Spring — 2010

It has begun.

Spring Semester is already here and constant feeing of a fast paced agenda has already begun to swell within me. I feel almost like I used to when I was getting ready for a race: The blocks are set in the right position, my muscles are loose and the gun is loaded!!

I've just finished taking a warm up lap across the craziest stretch of the track of my week. Thursdays will not be my favorite day. But it will still be good :)

Not only do I have the full load of credits this semester—which feels like a weight added to my spikes—but I also have a job on campus now. I'm really excited about my job, even though it's just cleaning crew... but it is in the art department and should eventually lead to a more enjoyable position :) But right now I'm really excited for a chance to serve those around me. To give more assistance to those in the art department than I have been able to previously.

The stress is mounting, but I can tell that it is going to be a great semester—though I can already see the future holds a few breathless moments, I've been training for this and I will cross the finish line!

My spikes are at the blocks,

my hands on the line,

and the gun is in the air.

Deep breath.

Here we go.

Floor Worship

I was the SLA (Spiritual Life Advisor) on my floor for the past month. It has been a lot of fun, and a great opportunity to share my love for God with the girls I live with. For a bible study, we chose to go a more relaxing way that didn't include too much brain power for J-Term (one class, but condensed into 3 weeks!). So we repeated a successful bible study idea from last year. Armed with poster board and paints, we gathered together to worship our Lord through art :)

It was a great time to relax and just worship with our hands! We had worship music playing and painted for about 2 hours. Here are some of the pieces that we made for our Lord :)

Frost

Though there was no frost on my window pane—I was bewitched by the way it had settled on the trees outside my window. It was very quieting, the way a fresh blanket of snow inevitably silences the world underneath it. Unfortunately there is no fresh snow, just frost—but it is beautiful just the same.

Perfect Timing

I love how God works.

Well... not always while he is working, but in the long run it's great to see how thorough He is—he thinks of everything! I also love the perfectly small and wonderful things that He does.

I've been worrying about life. Which is nothing unusual for me. It's a major battle that I face everyday: to give up my planning and allow God to just take over.

I like my ducks all in a row, but there are some rebellious ones amongst my brood!

Anyway, the past 2 days have been particularly awful—worst of all last night. When I'm nervous or excited, I get sick to my stomach. Not fun, and sometimes it keeps me up at night (let's just say, the first week of Freshmen year was rough!). So after a sleepless night, I was in no mood to get ready for church, let alone walk across campus in the cold to get there.

But God was at work the entire time—I started to feel physically better as I started to wake up and the message in Logos (the Sunday school I attend) was great! Just what I needed.

We are going through Exodus (ch 3-4 this week) and it's crazy to see how God has every little detail planned out! I mean, everything! And whatever God told Moses, it happened. And it happened exactly as He said it would.

Even Moses' education had been taken care of—40 years as a prince of Egypt had provided the best education possible. Paul is another example—he was trained as a Pharisee, so he was an accomplished speaker, he knew the scriptures well, he was a Roman citizen (which saved his life in many situations) as well as a Jew (which allowed him to go into the inner sections of the temple/synagogues)!

And yet I still worry??? That's craziness! It opened my eyes a little—I hope that when the occasion arises I will say "Here I am. Send me!"(Isaiah 6:8b) rather than 'Here I am... send Aaron!" Knowing that God has everything planned out and has been preparing me for my entire life!

And to top it off—mom got me a great devotional for everyday. It's short, has a topic and a response, but it's great for the crazy days. And today's topic was "Future" No way!

Really.

And of course, it reminded me that God is in control! Thank goodness cuz I do a crummy job when I try to take over! "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord. "plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11—NASV)

Well... I needed that!

My latest addiction:

A wonderful sister (in Christ) informed me of this website. I checked it out and it is now bookmarked and explored regularly :) It's an online magazine by Leslie Ludy and it's a great place to explore articles, look at other missions, dig deeper in the Word, and there are some great Q&A sections too. And to top it off, their heading features some pretty awesome typography :)

Check it out if you get the chance!

Bride-To-Be

Sometimes it's pushed onto the back burner by the more 'immediate' threats and requirements, but I'm in love. I'm in love with my Savior, and even  when I don't feel the 'warm fuzzies', or His immediate presence, I know that He loves me (and died for me!) and I need to love and worship Him in return.  Even if I was not to get married here on earth, I'm so excited to be the Bride of Christ! My life here is almost the dating process—the chance I have to get to know Him, and fall more and more in love with Him.

I'm excited to know Him more intimately!

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.

Hosea 2:19

Clouds, Color, a Ship, and an Art Major

I love this photo and I've been waiting for an excuse to use it—but it has been 6 months and I'm sick of waiting! So, until further notice this photo will be posted on it's own, with only a simple note, describing my love for it.

I love this photo because of the color and the clouds :) My heart melts when beautiful cloud formations dance with color like this. I also love it because I was there (Lake Michigan) with my family. It was our final time together before I went back to SAU. I also like the detail on the ship and how dark it is in contrast to the rest of the photo, drawing your eye directly to it.

Helping Paul

Something I began to muse during my devo this afternoon:

Why do we always ask God to show us what our task is while we are here on Earth? In a way, we seem to expect him to navigate us from the passenger seat, while we take the steering wheel and perform the 'mighty task' that He has left for us. Rather heroic and exciting, but faulty from my point of view. God is the driver, there is no question about that—He has command of the car and He alone will perform the stunts. We are to help him throughout the 'road trip of life'.

But how do we know that our task in life is not as simple and small as turning the radio down? Or opening a window? Or reminding someone else to buckle up? We cannot all be the Pauls, and brush the snow off the car, making it easier for others to see, or push the car out of the mud. 

Some of us are here for the 'little' jobs. But these small jobs are no less important! What would have become of Paul—or the Church—if God had not provided people would could give him food? Or encourage him with something as small as a kind word and a smile? We cannot assume that God has a brilliantly elaborate plan for us alone—the Author is much too talented for that (and sorry, but the heroic main character position is already taken: Jesus Christ)! We might be here to give a single hug to a Paul—right when it's needed.

I've been praying, almost daily, for God to show me his will for my life.  What his purpose for me is, and what I should do with my life in order to glorify him. As a college student, it is particularly frustrating, I feel pressured as I make the decisions that will effect, and change, my entire life. I question daily if what I am doing is the most I could give to Christ. I struggle to find out how I could be the snowplow—going strongly before Christ, clearing the way for Him. But now I can see that just because I'm a Christian, doesn't mean that I have to be a Paul. I could be a young boy, with 5 loaves of bread, and 2 fish—or even the mother who gave him the food, or the merchant who provided.

Am I 'distended' for the mission field? I haven't the slightest idea! But even if I am not, I know that my job here is no less important—even if all I do is allow a fellow passenger to lean on my shoulder and snore in my ear before he/she continues with his own task.