God's Promises

I am currently meditating on God's promises to me. A friend and I were talking, and the topic came up. I teach the 3-5 year-old class in my church's children's ministry, and one of the modules that I taught was on God's promises. It drove home the point that God always keeps his promises, which has been great encouragement to me. But tonight I was wondering exactly what God has promised me, and the few results I've come up with are astonishing. Eternal life, being an heir with Christ, a way out from temptation, gifts of the Holy Spirit, a spirit of power, love, and self-control...the list goes on. And on. I may add to what I know of this list, when it's not 1 AM the day before I leave for Zambia. Which of God's promises do you know about?

Independence Day

Pet peeve: People wishing each other a "happy fourth." You know, the British had a 4th of July, too...not every nation celebrates their independence.

I leave for the African continent in about 60 hours. To celebrate, I'm eating the most American food I can think of...hamburgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, and chocolate ice cream. The next few days will (hopefully) be full of food I've never tasted before. I'd better eat my fill :-)

May you all have profound thoughts on the definition of "freedom" today.

Birthday

[So much to blog about, so little time. I may get around to it before I leave for Zambia, but probably not. Sorry, Future Self! I hope the memories stick around without the aid of this blog.]

So, my birthday was on Saturday. A friend posted 1 Timothy 4:12 on my Facebook wall, and it was really encouraging. Usually around my birthday I meditate on my own frailty, mortality, and fallenness, but this verse made me meditate on how Paul exhorted Timothy to live. "...set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." Why did Paul write those things in that order? Considering that this was Paul, and it's scripture, that order was not haphazard. I'm thinking it reflects a person's character, working from what is immediately noticeable toward one's heart.

Five parts to a young leader's moral foundation...

1. Speech
2. Conduct
3. Love
4. Faith
5. Purity

Number 1 caught my attention. My speech habits have not been exemplary of late. I am not a perfect example in any of these five areas, but I certainly ignore my speech. Not only is it the first item on this list, it's one of the first things people notice about me. So many verses in the Bible convict me of habits that used to prick my conscience but no longer damage my calm. I pray God would give me the grace to be a loudspeaker for him, to produce only the sounds he wills me to speak.

Thanks, David, for the verse!

Story Of My Life

Ironic that a webzine called Boundless would publish an article on humans' limits. Regardless, it was a good article. It outlines one of the biggest aspects of my college education.

I'm A Little In Love With Today's Weather

Deep blue sky, puffs of white
alternate
dark foreboding clouds.

Sunshine chases shadow.

Wind
Trees and grass make music
birds, cicadas all
sounds carry
Hair has life of its own.

Violent energy communicates peace.

Makes me smile.

Suummmmmmmertiiiiiiiiime...And The Posting Is Seldommmmmmm...

Today felt like the first "real" day of Summer. It was hot, humid, and I worked for a total of 12 hours at two jobs. Yes, I am a workaholic, and this is rarely more evident than during Summers.

Quickie update: I spent a week in a three-room apartment in NYC helping a friend reorganize her apartment and eating amazing food. Note: Don't cut through ancient plaster ceilings without knowing what's up there. There could be a live gas pipe :P When I got back, we had the last fencing practice of the year, and of our current head coach's career. Then I had my first week at my new job, which is an incredible blessing (despite appearances--isn't that how God usually works?). Then I spent three days in Akron doing sound tech work for a dance show. The show almost shocked me out of my seat...and definitely distracted me from my job :-P I hope my job didn't distract anyone from the show...

It's been a whirlwind month, and I love life like that. Unfortunately, something major in my life is changing, and I am having a hard time adjusting, and wondering if perhaps I should change in response to these new possible situations. I'm not free to discuss what it is, but I'm losing sleep over it. Encouragement has come from the oddest of places. A friend blogged about remodeling, my iPod (Max) randomly played this song, another song played in the restaurant where I work (the band seems promising). All of this in addition to good conversations with important people. God is showering grace on me constantly, pressed down and shaken together.

Speaking of grace, here's a Zambia update: I'm not 100% positive, but it looks as if (assuming I can get the deadline pushed back a few days) I'll have the Zambia trip completely paid for by next week?! Praise God in unutterable ways!

Sarah Grace Is Home!

I've blogged about this in the past, but finally Sarah-Grace is on her way home! She looks so much older than she did when I first saw her...Maybe I'll get to meet her at the Knight of Betrayal.

Sunlight

This band played at my sister's college recently. Even though I wasn't familiar with their music, I enjoyed it so much. This song, in particular, was so much fun live. I later found out that Noele was a "mentor" to me when I first started to play violin with my church. She sent my father a long e-mail about how a violinist can contribute to the worship experience. I admit...I turned into a fan girl and got everyone to sign a poster advertising the event. Cheesy? Perhaps. But I enjoyed it :-) Hopefully I'll see them play live again!