A New Chapter

The back to school season is ushering a new chapter in my life, which I trust will bring me new challenges and new blessings. I am buying a house, and should close on it next week. This is definitely going to change my life, as I am going to gain new responsibilities. It's exciting and scary, but I look forward to having a yard for Lucy and a little space to call my own.

The second change this season is bringing is in my schedule. I am now working with the youth ministry at my church, as of Sunday. I survived my first evening with the kids and look forward to what lies ahead. I am already on the worship team and volunteer in the office on my day off, typing up the prayer requests from the weekend. What I do impacts a lot of people, but I had very little interaction with people in the church beyond those in the church office and other people on the worship team (those people are great and make me want to be more involved with the body). I wanted something that would be relational in nature because I believe that the church is a family and a community. This allows me to be involved in people's lives, and right now I need that as much as the students do.

I met a young lady who was at the church for the first time on Sunday and am looking forward to writing her a note to tell her how glad I was that she came. I met some of the girls who sing on the worship team for the youth and look forward to getting to know them more, as they're doing the same kind of thing I did when I was their age, which got me into worship ministry as an adult. I would love to be able to encourage the next generation of that ministry. There will be small groups during the week, and I'll be able to participate in that, teamed up with another leader. I've been asked to help make a plan for tracking attendance on hectic Sunday nights. On the whole, this is going to be a big commitment, but I'm ready for it and am ready to go out and love some students this year.

My life is going to be a bit different from here on out than it has been for the past few years, but I am looking forward to it. This is change I can believe in.

Which Voice?

I would like to share a story that amuses me, but made me stop and think. There was a young lady who was conversing with a young man about his recent heartbreak. She was kind to him and encouraged him to trust in God's provision. She successfully lifted his spirits. The next day he came back for more encouragement, and the next day even more. Then the man extolled the virtues of the woman and said "I think God might be telling me something. I wonder what it could be." We'll ignore the fickle nature of heart here and go straight to the issue. What was the voice "telling" him "something"? I don't think it was God, but I do think there's a lesson here. Don't mistake the voice of your discontent for the voice of God.

Now it's easy for me to see how utterly ridiculous it is for someone to be so desperate for love that any kind person of the opposite sex is instantly God's voice saying, "Yes! This is it!" It is harder for me to admit when I do the same thing in my own life, and I have done it. Whether it was pursuing a relationship that was unequivocally wrong to pursue and then saying to myself, "It seems so perfect; it must be God's will," or thinking that just because there are changes at work that I don't like that maybe God's giving me a sign that it's time to find a new job.

God's voice isn't hard to hear, it's just sometimes hard to listen to it. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We have His word readily available, and it tells us what we really need to know, but when that voice of discontentment sneaks in and says to us, "Did God really say," we too often listen to what we want to hear. And isn't it the spiritual thing to say that God is the one who is telling us something? I do not mean to make light of the real challenge that life decisions present to us. I get confused and the voices blur in my head, but God's word is there to instruct and reprove me and His throne is open for me to approach in prayer. Even when the answer isn't what I wanted to hear, I know that God's testimonies are pure and good and following them will always be the right choice. I also know that when that still small voice contradicts the voice I've been listening to that it's time to stop, examine my heart, count my blessings and then live a life worthy of the calling I have received.

Ian Gordon Johnson

Ian's daddy did a really good job of explaining his name and posted a couple of pictures.

http://carolinachronicles.blogspot.com/2009/08/introducing-ian-gordon.html

Sermon Illustration

This weekend I was asked if I could be used as a sermon illustration. I acquiesced. I'll let you all speculate and decide whether or not it's a good thing.

Other general updates:

• Nikki's having a baby as I type. I'll post again when he arrives!
• Things are progressing with the house-buying process. Waiting for appraisal results right now, and have no idea how long that will take.
• I'm really loving my church. It's a joy to be there each week :).
• Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of Lucy's adoption. Time has gone by quickly. I rather like that little dog, and think that she might not be too opposed to sticking around with me for a long time.
  

***Update: Baby Ian has arrived, no pictures yet, though!***

Obsessed with choice?

I have been thinking lately about how obsessed our society seems to be with choice. We want to be able to do what we want to do and don't want anybody to choose for us. It is perfectly acceptable for us to choose for someone else, however. Is this just selfishness and pride?

How much does our obsession with choice influence how we understand theology?

Speaking of obsession...



Hopefully she'll forgive me for posting pictures of her without her "clothes" on, but I had just brushed her and wanted to capture her looking pretty before she got her fur messed up much more.

So sweet

I was thinking today of how great it felt to just trust God - it really is sweet. It reminded me of the words of this hymn.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”*

To me right now, it's sweet to know "Thus says the Lord," not merely because of promises, but because His commands are good. If we know what God has said, is there really anything in life that we cannot face? Sometimes the commands are hard, but coming from a loving Father, they are for our good.

Psalm 119:35 says, "Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it." I don't always feel this way, but today I do. I'll enjoy this sweet delight while it lasts, and pray that it will become more and more frequent every day until I see His face.

*Every version of the words I found online had the last line this way. I remember it as "Thus saith the Lord!" As it really doesn't change the meaning, I'm going to stick with the more common rendition, although I do think my memory is correct on this one.