looking back at the stretch of time over the last several months of 2008, and looking ahead into at least the first several months of 2009 should mark some of the biggest amount of change my family as a whole has ever experienced. we spent New Year's Eve "homeless" as we are in transition between the selling of our home in one state and moving to a rental townhouse in a completely different state. the kids will start new schools. my wife will look for a new job. and I will start the second full semester of my studies. there are many new changes and experiences in store for us in this new year. all very exciting. and we pray that all that happens, all we set out to do, will all be to God's glory - may He be glorified in our lives.
I hope 2009 will be a wonderful year for you and yours, too. God's many blessings be yours.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Sunday, November 23, 2008
We Are Penn State!
I'm just excited that with Penn State's win over Michigan State this evening, we have won the Big Ten conference title, and are headed to the Rose Bowl. It is still disappointing that having lost to Iowa two weeks ago, we are no longer in contention for a National title, but at least we're going for the Ro
ses.
ses.Thursday, November 13, 2008
election, 40, and surprises
I'm writing this again from the position of realizing it's been over a month since I last wrote, and even last month was more or the less the first time I'd written in at least a month. So there you have it. This doctoral program is either keeping me too busy to blog consistently, or when I'm not busy studying, reading, researching, or writing, my brain is in a state of mush. That being the case, I am taking a moment to write, to put down some thoughts that have been flying around me lately.
Election. Now, if you know me, know what I'm doing, you might think I'm speaking in the theological and Reformed sense of this term. Though I do believe in divine election, I'm writing concerning last week's political elections, where we voted for a new el presidente. And we are doing what no Western nation has yet to do, we've elected a man who is not entirely of Western European descent to the highest political office our country has to bestow upon any one. I almost said that we elected the first African-American to the presidency, but that is not entirely true. Now you might be wondering how I can make such a claim. Hold on ... I'm not being picayune in pointing out that President-elect Obama is not African-American, at least not in the popular sense of the term. His mother was caucasian, born in the U.S., but his father was born in Kenya. So in the truest sense, we have indeed elected the first African-American. Congrats Mr.-Senator-President-elect Obama! One of my many gripes with Mr. Obama, however, is that he didn't seek to be centrist and work for racial reconciliation. After all, with a "white" mother and a "black" father, I think he's the perfect spokesperson for reconciling ethnicities in our country. I'm just concerned that so many African-Americans voted for him just because he was seen as "one of them". I'm equally concerned that so many Euro-Americans voted for him to work off some generational guilt in the false hope that now things will truly, honestly get better.
I'm not hopeful.
But equally incredible, and happening just two days after the historic election, I turned '40'. How did this happen? The last thing I remember before waking up older was that I was in my mid-twenties. All of a sudden, I'm married, have three kids, a mortgage, and I'm enrolled in a doctoral program a thousand miles away from a home I didn't realize I co-owned with a woman, a very beautiful woman, mind you, I'm now married to. How did this happen? Somebody tell me!
Okay, I exaggerate, and do so greatly. Okay, none of that is true ... except for the turning '40', and all of the sudden feeling kind of weirded out about it. 39 didn't seem so strange. But '40' seems kind of weird. But it was a nice day. Classmates like Lance brought in a cake, while others sang along. I got a gozillian cards in my campus mailbox. I got even more happy birthday wishes on my facebook wall. Kind of crazy - the postmodern birthday.
But then the surprise.
Oh she warned me about it. She was very up front about that. She told me to expect a phone call the day after my birthday. She would give me directions on what to do for breakfast that morning. She lulled me into a false sense of security. I came to campus, went through emails, and was just starting to gather sources for upcoming papers when she called.
My wife called me at roughly 9 am, CT, and asked me if I was ready for my directions. After pausing to consider the wisdom of saying, "yes", I said, "yes". She then proceeded to tell me that my "mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come and pick us up at the airport." Admittedly, '40' must've taken a heavy toll on me. It took me a few minutes to wrap my mind around what she just told me. Suddenly, I realized she was at O'Hare airport with our three kids. They had flown in from Philly on the first flight out to Chicago. They had come into town to surprise me for my birthday. Wow. Did she ever.
And we had a good time. I was blown away by this beautiful woman who swore to love me in sickness and in health, in the good and the bad, yada yada yada (which, since taking Hebrew actually means something, hehehe). But I didn't remember it meaning that she would fly a thousand miles to wish me a happy birthday to my face, and then kiss me with lovey, happy smiles!!! But she did.
And we lived happily ever after.
For the most part.
Election. Now, if you know me, know what I'm doing, you might think I'm speaking in the theological and Reformed sense of this term. Though I do believe in divine election, I'm writing concerning last week's political elections, where we voted for a new el presidente. And we are doing what no Western nation has yet to do, we've elected a man who is not entirely of Western European descent to the highest political office our country has to bestow upon any one. I almost said that we elected the first African-American to the presidency, but that is not entirely true. Now you might be wondering how I can make such a claim. Hold on ... I'm not being picayune in pointing out that President-elect Obama is not African-American, at least not in the popular sense of the term. His mother was caucasian, born in the U.S., but his father was born in Kenya. So in the truest sense, we have indeed elected the first African-American. Congrats Mr.-Senator-President-elect Obama! One of my many gripes with Mr. Obama, however, is that he didn't seek to be centrist and work for racial reconciliation. After all, with a "white" mother and a "black" father, I think he's the perfect spokesperson for reconciling ethnicities in our country. I'm just concerned that so many African-Americans voted for him just because he was seen as "one of them". I'm equally concerned that so many Euro-Americans voted for him to work off some generational guilt in the false hope that now things will truly, honestly get better.
I'm not hopeful.
But equally incredible, and happening just two days after the historic election, I turned '40'. How did this happen? The last thing I remember before waking up older was that I was in my mid-twenties. All of a sudden, I'm married, have three kids, a mortgage, and I'm enrolled in a doctoral program a thousand miles away from a home I didn't realize I co-owned with a woman, a very beautiful woman, mind you, I'm now married to. How did this happen? Somebody tell me!
Okay, I exaggerate, and do so greatly. Okay, none of that is true ... except for the turning '40', and all of the sudden feeling kind of weirded out about it. 39 didn't seem so strange. But '40' seems kind of weird. But it was a nice day. Classmates like Lance brought in a cake, while others sang along. I got a gozillian cards in my campus mailbox. I got even more happy birthday wishes on my facebook wall. Kind of crazy - the postmodern birthday.
But then the surprise.
Oh she warned me about it. She was very up front about that. She told me to expect a phone call the day after my birthday. She would give me directions on what to do for breakfast that morning. She lulled me into a false sense of security. I came to campus, went through emails, and was just starting to gather sources for upcoming papers when she called.
My wife called me at roughly 9 am, CT, and asked me if I was ready for my directions. After pausing to consider the wisdom of saying, "yes", I said, "yes". She then proceeded to tell me that my "mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come and pick us up at the airport." Admittedly, '40' must've taken a heavy toll on me. It took me a few minutes to wrap my mind around what she just told me. Suddenly, I realized she was at O'Hare airport with our three kids. They had flown in from Philly on the first flight out to Chicago. They had come into town to surprise me for my birthday. Wow. Did she ever.
And we had a good time. I was blown away by this beautiful woman who swore to love me in sickness and in health, in the good and the bad, yada yada yada (which, since taking Hebrew actually means something, hehehe). But I didn't remember it meaning that she would fly a thousand miles to wish me a happy birthday to my face, and then kiss me with lovey, happy smiles!!! But she did.
And we lived happily ever after.
For the most part.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
a thought on Wisdom
There are times where the mercy of the Lord is just clearly in front of us. This is, perhaps, one of those times. I don't know why, but the idea of the Wisdom of the Lord has been continually in my mind. Now, I can give you a number of rational reasons why this is so. For one, it's been a recurring idea in both some class discussions (Prolegomena) and readings, as well as something noteworthy in bringing up and addressing the need for within the context of someone's dissertation (side note: all Ph.D. students need to attend several hearings for dissertation proposals and defenses). But I knew it was not just a "memory" rattling around in my head when I found myself thinking about the need for 'Wisdom' after attending a theological debate at school the other night.
I won't go into detail regarding the topic, the arguments, or any side issues. But I will say that where Wisdom comes in, or should have, was firmly illustrated for me in the way one side argued. One might be completely satisfied for someone making an argument to present a number of passages from Scripture which, they say, supports their position. I think Conservative, Evangelical (and Fundamentalists) have gotten lazy, and just accepted such arguments in toto without consideration. Now, I'm not saying that one side prooftexted, and that the other side didn't. What I'm saying is that one side pulled out all sorts of "evidence" from Scripture to support their argument.
What does 'Wisdom' have to do with this, you might be wondering. Thanks for wondering. I see the convergence in this: we need to read, interpret, and present our reading of Scripture in a wise manner. By bringing 'Wisdom' to bear at this point, I'm suggesting that it's not enough to just read a passage of Scripture, give some background, talk about the Koine Greek grammar, syntax, and the semantic range of important words found in said passage. We also need to excercise 'Wisdom'. Wisdom should get us to think before we read, before we analyze out loud, before we pontificate for the Good of man and beast. Sometimes, dare I say, often I wonder if we have not either gotten lazy, or, more likely, forgotten or unlearned the differences between 'Knowledge' and 'Wisdom'. There is a difference, and I hope you'll agree, they are both important. But, as my friend and fellow THS student, Jake said, of the two, he would rather have more 'Wisdom' than 'Knowledge'.
I think of St. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13, where he writes ...
Forgive me for playing the part of "Captain Obvious", but allow me to point out a couple of things here ... 1) Paul's main idea (in this passage) is what God's love is versus how the Christians in Corinth were treating one another. 2) more specifically, one of the things that Paul is addressing is that 'Love' is greater, and more important than 'Knowledge'. Interestingly, Paul talks about 'Love' earlier in the same letter (1 Cor 8:1b-3), where he writes, "We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." Clearly, we know 'Knowledge' is important, and it serves an important role ... afterall, who wants to go a doctor who doesn't "know" what he's doing?
But my point this morning is that we Christians need to love AND live Scripture wisely. It speaks of, it points to, and it leads to the Triune God who continues to freely reveal His love for us in Jesus Christ. God offers us His wisdom through the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, in the life of each believer, and, at the same time, within the life of each local body (the local church), but we must faithfully appropriate this wisdom, and, we must appropriate God's wisdom in faith. James, in his letter, reminds us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
We Christians who value and seek to learn from the Word of God in Scripture are generally pretty good about "knowing" Scripture. But looking around at the state of the Church in the West, and, looking at a vast number of Christian lives, as well as homes and marriages, clearly we do not know how to wisely read, interpret, or apply the Scriptures as God intends. I do not point any fingers. But if you are one who feels a certain degree of conviction, pray, and try asking for Wisdom, and believe that God will give it, and ask Him to reveal the state of your heart, what you need to confess, and how you need to appropriate God's wisdom (as a sidenote: this may entail wisdom that shows itself in asking for help).
Proverbs has a lot to say about 'Wisdom'. You may be familiar with this verse, Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." But there are around 50 references to 'Wisdom' alone in just the book of Proverbs. Consider "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion." True knowledge, it would seem, is born of 'Wisdom' - that is, the wisdom that God offers us.
Ironically, there would be no real 'Wisdom' in concluding here. 'Wisdom', I think, by definition, calls into real situations, and demands application in a real context. So, getting back to my original thought, 'Wisdom' continues to assert itself in my mind. What does this mean? My prayer to God is for His wisdom to fill my heart and mind. I consider it critical on the best of days that this should be so. But as I am but a few steps into my doctoral studies, I find my heart and mind hungering not so much for more knowledge - though I want to have a better idea of knowing what to do - but for the Wisdom of God the Father in Jesus the Son through God the Holy Spirit. The making of wise decisions leads to life and contentment. The making of unwise decisions, even those made with much knowledge, can lead to disaster, guilt, and suffering. I want to make decisions that honor God, that will help me to understand better who He is, and therefore understand better who I am, and what I am to do in and with my life.
As I read, interpret, and apply Scripture, I pray that God's wisdom would be full to overflowing, so that I may not merely be a clanging symbol, nor puffed up. God's wisdom applied to life leads to God's love being shared generously. It means knowing wisely, and loving wisely. It means that when we seek to talk to someone about the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel, we may share wisely, in a way that speaks to where a particular person is in their life; it means that when we speak Scripture into someone's life, whether to encourage or confront, we must do so wisely - this is one of my biggest concerns, to be honest - so that we are not just prooftexting, for one thing, but also that we know what the verse is really saying, and that we wisely utilizing it in order to speak truth to love into someone's life.
This is just an initial thought on 'Wisdom'. What do you think? As always, you're invited to respond.
I won't go into detail regarding the topic, the arguments, or any side issues. But I will say that where Wisdom comes in, or should have, was firmly illustrated for me in the way one side argued. One might be completely satisfied for someone making an argument to present a number of passages from Scripture which, they say, supports their position. I think Conservative, Evangelical (and Fundamentalists) have gotten lazy, and just accepted such arguments in toto without consideration. Now, I'm not saying that one side prooftexted, and that the other side didn't. What I'm saying is that one side pulled out all sorts of "evidence" from Scripture to support their argument.
What does 'Wisdom' have to do with this, you might be wondering. Thanks for wondering. I see the convergence in this: we need to read, interpret, and present our reading of Scripture in a wise manner. By bringing 'Wisdom' to bear at this point, I'm suggesting that it's not enough to just read a passage of Scripture, give some background, talk about the Koine Greek grammar, syntax, and the semantic range of important words found in said passage. We also need to excercise 'Wisdom'. Wisdom should get us to think before we read, before we analyze out loud, before we pontificate for the Good of man and beast. Sometimes, dare I say, often I wonder if we have not either gotten lazy, or, more likely, forgotten or unlearned the differences between 'Knowledge' and 'Wisdom'. There is a difference, and I hope you'll agree, they are both important. But, as my friend and fellow THS student, Jake said, of the two, he would rather have more 'Wisdom' than 'Knowledge'.
I think of St. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13, where he writes ...
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Forgive me for playing the part of "Captain Obvious", but allow me to point out a couple of things here ... 1) Paul's main idea (in this passage) is what God's love is versus how the Christians in Corinth were treating one another. 2) more specifically, one of the things that Paul is addressing is that 'Love' is greater, and more important than 'Knowledge'. Interestingly, Paul talks about 'Love' earlier in the same letter (1 Cor 8:1b-3), where he writes, "We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." Clearly, we know 'Knowledge' is important, and it serves an important role ... afterall, who wants to go a doctor who doesn't "know" what he's doing?
But my point this morning is that we Christians need to love AND live Scripture wisely. It speaks of, it points to, and it leads to the Triune God who continues to freely reveal His love for us in Jesus Christ. God offers us His wisdom through the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, in the life of each believer, and, at the same time, within the life of each local body (the local church), but we must faithfully appropriate this wisdom, and, we must appropriate God's wisdom in faith. James, in his letter, reminds us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
We Christians who value and seek to learn from the Word of God in Scripture are generally pretty good about "knowing" Scripture. But looking around at the state of the Church in the West, and, looking at a vast number of Christian lives, as well as homes and marriages, clearly we do not know how to wisely read, interpret, or apply the Scriptures as God intends. I do not point any fingers. But if you are one who feels a certain degree of conviction, pray, and try asking for Wisdom, and believe that God will give it, and ask Him to reveal the state of your heart, what you need to confess, and how you need to appropriate God's wisdom (as a sidenote: this may entail wisdom that shows itself in asking for help).
Proverbs has a lot to say about 'Wisdom'. You may be familiar with this verse, Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." But there are around 50 references to 'Wisdom' alone in just the book of Proverbs. Consider "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion." True knowledge, it would seem, is born of 'Wisdom' - that is, the wisdom that God offers us.
Ironically, there would be no real 'Wisdom' in concluding here. 'Wisdom', I think, by definition, calls into real situations, and demands application in a real context. So, getting back to my original thought, 'Wisdom' continues to assert itself in my mind. What does this mean? My prayer to God is for His wisdom to fill my heart and mind. I consider it critical on the best of days that this should be so. But as I am but a few steps into my doctoral studies, I find my heart and mind hungering not so much for more knowledge - though I want to have a better idea of knowing what to do - but for the Wisdom of God the Father in Jesus the Son through God the Holy Spirit. The making of wise decisions leads to life and contentment. The making of unwise decisions, even those made with much knowledge, can lead to disaster, guilt, and suffering. I want to make decisions that honor God, that will help me to understand better who He is, and therefore understand better who I am, and what I am to do in and with my life.
As I read, interpret, and apply Scripture, I pray that God's wisdom would be full to overflowing, so that I may not merely be a clanging symbol, nor puffed up. God's wisdom applied to life leads to God's love being shared generously. It means knowing wisely, and loving wisely. It means that when we seek to talk to someone about the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel, we may share wisely, in a way that speaks to where a particular person is in their life; it means that when we speak Scripture into someone's life, whether to encourage or confront, we must do so wisely - this is one of my biggest concerns, to be honest - so that we are not just prooftexting, for one thing, but also that we know what the verse is really saying, and that we wisely utilizing it in order to speak truth to love into someone's life.
This is just an initial thought on 'Wisdom'. What do you think? As always, you're invited to respond.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
life as I remember it
I've been a follower of Jesus Christ for about 23 years. It was a decision I made in what I now understand was a response to the work of God the Holy Spirit. I was the beneficiary of the ministry of several godly: Pete Berner, Dave Bailey, John Gleichman, and many others. Since then, I've lived through a lot of decisions, made a number of moves, and had a whole of experiences, all of which, with the help of some hindsight in some cases, have clearly been under the guidance of God's sovereign hand.
Right now I'm going through some new directions, all of which I believe is by God's leading. It has involved me coming out to the mid-West without my family, while we await our house to sell and/or my wife to find gainful employment in this area. We orginally made the decision trusting that the Lord would provide these things soon after my move. We thought getting through the summer wouldn't be too difficult, and surely the Lord would have us back together soon enough, and if not, well, surely He'll give us the grace to make it through the separation.
But it's been a lot more difficult than we had thought - which, I guess on one hand is a good testimony that we are still very much in love after almost 15 years of marriage. I think the day-to-day challenges of raising our family while being apart has been tough - especially for her, having to manage three kids and a house that's recently gotten on the market. Speaking for myself, it's been tough not getting sucked down by things not coming together.
At times, I've wondered if we've made the best decisions - are we sure God called me to this school? Are we going about it correctly? What should we do if Sarah doesn't find a job? if the house doesn't sell by Christmas? These questions, and more, have bothered me.
But I've been plagued by something else this week.
A reading from one of last week's daily devotions spoke to me in ways that are still reverberating in my soul. The first chapter of James (1:2-7) reads,
I was thinking about the struggles of being away from my family, and I wondered, why don't I have joy in my heart? I want to have God's joy in my heart. Why is it that I feel anything but joy as I go through the struggles I'm experiencing? And I think the Lord spoke to me - not in any obvious voice, but in the midst of my own thoughts - that I was not considering my challenges pure joy. I was not focused on God and His glory. I was not focused on what God was trying to do in me and through me. I was not considering what God might be trying to do in my wife and in my kids. I was not thinking about each of our individual faith in God being stretched and strenghthened through what we've been waiting for.
And I want joy. I'm looking at my struggles as joy - whether it be only getting to see my wife and kids once a month, struggling to translate a German journal article, keeping up with all of the reading I have, or learning Biblical Hebrew - because I know that God is cultivating the fruit of His Spirit in me (see Galatians 5:22-23), and He's teaching me to trust Him with more and more of my life, with each of my kids, and with my wife.
And I need to do all of this day by day, one day at a time, not thinking about the next day, let alone the next week. Because I want to glorify God through this. And what I realize is that I need to remember that the God who is with me now is the God who was with me so many years ago, before the time, 23 years ago, when I first took Him as Savior and Lord, before I knew He was the lover of my soul, and remember that He was watching over me, protecting me, preparing my heart to receive Him at the right time, at the time that brought Him the most glory, and gave me new life in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.
And as I remember all that He has brought me through, I remember that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. This is life as I remember it.
Right now I'm going through some new directions, all of which I believe is by God's leading. It has involved me coming out to the mid-West without my family, while we await our house to sell and/or my wife to find gainful employment in this area. We orginally made the decision trusting that the Lord would provide these things soon after my move. We thought getting through the summer wouldn't be too difficult, and surely the Lord would have us back together soon enough, and if not, well, surely He'll give us the grace to make it through the separation.
But it's been a lot more difficult than we had thought - which, I guess on one hand is a good testimony that we are still very much in love after almost 15 years of marriage. I think the day-to-day challenges of raising our family while being apart has been tough - especially for her, having to manage three kids and a house that's recently gotten on the market. Speaking for myself, it's been tough not getting sucked down by things not coming together.
At times, I've wondered if we've made the best decisions - are we sure God called me to this school? Are we going about it correctly? What should we do if Sarah doesn't find a job? if the house doesn't sell by Christmas? These questions, and more, have bothered me.
But I've been plagued by something else this week.
A reading from one of last week's daily devotions spoke to me in ways that are still reverberating in my soul. The first chapter of James (1:2-7) reads,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
I was thinking about the struggles of being away from my family, and I wondered, why don't I have joy in my heart? I want to have God's joy in my heart. Why is it that I feel anything but joy as I go through the struggles I'm experiencing? And I think the Lord spoke to me - not in any obvious voice, but in the midst of my own thoughts - that I was not considering my challenges pure joy. I was not focused on God and His glory. I was not focused on what God was trying to do in me and through me. I was not considering what God might be trying to do in my wife and in my kids. I was not thinking about each of our individual faith in God being stretched and strenghthened through what we've been waiting for.
And I want joy. I'm looking at my struggles as joy - whether it be only getting to see my wife and kids once a month, struggling to translate a German journal article, keeping up with all of the reading I have, or learning Biblical Hebrew - because I know that God is cultivating the fruit of His Spirit in me (see Galatians 5:22-23), and He's teaching me to trust Him with more and more of my life, with each of my kids, and with my wife.
And I need to do all of this day by day, one day at a time, not thinking about the next day, let alone the next week. Because I want to glorify God through this. And what I realize is that I need to remember that the God who is with me now is the God who was with me so many years ago, before the time, 23 years ago, when I first took Him as Savior and Lord, before I knew He was the lover of my soul, and remember that He was watching over me, protecting me, preparing my heart to receive Him at the right time, at the time that brought Him the most glory, and gave me new life in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.
And as I remember all that He has brought me through, I remember that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. This is life as I remember it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
