Matthew 3-5

Sorry for the lack of posts in the past few days...

I was on vacation with my family in the most delightful,low technology cottage on the planet. I spent the last week, watching old movies, knitting and drinking more chi tea than was good for me!

Nothing interesting happened until today on the drive home when my ridiculous lab puppy escaped from my car in the middle of a busy parking lot. It was a horrendous 7 minutes helplessly watching as a black blur dodged cars and to get as far away from her potential captors as possible. I was certain that the adorable pain in the butt was about to become a memory-when a complete stranger handed her a cookie...and she was caught!

Thank God for the cookie bearing angel in Lapeer, Michigan!

Anyway...Fittingly, for the beginning of a brand new year-tonight brought me to the story of the beginning of Jesus's public ministry.

Here is your clept note version.

Matt. 1-2 Jesus is born, and he grows up.

Matt. 3 Jesus is baptized-which was really cool because of the whole God talking out loud, dove from heaven thing.

Matt. 4 Jesus is lead into the wilderness to fast for 40 days and to be tempted by Satan...no, this wasn't fun!

Next Jesus calls his disciples, and starts the business of healing and teaching.

Matthew 5 Jesus gives his most famous sermon.

Something very relevant to the person reading these passages on the eve of a brand new year is this...Jesus had some incredible moments as he began his ministry, but moments of extreme hunger, stress, and temptation planted themselves in the midst of those triumphs.

From the very start, Jesus first experiences a beautiful moment of being publicly loved by God and then is, immediately, sent to spend more than a month being beat up by his enemy. Please Note: Jesus stood strong in every temptation.

After this---Jesus is ready to do God's work!

As we look forward to a new year, we probably have a lot of hopes and maybe some expectations. We all wish one another a "Happy New Year"..and we would like one for ourselves as well. What we do not want to think about on a day like today is the fact that being trained and used by God means some unhappy days.

It means being pushed to our limits, and it means going without the things that we want sometimes.

Why is this?

It is because God uses those moments to strengthen us so that we-like Jesus-will be better prepared to serve him and he can better bless us when our lives are not lost in a bucket full of sunshine.

Jesus himself put it this way...

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 1-2 "Yes, it's a big deal"

FYI: I had a marvelous Christmas. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with many of my family members. I really enjoyed getting a chance to do a very traditional Christmas morning with my family.

This year, people constantly seemed to point out that this could be the last "Normal" year for my family. Both of my brothers and I are in college now--this is a time of transition and none of us know what the next years will look like.

Fortunately, we had this year...and it was a blessing.

Due to the need for variety in my life, I am going to alternate between blogging books of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Since yesterday ended Joshua, today starts my first New Testament rotation.

Hello Matthew!

Fitting for the day, I got to read Matthew's version of Christ's birth.

What caught my attention differently tonight was the story of the Magi (Wise men)

Ok...so just to sum up...

This group of astrologers (we don't know how many it could have been 7, 2 or maybe 3)

see a star...a very special star that, for some reason, convinces them that a king is being born. They were convinced that a major player in the story of humanity was about to enter the scene!

So, they do the obvious thing...and set out to meet him.

Problem...the Star seems to have worked a lot like my family's GPS--it gives you a direction to start off with, but the details sometimes need a minute to pull up.

SO, the wise MEN asked for directions...from the wrong person.

Since nature itself was telling them that a king was being born, they assumed that the country's leaders would know as well. So, they talked to king Herod...who used scripture to discover that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.

Herod then asks the Magi to tell him exactly where Jesus is living..."So that he could worship him too"

Secretly, he wanted to get rid of this newborn threat.

Magi continue on...Star GPS kicks in....they find Jesus

Commence with worship and gifts...thus starting several traditions

1) Gifts on Christmas

2) Men instinctively knowing that asking for directions is a bad idea.

What I really love about the Magi is the fact that they prove that Jesus' birth was something that shook the very foundations of the earth.

His birth mattered so much, that non-Jewish stargazers knew that he was something special.

They were so sure that his birth was important that they assumed it to be commonly known and celebrated....but they were wrong.

Instead of finding fellow worshipers, they found people who had ignored the signs, and tried to eliminate the savior of the world.

The wise men remind me to keep my eyes open for the movement of God.

If a group of stargazers recognized the move of God, God's sons and daughters should ABSOLUTELY be able to see them!

Joshua 23-24--Your End of the Bargain

For some people, Change is exciting...

It's an adventure--uncharted territory--a quest into the unknown.

For me, change and transition usually mean emptying more than my fare share of Tums bottles and begging God for a preview of the next few months.

Christmas is one of my absolute favorite parts of the year...I love my family, I love the fact that my tree stands in exactly the same spot every year (with ornaments that can basically tell the story of my life), I love the fact that we fondue little tiny pieces of steak one by one every single Christmas Eve--this is something that I live for...

But this year begs the question of where will I be next year... or the year after that, or that...

This is absolutely a transition year for me, and I am not sure that I like that at all.

I don't know where I will be living next year, I don't know if I will be able to use the pots and pans that I am sure that I am getting from my mom tomorrow...I don't know if I will be able to afford to buy Christmas gifts next year...Honestly, I don't know much.

But this I am reminded of...

God fights for me (Joshua 23:10). He is on my side, and he is capable of doing anything that he wants to...and that is comforting.

This also, I am reminded of...God already promised that he would take care of me, as long as I follow his commands and Hold Fast to him (Joshua 23).

This is the biggest point that Joshua wants the Israelites to take hold of before his death--the Idea that God will uphold his end of the bargin (to take care of the Israelites) as long as they are willing to he his.

God never gives us a clear picture of the future...but he does promise to be there for us, as long as we hold fast to him.

Joshua 21-22--Calling It Quits

Ok...Long Long Story...sort of short

1) Israelites are headed to promise land...but that takes a while.

2) Some of the Israelites fall in love with some land just outside of the promised land.

3) God say (paraphrase) "Cool, I will give you this land instead of the Promised Land if that's what you want...but you have to help the other tribes to get their land before you settle down..."

4) Tribes agree and help out...The Promised Land is won, and the tribes finally get to go home.

Enter Joshua!

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you. Now that the LORD your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

This is a send off that would be worth memorizing...

It is a beautiful combination of affirmation and challenge.

The affermation is something that all christians should wish to be said of them...

It is, basically, this..."You have done everything that God asked you to" and "Now, you can rest"

Living up to all of God's commands is something that is worth striving for...because it results in rest and peace.

The second part (the command) is this

"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

That is a loaded statement...

something that is worth letting sink in...seriously, it is worth memorizing!

Joshua 17-20 Refuge

I am a little bit of a crime drama junkie.

What does this mean?

It means that I could probably watch an entire season of "Bones" or "NCIS" in one season.

There is something addictive about the question of "Who did the crime?" and there is Catharsis in the moment of seeing justice played out across the screen.

That cathartic moment is something that we are drawn to. As human beings, we like to see the bad guy get his punishment, and we like a neat, clean finish to a nice round of drama.

The problem with this desire is in the fact that real life rarely has a tidy answer--and people are very good at creating situations with no right answer.

God was (and is) very aware of that fact--that's why he created the "Cities of Refuge"

What is this?

A city of refuge was a place where a person could go to for safety if they had accidentally taken a life. (it was also the place where people went to until a trial could be held).

The cool thing about these cities was the fact that it was illegal to avenge a death within the city walls. (in Bible times, it was normal for a family member to avenge the death of a relative and it was, apparently, legal).

If the killer was found to be innocent in their intentions, they were required to live with in the city until the death of the current high priest. Depending on the age of that priest this could mean that a man would spend much of his life within a city of refuge--or it could mean a vacation for a few weeks!

Here are some of the things that I take away from this...

1) Once again, human life is valuable-even accidentally killing someone is something that is and needs to be taken incredibly seriously!

2) God understands that we can make mistakes too--over and over again, God emphasizes that the shedding of human blood is matters to him. The concept of someone's blood being on your head is the highest shame. BUT--God also understands that things do not always go according to plan--and that we make mistakes. A city of refuge was one more way that God showed his people the meaning of Grace. Yes, stupid things happen--and yes, life can continue.

Joshua 12-16 Remember Remember

Today, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with old family friends--the kind of people that new me before I knew them. It really was wonderful. Days like these are the ones that really "Make" Christmas break for me--it was wonderful. Tie into that spending a chunk of my evening knitting and drinking tea with a dog sleeping on my feet--and a truly ideal day is created.

In reading tonight, I came across a lot of very skimmable passages....meaningful, yes...meaningful to me...not so much.

The book of Joshua contains a lot f names-names for cities, and for defeated kings, and names for barriers between lands--lots of names that are difficult for me to really attach meaning to because I was not with Israel when they defeated a king named Sihon...and I will never remember the name of the stream that marked the edge of Caleb's land...but these passages still contain vast meaning for a reader in the 21st century.

These passages remind us of the importance of keeping a record...of remembering the faithfulness of God.

No, these passages do not hold personal meaning for me...but the people who wrote them knew the strength of the defeated king--and they used this passage as a method for holding onto the reality of God's action in their lives. That is important.

This passage is a reminder to give God credit--and to keep personal records of the things that he does in our lives--so that we never forget the mark that he has made on our lives.

No, the memories that we record do not have to carry meaning for all of mankind--they simply need to remind us to continue to trust in the God that has brought us this far!

Joshua 9-11 Stacked Deck!

OK...so, life in this fragile, broken world is, essentially, terrifying. Ok, seriously, think about it. Simply getting though the day takes a lot of effort...we somehow need to eat, to sleep, to maintain health and life--and that, in itself, is an accomplishment.

Stack on top of that the fact that God has asked us to live meaningful lives...to take care of people, to follow the eight million commands that he has given us in the bible, and to somehow decipher the individual plans that he has uniquely given for us.

This is a lot of work!...Sometimes it all seems like too much. There is absolutely no way to handle everything that life places on our daily To Do Lists.

The weight of all of this, and the fear that we will completely fail continually eats at us and leaves us feeling completely overwhelmed, until we remember on thing...

God fights for us!

In these chapters, God makes two things very clear...

1) He is on Israel's side--Over and over again, God reminds Israel of this...he makes it clear that he is absolutely fighting for them and not for their enemies.

2) God has all of the resources in heaven and on earth...and and he can even bend the laws of nature if he wants to!

In chapter 10, God literally stops the sun (Or the rotation of the earth) so that Israel will have time to defeat an enemy (he also throws hail stones at the same enemy--but that is not talked about as often)

We often forget that there is nothing that can stand in the way of our God--he can do anything that he wants--and he wants our best. He wants us to win the battles that he sends us into--and yes, he can help us in ways that we cannot even imagine.

Once again--God is the greatest power in the universe and he is on your side!

Joshua 5--Battles

Back on the horse!
Alrighty, well...I began this year (2010) with the well-intentioned new year's resolution of writing a devotional blog every single day. This went very well until a fateful day in February when a can of cream soda became acquainted with my keyboard...this broke the habit-and therefore the resolution failed!
For 2011, I want to try again, because I felt that I learned more about the Bible during the first part if last year than the entire rest of it put together! I really do want to make this happen again, especially because I am getting the impression that 2011 is going to be a very scary year for me-the kind of year where God will be teaching me a lot!

Ok...Here's what I found tonight...

Within these two chapters, there are two battles...

Battle Number One (we will call this the "What The Heck?" initiative)
This would be the battle of Jericho. This fight involves all of Israel(This includes everyone from your four year old cousin to your grandma) walking around a gigantic city over and over again (13 times total) and then shouting at the top of their lungs...and expecting something incredible to happen.
Preparation for this battle included...eating ritualistic food, and circumcising all of the men. I wouldn't claim to know this, but I am guessing that neither of those are currently practiced by any successful army in the world.

Every aspect of this battle seems insane!

Battle Number Two: This battle was logical. Israel was a big army surprise attacking a small one...this was textbook-simple. There should not have been anything to worry about here.

Shocker: The "What the Heck?" Initiative was successful and the textbook simple one was a complete failure.

There are lots of details and reasons for this, but the simple reasoning is that the insane plan was written by God for Israel, and the other was doomed by the fact that someone in Israel was not right with God.

With God all things are possible, apart from him we can do nothing!

Right now, most of my friends and I are looking forward to a 2011 that is as full of questions as answers. Our lives will be filled with transition and change...and I know that I, for one, have been obsessed with being prepared for everything that could be coming up--I want to be ready for whatever battles I face!

This passage reminds me, that no amount of preparation means anything apart from the blessing of God. I can be completely prepared for my part and fall flat on my face without the blessing of God. With his blessing, Nothing in the world can stand against me!

I Miss EDEN

Today, I read the book Perlandia by C.S. Lewis.

The book is the second in Lewis’ one and only collection of Sci-Fi novels. In this story, Ransom, a language professor at Cambridge University is sent to the brand new people living in their own version of Eden. The beauty and life presented at the beginning of this book brings to light a picture of a world that is good—simply and genuinely good. It is a word that has not been broken---and it is beautiful. That is until the Devil enters the scene (hey, for a story to exist there must be a problem)…and he does what he always seeks to do, and works to bring brokenness to beauty.

He introduces vanity, death, and darkness to a world that was not made for it. As I read the pages about Satan’s constant struggle to break God’s creation and God’s beauty-I began crying in the middle of the library. That book brought a picture of what the beginning of humanity’s struggle looked like…and the real cost of man’s fall was illuminated. We lost so much …imagine a world without pain, without competition, racism, death, confusion or fear. We stepped away from paradise and we met things that we were never meant for.

This also brings to light the cost of redemption…I can barely carry the weight of the brokenness in my own corner of the world, and Jesus took on the brokenness of everyone who ever took a breath. He took on the pain of ever lost family member, every broken friendship, he bore the weight of hatred—and somehow he defeated all of it. I wish that I could communicate what it means to live in the center of that redemption-of the undoing of that corruption.

We live in the midst of redemption but still live in a world of rotting destruction. We still meet things that we were not made for every single day...

Confession: This week I am so homesick for Eden. I long to live in the world that I was made for-I want Jesus to ride into this place and to show us the full depth of what it means for death to die.

Until then…I wait, and try to usher the presence of Eden into every room and every relationship that I encounter in this broken world .

Connecting

One of the books that I was assigned to read for this semester was "Connecting" by Larry Crabb.
I cannot begin to explain the impact that this book has had on my vision of what my life in ministry is supposed to look like.
This is truly a book that should be read by everyone who has ever answered the question "What do you want to do with your life?" with the answer of "I want to help people"

Far too often people in ministry manage to do more harm than good. They attempt to make the world a better place by assuming that it is their responsibility to push, pressure, and judge everyone into the kingdom of God. In this book, Crabb lays out a plan for helping people that involves really taking the time to invest in, study and to understand a person without making any assumptions about them or their behavior. He then argues that every Christian that we meet has a little bit of Jesus within them. Crabb argues that the job of a person in ministry is to "Connect" with that little bit of Jesus and to encourage ENCOURAGE ENCOURAGE it!

He suggests that are responsibility is to make that spark of Jesus our focus in the relationship to the point that it can become easy for us to forgive mistakes and to let go of our own goals for that person...

Anyway...that is just the beginning and I cannot wait to read more!

Jay Thiebaut

I don’t know if this is blogworthy…but it has been germinating in my head for the past few days and I am not sure of what to do with it.

A little bit about Jay Thiebaut…

As I ponder my future and look towards what I hope is a life in ministry. I cannot help thinking a bit about my father-who will always be one of the examples that I look to when I think of life in ministry.

Sometimes odd things trigger memories of him…or remind me of things that I thought long forgotten. Today, I received a wonder note from a friend that really blessed me and assured me that I have been able to bless her life as well…that made me think of Dad. It reminded me of all of the people that he managed to reach---all of the people who knew that God loved them because Pastor Jay so clearly translated that to them. I began to wonder how exactly he did that…what was his method?

After a few minutes, it hit me like a ton of butterflies…When he was at his best, my dad’s strength came from the fact that he ENJOYED people so very much! For some reason, people fascinated him, excited him and captivated his attention. THAT was what made Pastor Jay the person that he was.
His ability to enjoy people gave them a taste of what it meant to have God enjoy them.

Also when I look at my father…I cannot pretend that he did not have struggles as well. He put so much pressure on himself to be so impressive—so perfect, that I think he might never have known his greatest strength. He probably thought that it was somewhere in the midst of his many talents, abilities and desire to work hard. I believe that the harder he pushed himself-the more he expected from himself- the more he lost touch with the thing that God called him to do…simply LOVE people. Inspire them, get them excited, and show them what it means to live as liberated children of GOD!

Arbor Games Day

Let me tell you a bit about Arbor Games…and why it is truly such a beautiful thing!


Arbor Games is an incredibly stressful, intense, competitive, and delightful cross-campus competition where teams made up of residence floor (and lead by busy RAs) get to forget about their homework for a few hours…so that they can focus on more important things, like chugging cans of soda and creating the best one-minute, musical skit possible.
As an RA, I have spent the last several weeks obsessed with this day. I have helped to choreograph dance moves, purchased several rolls of neon duct tape, and have spent every waking hour desperately trying to convince my residents that this endeavor would be worth their time.
Today was the day where it was all worth it…hundreds (nearly one thousand) people ran around campus dressed in some of the most ridiculous costumes that I have ever seen. As I worked to get my team ready, I saw human trees, giant aardvarks and people dressed up as poop (not kidding) working on their own skits.
Somehow, those beautiful moments of insanity make all of the hours of stress seem like a small price to pay. For a few hours, homework, stress, and questions about life and future plans vanish in favor of delightful silliness. For a few minutes, the only people that we can see are our team mates. We care more about the status of a huge tug-of-war game than the current job market, or economy. We can forget that we have real lives and real things to worry about.
That is healthy.
What I was reminded of today was the fact that more of our days should look like Arbor Games day. We should, every once in a while, forget about all of the things that we are supposed to be worried about and simply focus on the fun and insanity that is right in front of us.
Arbor games are a reminder to be present, and to delight in the simple things…
Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A Man Named John

A man named John…
Today has been more of full of highs and lows than I really know how to deal with. I have had so much fun and so many surprises…and more sad and tired moments than I would have liked. I feel like today, contained more “day” than any 24 hour period has the right…such is life in college.
Anyway…this morning, in one of my classes, we talked about “John the Baptist” and I realized some things that truly rocked my world.
Here’s what I’ve got…
So, John the Baptist was pretty much a big deal…
He was the messenger sent before Jesus to prepare the world for his ministry.
His life had been prophesied about for thousands of years.
He actually got to baptize the son of God.
He was miraculously conceived.
He brought about a revolution in Israel, and brought a lot of people into the kingdom of God.
Even Jesus, the Messiah, said that no one who had ever been born was greater than him (Matthew 11:11)
All of this to say…that John the Baptist is unarguably one of the most important people ever to grace this planet.
I knew all of this before I got up this morning…but something new caught my attention today
This verse: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John (John 1:6)
What caught my attention here is the fact that John didn’t come with any hoopla. His introduction here does not involve trumpets, angels and dancing fairies…it simply says that John was a man from God. He has no title, and no dramatic into…he is just John.
What is so incredible about this is the fact that first of all, God actually chose John’s (John 1:62).
God commanded John’s parents to give him his name…God picked John’s name before his birth!
That in itself is not totally unique-but the cool thing about John’s name was the fact that his name was so average! It was not an off the wall “look at me” name, it was an average Joe name…like Joe!
The thing that I am getting at is the fact that God wanted John to be someone who drew attention to himself—he was simply “A man named John”
I think that we have a lot to learn from this—especially those of us who seek to lead or teach. We are often given labels and nametags that identify the titles or the jobs that we carry. It is easy for us to become wrapped up in those labels and to forget that we were simply called to live as ourselves and to serve God moment by moment and day by day. I may “be” many things and carry many positions…but to God, I am simply “A Girl Named Becky.”

-Balance-

Terrifying Fact of the Day: I am a senior in college.
“A few months from now, I will no longer be in the sheltered world of Spring Arbor University. I will be an independent adult…and I have to be ready for that”. I have heard this fact repeated over and over again this week. I have been asked if my résumé is all set to prepare for jobs. I have been asked to research my chosen field---and it has been suggested that I should spend as much time as possible reading, preparing and tweaking myself to be ready for what is coming.
While I wholeheartedly agree that I absolutely have to prepare for the job market and for the competitive world that I am soon to find myself in, I am also convinced that all of these preparations can be taken to far…or at least in the wrong direction.
I am not going to allow myself to be prepared simply for the purpose of looking good…seeming impressive or beating the competition. I plan to work in a ministry capacity In the kinds of job that I am looking at, I do not want to be hired if I am not a good fit for the position, and I am really not sure that I want to beat any competition who also badly want to serve God.
Rather, I want to continue to become a better servant of God and of people. I will press on to becoming a better leader and a better follower this year. I will study the most effective ways to love people…and I will practice what I learn by spending time with the people that I love on this campus.
In terms of the interviews and processes that are to come, I will learn to accurately represent myself on paper so that those who could hire me know what they will be getting. That needs to be my goal this year.
I want to do little, that is merely for the purpose of getting hired, and lot for the purpose of becoming the kind of person who will be a blessing to my future workplace.

Update

No-I have not written anything here in quite some time now--mostly because my old computer was dysfunctional in such a way that typing became far more trouble than it was worth.
But, I am pleased to announce, that Jenny (my cute little blue netbook) has entered into my life-she has made blogging possible again.
Right now, I am entering my senior year of college-which is really a very scary thought. I have truly loved the past three years and know that the transition into something different may not be an easy one. But--I am increasing convinced that the same God who brought me to this wonderful place will continue to be with me as I move into my next phase and the next chapter of my life. There will be moments in the next year where I will be terrified, overwhelmed, and unsure-but I constantly need to remember that “All things work together for my good.” God will use every phase of my life to move me closer to him.
There have been so many beautiful lessons that I have learned in my time on this campus, and I know that God has brought me here completely on purpose, and I feel peace in that. In that same line of thought-I know that he has a purpose in the next steps as well.
It is good to be back online!
~Becky

Castles

This was written Sunday morning, but I didn't get a chance to post it until today.
Hello!
This morning, I slept in, took a late shower and am now watching some kind of British Morning talk show. This morning should be quiet because it has been a very busy few days. You should know…I love England a bit more every day. This place really is everything that people say and more.
Ok so here we go…
Thursday: Stonehedge! My camera did not find its way to my bag that morning. So I do not have any pictures (that’s ok 17 other students took pics, so I will be able to steal more than I will know to do with). Stonehedge was really, very cool. We were all given an audio guides to listen to as we walked around the monument (temple, big pile of rocks…etc.) There is not a whole lot to say about stonehedge. It is exactly what it was supposed to be. Gigantic carved stones that has been standing for fifteen hundred years or so. The monument was progressively built over hundreds of years, and no one really knows what its purpose was. My favorite part of the tour was the part where we heard about different theories about how it was create. Here is my favorite: In the middle ages, it was commonly thought that Merlin the Wizard stole the monument from Ireland. Yes, because that explains how the darn thing was built in the first place.

You should also know that the Stonehedge gift shop sold Stonehedge Umbrellas. It had a large picture of Stonehenge strapped across it. Tackiest souvenir so far!

Then Friday took us to the Winsor Castle. Which was really, very cool! It is a current and historical house for English royalty. It really was beautiful, and I became completely lost in English history. It was a wonderful day…ask me more later!

This is the courtyard

This is me, in the courtyard (yes, I did get a subburn that day)

Saturday was Warwick historical castle.


This castle really is from the thirteenth century and it really is beautiful, but unfortunately/fortunately it has been turned into a medieval theme park.


Think renaissance festival plus a real castle and minus all of the dirty humor (I have to admit to missing some of the “mature” humor from the ren fest. It really was cool though! I saw the world’s largest trebuchet launch a fireball! It was amazing!!!
On the way to the train station, we stubled upon a genuine hobbit hole (no hobbit's present sadly)



The fireball launching ended up costing us five hours….crazy story! So a few of us decided to break off from the main group to stay at the castle longer instead of traveling back to the hostel with our professors (hey, I am only in England for a little while) we figured that we could navigate the train system and find our way back on our own…woops! We ended up taking the wrong train in the wrong direction for more than an hour! Somehow we ended up in Paddington station when we had wanted to end up in Bath…how this happened is a mystery, because the train we took was really at the right time and at the right platform. Something must have been running late!!!
It really did work out though! We found our way back…enjoyed some cookies at Paddington and met a delightful group of German fourteen year olds on our train ride. So, no complains and an extra dose of adventure!

Hello Family and Friends…
If I fail to return home next week, do not worry about me! I have probably taken up residence in Oxford. I absolutely love everything about the town and the college. I have always heard, read and thought about it, but none of the ideas that I had in my head about what the city would feel and look like came anywhere close to reality.

First…we arrived at a house that was built for the purpose of housing international students who study at Oxford. Fortunately, all of the students who normally live there have left for the summer, so we had a huge house to ourselves and all of us managed to get a good night’s sleep in, basically, private rooms. It was SO nice to sleep in a quiet room!

I had a wardrobe in my room...I did not find Narnia. (Lint yes)
The next morning, my group and I walked into the city center through a rainy path in the woods. This gave me the biggest C.S. Lewis vibe and I got pretty excited. It was beautiful, and SO English!

We then had the grand tour of the Oxford colleges. I was shocked by how big the college really is. It is made up of many individual colleges within the main college. There is something amazing about going through mile after mile of ancient buildings filled with quirky and delightful traditions. (My favorite is the inter-college tortoise race).
We did, of course, see Magnline college where C.S. Lewis taught, and were introduced to the many locations where the campus was used in the filming of Harry Potter (which is actually a lot of campus).
Next was a visit to The Eagle and the Child pub! It was amazing (Despite the fact that it they were out of all chicken and beef, and despite the fact that the man behind the counter accidentally dropped my change into my coffee).
It was so much smaller than I had guessed, but the Inklings really did meet there! I was pretty excited for the entire time that we were there (the men who were running the pun were even more thrilled when they managed to get the 18 SAU students out of their small pub!
After leaving the pub, we made our way to the Bodleian Library. It was amazing! The library has been around since the thirteenth century, and it has a copy of basically every book that has been published since then. It has received a free copy of every book that has been published in England (and later the UK). It grows by about five miles of shelves per year. This thing is huge and much of it is stored in a vault below the library (not to mention in an old salt factory off campus).
Also: FUN FACT: the Acronym for Oxford’s tec services is FRODO. Coincidence…I really doubt it!
Fun Fact #2 several Harry Potter Scenes were shot in the library too! I have now seen the room where the “Dance Lessons” scene from movie four was shot. It was filled with a lot of students sitting at computers.
After the library, we had a limited amount of time left, so we stopped at starbucks and a few shops.
That was the end of Oxford…for now!
The strangest of my trip to Oxford was the fact taht I really missed my family. It was wierd to see things that we have always talked about without them. it really was incredible though!

Now I am in the lovely city of Bath. It has been here for about a thousand years, and has housed almost as many famous writers as Oxford. Jane Austin and Charles Dickens for a start. This city also holds an authentic and nearly perfect Roman Bath. We get to see that soon!

Hello England

Hello England!
For better and for worse I have left Ireland for the remainder of this trip. I am currently sitting in Pattington station in London, England! YES!!!
This morning we flew out of Dublin International Airport and by this evening I will be staying at a YMCA in Bath, England!
To tell you a bit about recent days…yesterday was our last day in Dublin, and I had a bit of a bad cold so yesterday was officially dubbed “The Day of Nothing!” For the first time since arriving in Europe I slept in and read a book. We were told that England would be pretty exhausting, and I wanted to be healthy and rested for the last half of our trip. I did end up making the trek across Dublin during the last part of the day and visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was beautiful, and a wonderful ending to my time in Ireland.
The day before yesterday was officially the “Tourist” day where I hopped from historical landmark to museum and back again. The best part of the day was the Dublin National Museum! It had incredible artifacts from all over the world. I even saw a mummified cat, bones from ancient Irish graves and a Denaris (which was a coin that was around when Jesus was…Really cool, I know).
This morning was ridiculous! To start off…I had to make an emergency run to the grocery store about a half hour before my group was supposed to leave for the airport (Hey sometimes there are no options). On my way out, I slipped on the stairs (someone should really recommend that Ireland adopt a few “wet floor” signs). I am fine, minus a purple stripe across my backside. I made it to the store, spend my last three euros and got back to the hostel in time to leave with my group. `

A Bit of Irish Living (and sometimes a bit too much!)

Wow, it has been a few days since I have gotten the chance to post anything here…
Not every Hostel has internet, and I must admit that I have chosen sleep over blogging...we stay pretty busy around here!
Ok…so last time that you heard from me, I was in Galway. I did not actually tell you much about it though. You should know that Galway is probably my favorite Irish city. It looks nothing like anything else that I have ever seen before. The streets are very narrow, cobble stone and filled with adorable little shops that are housed in buildings that have been standing since the United States of America was a twinkle in the eye of some fed up citizens. Those streets are also filled with musicians and artisans who make a living by performing in the streets with a hat on the ground so that the passing shoppers have the opportunity to drop a Euro or two. I really loved Gallway, I hope to go back some day.
From Gallway, we traveled to Dublin (that is where I am now). In the midst of the eight hour bus ride, I had some incredible Irish experiences. First, we stopped along the seaside and cliff sides frequently. Ireland’s cliffs really, truly have the ability to make a person feel small. I feel so blessed to see the things that I have seen on this trip.

This is part of my group on the clifs!

Next, we stopped at an irish restaurant on the way. I decided to be a bit adventurous and try a “Traditional Irish Breakfast” for lunch (really I was just craving eggs). The food was good (a bit fattier than home and for some bizarre reason baked beans are considered a breakfast food here). The mean also contained something called “White Pudding” it really tasted pretty good. I had no clue of what it was, but it tasted like sausage and I was up for some adventure. Well, after I finished , I asked our tour guide, Matt, what I had just eaten. He laughed (never a good sign) and said “I wouldn’t have told you before you had eaten it” (oh crap). He then informed me that White pudding is actually blood pudding. It is made from all of the “leftover” parts of a pig and chicken. This means blood and grizzle. They are boiled together until they form a solid. I am not really a wimp when it comes to food…but I really did consider throwing up at that moment. I still cringe a bit when I think about it…yuck! Who thought that was a good idea?
Now, I am in Dubin, which is the biggest city that I have ever been in (ok…it is comparable to Chicago). It has been a bit intimidating, but really neat. Today, we visited Trinity college which included the most amazing library that I have ever seen…like three hundred years old and huge. Think library from Beauty and the Beast…change out the light colors for heavily carved stained wood, add a few books and there you go. This library also contains “The Book of Kells” this is an illustrated copy of the gospels from the eight century. This thing blew my mind. It contained some of the most intricate design work known anywhere. What really amazed by about this thing was the fact that it was probably created by fifteen year old monks who used this bible as their creative outlet. They lived in a world of depravation and routine. Out of that, they created one of the most colorful and dynamic pieces of art in existence.
I couldn’t take any pictures at Trinity because there were big NO CAMERA signs everywhere. I took the hint, and bought a poster 

Today also brought some interesting interpersonal interaction… The day began with me barely dragging myself out of bed and to the hostel lobby for breakfast (messy hair, puffy eyes…you get the picture). Upon my finding a cup of coffee, Danielle and I were seated in the midst of a deaf traveling group of high schoolers from England (not kidding). As soon as they figured out that we were Americans they began asking question and making comments about our culture. This was amazing! It was a very cool moment! The ones that could speak translated for the ones that could not, and we learned so much about the English prospective on American life…here it is: “Why would anyone leave America to visit the UK, it is so much better in America” wow!

And to end the day, Danielle and I were trapped in an elevator with half of the Swedish World cup team! True Story: we were waiting by the elevator and a tall, cute guy with a football jersey stated talking to us (in hostels people just talk…pretty normal). When the doors open we step in and out of nowhere four of our cute soccer man’s buddies load into the elevator too. All of them were drunk and all of them were huge. HUGE!!! That elevator was packed, and I was convinced that I was about to die… elevator with big drunk guys is on the top of the “no” list in the tour books…woops! Somewhere in the midst of the two floors we traveled, were informed that they would be beating us in the world cup…yes, we met a drunken version of the Swedish World Cup team!!!

Galway

At this moment I am in the lovely town (ok city) of Galway.
I am not kidding you...this city and this hostle are truly designed like a maze.
Let’s start with the city…ok, so first, the roads are literally about ten feed wide and full of people. On each side of these roads, there are probably lots of pubs which have seating outside. So when you walk down these mazelike streets you have to walk around people who are eating there dinner. This can be complicated during business hours…which means evening because pub are just like that. Add the fact that every street changes names every single block with the fact that the roads wind and have random cobble stones sticking out…and there you have the streets of Gallway…I really do love it though!
Secondly, this city is the first that we have entered that is a part of the Republic of Ireland (yes, and new country today folks! ) This means that we are now using euros…I just figured out pounds anis d now am back to a brand new currency to figure out. The the Indian man who was running the Irish Mexican restaurant (yes you read that right) would not stop laughing at me. By tomorrow I might understand it!
Also…this hostle is one of the cleanest and best staffed that we have used…but I literally have to go through 13 doors to get to my room (which is in the back of a short, narrow hall filled with slightly drunken men from assorted countries). I get a kick out of hostles. There are always interesting people and vastly different sound effects. The night before last, our hostle was on top of a pub, which meant that I fell asleep listening to loud people and music.
Speaking of hostels…here area few mini-hostel experiences for your enjoyment.
First hostel: we had a neighbor who thought that wearing pants was overrated. TMI for certain!
First hostel: our shower looked like a gas chamber….yikes…it was truly frightening!
First hostel: was asked about which bars were best by a student from france…I told him that KFC was good 
Second: We only had two keys to each room…therefore all of us were locked out at some point.
Third: there were dirty dishes in our room when we got there.
Fourth: this was the one with the crazy drunks outside
Fifth: the manager had a Farmville obsession
Sixth: here! We were just asked where one can find a good party…nmmm!
This is so great! I really do love the whole experience…it is just going by too fast!

Right now, I am listening to bagpipes out my window and am contemplating going to bed soon. The difficult aspect of cross cultural is the fact that there is ALWAYS something to do. So, taking time to rest is necessary, but nearly impossible to justify. I have found that I enjoy the things that I do far more if I try to not do too much.

Free Darry

May 23rd 2010
The meaning of freedom.
Last summer in YouthWorks, I spent the entire summer trying to understand and to teach the concept of freedom. Every week I would talk about the power of God and of the beauty of his liberation. For the entire summer, I really focused on it. By the end of it, I hoped that I had begun to understand the concept.
Today, I think that I understand the concept better than I ever have before.
The city of Darry is a bit obsessed with the idea of freedom. Over the past fifty years (and a lot more) the city has been torn apart by the fight for freedom. Streets have been soaked in the blood of protestors, buildings have been bombed by terrorists, homes have frequently searched by the police, and even today IRA graffiti covers many of the cities walls. Here, along with the rest of Northern Ireland, always rests the question of whether or not the country is free.
Today, I visited Cornerstone City Church in Darry. The goal of the church is to unite a broken and divided city. It felt so familiar, so welcoming. For the first time since arriving in Ireland I felt at home. What really got me though is the fact that the first song sung at the church was “”Holdiong Nothing Back” (Yes they like Hillsong here too!) The song declares that the singer has been set free by God. It states “Nothing is going to hold me back.” Because the singer is free, nothing has to hold him back.
In a city that has been torn apart by lack of freedom and the search for it, this song mean s everything. This beautiful community of people understand that God is the only source for true freedom. For them to sing that song, means a lot.
I really want to come back here someday. I love this church, it blows my mind that people on the other side of the world know and love the same God that I do. It blows my mind that I will get to spend eternity of these people.
Friends at home, I can’t wait to introduce you!
P.S. There will be accents in heaven, I am convinced.

May 22 Darry

Hello People,
Today I am in the city of Darry (this is pronounced like "dairy" but there is not a cow to be seen)

This city is one of my favorite places that we have visited so far. It is very charming and parts of it are incredibly old. It also has several beautiful cathedrals. The city itseld has been around since the thirteen hundreds, and the origanal city is surrounded by the only remaining wall in Irealand.
It was amazing to walk around somehting that has been standing for hundreds of years.


I also got to experinece some genuine Irish cuisine...it was really "quite good (insert cute Irish accent here)"



This is Irish stew. For lunch we went to a non-tourist restaurant and asked for their special. This is what we got. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it really was ok...yes, I even ate the lamb meat in it. Poor sheep!

Fortunately, the drinks are basically the same (yes that coke bottle is gold, do not ask my why... it tastes the same though)



Ok...there is much more to say, but I have to go to listen to Irish music...I will tell you more soon!

May 21 Port Stuart

Today was Beautiful!
It was filled with mostly sightseeing of beautiful Irish countryside (yes, they do have a lot of sheep here!), and driving. We ended the day with a tour of Giant's Causeway. It was one of the most incredible things that I have ever seen! I will post some pictures here, but nothing that I can put here will really give any of it justtice!

This is what most of us looked like on the bus today! It was so pretty that all of us desprately tried to take pictures through the windows...I eventually surrendered and just looked around. Taking pictures is not too sweet through windows because this happens :)

I also saw a thirteenth century castle today. It really was really something. What amazes me is the fact that really old architecture is not increibly rare here. It is a huge contrast with the States where most things are only a few hundred years old. I love the fact that this culture is genuinely old. Also, as you can see in this picture, it really truely gets foggy here! I have never seen fog like this before!

What you can't see in this one is the fact that I am litterally standing on a cliff to take it. This picture also fails to capture the incredible view over the ocean from standing thousands of feet above it. I felt so small. You should also know that the small land mass in the corner is Scotland!

I did mention that sheep are pretty common here, right. What amazes me is the fact that these things graze on sheet mountain sides.



The clifs are completely amazing! Words can't really describe. There are also so many flowers that I have never seen before. A million kinds of plants grow here because of the humidity. That includes palm trees...not kidding!


Ok Giant's Causeway is somethng that you really have to see to believe! There are basically naturally formed Octagon shaped rocks that naturally fit together like bricks. It looks a bit like this...it really is incredible!

In the end, one of my favorite apects of this trip are the subtle differences in language...like this on!

yes, I think that it is hysterical, maybe I am not too mature!

Other things that you should know...fashion in Irland is basically the same as at home plus the fact that pink hair is really very in! I every room has at least one pink head!

Right now I am relaxing in a cozy little hostle next to the ocean. I am still recovering from jet lag, and am taking a quiet eventing. I love everything about the experience!

May 20

May 20th

Bellfast, Ireland
Hello again,
I am finding it hard to believe that it is only the end of my first real day in this culture. In less than 24 hours, things that seemed completely foreign have become fairly understandable. I no longer have any difficulty understanding the currency and the accents I have basically mastered, aside from the occasions where I am dealing with a two accents stacked upon one another. Hey, you try interpreting a native French speaker with both French and Irish accents!
It has been an amazing day. I think that I love everything about this trip!
Let me tell you a bit about Bellfast!
First…it is absolutely beautiful!
Is a unique kind of pretty that I have never really seen before because everything is surrounded by giant green hills. They look a bit like fuzzy mountains, and are unlike anything that I have ever seen in the USA.



Second…the entire city is completely divided between protestant and catholic differences. It is separated to the degree that the different groups actually have their own Football (Soccer) teams. The groups are also divided by many other beliefs and differences; one of the more prominent issues is the question of whether Northern Ireland should remain with Great Brittan. People are passionately on both sides of this issue. It is fascinating to see how the city has been shaped by this difference. I am still trying to understand this.


Third…there is a unique kind of artistic culture that surrounds everything here. Because the people of this city feel so strongly about specific issues, their feelings incorporate themselves into everything. All of the building sides are covered with a mix of graffiti and art. I believe that I could walk around for hours simply starting at these buildings.



Fourth…cathedrals blow my mind!



Fifth…Iraland is filled with American pop culture. I have yet to walk into a building that did not have American music playing it. Not kidding, I have heard everything from Elton John to Randy Travis today. You should also know that Ireland loves Hannah Montana...I really do not know how to react to that.
Sixth…castles are pretty cool! I did not actually get to go in, but I saw my first privately owned castle today, the lawn was really neat.
Seventh…If you ever go to Europe, be sure to bring electronics that you are not too fond of. The girls in my room have overheated and killed two strengtheners today. Apparently power converters are not fool proof!
Eighth…Bellfast has an opera house from the late eighteen hundreds. It is really, truly beautiful. It happened to work out for us to go there tonight and see “Romeo and Juliet” performed by the Scottish Ballet. It was amazing. I was shocked by the dancers’ ability to tell a story without a single word.

Ninth…Both C.S. Lewis and the Titanic started off here. I have no cool pictures for this, but I did drive by the house where Lewis was born today. That is pretty cool!
Tenth...Ireland has a whole slew of foods that I am seriously going to miss when I get home. Last night, I was introduced to a mint Aero Bar. This is basically mint chocolate that melts in your mouth. I cannot tell you how amazing that is. On the topic of food, Ireland has more of a coffee habit than I do. There are at least three coffee shops on every street, and even subway has an espresso machine.

Day Two: Hethro

Entry 2
May 19th 2010
Here, I am the oddball!
Having spent a few short hours in Hethro, I can safely say that I have never felt so topsy-turvey in my life. All of the rules are just a bit different here. A lot of the things that I completely take for granted are entirely different here, and that makes me completely aware of every action that I take. It is very disconcerting, and I am certain that I stick out like a sour thumb.
First blunder of the day:
Writing “Caucasian” on my border crossing card. Apparently, I am “American” and the term “Caucasian” is offensive here. The kind border patrol woman informed me of this within five minutes of my arrival in the country. My first interaction with a native was a good scolding…woops, I guess that I am just “American” from now on!
Other Issues that are giving me trouble:
I cannot always understand these people...in movies, British accents are always cute and easy to interpret. In reality, they are very fast and often full of expressions that make no sense to the untrained ear. Yes, they are speaking English, but I had to have one poor clerk repeat his phrase three times before I understood that he was asking me if I wanted my coffee in a paper cup…woops again.
Fashion: woops, I look like the European “What Not to Wear.” Neutral colors are in, big wooden bracelets are out…I fail.
Money: Kill me now and get it over with! I have no idea of how much I am spending on anything! I need to study this one! Is one pound a good price for a bottle of water? I really do not know!
Despite all of this, and despite the fact that I have not slept or changed my clothing in more than a day, I have never been more excited in my life. We flew over Buckingham Palace a few minutes ago and I nearly wet my pants…seriously! I really am in Europe. I may have set metal detectors off with my earrings, but I really am here…and that is pretty cool!


This is a logo used all over the Hethro Airport-it makes me think of a moose man!

Travels

Entry 1
May 18th 2010
This has certainly been a day of firsts…and the firsts have only begun to show themselves.
For starters…
• This is the first international flight that I have ever boarded (This is also the first time that I have ever used a computer on an airplane too)
• I ate my first airplane food (an experience that I could have lived without…it makes the DC look pretty good, but you cannot really expect gourmet when you are thousands of feet in the air)
• I got onto an airplane without panicking for the first time. Until today planes have been something that made me marginally more comfortable than giving blood (Something that I have never been calm enough to do) but today, it was easy. This just shows that exposure is the best cure for fear.
• I also packed my suitcase in the back of a moving vehicle for the first time today…not kidding. Let me explain…this morning when I left home, everything was fine. My 22 inch suitcase was carefully packed for my three week expedition. My family was going to drive me to the airport, and I was going to fly to Europe without any problems. Life did not go as expected. First, it rained today, so my family decided to bring our puppy, Mollie, with them so that she would not be stuck out in the rain for the day. Second, due to the large quantity of puppy hair on my clothing, I decided to dig my lint roller out of my carefully packed suitcase. Third, the zipper on my suitcase decided that my need for a lint roller presented with a perfect opportunity to break! Fourth: I do not have enough time to get home for a new suitcase and to get to the airport on time. Fourth: New plan became the purchase of a new suitcase STAT! Fifth: Meijer in Ann Arbor has no luggage (What the heck?!) Sixth: Wallmart in Ann-Arbor Selene does. Seventh: I choose the only suitcase that will work for the trip and of course there is only one left and it does not have a tag, resulting in my stealing the tag from the display and begging a poor clerk to ring the thing up for me. Seventh: I find myself moving everything that I own from one suitcase to the other in the back of my mom’s CRV as it rolls down the highway. Eighth: Mollie, the same stupid puppy, decides that she absolutely belongs in my suitcase.

All of this to say, I found myself feeling car sick in the back of a moving CRV with a puppy trying to sleep in my suitcase.

Despite all of the of the good, bad and ridiculous firsts, this has been a very good first day of my trip. Right now I am somewhere above Canada and the movie “It’s Complicated” is playing on a small screen in front of me. In a few (like three) hours, I will be landing in London (a fact that still blows my mind) and then will be hopping over to Dublin for the first day of this adventure.
I don’t think that the reality of where I am and where I am going has really sunk in yet…I will let you know when it does. For now, I am desperately going to try to catch some sleep…which is not likely considering the fact that is only 8:30 at home and somewhere around midnight here.


I will post this as soon as I find some internet.

Mecca

Mecca
This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a Hillsong United Concert in Chicago. I was really, very excited about it. I filled my oversized conversion van with gas and people and embarked on the four hour quest with the purpose of seeing the band that is generally regarded as the best worship leader in the world. We arrived at the concert and waited in line for hours before the concert began, we managed to secure a place only a few feet from the stage…the wait and drive were worth it and the concert was amazing. No regrets!
But, in the midst of the incredible worship and great opportunity to spend time with my friends in an activity which excited us, I noticed something that still makes me sick to my stomach. Because this concert was such a big deal, there were nearly ten thousand Christians gathered together in one place. That should have been a big deal, I mini-preview of heaven. We should have been embracing each other and celebrating the fact that we get to spend eternity together.
Sadly, I did not feel like that was the case at all. The various church groups that attended were very segregated. No one was friendly, and worse than that…people were actually yelling at one-another for taking up to much space or for pushing in front of them to get to the stage-at a worship concert. Honestly one would not have known that the group gathered in the Sears Center was any different than any other collection of people until the band came on. The truth is minus some swear words, and plus a few pairs of Tom’s shoes, we were just like the rest of the culture. We like our Coach Purses, we drive nice cars, and we spend five dollars for a glass of lemonade at a worship concert when children are starving to death all over the world.
I still do not know where to go with this or what to do with it. All that I am certain of is the fact that Christians should look different from the world around us…our community should shake the very foundations of the earth. As I contemplate social justice, and the value of acting like a child of God, I feel so challenged by what I saw. The body of Christ needs to act like it…I do not have a clue of how to challenge the church of America to look like a church, but I do know how to act like a Christian…and that is where I have to start. I have to embrace community, and I have to stop acting like my life is more important than those of millions of broken and suffering people around the world…who’s with me?

2 Kings 7-9

As I have said before, Bones is absolutely my favorite show. I look forward to watching it every week, and often find myself mentally joining in with one of my Residents, Caitlin Myers, as she screams (football game style) at the characters when they make extremely good or extremely bad decisions (as in the one-hundredth episode).

I continue to love the show for many reasons, cute guys and romantic plots being considerable factors. Despite the show’s interpersonal offerings, there is also the yucky dead body stuff (I tend to cover my eyes at this point and remind myself that “it’s only latex”).

The whole, disgusting death part of the show is a major turn off for me, but it does remind me of something that I really do not want to forget…

Tonight in 2 kings 30-37 I read about Jezebel’s death. Now, I don’t know if you have heard about Jezebel. If you would like an accurate picture of her imagine all of the nasty words used to describe a woman and imagine the woman who could truly lay claim to all of those titles….there is Jezebel. She was the kind of person who would and could plow over anyone who stood between her and the things she wanted.

Well…in tonight’s story she was thrown off of a balcony and killed. Dogs ate her body, and only a few of her bones could be found and buried.

Where am I going with this…

Despite all of the terrible things that jezebel did with her life, she died. Within a bit of time no physical evidence of her humanity remained. She stepped into eternity and her body was no longer honored or used.

Both Bones and Jezebel constantly remind me that we are truly made of dust…a day comes when very little will be left behind. No matter who we are or what we do…one day our bodies turn back to dust and walk into eternity. No amount of anything can stop that.

Remember to live well, because your days are truly numbered.

2 Kings 6, Open My Eyes

Dear Reader,

What I am writing tonight does not feel like it applies to my life at all at the moment. Today is the kind of day that was delightful. It was the type of day where I could probably have forgotten that my very breath depends on God.

Sometimes, when life is good, it can be easy to forget that God has carried us to freedom. The reason for our happiness was his rescue. So tonight, I want you to open your mind up to a time in your life when you felt surrounded, terrified, and beaten up.

Even though, I do not feel that way right now, I know that I definitely have in the past and will, likely, again in the future.

The story of the night is about Elisha again...

In this story, Elisha was in danger because a foreign king had heard of his connection with God and of his ability to assist the Israelites in achieving victory (some of what the king had heard was legend rather than fact). So, the king sent an entire army to go and capture Elisha. So picture this…Elisha and his servant are standing in the midst of an undefended city that is surrounded by foreign soldiers.

Elisha is completely calm,

His servant is not…I am guessing that he completely freaked out here…I would have.

This is Elisha’s response to his servant’s panic…

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This is so cool,

The entire time that the servant was stressing out, he was completely safe, because he was surrounded by God’s protection.

The application for us is this…

When life is terrifying, remember that you are not alone.

Remember that God is already fighting for you.

I feel challenged to pray that God will open my eyes to the protection and rescue that he has already given me, rather than constantly asking him to re-do what he has already done.