Little Things: Updates and a Thought

This is going to be a quick, but I am exceedingly heavy of heart that my blog has been neglected for an entire month. I wonder if it ever gets its feelings hurt... Life has been ridiculous but pretty good, as always. Updates:

     A. Hebrew class is intriguing but beginning to be overwhelming. 

     B. I have my first extremely intensive research paper due in a couple of weeks. I have to develop a research question about the city of Thessalonica, create a thesis, and prove it. It should be fun, but it'll be a lot of work added onto an already stressful semester. 

     C. I am officially dating someone. Despite my nervousness for obvious reasons, the "Dad Talk" happened Saturday and went exceptionally well. He gave us full permission and blessing. :) Her name is Katie, and you (If you are from my home town) will likely meet her in the not-too-distant future. She's pretty much amazing. Godly, talented, wants to be a missionary, all that good stuff. I'm a lucky, excited guy. 

Here's a little thought from this morning. 

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

I look back in sadness on the many times this command would have helped me make a much better decision. Too often I get so wrapped up in trying to figure out the complexities of life that I forget to focus on the simple instructions that God has given us. Be kind and compassionate. Forgive. It's amazing what a difference the little things will make. 

Yup. Me and Katie :)

 

The Pursuit of...What?

I have several ideas that I would like to write about, but I only have time tonight for a few quick words.

The pursuit of happiness doesn't really exist. Even the "spiritual" things that should make me happy-sharing the gospel, spending time in prayer, reading the word-don't make me happy IF I'm doing them in a vain pursuit of some kind of "inner peace." The true root of all happiness is God, so the pursuit of happiness will only end in success if we ignore happiness altogether and instead pursue obedience.

In His word, Abba makes it clear that obedience may bring hardship and persecution, but He also promises that obedience brings joy through a closer walk with Christ. There is a difference between joy and happiness, but that's not my point tonight. I simply want to say this: Ignore happiness. Pursue Christ and obedience to Him, and you may be surprised at just how happy you can be.  

Food for thought: Doing vs. Being.

This is a quick, two-sentence excerpt from my spiritual and intellectual life: Through a variety of scripture, circumstances, and people, God is teaching me that now is not the time to focus on what I'm going to "do." Now is the time to focus on who I'm going to become. 

A Quick Word: Rest

"For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing." -Isaiah 30:15

God says this immediately after rebuking the Israelite people for turning to Egypt for deliverance from Assyria rather than having faith in God's protection. This is a powerful and moving verse, but one phrase stands out to me in particular: You will be delivered by returning and resting. We are designed to rest. God lays that out throughout scripture, yet I overlook that concept more often than not. We are meant to return to God and rest-spiritually, physically, and emotionally. If we try to fight our own battles and develop our own strategies, we fail. God, though, promises rest if we trust in Him and live by our faith. Help us, Lord, to remember to return to you and rest. 

A Quick Word: Love

Some thoughts sparked by a recent conversation. 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” -C.S. Lewis

Love is a calculated risk. No matter what the relationship-romantic, close friend, family-both sides must accept the uncertainty of the human experience. Trust is therefore a foundational element  of any loving relationship. Without trust, intimacy never really exists. 

The same goes with our relationship with God. I see how I tend to shy away from giving my love completely to God, how I hold back because of my subconscious fear of risk. Denying Him that love, though, is a sure way to never fully realize the joy that God gives us through a relationship with Him. It's a calculated risk. When you factor in God's faithfulness, loving kindness, and selflessness, the answer seems pretty obvious. It's worth the risk. 

A Carpenter's Hands

I had my first successful experience with carpentry today. With an astronomical amount of help from my Grandpa, I built an entertainment center for my cousin Tom and his wife Stacy. It's to be a belated wedding gift and hopefully will last them a good, long while. Along with enjoying the day with Grandpa, I found the age-old trade of woodworking intriguing and fulfilling.

I'm not necessarily the best at that kind of thing, and I likely never will be. However, cutting, shaping, gluing, screwing, and nailing pieces of lumber until they come together as something useful is a hobby that I would like to continue. First, it's a practical skill that could prove invaluable one day. To guide and watch the transformation from wood to object, though, is satisfying in and of itself. With a handful of rough, plain boards, a good carpenter (such as Grandpa) can add just the right touches at just the right places to accomplish just the purpose he intends. There seems to be an aura of nobility to the craft, and the look of a finished product (art, some would call it) satisfies the carpenter's mind.

It's interesting to think that Jesus was a carpenter. We don't know a lot about his endeavors in the trade, but I think it's safe to say that he would have spent much of his pre-ministry days in the shop. In the Middle East in the first century A.D., there was no air-conditioning. Imagine the discomfort of the heat, the frustration of hand working everything, the pain of cuts, sore muscles... Yet through it all, Jesus shaped and molded the raw materials into the objects he wanted.

Jesus really is in the business of carpentry. Yes, he constructed whatever carpenters built in that age, but he is a carpenter of lives even more. We are all born rough. Sin has warped our souls, marking us with holes, gashes, and imperfections on every face. We're fit for nothing but burning, really. Jesus, though, is the master carpenter. Once we become His, we are subject to His work. Jesus paid the eternal price for us-though we were worth not a penny-and is constantly at work mending, shaping, and fitting the broken pieces of our lives into a work of both beauty and utility.

Why does he do this? God loves us. By taking us from nothing and making us into something useful, He proves that His desire is for us to be beloved objects of use, not just a pile of waste. Not only that, but a carpenter's talent is proved by His work. Although we will never be finished in this life, it takes unfathomable skill to make scrap into product. Our lives are to show His glory. For that, I am eternally grateful and humbled. Thank you, Jesus, for the work of Your hands.     

Coffee, Anyone?

It's been 15 days or so since I last blogged. I have no excuse-I've been home and everything. Laziness and relaxation are the only culprits I can think to blame. The longer I go between posts, though, the more I'm reminded of my love for writing.

The last few days have been simple and enjoyable, simply enjoyable I suppose one could say. As always, I've been learning small things in life, discovering little joys, and loving the fellowship with my friends and family (although there are some dearly loved family members that I have yet to see, SARAH ROZIER :))

Some small things I've learned:

     1. Home is wherever the family is.
     2. A puppy can be so stubborn that it would rather be dragged on its back than walk on a leash.
     3. Mom doesn't like chickens. "Aaron, if they peck at me... THEY'RE PECKING AT ME!!!!"
     4. I really do want to own a coffee-shop at some point in the future.

Concerning the coffee-shop, I discovered my love of that informal, relaxed atmosphere almost three years ago. I ran into some friends at JT's Java Cafe, a spontaneous hang-out occurred, and I felt completely comfortable and in my element. Since then, I've had a somewhat childish dream of eventually owning my own, but I've never believed that it had a chance of becoming reality.

On a recent bike riding trip with Mom and Dad, though, I decided that I really do want to own a shop one day. I have various reasons, but it all boils down to my love of fellowship and coffee. Last Friday, we (Mom, Dad, and I) were on a bike trail in Inverness, FL for several hours, which gave me plenty of time to think and daydream. Reflecting over my Cleveland trip, I realized that the best conversations I had almost all occurred in coffee-shops or coffee-shop like cafes. For me, there is something about those environments that encourages me to open up and allow conversation to flow. Whatever it is-the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, the relaxing vibe, the comfy couches-I thrive in it because friendliness and fellowship seem to naturally grow when I'm in its presence. I'm sure that eventually I'll encounter some coffee-shop visits that flop, but at least until now I have yet to have a super-awkward conversation when I'm surrounded with the buzz of coffee-thirsty patrons.

What better way to spiritually connect with people than in such a place? Coupled with my heart for the nations, maybe I'll one day be able to start a coffee-shop in a city with an international presence. I could reach out to immigrants and offer them job training and English lessons, start bible studies, have a platform for young musicians, potentially even start a church... The possibilities are numerous. I don't know ANY specifics, including when and where, but I have at least made a resolve to do it one day, Lord willing.

I still have a burning passion for international missions and bible translation. I haven't a clue how these passions that God has given me will work out or work together. Maybe I'll spend time on a translation project, then come stateside. Maybe the coffee shop will be in another country. Maybe God will lead me on Journeyman or another medium-term trip and afterwards bring me back. Maybe the coffee-shop is a retirement thing. I don't know. I've just learned that God is faithful, following Christ is an adventure, and obedience must drive our lives if we are to be the children that God intends for us to be. And as children of God, we never quite know what's in store for us next.