dozen sofas and coffee tables, big cozy chairs, and complimentary coffee (self-served in a mug you choose from an eclectic collection) and snacks, I felt totally at home in what they liked to call God’s living room. Everything was arranged around a stage and scripture verses peeked out at you wherever you turned. Down the hall from the main room, they had a cozy prayer room, a game room/play room, and a little café that served espresso drinks, chai, tea, etc. Close attention to homey details (including reading material readily available in the bathrooms) gave this place a homey feeling. They began the evening with prayer. Then I sank back in a sofa to scribble in my journal and listen to my friends play. Atlanta definitely needs a place like this…
On Friday, I jumped in the car with three of my friends and headed up to the little town of Fletcher just outside of Asheville. Two members of Recovering Alice were playing at a little Christian coffee house called the Encouraging Cup. This is one of my new favorite coffee shops—unfortunately, it is 4 hours away. With a dozen sofas and coffee tables, big cozy chairs, and complimentary coffee (self-served in a mug you choose from an eclectic collection) and snacks, I felt totally at home in what they liked to call God’s living room. Everything was arranged around a stage and scripture verses peeked out at you wherever you turned. Down the hall from the main room, they had a cozy prayer room, a game room/play room, and a little café that served espresso drinks, chai, tea, etc. Close attention to homey details (including reading material readily available in the bathrooms) gave this place a homey feeling. They began the evening with prayer. Then I sank back in a sofa to scribble in my journal and listen to my friends play. Atlanta definitely needs a place like this…
Saturday, September 20, 2003
For My Teaching Friends:
So...ever since I started blogging, I have been thinking about all the cool ways I could use blogging in my classroom. And, lo and behold, look what showed up in this month's issue of English Journal: "Web Logs in the English Classroom: More Than Just Chat" by Will Richardson. Members of NCTE can view the full text on the web page. I have the hard copy of the magazine if others are dying to read it. Or you can just visit the author's site devoted to the use of web logs in the classroom.
So...ever since I started blogging, I have been thinking about all the cool ways I could use blogging in my classroom. And, lo and behold, look what showed up in this month's issue of English Journal: "Web Logs in the English Classroom: More Than Just Chat" by Will Richardson. Members of NCTE can view the full text on the web page. I have the hard copy of the magazine if others are dying to read it. Or you can just visit the author's site devoted to the use of web logs in the classroom.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
American Splendor
I went to see American Splendor the other night, and at the risk of talking it up too much, I must say that it is one of the best movies I’ve seen since I’ve been back. With the opening frame, I immediately began to question why I even bother going to Hollywood movies anymore. By the end of the movie, I was downright giddy because it was just so good.
Now, I don’t want to join the Swami anti-Hollywood camp just yet. But I have to face the reality that I have been consistently disappointed by every single Hollywood movie I’ve seen in the past few weeks—Uptown Girls, Matchstick Men, and even Seabiscuit (I won’t even mention My Boss’s Daughter or Freaky Friday which should never have happened in the first place). Although I still had fun watching (most of) these movies, part of me was just a bit annoyed at how contrived, formulaic, manipulative, or just plain weak the scripts were. And although sometimes visually appealing, there were absolutely no attempts at creativity in cinematography, editing, or mise-en-scene. The only movies I have wholly enjoyed lately are Whale Rider and American Splendor—both were unique, thoughtful, and innovative.
So…will I stop throwing my money at big-budget Hollywood pictures? Probably not. Will Hollywood stop foisting formulaic crap on us? Not as long as we continue to pay $8 for the consumer-driven pleasures of Hollywood programming. Ah…the endless cycle.
In the meantime, I encourage everyone to venture into the land of indies and foreign film every now and then. It is a quite refreshing reminder that film is actually one of the most complex forms of ART, not just a money-making product.
PS--Before you even try to make a comment, I am completely aware that Hollywood does not always equal bad and that indie/foreign film is not always good (nor is it for everyone). ;)
I went to see American Splendor the other night, and at the risk of talking it up too much, I must say that it is one of the best movies I’ve seen since I’ve been back. With the opening frame, I immediately began to question why I even bother going to Hollywood movies anymore. By the end of the movie, I was downright giddy because it was just so good.
Now, I don’t want to join the Swami anti-Hollywood camp just yet. But I have to face the reality that I have been consistently disappointed by every single Hollywood movie I’ve seen in the past few weeks—Uptown Girls, Matchstick Men, and even Seabiscuit (I won’t even mention My Boss’s Daughter or Freaky Friday which should never have happened in the first place). Although I still had fun watching (most of) these movies, part of me was just a bit annoyed at how contrived, formulaic, manipulative, or just plain weak the scripts were. And although sometimes visually appealing, there were absolutely no attempts at creativity in cinematography, editing, or mise-en-scene. The only movies I have wholly enjoyed lately are Whale Rider and American Splendor—both were unique, thoughtful, and innovative.
So…will I stop throwing my money at big-budget Hollywood pictures? Probably not. Will Hollywood stop foisting formulaic crap on us? Not as long as we continue to pay $8 for the consumer-driven pleasures of Hollywood programming. Ah…the endless cycle.
In the meantime, I encourage everyone to venture into the land of indies and foreign film every now and then. It is a quite refreshing reminder that film is actually one of the most complex forms of ART, not just a money-making product.
PS--Before you even try to make a comment, I am completely aware that Hollywood does not always equal bad and that indie/foreign film is not always good (nor is it for everyone). ;)
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Perhaps I'll have an original thought tomorrow. Until then...
"God utters me like a word containing a partial thought of himself. A word will never be able to comprehend the voice that utters it. But if I am true to the concept that God utters in me, if I am true to the thought in him I was meant to embody, I shall be full of his actuality and find him everywhere in myself and find myself nowhere. I shall be lost in him." Thomas Merton
"However hidden and undramatic your witness may be, I pray that you will be daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, courageous enough to get burnt in the Fire, and real enough to help others see that prose is not poetry, speech is not song, and tangibles, visibles, and perishables are not adequate ultimates for being signed with the blood of the Lamb." Brennan Manning
"God utters me like a word containing a partial thought of himself. A word will never be able to comprehend the voice that utters it. But if I am true to the concept that God utters in me, if I am true to the thought in him I was meant to embody, I shall be full of his actuality and find him everywhere in myself and find myself nowhere. I shall be lost in him." Thomas Merton
"However hidden and undramatic your witness may be, I pray that you will be daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, courageous enough to get burnt in the Fire, and real enough to help others see that prose is not poetry, speech is not song, and tangibles, visibles, and perishables are not adequate ultimates for being signed with the blood of the Lamb." Brennan Manning
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
"I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind."--1 Corinthians 14:15
Monday, September 15, 2003
Ice Fishing
I randomly found this on someone else's blog. I had previously seen it when I was in the village. It is a very informative short mpeg about ice fishing and reminds me of my other home.
I randomly found this on someone else's blog. I had previously seen it when I was in the village. It is a very informative short mpeg about ice fishing and reminds me of my other home.
Suburban Beauty #2
As many of you know, I have been having a bit of trouble adjusting back to life in the suburbs. It has now been a month since my last post discussing the beauty that can be found here (8/13). Although it is a totally different type of beauty than that found in Tununak, there are still many great things to celebrate. I had a great weekend, and came up with several things that make life here pretty darn cool:
First of all, those of you still going to Starbuck's need to join the Caribou revolution. Caribou, although not quite as ubiquitous as Starbuck's, is cozier, cheaper, friendlier, and yummier. I am embarrassed to say how many times I went there last week, but I will say that I got the trivia question at least five times that I can remember and even came up with the question for Sunday. Secondly, Atlanta does have nice weather!!! I had totally forgotten. After spending three years being here only in the heat of summer and the wet of winter, I had forgotten about fall!
Friday night, I went to Madstone, which is by far the coolest movie theater in Atlanta. They serve coffee, espresso drinks, smoothies, beer, and wine. In the lobby, they have tables set up with chess and checkers. And...they show several indies, so we no longer have to drive all the way to Tara or LeFont!!
On Saturday, I watched the Georgia game with my friends. Need I say more? And after the game I headed over to Riverside Park for the Star 94 Movie Under the Stars. I remember thinking how blessed we are to live in a country where we have the freedom and security and resources and leisure to have community activities like this. It was really pretty cool.
On Sunday, church itself was a blessing because, as I've mentioned before, it was inconsistent and dry in the village and we only had one choice. I then had lunch with my parents at Copeland's--yum! After some quality Bou time, I headed to a meeting with people from Caleb's Trailblazers about a Cumberland Island backpacking trip we are planning in November. Finally, the Sunday paper brought me the Access Atlanta Fall Guide which reminded me of the other GREAT part about Atlanta--theater!!! I can actually go see plays at places like the Shakespeare Tavern that hold so many good high school memories for me!!!
Life is pretty good. I can't really complain. Which I realize is kind of boring. I'll find something to rant about for tomorrow.
PS--The ridiculous length of this post remains true to the title of my blog. Surprisingly, it wasn't caffeine-induced. Has anyone else noticed that I am much more prone to have fragments than run-ons in my posts? Perhaps I need to change the name? Anyway...for those of you who made it this far: Thanks for sticking with me, stop slacking, and get to work!
As many of you know, I have been having a bit of trouble adjusting back to life in the suburbs. It has now been a month since my last post discussing the beauty that can be found here (8/13). Although it is a totally different type of beauty than that found in Tununak, there are still many great things to celebrate. I had a great weekend, and came up with several things that make life here pretty darn cool:
First of all, those of you still going to Starbuck's need to join the Caribou revolution. Caribou, although not quite as ubiquitous as Starbuck's, is cozier, cheaper, friendlier, and yummier. I am embarrassed to say how many times I went there last week, but I will say that I got the trivia question at least five times that I can remember and even came up with the question for Sunday. Secondly, Atlanta does have nice weather!!! I had totally forgotten. After spending three years being here only in the heat of summer and the wet of winter, I had forgotten about fall!
Friday night, I went to Madstone, which is by far the coolest movie theater in Atlanta. They serve coffee, espresso drinks, smoothies, beer, and wine. In the lobby, they have tables set up with chess and checkers. And...they show several indies, so we no longer have to drive all the way to Tara or LeFont!!
On Saturday, I watched the Georgia game with my friends. Need I say more? And after the game I headed over to Riverside Park for the Star 94 Movie Under the Stars. I remember thinking how blessed we are to live in a country where we have the freedom and security and resources and leisure to have community activities like this. It was really pretty cool.
On Sunday, church itself was a blessing because, as I've mentioned before, it was inconsistent and dry in the village and we only had one choice. I then had lunch with my parents at Copeland's--yum! After some quality Bou time, I headed to a meeting with people from Caleb's Trailblazers about a Cumberland Island backpacking trip we are planning in November. Finally, the Sunday paper brought me the Access Atlanta Fall Guide which reminded me of the other GREAT part about Atlanta--theater!!! I can actually go see plays at places like the Shakespeare Tavern that hold so many good high school memories for me!!!
Life is pretty good. I can't really complain. Which I realize is kind of boring. I'll find something to rant about for tomorrow.
PS--The ridiculous length of this post remains true to the title of my blog. Surprisingly, it wasn't caffeine-induced. Has anyone else noticed that I am much more prone to have fragments than run-ons in my posts? Perhaps I need to change the name? Anyway...for those of you who made it this far: Thanks for sticking with me, stop slacking, and get to work!
Sunday, September 14, 2003
To my UGA Wesley friends: First of all, go Dawgs! Secondly, if I haven't already told you to go out and get Relevant Magazine, I'm telling you now. After work, head over to Barnes and Noble, and pick it up. If you need a better reason than the fact that it is a great, encouraging, down-to-earth magazine for twentysomething Christians, check out the article on page 54. There are quotes from both Ann Marie Goggins and Becky Cooper--fellow UGA Wesley Alumni! We are so cool. And so is God. OK...maybe he's cooler. By a lot.
For those of you interested in a subscription, you can't beat this deal--a year's subscription to the magazine with a copy of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 for only $14.99.
For those of you interested in a subscription, you can't beat this deal--a year's subscription to the magazine with a copy of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 for only $14.99.
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Yesterday, I spent an entirely pleasant and somewhat productive day without driving even once. That is a big achievement in such a car-dependent suburb. Although walking and running here isn't as beautiful as in Tununak and biking isn't as easy as in Athens, it was still nice to escape the car, the traffic, and the inevitable descent of my gas gauge. Today, I was determined to give up the internet. As you can see, I was not as successful on that attempt...
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Have y'all seen the ads for Church's Fried Chicken? Something about it being a tradition in the South that waffles go well with fried chicken. Now...I've lived in the South almost all of my life, and I've heard no such thing. Granted, I am a city girl. Perhaps it's a rural thing?
Lalala! I've added all sorts of new stuff. Now that I've figured this thang out, I'll be adding even more. I'm just getting started--hehehe...
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Today was a good day. I met new people and caught up with old friends. I am reminded of an old Girl Scout song. It is so qumli (cheezy in Yupik) that I can't believe I'm typing it. But it is totally true:
Make new friends, but keep the old--
One is silver and the other gold.
You have to admit it's true...
Make new friends, but keep the old--
One is silver and the other gold.
You have to admit it's true...
Sunday, September 07, 2003
Church Hopping 2003
What a cool day. I know many of you will think I'm a freak, but that's ok, because I am. Anyway...I decided to go church hopping today. God has given me the time to do so, and I thought it would be a nice contrast to the last three years. In the village, we had one Catholic church and one itinerant priest. If he wasn't in town, mass was not a certainty and even if they had it, I didn't always have the time or inclination to go. But now...I have the endless variety of suburban America spread before me and this time I wasn't stressed out by it.
The best part of today was getting a tiny glimpse of heaven--the diversity of God's people and worship styles. In fact, one of the sermons was about that--although there is only one path to God, He created each of us to be unique and our way of worshipping and drawing near to Him might look different for each person. Hmmm...that sounds familiar. I think someone I know blogged about that recently--wait that was me (8/14). Anyway...God is so big and His people are so beautiful.
My day began with a six mile run in the cool fresh air of early Sunday morning. Listening to Downhere, I felt that this was my first worship service of the day even though it was not technically in a church.
I then headed to Crosspoint. There I was blessed with worship led by fellow blogger Adam Feldman and met several great folks before rushing out the door to North Point. There, I was blessed with a very appropriate sermon by Andy Stanley that was based on a book by called Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas. There is a quiz at the NP site where you can find out your style of drawing near to God. I found out I am a naturalist/intellectual with asceticism and contemplation coming a close third and forth. However, at the Vineyard Sunday Night service I went to, I felt my sensate and enthusiast sides surface. I really enjoyed the freedom of worship I felt at this church. And there was a COFFEE HOUSE in the lobby and 10 minute COFFEE BREAK between worship and the sermon to allow people to meet and greet and sip some coffee. Although I don't want to demean the value of coffee or diminish my excitement of finding a church that recognizes its value, I must say that the biggest blessing I had here was the definite presence of the Holy Spirit. The other cool thing about this service is that I almost felt out of place because I only have one tattoo! They have a cool web site too!
When I think of the thousands of churches meeting all over the planet today in so many varying forms of worship, I am awed and excited all at once. What I experienced today was a tiny slice of what is to come. Can you imagine? All of the saints?past, present, and future?gathered with the angels to praise Jesus for eternity.
So...where does this leave me? I have always been ecclesiastically confused. I grew up as a mostly non-practicing Catholic, was saved and baptized at a Methodist campus ministry, went to a Presbyterian church (now aparently non-denom) with a philosophical bent during college, taught catechism in an all Catholic village, and have now returned to a veritable smorgasbord of non-denom churches available to me. I know that worship services are about God not us and that we are called to be a part of the body and have meaningful fellowship. So I don't think church hopping will or should be a continual activity. It will definitely take a bit more time for me to pray about where God is leading me to attend/join. However, I am thankful for all that he revealed to me through this experience.
What a cool day. I know many of you will think I'm a freak, but that's ok, because I am. Anyway...I decided to go church hopping today. God has given me the time to do so, and I thought it would be a nice contrast to the last three years. In the village, we had one Catholic church and one itinerant priest. If he wasn't in town, mass was not a certainty and even if they had it, I didn't always have the time or inclination to go. But now...I have the endless variety of suburban America spread before me and this time I wasn't stressed out by it.
The best part of today was getting a tiny glimpse of heaven--the diversity of God's people and worship styles. In fact, one of the sermons was about that--although there is only one path to God, He created each of us to be unique and our way of worshipping and drawing near to Him might look different for each person. Hmmm...that sounds familiar. I think someone I know blogged about that recently--wait that was me (8/14). Anyway...God is so big and His people are so beautiful.
My day began with a six mile run in the cool fresh air of early Sunday morning. Listening to Downhere, I felt that this was my first worship service of the day even though it was not technically in a church.
I then headed to Crosspoint. There I was blessed with worship led by fellow blogger Adam Feldman and met several great folks before rushing out the door to North Point. There, I was blessed with a very appropriate sermon by Andy Stanley that was based on a book by called Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas. There is a quiz at the NP site where you can find out your style of drawing near to God. I found out I am a naturalist/intellectual with asceticism and contemplation coming a close third and forth. However, at the Vineyard Sunday Night service I went to, I felt my sensate and enthusiast sides surface. I really enjoyed the freedom of worship I felt at this church. And there was a COFFEE HOUSE in the lobby and 10 minute COFFEE BREAK between worship and the sermon to allow people to meet and greet and sip some coffee. Although I don't want to demean the value of coffee or diminish my excitement of finding a church that recognizes its value, I must say that the biggest blessing I had here was the definite presence of the Holy Spirit. The other cool thing about this service is that I almost felt out of place because I only have one tattoo! They have a cool web site too!
When I think of the thousands of churches meeting all over the planet today in so many varying forms of worship, I am awed and excited all at once. What I experienced today was a tiny slice of what is to come. Can you imagine? All of the saints?past, present, and future?gathered with the angels to praise Jesus for eternity.
So...where does this leave me? I have always been ecclesiastically confused. I grew up as a mostly non-practicing Catholic, was saved and baptized at a Methodist campus ministry, went to a Presbyterian church (now aparently non-denom) with a philosophical bent during college, taught catechism in an all Catholic village, and have now returned to a veritable smorgasbord of non-denom churches available to me. I know that worship services are about God not us and that we are called to be a part of the body and have meaningful fellowship. So I don't think church hopping will or should be a continual activity. It will definitely take a bit more time for me to pray about where God is leading me to attend/join. However, I am thankful for all that he revealed to me through this experience.
Saturday, September 06, 2003
"To live without risk is to risk not living."
Brennan Manning
Brennan Manning
Friday, September 05, 2003
can't sleep
too much coffee
too much chai
too much coffee
too much chai
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Baby steps of faith are better than no steps at all…
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." Colossians 3:17
“It is easier to guide a wild stallion than move a dead horse.” Erwin McManus
“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” Samuel Johnson
“Just do it.” Nike ad campaign
Isn't it cool how God sometimes drills a lesson into you through so many different sources? Has it ever happened to you that you hear the same verse multiple times in a week or even a day from various sources? God will send the same message through scripture, sermons, Christian books, secular books, songs on the radio, discussions with friends, or conversations with strangers at the coffee shop.
God really does direct our steps if we walk with him and allow him to do so. I look at the past month and cannot believe how God orchestrated things. Things did not work out according to my plan, but they worked out as I took steps of faith and followed Him. The key was taking steps even when I wasn’t sure why or where they would lead. Many Christians, myself included, are paralyzed any time they have to make a decision. What does God want me to do? What is His will? What if I make the wrong choice? God is sovereign. We cannot thwart His plans. We may make mistakes, but if we are open to the leading of His spirit, He will guide us back to where we need to be. We just need to repent in humility and keep going.
This weekend Erwin McManus described making choices as one of the most spiritual acts that we can engage in as humans. We are the only creatures endowed with the ability to make choices. God is calling us to make choices and act in faith. We must live not exist. We must live and act and choose to follow God. If we truly want to live, we cannot simply remain paralyzed in our fear. Erwin challenged us to do “whatever” as long as it is in line with the principals and character of God.
Our choices may not make sense by the world’s standards but that doesn’t matter—we are called to live by a different standard. As Rick Warren points out in PDL, “Many of our problems occur because we base our choices on unreliable authorities: culture (“everybody’s doing it”), tradition (“we’ve always done it”), reason (“it seems logical”), or emotion (“it just felt right”).”
Lesson this week: With the Word of God as our standard, we need to make decisions and act in faith.
We are called to be wild stallions trusting God’s guidance. Cool.
PS--I have been working and out of town. I have now returned to semi-retirement of sorts. Yippy!
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." Colossians 3:17
“It is easier to guide a wild stallion than move a dead horse.” Erwin McManus
“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” Samuel Johnson
“Just do it.” Nike ad campaign
Isn't it cool how God sometimes drills a lesson into you through so many different sources? Has it ever happened to you that you hear the same verse multiple times in a week or even a day from various sources? God will send the same message through scripture, sermons, Christian books, secular books, songs on the radio, discussions with friends, or conversations with strangers at the coffee shop.
God really does direct our steps if we walk with him and allow him to do so. I look at the past month and cannot believe how God orchestrated things. Things did not work out according to my plan, but they worked out as I took steps of faith and followed Him. The key was taking steps even when I wasn’t sure why or where they would lead. Many Christians, myself included, are paralyzed any time they have to make a decision. What does God want me to do? What is His will? What if I make the wrong choice? God is sovereign. We cannot thwart His plans. We may make mistakes, but if we are open to the leading of His spirit, He will guide us back to where we need to be. We just need to repent in humility and keep going.
This weekend Erwin McManus described making choices as one of the most spiritual acts that we can engage in as humans. We are the only creatures endowed with the ability to make choices. God is calling us to make choices and act in faith. We must live not exist. We must live and act and choose to follow God. If we truly want to live, we cannot simply remain paralyzed in our fear. Erwin challenged us to do “whatever” as long as it is in line with the principals and character of God.
Our choices may not make sense by the world’s standards but that doesn’t matter—we are called to live by a different standard. As Rick Warren points out in PDL, “Many of our problems occur because we base our choices on unreliable authorities: culture (“everybody’s doing it”), tradition (“we’ve always done it”), reason (“it seems logical”), or emotion (“it just felt right”).”
Lesson this week: With the Word of God as our standard, we need to make decisions and act in faith.
We are called to be wild stallions trusting God’s guidance. Cool.
PS--I have been working and out of town. I have now returned to semi-retirement of sorts. Yippy!
music
fiction
- Sophie's World Jostein Gaarder
- Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand
- The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco
- Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
- War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
- I'm sure I'm forgetting many!!!
things above
- The Consolation of Philosophy Boethius
- Desiring God John Piper
- Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis
- The Ragamuffin Gospel Brennan Manning
- Jesus with Dirty Feet Don Everts
random
- metanoia
- runner's world
- relevant magazine
- jane austen society
- tununak
- appalachian trail conference
- espn
blogs
archives
- 08/01/2003 - 09/01/2003
- 09/01/2003 - 10/01/2003
- 10/01/2003 - 11/01/2003
- 11/01/2003 - 12/01/2003
- 12/01/2003 - 01/01/2004
- 01/01/2004 - 02/01/2004
- 02/01/2004 - 03/01/2004
- 03/01/2004 - 04/01/2004
- 04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004
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