Coffee Jitters

I can tell it is the end of the semester. I am sleeping less and drinking coffee more. I just finished writing two papers. I am almost entirely done with two of my classes, but I feel like I am just getting started in my third one. There is so much to do between now and Thanksgiving.

This evening I had to make an emergency run to Walmart for staples. I bought 500 for exactly $1. That should last me for the rest of my life. :)

Today, there was a tornado warning in Louisville. The sirens went off on campus. Southern usually tests them on Tuesdays, so I ignored them. Then a message echoed through the intercom system to retreat to the locker room because of reported tornadic activity. It made for an interesting afternoon...

I have been teaching an Indian friend how to drive. She is doing well, but it has been interesting. She keeps wanting to drive on the left side of the road (which is what they do in India). This is a habit I am going to have to break. :) Soon we will be practicing parallel parking...

I cannot believe this is the last week in October and that there are only two months left in 2010. Where has the year gone?

Lessons from the Lord: trust, trust, trust in many areas of my life where He is indeed stretching me; the unfathomable grace of Jesus Christ; biblical ethics; contentment; patience; daily dependence on His provision

Back in L'ville

I made it back safely to Louisville by God's grace. I am so blown away by the Lord's providential and loving care. For the next few weeks I am driving my dad's car as mine had a cracked radiator. My dad could not believe it made it as long as it did (especially the trip to MO). I could. :) Many people were praying for my car and for the trip back to MO. I knew that the Lord was sustaining it for the last few weeks and when my dad looked at it, I found out just how much He protected and provided. I know He will provide for the financial aspect of this as well.

I had a good time at home. My dad and I had some really good (and deep) conversations. I also got to see some people from MH that I haven't seen in a very long time. Furthermore, the Lord used a message on finances to speak to a different area of my life in regards to trusting Him and evaluating my heart.

Speaking of finances, the Lord continues to grow and stretch me in this area. Besides a new radiator, I have a few other upcoming expenses that I cannot afford...but I have the peace that God will provide as He always does (Philippians 4:6-8). Usually I would be a little stressed about the circumstances, but I have learned from the previous years of financial tension that Jesus Christ is faithful (I am not at all saying I have victory in this area). One of these expenses is a road trip to Oklahoma to see my former South Asian roommate/friend get married. I am so excited to see her again and to witness her marriage, which is going to have a South Asian flare to it. :)

Kristi is gone now since I took her back last weekend and my roommate is in South Africa, which makes for a very quiet apartment. Though I do miss them, the solitude will force me to focus on my studies more. This is especially needed this week because I have a lot to do before Thursday: finish my Systematic project, write a position paper on miraculous gifts in the church and read, read, read. The project I am doing (along with a friend) is a photo book that has pictures of people from all of the world with Scripture verses that describe God's heart to redeem the nations. The goal of the project is to show how God from Genesis to Revelation is taking a people for Himself from every people group on the planet. There were so many verses/passages to choose from that it was difficult to narrow them down. As I read the Bible each day, I keep running across more and more. I was already in complete agreement with the purpose of our project, but I am so even more now as I keep running across verse after verse about God's desire for the nations to worship Him. And what's more is that He allows and invites us to be a part of His great plan of redeeming the nations!

Today at Wal-Mart (or is it Walmart?), a random guy asked me out in the shampoo aisle. Unexpected and akward (I was wondering what he was doing looking at feminine hair care), but I have to give the guy credit for boldness Just in case you are wondering, I said no. ;)

The Lord is still doing a work in my heart that I cannot explain. He has made me realize recently how much of our culture has influenced certain areas of my life and the way I think about some things. Now that He has made me aware, He is transforming my mind (Romans 12:1-2) through His Word and through other believers. I am in awe at the way the Lord weaves His lessons together through so many facets of my life. He is definitely not a haphazard Teacher for which I am so very thankful. His lessons are always relevant, intentional, necessary and purposeful (and sometimes very difficult), and by His grace, I will learn from them.

Watching for Where God is at Work

These past few weeks have been filled with many lessons from the Lord and countless activities. Last week was Fall Break/Reading Days. As usual, I had lofty homework goals...most of which did not come to fruition. Instead, I took advantage of several ministry opportunities that the Lord sent my way. Time management is like walking a fine line and it is easy to stray to one side (forsake school work) or the other (make school work top priority). Last weekend I went to a funeral where I was reminded that my life (as well as those around me) is a vapor. There are many good things that I could be doing, but what is important is to be about what the Lord has planned for me. I have been trying to be sensitive to His leading and submit myself to His plans daily. One such instance of this happened last week. I knew the plans I had for the day, but laid them at the feet of Christ, acknowledging that my plans are not always His. After I had met with my prayer partner and then with a friend to do homework, I went to pick up my sister from an Indian friend's house. When I arrived, they told me that they were going to the Hindu temple and that we (Kristi and I) were going with them. So we went. As this Hindu family were worshiping their many gods (and thereby breaking my heart), my sister and I prayed for them. The Lord gave me the opportunity to pray in Jesus' name with one of them as she waited for the priest to become available. These are the opportunities that I do not want to miss because I am on my own agenda.

This week is my sister's last week in Louisville. I am going to take her back to Missouri this weekend. The Lord has used her in such great ways while she has been here and I am so proud of the way she took advantage of every opportunity He gave her. Most of her new friends are looking forward to her return in January when she comes to Southern...and so am I.

Lessons from the Lord: Jesus Christ alone is my Portion and my Refuge; patience; trust; humble submission; selflessness; the faithfulness of God and His nearness

These are a Few of My [New] Favorite Things

Stuffed Green Peppers

Earlier this week my sister and I tried our hand at making Stuffed Green Peppers.  We filled them with brown rice, Great Northern beans, chopped mushrooms, garlic, cheese and spices. They were so yummy we had them again this evening!

Soymilk

Since returning from South Asia, I haven't liked our (American) milk. I didn't like the milk there either, but I did like the thickness of it. Soymilk has the same consistency...so I converted (and so did my whole family!).

Multigrain Cheerios

I have always been a fan of Honey Nut Cheerios, but while I was staying with Melissa and James, I was introduced to Multigrain Cheerios. I have never looked back.

Pilates

I enjoy working out and I recently discovered Pilates. My posture is improving and I am learning the "art of muscle control" as I strengthen my core muscles. I am a fan...so is my sister who has become my new work out partner.

Shawls

While I was in South Asia, I bought a couple of shawls - knowing how handy they would be on the campus of Southern. Good call...I wrap one around me almost every day that I'm on campus. They are so great because they leave my hands free to type/write. I am such a baby when it comes to being cold and being on a predominantly male campus, cold is usually the temperature. :)

ESV Online Study Bible

My mom and sister got me the ESV Study Bible a couple Christmases ago. It came with a free online version. I just started using it and it is great. I can cross-reference verses with just a click of the button or search for a certain passage by using a key word. It will be a great tool for a couple of studies I want to do.

Living with My Sister [again]

Laughter, long chats, late nights, random adventures, accountability...Fun times. :)

Morning Devotion

In my morning devotion this morning, I was reading in Proverbs and came across this verse in 28:22:

A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. (ESV)

It the footnote it says the word translated "stingy man" means literally in Hebrew "a man whose eye is evil." This immediately made me think about how Jesus said that if your eye is evil, you will be full of darkness and vaguely remembered Him saying that in the context of talking about money, so I made a mental note to look it up. Right afterwards, I was reading for school in the Harmony of the Gospels (HCSB) and in Mark 7:18-23, Jesus says,

Don't you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him? For it doesn't go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated...What comes out of a person—that defiles him. For from within, out of people's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, lewdness, stinginess, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person.

Again, the word translated "stinginess" literally means "evil eye." Interesting. I followed up on my earlier mental note and found the passage in Matthew that had come to my mind. Here it is in context:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (6:19-23 ESV)

Now before I read about the literal translations of the first two passages that led me to this one, I had trouble making sense of Jesus' sandwiching His statement about the eye between those talking about possessions and money. It makes perfect sense to me now though! The Lord Jesus is concerned with the single-hearted devotion of His followers. Therefore He tells us not to labor for what perishes but to strive to lay up treasures in heaven. Then He tells us that we cannot serve both Him and money/possessions. If we are stingy (our eye is evil) then money is what we will serve and what will control us. It will be what we labor and strive for. We will not be generous as the Lord commands and we will not have the joy that accompanies giving (Acts 20:35). Instead, we will cling to money (which we perceive to be our strength and security) instead of the Light (Jesus Christ, John 8:12). When we know Him and serve Him, He makes our eye "healthy" and feels our body with light, but if we strive for riches or worldly things, we may think we are doing what is good and right, but we are actually fully of darkness (and poverty will come upon us according to the proverb above). Only Christ can fill us with light! (2 Corinthians 4:6)

From the sermon I heard this morning, I also made a connection between the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus constantly and continually intercedes for His people (Hebrews 7:25) and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we are unable to or don't know how to pray (Romans 8:26). How gracious is God in the way He helps us live for and serve Him and have access to Him! Also, Jesus is our guarantor (Hebrews 7:22) and the Holy Spirit is our guarantee (Ephesians 1:13-14). Not only does God graciously save us and graciously grow us in the faith, He also gives us the assurance that He will keep us to the end. Even though I have to respond willingly to God's offer of salvation presented in Jesus Christ and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He makes me more like Christ, no part of God's election of me, saving me or keeping me to the end is dependent on me. It is all by His grace and good pleasure. In this I find great comfort and joy.

Ramblings of the Past Week

Last weekend I went home to pick up my sister and get the rest of my things to move to Louisville (since God has graciously blessed me with an apartment!). My mom and I took my sister to St. Louis for a conference. On the way back, I had a little car trouble. Thankfully, we had just picked up a few things from Whole Foods...

We got a little hungry...



...and we didn't have spoons


We made the most of it while we waited for my dad and uncle to come rescue us. We waited a little over 5 hours total, but we eventually made it home. And now I have a new fuel pump. :)

It had been nice to start settling in and cleaning my new apartment. One very unfortunate draw back to the place, though, is the wretched amount of spiders. I kill about one a day (3 today in fact). I guess that is to be expected in a basement apartment. :(

So I mentioned that Kristi is with me now. It has been nice to hang out together. She is visually impaired and we have been Kristi-proofing the apt. There is a pole between the kitchen and living room and we discovered this motion sensor light to place in front of it so she can see it. It's pretty great. She goes to campus with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last Tuesday, she had an accident with some steps. Because of her eyes, she relies on someone to guide/help her around. We were walking from chapel and because of a miscommunication between the two of us, she fell down the second set of steps. Thankfully, she was hanging onto me which minimized injury. I felt/feel so terrible because she trusted me to be her eyes. We are both extra cautious now though.

This evening we went to the annual India Day festival. After finally finding somewhere [free] to park, we walked a few blocks to join the festivities. I got the bright idea to take a street that was under construction. My thinking was that there would be less traffic, it would be safer, etc. Little did I know that the other end of the street was fenced in so we had to turn around once we got to the end of it (adding a few extra blocks to our trek). We did eventually have the oppoturnity to take in some Indian singing and dancing. We wore camises and were among the few Westerners there. I felt like I was in South Asia again!

I can sense that the Lord is on the move in my life. I mean He is always working but sometimes He prepares me in a way that  I can't describe. He is doing that now. I am not totally sure what He is up to, but I am sure I will find out soon. The last time I sensed this kind of working, He led me to South Asia... 

Can't Sleep...Sounds Like a Good Time for a Post!

The morning air is clean and crisp. The days have been cooler. And the leaves are beginning to turn. Yep, fall is definitely around the corner and I am loving it.

I spent the majority of this Labor Day weekend enjoying this beautiful weather. I went to a back to school gathering on Saturday where there was some down home music, grilled corn on the cob (freshly shucked I might add) and corn hole tournaments in typical Southern style. I met a lot of new people and saw some familiar faces as well. We ended the night singing hymns around the campfire. On Sunday, I wore my South Asian clothes and taught the ladies of RF how to make cha as I told them about my experience. Afterwards, I spent the afternoon at Parrin Park reading for my Ethics class until it was time for small group. It was the first time I had been to that park and it was beautiful. I will have to explore it some more when I have less reading. :)

So I have had this reversible belt for like five years and it has started to rip loose from the buckle. I really shouldn't complain considering it has lasted this long, but it is the perfect belt: brown on one side and black on the other. Well, today, I got out my tool kit to see if I had a mini flathead screw driver and, sure enough, I did. I was able to fix it and salvage a little more use out of it. Yay!

Current Lessons for the Lord: living in submission to His will and timing; seeking Him above all things and looking for Him at work every day

Side Note: Does anyone in Louisville know someone that is mechanically included (automotive)? My roommate needs her power steering fixed.