Living is...

Today's chapel message today was very thought-provoking. Actually, all of the chapels this week have been. It's Missions Emphasis Week at school, so we have had one missionary speaking the whole week. Today Dr. Hunt spoke on Phil. 1:20-21 about a God-Exalting Philosophy of Life, and his premise was that our philosophy should not be materialistic or even religious. Life isn't all about satisfying every pleasure or a list of do's and don'ts. It's about Christ, or it should be. Yet Dr. Hunt said that so many times we live Phil. 1:21 as if it said "For me to live is gain and to die is Christ." We want to live life as we want and have Christ at the end. But that's not what Paul's life philosophy was, and it's not what ours should be. "For to me to LIVE is CHRIST and to DIE is GAIN." So the question is, what am I living for? Have I given up all my life and rights to God, so that I don't mind if God chooses to place the expense of ministry on my account? It was convicting to me. And so I pass the thought along to you to meditate on personally. Oh that you and I would believe and live in light of the reality that living is Christ, and dying is gain!

A Minute of Meditation

I was reading this verse in my Bible and wanted to share it with you.

2 Corinthians 12:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

Our lives our to be categorized by good works. Not that works save. But good works back up what you believe. And God wants us to abound in good works (of which giving - see context of verse - would be a part). The cool thing is, He also gives us promises. So if you are feeling hopeless about this whole abounding in good works when life is just so frustrating some times, look at the rest of the verse. Promise #1 - God is able to give us an abundance of grace. That alone is pretty special. But we also have Promise #2 - We have the sufficiency we need for everything. If you are remembering back, Paul just emphasized that a couple chapters back in Chapter 3:5. My sufficiency is of God, not mine own. That's how we have all the needed sufficiency. Because God's giving it to us. Pretty cool, huh!

Senior Year

Roomies...

Ponderings from my dorm room

I'm sitting in my dorm room enjoying the peace and quiet after a hectic day of yet more people moving in to the dorms and the many questions they have brought with them. It's been nice though. Coming back to campus Monday, it was pretty empty around here. So to have everyone back is great. And meeting all the girls as they have been moving in, I'm super excited about this new year and the girls God's given me on my hall and in my room. And I feel better prepared to be an RA after the 2 1/2 days of training we had this week. My but that was encouraging. This new semester is going to be busy, so posts might not be so frequent with classes and all starting soon... But we shall see. 

Something I've been thinking about the last few days has been Psalm 107:8-9,43:

"O that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. ... Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD."

 That's my God. And I hope that that is YOUR God too. Everyone always goes around saying that God is good, or that God is merciful. It becomes a cliché or platitude. But the fact is, it's true. He is good. If you want to be satisfied, He's the answer. And He gives us so many good things in His mercy. Take some time to think about how much He's done for you. Think about how He washed the disciples' feet even though He knew that Peter was going to deny Him three times, that Judas was going to betray Him, and that all the others would run away because they were too ashamed to associate with Him when He needed them most. And think about all He's done for us. And when I understand that, when you understand that, the answer is praise. Those things aren't just cliché anymore. They are real. So praise Him for His goodness and all His other good works.  

"It doesn't seem possible..."

So many people have made this statement in the last week, voicing my sentiments exactly. It doesn't seem possible. Really, it doesn't. I'm a senior. And I'm leaving home this week to head back to college to finish my last year. I guess it's always seemed like time flies, but at the moment, it's going about the speed of light.

Today was my last Sunday at church for a while. A blessing as always. Worshipping God together with an amazing church family, talking to some pretty awesome people, and playing the organ again. :) I love playing the piano, but there is just something about an organ that I just can't get past. Changing the volume with the pedals, playing around with the stops, it's a pretty cool instrument. And I'm gonna miss getting to play it for church while I'm at college.

Now, the week of packing, goodbyes, and last details is upon me. Once again, I'm brought back to the words of James - "life is but a vapor." Truer words could not be spoken. Time marches on. And we only have one opportunity to use that time. So the question is, how will I use the short bit of time I have? How will you?

August 1...

Why was today different than any other day? Well, for one, I got to be in church. And that is special... even if I did get a headache and find it hard to concentrate. Going to church has always been important to me, but the last few weeks have served to give me a renewed gratitude for being able to be at church. I don't go to church because I have to. I go because I want to. Because I need to.

And God answered my prayers. I should be at all the rest of the church services between now and the day I leave to head back to Greenville and my senior year of college. From the stories I'd heard about scheduling at work recently, I didn't know what to expect. I asked off both Sundays to be involved in the music at my church. But you know how God is a really good God and just likes to show us how good He is? Not only did I have both Sundays off, but I will be able to be at church the next two Wednesday nights, too!

Second reason, roommates!!! I laughed to see all the Facebook posts and know that all the student body (well the half that lives in the dorms, anyway!) was as eagerly awaiting today as myself. Why? Today on Student Central, they finally posted the info about who our roomies will be for the next year of college. I'm outnumbered. One senior, 3 freshman. But that's okay. Because we are going to have the best year ever together.

Home from Honduras

Monday morning found me at the airport getting ready to leave the wonderful country of Honduras. After checking in and paying airport taxes, I had my last Honduran meal - a baleada - with the Conovers before heading out through security. 

My first flight was delayed, so I missed my second flight and then had several more delays on the new flight they put me on. However, I finally landed in Dulles at 2 A.M. Tuesday and made it home safely early afternoon, Gracias a Dios. 

Although I've finished my internship (other than an 8 page paper due in 1 1/2 weeks!), life's not back to normal. In some ways it is. I'm back at home and working again. But in other ways, I've been shaped by my time in Honduras. I left some of my heart in Honduras. I want to go back. I've learned a lot of things during my 9 weeks living in Honduras. And right now, I guess I'm sorting through all that. How is all that I've learned (about God, ministry, and more) going to change my daily life? How does it influence my future? This post might be ending now because I've run out of time, but somehow, I don't believe I've finished...