A Thing Unforeseen

     Most of the time, I don't slow down until I have to. Rushing through life, I scramble from Thing to do A to Thing to do B to Thing to do C. I write reports, talk to friends, help out at church, study for tests, exercise, eat, sleep, and do more things. Even hanging out and quiet time often become more things in the cyclone of my life. 

     

     But every cyclone has a calm at its heart. 

     Today, something pushed me out of the whirlwind and into the quiet: A flat tire on my bicycle. 

     I was out for a ride when it happened. Climbing and coasting through the foothills, I did occasionally interrupt my pace- to look at a stream, a grain field, an abandoned mill... But only when I wanted to stop. My ride was under my control.     

The tire changed everything. In about a minute, it exhaled all of its air, and it didn't breathe any back in. 

Plodding along the side of the road, I waited on my cousin to find me. Everything was calm. The wind brushed against my hair and whispered in my ear. Stillness. Quietness. Just plodding along...

Sometimes, we need something to stop us in our tracks. Helplessness isn't always bad, and we don't always have to be in control. It may take something unforeseen to allow our souls to rest. 

Maybe those flat tires aren't that bad, after all...

Be still, my soul. 

     

New Look?

This isn't really a post, but I am going to write one soon. This is more of a call for feedback. How does everyone like the new look? Any suggestions? You can leave a comment or just email/facebook me if you would like to respond.

Out in These Hills

I have been really slack on writing this semester. Life is nuts! For lack of time, here is my first try at a brief video post.

Here we go Again

This is going to be a quick post, mainly because there are not enough hours in the day for me to study enough and still sleep tonight. College life is rewarding... yet exhausting.

I'm writing because I genuinely miss writing. When my fingers touch the keyboard, a little stress seems to ebb off of the tide that threatens to swamp my mind. I write, and I feel relieved and slightly accomplished. A finished post is a measurable success, no matter how small. Sometimes, that's all it takes to lift a burdened spirit.

God is with us through the stress. Through the mental and emotional struggle, through the "trials" that accompany the privilege of attending a university. Balancing spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and intellectual maturation isn't easy, yet that growth also ends in measurable success: becoming more like the person Christ intends for us to be. The list of to-do's seems to grow endlessly. Whether it's things we have to do, things we need to do, things we should do, or things we want to do, we will always have something to do. With each completion, though, we gain a new sense of accomplishment, gain a new perspective, and learn a new lesson. It's all worth doing because life is worth living. Our to-do's become our experiences, and God uses our experiences to teach us wisdom.

The gist? I just gotta do it. We learn, live, love, and grow because God has equipped us to be servants and workers in this world. Sometimes we just have to get it done and decide to praise God even through the stress.

If only Dr. Rankin would cancel that test... :]

Child's Play

I meant to take time to write about this two weeks ago, but once again, time got away from me.

Final exams seem to cause chaos at college. For about a week, NGU witnessed 2500 students cramming, staying up late, and stressing out about tests that were an astronomical portion of their final grade. So what did my friends decide to do Saturday night? ...Take a study break. Most of us had only one exam left, so we gathered together in Admin to watch a movie and blow off some steam. And from there, the most spontaneous adventure of the fall semester began.

It just took two people to decide that they wanted to slide down the hallway in their socks. That started a conversation, and it snowballed into ideas about how to slide down hills. Well, after an alarmingly short amount of time, we were all in a car headed to Dollar General to find cardboard boxes that would become makeshift snowless sleds.

After commandeering a few spare boxes, we were soon *trying* to ride them like bobsleds down rough, dew-covered hills. Much bruising and laughter followed. Then someone got the bright idea to duct-tape a small whiteboard to the bottom of one of the boxes.... I know that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, but I gave it a real good run for its money.

So we spent the evening laughing our stress away and taking some time for a much-needed break. In the end, we went back to finish watching the movie and warm our borderline frozen bodies with hot chocolate.

What's the point? There really isn't a big one. Just to remember that sometimes a good, laughable bout of child's play can be exactly what we need to make the rest of our lives bearable. Memories are indeed priceless.

Captive Thoughts

^"3 For though we live in the body,^[b] we do not wage war in an unspiritual way,^[c] 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly,^[d] but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments ⁵ and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5 (Emphasis added). 

Sorry it's been so long! I'm back. 

The end of the semester is approaching. Between studying, completing projects, and trying to cram in last-minute hang out time sessions, life has really picked up the pace. I noticed something this week, though, that really bothers me. Whenever I get busy with life, I tend to let my spiritual guard down. 

A specific event jarred me to this realization. A couple of days ago, I was going along just fine. Suddenly, out of "nowhere" I had a flood of very unloving thoughts about a specific brother in Christ. At first, I relented and allowed my mind to devour these thoughts, like a glutton stuffing his face into a poisoned pie. Quickly, though, Christ shook me to my senses with a What-In-The-World-Are-You-Doing sense of conviction. There was no reason for these thoughts. This wasn't righteous anger or passion for justice. This was annoyance that escalated dangerously fast. It was scary. 

In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul was speaking about defending the gospel message against "high-minded" arguments and taking thoughts captive for Christ. However, in this case, it was my own selfish thoughts that needed capturing. If I let my natural flesh run free, I would run out of the boundaries that the King established for my own good. I would run out of the safety zone and right into the hands of an enemy that seeks to devour. All because I let one little thought out of the protective limits of Christ. 

Praise God for mercy, grace, and forgiveness! God is faithful and just to forgive those that seek forgiveness through faith in Christ. That relationship changes us forever, and it is powerful even to change the thoughts that would otherwise ruin our relationship with God. 

God has been teaching me a lot about love lately. (1 John 3:18-20. It's challenging, but the true love of God is deeply satisfying). Whenever I experienced firsthand the misery of hate, even for just a moment, I was pointed to the freedom found in the love of Christ. It's the ultimate juxtaposition: Hate vs. Love. The depravity of the one highlights the peace and fulfillment of the other. Hallelujah that God is Love! Take every thought captive for Christ. It's worth the price.  

   

The Final Fight

Journal #10

            Ephesians 6:10-12 says: “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”

Ephesians six has long been one of my favorite passages of scripture, because it always comes to mind when I need it most. Spiritual warfare is real, and it is a constant challenge in my walk with Christ. Particularly, I feel the effects of spiritual warfare when I am entering a period of spiritual growth. Satan hates to see God win, and he will fight the hardest whenever it seems that he is losing a foothold in my life. He will come from every angle—spiritual, physical, and emotional—to try to destroy, and I cannot resist him on my own. I get frustrated, confused, and distressed, and two questions always come to mind: Why is spiritual warfare so difficult, and how do I win? Pointing to the Savior and His strength in the spiritual realm, Ephesians chapter six answers both of these questions.

First, verse 12 provides insight into the difficulty of the battle. The reason that spiritual struggles seem impossible to overcome is that we are fighting beings against whom we have no human defense against. They are “the rulers…authorities…the world powers of this darkness…the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Verse 12). We men may know how to handle the local bully, a rival business, or a hostile government, but we cannot fight these evil spiritual beings because we do not even really know what they are. Without the help of a stronger Spiritual Being, we will fall every time. Also, spiritual struggles are not on our battlefield. While the effects of spiritual warfare can be seen on earth, it is truly being played out “in the heavens,” which is a place we cannot see or understand. Once again, our only hope is in the Lord, who is perpetually present and authoritative in the heavens.

If the battle is against beings we cannot fight and on a plain we cannot access, then how can we hope to gain the victory? The answer is provided in verse 10: “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.” Our victory will come from God’s might, not our own. Too often I think I know the best plan of attack or defense, and I commit to carry it out without surrendering to the One who is the master strategist. However, by having faith in Christ and cultivating my relationship with Him, I will have victory in His strength. Further, we have been charged to be prepared. God will provide the strength, so we are expected to turn every area of our lives over to Him, taking time to “Put on the full armor of God” (Verse 11). Quiet time and striving to be Christ-like will prepare us for the battle by ensuring that we are protected from every area of assault, as explained in verses 14-17. We cannot be prepared just with a belt of truth, for we also need a helmet of salvation, breast-plate of righteousness, sandals of readiness, a shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, all of which come from God. Finally, to gain the victory we must “Stand” (Verse 14). To stand takes courage, and to stand takes strength. We cannot win by giving in and running away from evil, because then our backs are turned and we are defenseless. Instead, we are to have hope in the Lord, take the strength He offers, face evil, and fight with all of our might. Like a boxer in the final round, we may be exhausted and wounded, but the victory will one day be ours. Just as He already defeated death and Hell, Christ will inevitably defeat evil once and for all. When that happens, those who follow Him will follow Him to victory.