So this post is way over due by a couple of months but I thought I would give a teaser about what I have been learning recently from a study I am doing on love.
Love. You hear the word everywhere. "I love you." "I love frisbee." In church circles you hear people say, "I love God," or "I love Jesus." Or you hear a command such as in Mark 12:30, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Whichever it is, you do not associate loving someone with loving a burger. The two carry distinct meaning. So how do you tell the difference. Common sense should at least tell you that hamburgers, frisbee, and Jesus are not equal when it comes to love. But what is the difference between say loving Jesus and loving your kids? So the question becomes, "what is love?" And before you think it, no, the answer is not "baby don't hurt me." So how is love defined by the world versus the Bible. Do you really know what love is? Is it even possible for you to fathom what love is? How do you know that a "feeling" is love or just indigestion? And once you know what love is (and what it's not), how do you love others? And what about "me" in all of this? Is there a "me"?
So these are some of the questions I am working on getting an answer on so stay tuned. And in the mean time, if you do tell someone you love them, ask yourself this question. Are they a hamburger?
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
A look at Hosea
Earlier this week I finished reading through the book of Hosea. Reflecting on the book and this Easter season, it is very interesting how well this short Old Testament book fits with the Easter message.
So for those of you not the most familiar with this book, here is a quick summary:
The book takes place around 750 - 700 BC and was written by a guy named Hosea (name means "salvation"). So basically God tells Hosea to take a "wife of harlotry" (woman that would become one) and that will symbolize the relationship of God with the unfaithful people of Israel. The book is 14 chapters long and most of that is spent saying one thing: Israel has screwed up again. They have given themselves to idolatry. Judgement is coming. But the fascinating fact is that God will remain faithful.
Anyone who knows anything about Israel most likely knows that they were not always obedient. As a result they were led into captivity multiple times, punished during the exodus from Egypt, etc...Yet one thing always remained. God would redeem his people and bring them back from their disobedience. So we get to Hosea and what do you know. The children of Israel, God's chosen people to reveal His Name to the nation, has screwed up again. So what was God's reaction?
He still loved them. Various references are scattered throughout this book about God still loving them but Chapter 11 has to be the most compelling. So knowing they had been disobedient, check this out.
Chapter 11:1-4, 7-11
1. "When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.
2. As they called them, So they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to carved images.
3. "I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them.
4. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.
7. My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him.
8."How can I give you up, Ephraim? how can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.
9. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, The Holy one in your midst; And I will not come with terror.
10. "They shall walk after the Lord. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, Then His sons shall come trembling from the west;
11. They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, Like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses," Says the Lords.
Ok so a little sidebar for a few notes: Israel was also called Ephraim after the largest tribe. Admah and Zeboiim were two cities destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (see Deuteronomy 29:23)
So in this passage, we see the faithfulness of God, faithlessness of Israel, judgement of Israel as a result, and the mercy of God. And then it struck me.
Why would God put up with these people? They constantly screw up. There is always a constant back and forth. They can't ever seem to get their act together. And when they do, they only repeat the cycle. From a human's perspective, there is no reason whatsoever why anyone should put up with a people like that. They were far too messed up for God to accept them.
And then I thought about something. I am the same way. Everyone is the same way. We are all pretty much screwed up people. We choose to disobey God's commands constantly (whether we know that we do it or not). And there is no reason why God should love us. Yet he does. Even the worst of sinners. Even the person who thinks they are too far lost for God to do anything. God loves them too. That is the beauty about redemption. Wretched sinner though I am, God loves me. We are all like Israel. We have each turned to our wicked ways. And eventually we can be deceived into believing we are too far off for help. But the Bible is full of examples of people who were messed up and were offered forgiveness. Experience today shows us people who were really messed up and were offered forgiveness. So why not me, why not you? Listen to this song and tell me it is not true.
Shane and Shane - Embracing Accusation
As we experience Easter tomorrow, let us always keep in mind that while the devil will say to us that we cannot be redeemed and we begin to believe we cannot be saved, the message of the Bible is clear: Jesus saves!
So for those of you not the most familiar with this book, here is a quick summary:
The book takes place around 750 - 700 BC and was written by a guy named Hosea (name means "salvation"). So basically God tells Hosea to take a "wife of harlotry" (woman that would become one) and that will symbolize the relationship of God with the unfaithful people of Israel. The book is 14 chapters long and most of that is spent saying one thing: Israel has screwed up again. They have given themselves to idolatry. Judgement is coming. But the fascinating fact is that God will remain faithful.
Anyone who knows anything about Israel most likely knows that they were not always obedient. As a result they were led into captivity multiple times, punished during the exodus from Egypt, etc...Yet one thing always remained. God would redeem his people and bring them back from their disobedience. So we get to Hosea and what do you know. The children of Israel, God's chosen people to reveal His Name to the nation, has screwed up again. So what was God's reaction?
He still loved them. Various references are scattered throughout this book about God still loving them but Chapter 11 has to be the most compelling. So knowing they had been disobedient, check this out.
Chapter 11:1-4, 7-11
1. "When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.
2. As they called them, So they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to carved images.
3. "I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them.
4. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.
7. My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him.
8."How can I give you up, Ephraim? how can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.
9. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, The Holy one in your midst; And I will not come with terror.
10. "They shall walk after the Lord. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, Then His sons shall come trembling from the west;
11. They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, Like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses," Says the Lords.
Ok so a little sidebar for a few notes: Israel was also called Ephraim after the largest tribe. Admah and Zeboiim were two cities destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (see Deuteronomy 29:23)
So in this passage, we see the faithfulness of God, faithlessness of Israel, judgement of Israel as a result, and the mercy of God. And then it struck me.
Why would God put up with these people? They constantly screw up. There is always a constant back and forth. They can't ever seem to get their act together. And when they do, they only repeat the cycle. From a human's perspective, there is no reason whatsoever why anyone should put up with a people like that. They were far too messed up for God to accept them.
And then I thought about something. I am the same way. Everyone is the same way. We are all pretty much screwed up people. We choose to disobey God's commands constantly (whether we know that we do it or not). And there is no reason why God should love us. Yet he does. Even the worst of sinners. Even the person who thinks they are too far lost for God to do anything. God loves them too. That is the beauty about redemption. Wretched sinner though I am, God loves me. We are all like Israel. We have each turned to our wicked ways. And eventually we can be deceived into believing we are too far off for help. But the Bible is full of examples of people who were messed up and were offered forgiveness. Experience today shows us people who were really messed up and were offered forgiveness. So why not me, why not you? Listen to this song and tell me it is not true.
Shane and Shane - Embracing Accusation
As we experience Easter tomorrow, let us always keep in mind that while the devil will say to us that we cannot be redeemed and we begin to believe we cannot be saved, the message of the Bible is clear: Jesus saves!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Another look at Philippians 3
Isn't it interesting how life is just not as "easy" as you think it should be. Isn't it interesting how one moment everything can be going great and the next it seems like everything is falling apart around you. Why is that?
For me, the pieces are finally getting put back together after being in the valley for almost 5 months. What caused it? Well you could say it was a girl, but in the end that is not the real reason. The root cause was my pride and not trusting God completely. And the past 5 months were awful because of it. Then I read Philippians 3 about two months ago. Why that passage? I have no clue. I had gone from being on top of the hill and learning so much to reading my Bible sparingly so this wasn't exactly something I planned on doing. So here is another look at Philippians 3 and my insights into it.
Before I start here is a note. Regardless of if you are a Christian or not, I encourage you to read this passage and my insights. But if you are a Christian I especially want you to read it for reasons that will follow.
Philippians 3
1.Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2.Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3.For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4.though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5.circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6.concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for who I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9. and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10. that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11. if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19. whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their mind on earthly things.
20. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21. who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Ok. So you have probably read or heard people talk about that passage a bazillion times. So now go back and read it again paying more attention. It is very easy to speed through familiar passages of Scripture as I am very guilty of doing at times.
So there are a lot of different things I could talk about with this passage, but I have five things that have really stood out for me.
Insight #1: Our natural tendency is to think we can make it on our own.
I am sure I did not even have to say that. Most people should easily recognize that fact. Why else would Paul say "have no confidence in the flesh" in verse 3? We all have had the feeling at some point that we could be good enough to earn God's favor. As Christians, how many times have we thought, "I need to get my life together," when in reality we cannot even begin to get our lives together. The Scriptures are replete with verses and examples of this fact. And if you have said that and done it before, what happens. You start doing stuff and getting back on the right track, and eventually you topple over again. Then repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
Insight #2: My life <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Paul's life
And just when you thought, I can do it on my own even despite your previous failures. How does your life contextually compare with Paul's? Quite simply. Paul was a man-beast. Chuck Norris himself could not stand up to Paul. It's a fact. Sorry Chuck Norris fans. Knowing all that is known about Paul's life, would you dare to say that you would be "on par" with Paul? My guess is most people, including myself, would say the opposite. Now is Paul some sort of super human? No. But you have to admit, when you look at this guy's "qualifications," it has to get you thinking.
Insight #3: How in the world could Paul say what he did after vs.4-6?
He said what?! Read verses 7-14 again. Think about this with me as you reflect on your life. If you were in the same "shape" Paul was as he described in vs. 4-6, would you even think like this? If everything seemed to be going your way and life could not get any better, would you still approach God with the humility of Paul or with your own pride? Paul had no reason to say what he did here if he could "work" his way to salvation. He clearly was there. Yet he considered all things "rubbish" and strove forward.
Insight #4: No 5-step plan or miracle cure for life
Who woulda thunk it? Life is not easy. And guess what? There is no easy way to make your life great. If you could choose between losing weight by sitting around and hanging out with your friends or going to the gym multiple hours a week, which would you choose? Most people, unless you are one of "them," would choose the first option. Life is the same way. It is not easy. Good things happen. Bad things happen. Confusing things happen. That is why I believe Paul said what he did in vs. 12-14. He did not say press forward and stop. Paul understood that you have to continually be moving forward.
Insight #5: So what is the goal?
So human nature shows us that we strive to earn salvation. Paul led a beastly life but felt he could not earn salvation. The Scriptures say there is no way we can earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). And life is not easy and there is no way to make it easy. Bad and confusing things happen. So what now? This is the meat of what I have learned recently. How do you go from day to day knowing all this stuff? It is actually quite simple (not always easy, but simple nonetheless). You keep in mind what Paul said in vs. 20-21. You go from day to day knowing that there are greater things to come. What does that translate into practically? Your career, plans, and dreams are not the most important thing in life. When you understand this fact, you will begin to see that life is not about you, but about Him and you will be amazed at how the worries of this world just seem to fade away.
So now you have heard the rest of the story. Stay tuned for my next post on my latest musings through the minor prophets.
For me, the pieces are finally getting put back together after being in the valley for almost 5 months. What caused it? Well you could say it was a girl, but in the end that is not the real reason. The root cause was my pride and not trusting God completely. And the past 5 months were awful because of it. Then I read Philippians 3 about two months ago. Why that passage? I have no clue. I had gone from being on top of the hill and learning so much to reading my Bible sparingly so this wasn't exactly something I planned on doing. So here is another look at Philippians 3 and my insights into it.
Before I start here is a note. Regardless of if you are a Christian or not, I encourage you to read this passage and my insights. But if you are a Christian I especially want you to read it for reasons that will follow.
Philippians 3
1.Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2.Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3.For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4.though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5.circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6.concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for who I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9. and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10. that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11. if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19. whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their mind on earthly things.
20. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21. who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Ok. So you have probably read or heard people talk about that passage a bazillion times. So now go back and read it again paying more attention. It is very easy to speed through familiar passages of Scripture as I am very guilty of doing at times.
So there are a lot of different things I could talk about with this passage, but I have five things that have really stood out for me.
Insight #1: Our natural tendency is to think we can make it on our own.
I am sure I did not even have to say that. Most people should easily recognize that fact. Why else would Paul say "have no confidence in the flesh" in verse 3? We all have had the feeling at some point that we could be good enough to earn God's favor. As Christians, how many times have we thought, "I need to get my life together," when in reality we cannot even begin to get our lives together. The Scriptures are replete with verses and examples of this fact. And if you have said that and done it before, what happens. You start doing stuff and getting back on the right track, and eventually you topple over again. Then repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
Insight #2: My life <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Paul's life
And just when you thought, I can do it on my own even despite your previous failures. How does your life contextually compare with Paul's? Quite simply. Paul was a man-beast. Chuck Norris himself could not stand up to Paul. It's a fact. Sorry Chuck Norris fans. Knowing all that is known about Paul's life, would you dare to say that you would be "on par" with Paul? My guess is most people, including myself, would say the opposite. Now is Paul some sort of super human? No. But you have to admit, when you look at this guy's "qualifications," it has to get you thinking.
Insight #3: How in the world could Paul say what he did after vs.4-6?
He said what?! Read verses 7-14 again. Think about this with me as you reflect on your life. If you were in the same "shape" Paul was as he described in vs. 4-6, would you even think like this? If everything seemed to be going your way and life could not get any better, would you still approach God with the humility of Paul or with your own pride? Paul had no reason to say what he did here if he could "work" his way to salvation. He clearly was there. Yet he considered all things "rubbish" and strove forward.
Insight #4: No 5-step plan or miracle cure for life
Who woulda thunk it? Life is not easy. And guess what? There is no easy way to make your life great. If you could choose between losing weight by sitting around and hanging out with your friends or going to the gym multiple hours a week, which would you choose? Most people, unless you are one of "them," would choose the first option. Life is the same way. It is not easy. Good things happen. Bad things happen. Confusing things happen. That is why I believe Paul said what he did in vs. 12-14. He did not say press forward and stop. Paul understood that you have to continually be moving forward.
Insight #5: So what is the goal?
So human nature shows us that we strive to earn salvation. Paul led a beastly life but felt he could not earn salvation. The Scriptures say there is no way we can earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). And life is not easy and there is no way to make it easy. Bad and confusing things happen. So what now? This is the meat of what I have learned recently. How do you go from day to day knowing all this stuff? It is actually quite simple (not always easy, but simple nonetheless). You keep in mind what Paul said in vs. 20-21. You go from day to day knowing that there are greater things to come. What does that translate into practically? Your career, plans, and dreams are not the most important thing in life. When you understand this fact, you will begin to see that life is not about you, but about Him and you will be amazed at how the worries of this world just seem to fade away.
So now you have heard the rest of the story. Stay tuned for my next post on my latest musings through the minor prophets.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Packing Up My Coffin
So...First thing you are probably wondering is what in the world does the title mean. I am very glad you asked. A couple a months ago, I started thinking about this group of people I had heard about called the Moravians. This group of people became famous for their work in Christian missions overseas. They are most often cited in the context of missions as the ones who would pack their belongings in a coffin symbolizing that they were committing to staying on the field and realizing that they would probably die there. That is where the title of this post came from. Now the fun part.
This whole movement was started by a guy named Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf in the 1720s I believe. Zinzendorf is known for starting a 24/7 prayer meeting that lasted continuously for over 100 years! Two men were sent out as part of this movement, John Leonard Dober and David Nitschman. These guys were ordinary men with families living in Copenhagen who felt God calling them to be missionaries in the West Indies in 1732. So committed were they to their goal of reaching the slaves there, that they sold themselves into slavery in order to reach the slaves. Their mission statement was "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him." These guys were willing to give everything to follow Jesus and his call on their lives by recognizing all that He had already done for them. Pulling away from the docks, the men cried out, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering," which became the cry of the Moravians that would later come.
So in thinking about the life these men led, I wrote a song named "Packing Up My Coffin" in tribute to the work they and the ones that followed did. As a challenge, everyone who is a Christian is called to be a missionary. That could be where you are now or somewhere else. I leave you with this quote from singer Keith Green's song Jesus Commands Us to Go, "Jesus commands us to go, It should be the exception if we stay."
So here are the lyrics to my song. I hope you enjoy.
Packing Up My Coffin
Our Lamb has conquered
Let us follow Him
Into the world to spread His name
Our Lamb has conquered
and we have been saved
Why should we not follow Him?
I'll give You everything
I'll go where You say go
I'll serve you forever more
I'll lay down all my pride
And have the faith of a child
A child forever yours
Our Lamb has conquered
Let us follow Him
Regardless of where we are told
Our Lamb is for us
Who could be against us?
Our Lamb has conquered
Why should we fear?
I'll give You everything
I'll go where You say go
I'll serve you forever more
I'll lay down all my pride
And have the faith of a child
A child forever yours
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
I'll give You everything
I'll go where You say go
I'll serve you forever more
I'll lay down all my pride
And have the faith of a child
A child forever yours
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
So I'll pack up my coffin and go.
This whole movement was started by a guy named Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf in the 1720s I believe. Zinzendorf is known for starting a 24/7 prayer meeting that lasted continuously for over 100 years! Two men were sent out as part of this movement, John Leonard Dober and David Nitschman. These guys were ordinary men with families living in Copenhagen who felt God calling them to be missionaries in the West Indies in 1732. So committed were they to their goal of reaching the slaves there, that they sold themselves into slavery in order to reach the slaves. Their mission statement was "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him." These guys were willing to give everything to follow Jesus and his call on their lives by recognizing all that He had already done for them. Pulling away from the docks, the men cried out, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering," which became the cry of the Moravians that would later come.
So in thinking about the life these men led, I wrote a song named "Packing Up My Coffin" in tribute to the work they and the ones that followed did. As a challenge, everyone who is a Christian is called to be a missionary. That could be where you are now or somewhere else. I leave you with this quote from singer Keith Green's song Jesus Commands Us to Go, "Jesus commands us to go, It should be the exception if we stay."
So here are the lyrics to my song. I hope you enjoy.
Packing Up My Coffin
Our Lamb has conquered
Let us follow Him
Into the world to spread His name
Our Lamb has conquered
and we have been saved
Why should we not follow Him?
I'll give You everything
I'll go where You say go
I'll serve you forever more
I'll lay down all my pride
And have the faith of a child
A child forever yours
Our Lamb has conquered
Let us follow Him
Regardless of where we are told
Our Lamb is for us
Who could be against us?
Our Lamb has conquered
Why should we fear?
I'll give You everything
I'll go where You say go
I'll serve you forever more
I'll lay down all my pride
And have the faith of a child
A child forever yours
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
I'll give You everything
I'll go where You say go
I'll serve you forever more
I'll lay down all my pride
And have the faith of a child
A child forever yours
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
May the Lamb that was slain
Receive the reward of His suffering
So I'll pack up my coffin and go.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day
So this is the first big holiday since my mother passed away in February. I don't really know what to say, but shortly after my mother passed away I heard this song for the first time and figured it would be appropriate to share it today with all of you. Pay attention to the lyrics as this is the greatest comfort we can have in the midst of losing someone we love; the comfort that if they were a follower of Christ, and we are as well, that one day we will see them again.
Save a Place for Me - Matthew West
Save a Place for Me - Matthew West
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Long awaited update... sorta
So between everything going on here between school and research I have not rambled in a little while. However, I am pretty tired at the moment and am in dire need of sleep so I will ramble for a short while while giving you the idea that I will ramble about in the next couple of days. I figured I would share one of my favorite songs and what it has meant to me. So being very 24esque I will not tell you what that is and force you to come back to the next post to find out.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Hmmm.....
So here is something that happened this past week, particularly Thursday and Friday. I will preface this by stating something clear from Scripture. Coincidence does not exist.
As most people know, I have been inundated with homework, tests, and work on top of dealing with the loss of my mom and getting everything in order at home. Well, one more thing was added to the mix, a NASA proposal due on that next Monday. Not being a last minute person and realizing that I had basically no ideas or anything written down, I naturally freaked out. It was so bad that at least from my perspective I had a nervous panic attack, even freaking out several people in my department. To the best of my knowledge, this was brought on by having too many things going on, especially with my family situation, and I could not take the pressure. I should add here that there was definitely added pressure from the fact that my mom communicated to me on several occasions before she passed away that she felt like I needed to work for NASA at some point.
This was only the second time I had reacted that way to circumstances and my situation. Eventually I calmed down, relaxed, and ended up getting some ideas and making a good start on the proposal. I got the rough draft finished Friday morning. So here is the interesting part about this escapade.
When I calmed down, I realized I had not trusted in God in that issue. I realized I was acting pretty stupidly about the whole situation and that everything was going to be fine. And it was. I got the rough draft finished with a weekend of work on it still possible. And then comes Friday night. I get an email. It says that the deadline has been pushed back one week. Obviously, I jump for joy because I got a little breathing room and then I think. So this deadline got pushed back another week after it had already been pushed back a month previously. Hmmm....
As most people know, I have been inundated with homework, tests, and work on top of dealing with the loss of my mom and getting everything in order at home. Well, one more thing was added to the mix, a NASA proposal due on that next Monday. Not being a last minute person and realizing that I had basically no ideas or anything written down, I naturally freaked out. It was so bad that at least from my perspective I had a nervous panic attack, even freaking out several people in my department. To the best of my knowledge, this was brought on by having too many things going on, especially with my family situation, and I could not take the pressure. I should add here that there was definitely added pressure from the fact that my mom communicated to me on several occasions before she passed away that she felt like I needed to work for NASA at some point.
This was only the second time I had reacted that way to circumstances and my situation. Eventually I calmed down, relaxed, and ended up getting some ideas and making a good start on the proposal. I got the rough draft finished Friday morning. So here is the interesting part about this escapade.
When I calmed down, I realized I had not trusted in God in that issue. I realized I was acting pretty stupidly about the whole situation and that everything was going to be fine. And it was. I got the rough draft finished with a weekend of work on it still possible. And then comes Friday night. I get an email. It says that the deadline has been pushed back one week. Obviously, I jump for joy because I got a little breathing room and then I think. So this deadline got pushed back another week after it had already been pushed back a month previously. Hmmm....
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