are you being served?

My current occupation is definitely one of the service industry. One might think that since I work at a Baptist Seminary, my job is all smiles, all the time. However, although I do have the privilege of working with some fine people, I often come across one or two patrons that show somewhat less-than-average value in my position. For a vast majority of my academic career, I have placed (often misplaced) great time and effort into the betterment of my mind (particularly in languages). Working in my respective office, I am in contact with dozens of language students daily, seeking the aid of my co-worker who happens to be the school's tutor and language guru. I have come to find out that one of my greatest pet peeves is when people underestimate me or my ability. One lively afternoon, a kind gentlemen came in the office in search of a German tutor. I explained to him that we did not have one on staff, but that German was actually my major in college and I would be happy to help in any way I could. The response I received was one in which I was imposed to interpret that I was merely a secretary and if I hear of a REAL tutor, then I was to contact him. My thought process included the following exhortations: I can help you! I want to help! Let me help you! I promise I know more than you think I might know! I know what I am taking about! Let me do it! I then proceeded to relay this story and my frustration to a couple of friends. However, approximately 10 minutes later, I found myself before the Lord who was voicing the very same exhortations of me. So this brought a whole new perspective to the afternoon.....

movie theaters and thriller dreams

Yesterday might have been a perfect afternoon... well, almost perfect. I decided that I was going to take an afternoon after work just for me and spend some time alone doing things that I enjoy. After work, I ran home to shower quickly and headed out to get a massage. When I arrived at the parlor the masseuse was in Arlington, so I quickly opted out (and good because I would have been convicted later for spending so much money on something like that!). I then headed downtown and took a walk around the square. About that time, my college roommate called. Now, this is divine because I have not talked with her in MONTHS and have not seen her in about TWO YEARS, but I love her dearly, and she has been on my mind lately. She knew nothing about what is happening in my life, so I got the chance to catch up with her. She is in her fourth year of medical school in Mississippi (her husband is in his third) and one of the most precious people that I know. I was reminded of the people that the Lord has placed in my life who genuinely care about me and I know would be there in a moment if ever I was in need. (kinda like a It's a Wonderful Life moment). After walking downtown (it was BEAUTIFUL) and taking the standard Barnes and Noble/ Starbucks browse, I went to see the movie Becoming Jane. Mind you, I have seen it before, but something in me wanted to see it again, to experience the story one more time. If you know the story of Jane Austen, the ending is bittersweet, but as I wrapped up in my blanket, hot dog in one hand and diet coke in the other, it was perfect. After a long day, a long several months of going and thinking and trudging, I rested. Then, I went to Starbucks and got something with e double-shot and went home to warm it up, wrote a letter (of which I am now committed to doing daily) and read in my bed. Dreams were a little like a suspense thriller last night, but I woke up alert and ready for the first day of the rest of my life =). No deep thoughts today, but thank you, Jesus, for all kinds of rest.

Forgiveness

When I would blog in the past, it was interesting and even inspiring to watch the world around me and discover His glory and presence in all ways of life. Today, I feel empty, anxious, full, peaceful... all in one. In Bible study last night, we talked about getting out of our boats (comfort zones) and how the Lord, knowing full well that we would fall, sends us out. My heart is caught somewhere with the Lord between begging for his mercy not to fall and succumbing to his grace, knowing that I will. I was talking with the Lord last night and before I began to present my petitions, I started to confess the-- often numerous-- sins of the day. Then I stopped. I realized that as I was confessing my sin to him, I neglected the most important part. Although it has already been atoned, I was neglecting to ask forgiveness for the transgressions against the Father. I think too often we don't hesitate to acknowledge our sin, before the Father and others; however, I know I fail in recognizing that this sin, by nature, is an abomination against a holy God and each sinful thought and action is spitting in the face of the very grace and mercy of which I ask. Confession is nothing without repentance. Repentance includes the acknowledgment that forgiveness is needed by the Father and choosing to flee. Do I flee?

a little peace of heaven....

Ok, I am back in the blogger world (after a long sabbatical). I will not attempt to review the last year and a half, but know that life is a long, hard journey and through it all, we are not who we were yesterday and for this, the Lord is to be praised. I am not really sure if anyone will read this anymore, so I assume that this writing is more for myself than for the blogger world at-large. So, here we go.....
The past few weeks of my life have been a war with the Lord. In reflection of Jacob, I feel like my struggle with the Lord has broken my hip, femur, and skull. At a point of utter despair the other night, a friend said to me, "Not everyone gets to wrestle with the Lord." This thought echoes in my mind. I am struggling to find joy not in spite of, but BECAUSE of my struggle (I believe I addressed this in a previous post - amazing how the Lord continually seeks to sanctify an area of our lives until we actually get it right.) I am learning how to be "crazy honest" before the Lord, convinced that he cares more about our relationship with him than how much Scripture we can quote back to him or how many times we can say "Your will be done." I felt that to be intimate with him, this is not sufficient. He wants ALL of us. I once cried before a treasured friend and apologized for being such a baby. He turned and squared me, making me promise never to apologize for being real with him. I think this is how the Lord wants us to approach him. No apologies for honesty. It is only in these times, times in which the Psalms tell me that he is listening, that I have found peace. Only when I am on my knees in my living room crying my eyes out and begging the Lord to move, is my soul--somehow--peaceful.

Grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace

Move our hearts to hear a single beat

Between alibis and enemies to mind

Or maybe not, not today

Peace might be another world away

And if that's the case....

We'll give thanks to you

With gratitude

For lessons learned in how to trust in you

We are blessed beyond what we could ever dream

In abundance or need

If you never grants us peace

But Jesus ...... would you please?

Jack and Chuck- at it again

If everyone followed Jack Bauer's orders, it wouldn't be called 24, it would be called 12.If Jack Bauer was gay, his name would be Chuck Norris.Jack Bauer has the ability to smell sounds.Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.Jack Bauer doesn't wash his clothes. He tortures them until they're clean.The only reason you're conscious right now is because Jack Bauer doesn't want to carry you.While being 'put under' in the hospital, Jack Bauer can count backwards from 100 every time. This annoys the doctors.If you spell Jack Bauer in a Scrabble game, you win. Forever.Jack Bauer was once shot. The bullet was killed on impact.What color is Jack Bauer's blood? Trick question. Jack Bauer does not bleed.Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.

leaving on a jet plane...

Ok, so the past 24 hours of my life have been absolutely insane. I been planning a business trip to Nashville over the last two months, and scheduling meetings and dinners and trips, etc. Now, all plans are coming to fruition. Well, the trip to the airport was an adventure in itself-- but the Lord blessed me with great friends :0 ) However, since my arrival, some things have been completely miraculous. One, as I sheduled these meeting, they are spread over three counties in Tennessee. When I scheduled them, I attempted to allot a fair amount of time for driving, but I had no idea how far apart some of these places were until I got here. However, as I mapquested the meetings, none of them are over 25 minutes apart-- and most are well under 15 minutes!! Completely amazing how the Lord's hand moved in the schedule to couple long trips together where all of the meetings are grouped according to location-- coincidence-- i think not, my friend.
Furthermore, the most amazing thing happened today. We are scheduling to hold a VBS at a local apartment complex in the Hispanic part of town, and as I went to go visit with the site contact today and take a look at the site of the future vbs madness, I couldnt help but stare. The apartments circle a small but jovial playground with a air-filled bouncing house to the side. More intriguing, inside the elements were several kids playing. It took me a minute to notice the ethnicity of the kids. The complex also houses a large SomaLi Bantu populations. I saw little hispanic kids playing with the bantu children and i wanted to weep. I realized that this summer, the Lord has sculpted these two groups to be together and he has placed middle to upper class bible-toting youth to jump into the mix this summer. What a clash of culture-- its fantastic. All three in one place-- I cant wait to see what the Lord is going to do with it! But for now, im running on about an hour of sleep, so same time, same channel... Psalm 16

"O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." -- Saint Francis of Assisi

ants marching

Raised in Mississippi, I am quite familiar with the minuscule creature we call the ant. As far as I am concerned, there are two kinds of ants: those whose bed you step into when you are little and your mom dips you in rubbing alcohol (fire ants) and those black ones that invest your house and your car (sugar ants). I think Texas has some sort of hybrid mutant that lives in the wild but does not bite (straight from XMEN). Today was a perfectly beautiful day, and I decided to go find a park. I found this church in the middle of a subdivision that had a cute little playground and swing set.. After sitting in the grass and reading for a while, I noticed the swings. Girls love to swing (hint to guys- take them swinging– trust me). So as I was swinging , I stop to watch my feet dangle and looked at dozens of XMEN ants crawling on the ground. Unlike Mississippi ants, there was no army line or orderly structure to the ants. It looked like a diaspora of the little creatures– scattering everywhere, each looking for something to pick up. Some were carrying small pieces of wood chips on the ground; some were looking. Many outliers seemed to have lost their way in the wilderness, but they kept trucking, searching, searching. Some, I noticed, had found two small pieces of candy on the ground. This struck me. Many XMEN ants were huddled around the candy. It struck me how easily these ants were led astray by something, although sweet, was ultimately not beneficial to the task at hand. How much are we like ants? We have been sent, many as outliers far from home, on a Great Commission to collect and bring our offering back to our master. However, often we are hindered by the temptation of things, although sweet-tasting, hinder our mission and divert us from the path and task set before us. Then I think, what things in my life are hindering me. I often think that good things can’t be bad for me because they are good. But what happens when good things divert us from God. My friend and I were discussing the topic the other night, and how Satan uses good things in our life to lead us astray as they consume us, replacing our first love. I leave you with John’s response to the church at Ephesus:
"I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and hey are not, for you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that have left your first love." Revelation 2:2-4

A "site" for sore eyes

I believe I have heard the phrase, "it's been a while" about 5 times in the last two days, so I refuse to say it again. However, much has happened since the last blog and I feel the need to update you in a little tidbit of info. I now have a job with the student services department of Lifeway Christian Resources that allows me to schedule and confirm ministry sites for the Nashville area during the MFUGE camp of summer 06 (a.k.a. Site Director). This means that I must plan and meet with the site contacts of around 70 sites, some having more than one contact. I live in Texas and I am setting up sites in Nashville. In other words, I am a little overwhelmed. So, as I have started calling all these folks, I have noticed that I actually speak to about 15%of the people I call. Therefore, I leave dozens of messages a day. Guess how many of these people call me back-- 4. I have had a total of FOUR people call me back. It is ok, but if they would only conform to MY schedule, then things would go smoothly (hehe). Suffice it to say that I do not feel like I am on schedule with this thing. And daylight runs out fast, my cell phone bill is outrageous, and I have not had an income for two months. So, things are starting to look a little slim my way and -- oh no-- I am starting to feel a little pessimistic about things lately. What happened to the shiny, smiley seminary girl that we once knew? Who knows? Not to mention heavy burdens on my heart, I felt like the weight of the world has broken my shoulders and laid in my lap. I could tell the weight of my inwardness and self-consummation take its toll when a dear friend was telling me about a major problem and I had no compassion or kind words for her. (Proof that when we sin, it definitely effects others-- don't let anyone tell you differently) So the other night, I returned from a friends house (which I have been frequenting lately ;) ) And shut the door to my house, realized that it was empty, for my roommate is gone for the week, and collapsed against the shut door and cried like a baby for about 30 minutes. It was one of those deep cries, you know-- the ones that actually make your chest hurt and abdomen swell. I made it to my bed, light off, and sat up in bed and spoke out loud everything that burdened me. Feelings of neglect, confusion, bitterness, betrayal, and many other just poured from my to the Father as Erik, unguarded, open and brutally honest, told God exactly how she felt, whether it was right or wrong. I felt I needed to tell God exactly how I feel. One, to express it to Him, for he wants to hear it. And two, to manifest thoughts into actually descriptions of what was going on inside of me. I think these are things that we deal with every day, but we hide them under a mask and are afraid to actually confront them. We are sinful. We feel pain. Why do we always act like we don't? Why don't we share the deepest darkest trials of our lives with the body in love? Derek Webb said the best things that could happen to us would be to expose our deepest darkest sin on the 5 o'clock news. I believe it. To take off the mask of hypocrisy would be, well, honest. So what does this have to do with the site stuff? Well, all the feelings were building up and making me into someone I didn't want to be-- someone totally full of ME! Last night in class, Dr. Ellis made an anecdote about the sufferings of Christ being shared with us, and as Christians when we suffer, we share in tea sufferings of Christ, thus partaking in Him. What a time for that to come up in class! Today, I went to a park and sat with the Lord for a while and listened. He led me to open his word to 2 Corinthians, and on these pages, the Word of God spoke to me in an amazing way. It spoke of our inadequacies in this life but our adequacy in Christ. In chapter 3 it goes on to correlate the glory of God being made manifest in the Christ in us, and we are being conformed GLORY to GLORY to his image. Our inadequacies yield a need for Christ to make us adequate. This goes hand-in-hand with glory. In Christ, we are not merely adequate, we are glorious to God. The words on the page were illuminated before my eyes, and as my friend Brian says, it became living and active. The Lord spoke directly through his Word to answer my prayer today, and it was simply great. Really Mr. Tomlin, How Great is Our God? A God that never ceases to amaze us and leave us in wonder, provides blessings beyond measure, and promises a life with Him-- wow.

two roads diverged in a yellow wood

it is definitely 5am and i think my body is completely shut down but the most amazing thing just happened and i feel i have no choice but to write it down and praise God for it. For the past several weeks, I have been struggling over a decision whether or not, and if so, where, to further my education. opportunities arose in New Orleans and home in Mississippi to do both. The past year has been very challenging for a number of reasons, and although i have learned so much in and out of the classroom, an unrest had settled in my heart. I have creid and prayed and read and sought counsel over and over from those whom i trust and felt completely torn about this decision-- one that would have been nice to have made about three weeks ago. tonight, well, last night, my friend, whom i dearly love and respect, asked me if i was going to live with her next semester. I think i just bobbled over words for a minute because honestly, I didnt have an answer. I just told her that I would come talk to her in the morning about it-- to be truthful-- i had no idea what i was even going to say. Through all the praying and seeling, i knew one thing to be true. Either decision would be right. There was not a bad/wrong one, but maybe a better one. I had no peace about either and my heart was extremely burdened (and yes, the inward dwelling can result in too much self-reflection.)
Nonetheless, the good part....
About 445 this morning, i know the Lord woke me wide awake. And with peace that definitely surpasses any human understanding, the path before me was make perfectly clear. For reasons unknown to me, I am to stay. The Lord has stretched me here in ways beyond my imagination, and although this may continue to be a testing time, I know with everything that I am that I am to be here. Not only has he given me his amazing peace about the situation, but he has also given me an excitement to be here and seek what he has for me. Really, I cant wait to see my friend in the morning, apologize for probably stressing her out beyond measure, and tell her about what the Lord has done this night-- praise him! And what a time to have peace-- four finals next week and so much christmas shopping to do!!!!

miss to the issippi

there is no particular insight or spiritual application to this blog- just bored and about to pack up to head to the hizzy tomorrow. i cant express how much i love my family. so much happens that i miss being over here, and some great things are happening in the family (i only have 10 members-- no direct cousins or anything) but we are all really close. i do have some extended family but not that i see much around the holidays. not really looking forward to the 9-hour drive though. especially after work; however, a nice layover in jackson will suffice for the endless boredom. i think i am going to get an audiobook from the library tomorrow morning.- try to keep me awake, so if anyone is bored tomorrow and as much as i despise talking on the phone, i would enjoy any jabber you have to offer. have a good one and happy thanksgiving

all the king's men

by now you must realized that school is taking a lull when i publish twice in one week- hallaleujah! ok, so my friends kati and chris and i were watching some chick flick last night about mandy moore and her father, the US president and her troubles as the president's daughter. The thought crosses our minds of how much it would stink to be the child of the president and have your whole life under a magnifying glass-- how much pressure it would be to live up to so many expectations. Then, the thought crosses my mind- not only are we the children of a king and our life is likewise under a microscope- the manner in which people perceive our lives as they look into the magnifying glass is crucial. It is literally a matter of life and death according to what they see. We have ultimate expectations- God wants nothing less than perfection. However, of course, we can not live up to this, but Christ can- and did! Nonetheless, we are to have the attitude and mind of Christ as the representation of his bride- his church in this world. So, just a prince william and harry or the bush girls, our lives as children of the king of kings is likewise examined by a skeptical world-- to carry a phrase from Dave Busby- live a life worthy of imitation

It's all greeek to me

So I am once again sitting at the YMCA, the Lord uses these precious little ones and their innocence to touch my life. Yesterday, as we do every Monday, I had a quiz in my greek class and about 30 minutes before the quiz (12 minutes before i leave work) I start looking over the words and learning the grammar in order to push though the quiz. Sometimes, in order to help me, I will ask one or two of the kids to repeat the Greek word back to me, and I try to memorize it instantly. This usually works. However, there is Mason. Mason is in first grade and he is all boy. Lego ship-making, dirt-eating, plan-crashing boy. Yesterday, Mason was making a ship, that they called Zodiac- i think it was the mother ship- and I asked him to repeat a word after me. We went through a couple of words until we came to the word apokrinomai (i answer) When I asked Mason to repeat the word, he smiled really big and looked up and me and with all confidence, he said "apple-creamo pie!" My little heart inside of me churned. He never asked what the word meant, or if he even said it right. He merely did the best he could say and was happy when he thought he was close to the mark. He was so proud as he looked away, I could not help but start to tear up. Mason did not care that the other kids looked at him strage for yelling out "Apple creamo pie" He did not question why i was asking him to say the words, following my example, he merely followed. Although he was a little off the mark, after all, asking a five-year-old to say greek can be quite a challenge, he did not stop when he messed up. He kept following my lead and saying the words as best he could. He never questioned my authority, he never asked why or how, he just followed and did it. I think this may be an example of the child-like faith that we have with our Father in heaven. Too many times we ask why or how when we really need to quit asking questions and do what he did-- follow Him. He has given us the example. With all confidence, we can grin up at the Father and try to dp exactly what He has done-- no questions asked. Sometimes we can foul it up, seeming like as hard as we try, we scream "apple creamo pie" but I think when this happends, the Father is heaven is tearing up and laughing inside as I did. He knows the real answer, but he wants obedience.

What happens when we play video games at the YMCA.....

Ok, so i know its been forever, but just to catch up-
left nashville, moved to fort worth (big debate over that decision), started class, hurricane came through my hometown, computer blew up, dads job loss, two new jobs for me, and a sliced tire. been a busy semester already. however, of all the things that the Lord has shown me many many truths about His word and our proclamation of it with our lives have come to the forefront. recently, i have been having a very trialsome experience that has brought me to the brink of sanity at times, but the result is that in my heart, for a while, i became frustrated and bitter about many things. in my bitterness, i attempted to seclude myself and busy myself with school and jobs in order to forget about the bitterness and pain that remained in my heart. I have taken a promotion at the YMCA and now I am a site supervisor for a local elementary school in the after school program. today, we introduced a video game to our students that really struck my attention as the Lord was telling me to pay attention to the strategy of the game because it was a parallel with my life. In the game, you are a little blue car that is traveling around a track, looking for flags to pick up. As you race, two little red cars are chasing you and if they catch you, you die. however, you can blow smoke out of your exhaust with the touch of a button and confuse the cars and they will stop chasing you. As i reflected on this, i realized that my life has been exactly like that. I run around in circles jumping from one flag (little and insufficient glimpse of happiness) to another, running like a madwoman as if something is chasing me. For me, it is past experiences. The hurt that has been lately is chasing me like the little red car, and i, in my attempt to run away from it, blow smoke out my exhaust in order to quell is pursuit and control of me. however, something interesting happens in the game. when you blow smoke, the cars always turn a corner and find another way to catch you but this time, they are headed straight towards you and you eventually end in a head-on collision with them, thus losing a turn. when i attempt to mask the past and run from it, it always come to face me head-on and these collisions hurt worse than the initial impact. so, i am learning that i cant hide in my room or in my car or on the computer or at my job or in school and busy myself, trying to deny what is happening and blow smoke and stick my tongue out at circumstances. I have to face them. the Lord tell us that we are in a race. it is a race towards him. we must finish the race with perseverance, full of the grace and peace of Him. After playing the game for a while, i realized that there is a key map at the bottom of the screen that told you where the little red cars and where the flags were. With this map, i was able to find all the flags without being trapped by the red cars. we have been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. we have been given the Holy Word of the Lord and this precious gift, along with the grace to be able to communicate and pray to the Lord, is our guide. They are our guide from pain, they are our satisfaction from sorrow. even when the things of this world, that almost always seem certain, in the end, its me and Him. Our race leads towards him. There may be rubs and flat tires on the way, but our direct communication and guidance from Christ is the key to win the race-- it is the key to unlock the victory of Christ.

ok, i need sleep

lots to say...
moved to laurel
bought a car
moved to apartment in nashville
started camp training
ok, maybe not that much to say
but having fun
worshipping the Son
now ill stop the corny rhyme
because i am out of time
ill write more soon
maybe in june :)

Quoteworthy

"... the only way we were going to impact the world and the next generation is to prove that our faith in Christ is real and that it works. For counteless Christians I'm convinced its real. My concern is whether or not we have the fruit to suggest it works."
--Beth Moore, Believing God

wide open spaces

I must add another request...

my friend david has recently accepted a position at a church in San francisco. I am sure moving from the southeast to CA will be a challenge, and as he is still in seminary, please pray for guidance from the Lord as the continues the endeavor and replants his life in cali.

prayer requests

coming back home to mississippi has included a plethora of situations that need to be bathed in prayer over the next few days. please join me in lifting these up...

my grandmother recently entered the hospital for a test and suffered two strokes, one particularly severe. they will self-heal, however, she is needing surgery on an artery in her brain, and this is a very scary deal. my nana is one of the most influential people in my life, and for the first time in my life, i see her vulnerable and weak. as i came home today, i saw her and was overcome with emotion to see her in such a state. please pray for healing and comfort as she copes with the rapid change of lifestyle for her and my grandfather

my sister-in-law's family is needing special prayer for an undisclosed matter, but a family member is having medical problems which need particular intercession

maurice, my neighbor and good friend, recently had an accident concerning his right foot, and it has been quite painful and troublesome for his work and ministry. he is planning to take a trip to Zambia this summer-- please pray for healing and continuance of his plans for Zambia and help and comfort during this time

a good friend of mine (whose name i will disclose to protect the innocent =) ) has recently been the victim of identity theft. please pray for the process of replacing personal identification and the stress and worry of reclaiming one's identity

my father had a job interview last week which went very well, but we are praying for the opportunity and obedience for my father if the position is offered (it is essential for his health that he leave his present position)

my mother recently had an auto accident on the job. she is ok, but the recent hospitalization of her mother this past week had added stress and she is quite spent with the process because, being a mail carrier, having an auto accident on the job in quite a troublesome ordeal

approaching in confidence....

Jeremiah was a bullfrog

So what do you think of when you think of a bullfrog. Personally, I think of a small amphibious creature that sits on logs and croaks every now and then, as if trying to get someone's attention, but do we ever listen to the bullfrog? I think we have become immune to the song of the bull frog . Aside from the amphibious and croaking part, I have come to realize that in Scripture, Jeremiah is not unlike a bullfrog. Jeremiah croaks his little heart away, and no one is listening! In reading today, his prophesy was fulfilled and Babylon captured Judah, corresponding with his former prophesies. However, something interesting happens in Chapter 34. The Recabites are approached by Jeremiah, and he offers then some wine. They refuse because they are clinging to a command by their ancestor not to take any wine. The Israelites would not obey the constant plea of the Lord for them to return to Him, but these people clung to a promise made to an ancestor. The obedience of the Recabites alongside the Israelites is astounding. How often to we adhere to the laws of religious moral men, bordering on legalism, but do not obey the commandments of our Lord? Do we cling to the creeds of our ancestors and leaders closer than the innerrant Word of God? Is our faith based on a system of beliefs in which we were rendered, or do we base our beliefs on Scripture, then hold our churches accountable to it? The idea of worshipping tradition is not new in religious circles, however, I think it is likewise possible to worship a belief and not the source of it. Does that make sense? Not by any means am I ripping on the Recabites or any local denominations. I think their obedience is magnificent, and Scripture praises them for it. But when does obedience to a doctrine or creed lead us to focus on things other than the command of God to proclaim His Word. That is our purpose-- to proclaim His Word, and all else is subservient to it. Any thoughts?

It's alive!

Been a while, so much to say. So I've been reading in Jeremiah for a while, and this morning, I came across a view verses that have meant a great deal in my life. To add a little context, Jeremiah is trying to tell the people of Israel a prophesy that the Lord has given him, and they are not accepting the inevitable fall of Zion (sound familiar to our sporadic feelings of immortality?-- it should!) Israel will not listen. Instead they cry to kill Jeremiah; he is saved, however, and continues to prophesy. False prophets, one namely Hannaniah, come in optimism for the city, and Hannaniah prophesies that he will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. Nonetheless, verse 28:15b-16a says, "Listen now, Hannaniah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made the people trust in a lie. Therefore this says the Lord, "Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth." Verse 17 captivated me this morning, "So, Hanniniah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month." I lingered on the first word, so. So it happened. Many other articles could have been used: And he died, However he died. He died. None of these, so he died. God said it would happen, so it happened. It reflects the resoluteness of the Word of God to carry out His purpose with Israel. This purpose is further carried in the noteworthy verses of the following Chapter 29, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to bring you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and pray you me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart." (29:11-13). When I was a little girl, I went to GA camp (a Christian mission-based camp for girls) and my counselor signed a pillowcase for me and included verse 11-- this was my first introduction to that verse and it instantly touched me, even as a little girl. Ironically, a few years ago, I was a counselor at the same camp for a summer, and you can imagine which Scripture was the theme verse for the summer-- verse 11! Coincidence? I think not. Scripture is amazing that even though one may read a verse numerous times, the Holy Spirit still ministers to us through it-- it's alive, it will still speak! Even now, I am at a time of my life when the future is uncertain, and these verses bring great comfort today. It's funny sometimes that we may trust the Lord with our eternal lives, after our earthly existence, but we hesitate to place our faith in His Providence over the next few years, months, days and seek Him. Psalm 83:16 acclaims, "Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD." What a truth to the essence of seeking the Lord! Fill us with shame, like Israel, that we may seek Your face. Make us less, so You may become great. Fill us with humility that we may boast in You!