This summer has turned out to be quite the busy season of life. In the last month, I've taught at VBS, been to church camp, gave a Wednesday night lesson on Isaiah 6, picked up teaching a Sunday School class, done some camping, and worked 160 hours or so. And I've enjoyed every moment of it (well, the vast majority of the moments, anyway :)).
One thing that I'm thankful for is the time I've had in the mornings. At 5:00 AM or shortly after, both Mom and I wake up and eat breakfast and spend some quiet time at the kitchen table. For some reason, time spent reading the Bible or praying or journaling seems more natural when a cup of coffee and another believer are beside you. These moments have become part of the ebb and flow of my life this summer, and God has been teaching me that it's meant to be that way. I'm not studying to write a biblical exegetical paper, come up with an awesome blog idea, or make a decision about a theological issue. The best way to describe it is that I'm waking up and sharing breakfast with Jesus.
As strange, cheesy, and/or cliche that may sound, I'm re-discovering the joy of having no agenda in quiet time other than to spend time--to commune--with the Spirit. I've known for a long time that I'm "supposed" to do that, but actually working that stillness into my life--into the plot of my story, the theme of my canvas, the rhythm of my song--has been a challenge. But, to bring this post around to its title, I think our camp pastor at MFuge (Gary Morgan) said it well: One of our goals as Christians is to have God's rhythms become ours. As a musician, that analogy made good sense to me. A rhythm is basically the "beat" of a song, the consistent pattern set by the percussion instruments (like drums) that has a lot to do with how the song sounds and feels. So, by giving up our own messed up rhythms to God and accepting his instead, we can experience life as its meant to be.
God's rhythms--obedience, humility, desire to know Him and make Him known, etc.--change our lives. They make life abundant and adventurous and full of unexpected turns and new experiences. They're not easy to learn, and we'll most assuredly mess them up. But the best part is that we can only learn the rhythms by spending time with the Musician Himself. He invites us, commands us, and welcomes us into His presence, where we can both learn His rhythms and enjoy His company forever. Our God really is great, isn't he?
Monday, July 6, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Proverbs 10:20. The Tongue and the Heart
Well, I know that it's the first Tuesday of the month instead of the first Monday, but sometimes surprising things happen. Your cousin's car dies, for example. These things can't be helped :)
I've been reading through Proverbs lately, and I've never noticed just how much emphasis the book places on words. Maybe studying linguistics has heightened my awareness on what the Bible says about words, or maybe the Lord is teaching me to listen and analyze my own words more carefully (or both), but over and over again Proverbs mentions the importance of words to human life. And the teaching is just as often about what words say about us as it is actually about what we should say. Some examples:
"The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." Proverbs 15:28
"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18
"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" Proverbs 15:4
Since the Proverbs describe general life wisdom--painting life with a wide brush, so to speak--then yes, we should follow its principles about talking. Basically, think about what you say, don't spout off, use your words for good and not for evil, to build up and not to tear down. All things that the New Testament restates in some way or another.
But, what has really caught my eye lately has been what these sayings tell us about God's desire for our hearts, reminding us that words (and how words line up to actions) are the biggest window to the soul that we have. Words are the predominant way that we express ourselves, identify ourselves, and establish our relationships to others. When we say something, we turn our insides out. The author of Proverbs recognizes that and calls our attention to the relationship between words and the human heart (the deepest part of our being, the part from which we draw out the rest of life's meaning):
"The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth" Proverbs 10:20
Did you catch that? The author ascribed a righteous person's tongue greater value than the heart of a wicked person. I believe that the wording is intentional. By putting the tongue and the heart in direct comparison, the proverb is highlighting the power and importance of what we say. Not as a legalistic, 'don't-you-say-that-you-sinner' warning, but as a nugget of wisdom, an insight into the reality of life: Our words say a whole lot about who we are. And by telling us that, the Bible provides yet another avenue to repentance, another signpost that points us in the direction of God's will.
I've been reading through Proverbs lately, and I've never noticed just how much emphasis the book places on words. Maybe studying linguistics has heightened my awareness on what the Bible says about words, or maybe the Lord is teaching me to listen and analyze my own words more carefully (or both), but over and over again Proverbs mentions the importance of words to human life. And the teaching is just as often about what words say about us as it is actually about what we should say. Some examples:
"The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." Proverbs 15:28
"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18
"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" Proverbs 15:4
Since the Proverbs describe general life wisdom--painting life with a wide brush, so to speak--then yes, we should follow its principles about talking. Basically, think about what you say, don't spout off, use your words for good and not for evil, to build up and not to tear down. All things that the New Testament restates in some way or another.
But, what has really caught my eye lately has been what these sayings tell us about God's desire for our hearts, reminding us that words (and how words line up to actions) are the biggest window to the soul that we have. Words are the predominant way that we express ourselves, identify ourselves, and establish our relationships to others. When we say something, we turn our insides out. The author of Proverbs recognizes that and calls our attention to the relationship between words and the human heart (the deepest part of our being, the part from which we draw out the rest of life's meaning):
"The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth" Proverbs 10:20
Did you catch that? The author ascribed a righteous person's tongue greater value than the heart of a wicked person. I believe that the wording is intentional. By putting the tongue and the heart in direct comparison, the proverb is highlighting the power and importance of what we say. Not as a legalistic, 'don't-you-say-that-you-sinner' warning, but as a nugget of wisdom, an insight into the reality of life: Our words say a whole lot about who we are. And by telling us that, the Bible provides yet another avenue to repentance, another signpost that points us in the direction of God's will.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Back to the Starting Line
The title of my last blog post was "Wrapping Up." That was July 8th, 2014, and I had no idea at the time just how descriptive that title that would be. I didn't anticipate taking an entire year off from blogging, but that's what happened. I can only say that I must have needed it. Academically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally, it's been a year of growth. I've faced bigger challenges and added responsibilities, and they have run their course, helping to shape my life and to hone my sense of calling and purpose. In a way, this year has felt like track practice used to feel back at Pierce County High School. I've been coached. I've been worked out. And I've been exhausted sometimes. But now I feel ready for a new stage. It's back to the starting line.
So, what's this new leg of the race look like? To sum up a theme that's been emerging in my life, the last three years have been a lot of other people pouring into me. Now, it's my turn to do the pouring. I know that I've done my fair share of shaping others even while others have significantly shaped me, but I've been much more in the student-disciple phase of the learning cycle. Coming into my senior year, however, I'm finding that I've been thrust into a sphere of greater responsibility. Up to now, I've predominantly been the learner, and even though I'll never stop learning, I see the doors opening to take the teacher role. In a word, I'm growing up.
Take school, for example. I faced some of the most difficult but rewarding classes that I've ever had last year, even adding something to my course of study (an 18 credit-hour European history component). My undergraduate study of linguistics is now complete because I've taken every linguistics class that NGU offers. I also did some advanced Biblical exegesis, ethical work, and historical research, and my Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) class gave me the chance to plug into the international community in and around Greenville. Now, with my final undergraduate year on the horizon, I'm almost done. I'm still learning, but I've become an academic tutor, I (tentatively) have a NAMB supported internship with my college church, and I'm going to be a weekly ESL volunteer. My eye is on graduation and on applying to life everything that I've been so focused on absorbing.
Another example is in the area of relationships. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I've been dating an amazing woman, Rebekah, since March of 2014. Well, our relationship began on the heels of a significant spiritual and emotional crises for me, which I crawled out of by God's grace and the faithfulness of my family and (in particular) three close friends. Now, one of those friends is getting married and another is moving with his family to the Middle East. I've been able to grow confidently in my relationship over the course of the past year, and now I'm finding that others are coming to me to ask advice and wisdom. Though I feel inadequate, I recognize that God used the support of family and those friends to to help me see some of the thought patterns and patterns of action that help bring about healing, growth, and maturity. As I have learned, I'm now responsible to go and share.
I could give other examples, but the hour is late and my point is made. But, I want to make sure that blogging becomes a regular part of my life this year. To make sure of that, I'll commit to publishing at least twice per month, on every first and third Monday. Hopefully, I'll be able to write more posts and publish them throughout, but you can expect at least twice in the month. Now, what will they be about? I'm not sure yet. I never am. But, I'll put my college slogan to test once again: "Somehow, it always gets done."
So, what's this new leg of the race look like? To sum up a theme that's been emerging in my life, the last three years have been a lot of other people pouring into me. Now, it's my turn to do the pouring. I know that I've done my fair share of shaping others even while others have significantly shaped me, but I've been much more in the student-disciple phase of the learning cycle. Coming into my senior year, however, I'm finding that I've been thrust into a sphere of greater responsibility. Up to now, I've predominantly been the learner, and even though I'll never stop learning, I see the doors opening to take the teacher role. In a word, I'm growing up.
Take school, for example. I faced some of the most difficult but rewarding classes that I've ever had last year, even adding something to my course of study (an 18 credit-hour European history component). My undergraduate study of linguistics is now complete because I've taken every linguistics class that NGU offers. I also did some advanced Biblical exegesis, ethical work, and historical research, and my Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) class gave me the chance to plug into the international community in and around Greenville. Now, with my final undergraduate year on the horizon, I'm almost done. I'm still learning, but I've become an academic tutor, I (tentatively) have a NAMB supported internship with my college church, and I'm going to be a weekly ESL volunteer. My eye is on graduation and on applying to life everything that I've been so focused on absorbing.
Another example is in the area of relationships. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I've been dating an amazing woman, Rebekah, since March of 2014. Well, our relationship began on the heels of a significant spiritual and emotional crises for me, which I crawled out of by God's grace and the faithfulness of my family and (in particular) three close friends. Now, one of those friends is getting married and another is moving with his family to the Middle East. I've been able to grow confidently in my relationship over the course of the past year, and now I'm finding that others are coming to me to ask advice and wisdom. Though I feel inadequate, I recognize that God used the support of family and those friends to to help me see some of the thought patterns and patterns of action that help bring about healing, growth, and maturity. As I have learned, I'm now responsible to go and share.
I could give other examples, but the hour is late and my point is made. But, I want to make sure that blogging becomes a regular part of my life this year. To make sure of that, I'll commit to publishing at least twice per month, on every first and third Monday. Hopefully, I'll be able to write more posts and publish them throughout, but you can expect at least twice in the month. Now, what will they be about? I'm not sure yet. I never am. But, I'll put my college slogan to test once again: "Somehow, it always gets done."
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