Ten days? wow... I'm really off my game.
Let's see... since I last wrote some things have happened and whatnot. but enough of that catching up and informing of things, this is after all a break from hermaneutics homework and thus should be celebrated by a nice solid ramble!
Hmm... I think I'll start with a few things that God has worked for my benefit since I've been here. First and foremost I couldn't imagine how easy and solidly I've connected at the church I'm at. I went to it because a friend invited me and because I promised several camp types that I would... When I agreed to both of those conditions I figured that I would just use it as the first in my line of church hopping before I settled on something strange, or decided to incorporate bedside baptist into my rotation and really focus on what Pastor pillow had to teach me.
Fortunately someone had better plans than I did. (read: hallelujah!) and that first visit stuck like a slug thrown against a brick wall. Not just because they feed us breakfast (which is a powerful motivator for us college types) but because of the power and passion of the teaching we get every week. Especially the last three sermons I've heard.
The first (available online here just go to sermons and then using money to build eternal relationships) was a tough one about using money as a tool. Combining that with a bit I've been reading in my wellness textbook about how certain disorders are partially classified by time spent thinking about them. I was really convicted about how I handle my money...
a) that I spend waaay too much time thinking about my lack of it and my debt.
b) that I don't use what I do have wisely to build relationships
c) that I'm not investing what I do have (non monetary things) very well either
So I resolved to pray about it and continue to struggle through making that better... and then a short two days later our pastor (also a professor here at Grace) spoke in chapel. He spoke about how when we worry and agonize over our anxieties that our God is too small. That if we TRULY believe that God is in control that we can present our prayers and supplications and then go to sleep peacefully because He's got it. And if we're concerned about people we can trust that He loves them FAR MORE than we do. It stuck with me and now I get to be anxious about how anxious I am... ;)
and then this last sunday we began a series in the book of Romans. I cannot tell you how nervous I am about this because I've been subjected (and blessed too) by sermon series that go through Romans. By the time it's done I hate the book... and just want something, anything different. But at the same time I'm looking forward to what I've got to learn this go around, an attitude I've never really had.
so that's what I got. For the sake of making me write again soon I'll end here and leave you with a quote that I think is appropriate.
"assume I can do things that make sense." -Dr. Eckman
-Nick
