First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Elizabeth. My sister celebrates her ___th birthday today (I don't know if she cares, but I don't want to get in trouble). I love you!!!
Ok, so it has been right at a month since my last post. I'll simply say, there's been a lot going on. I will not try to update you on everything that has happened, but here are a few highlights. I hope to be back to regular posting soon.
-First of all I completed my third full semester at seminary. I'm not quite half way yet, but I'll go ahead and state that it is going by fairly quickly. Finals weeks was incredibly intense, but everything was completed and now my Jan.-term class begins in the morning.
-I drove through our first real snow of the winter and headed to Georgia for one of the longest stretches of time that I've been in the state for a while.
-I made it to Thomasville to see so many friendly faces. I got to meet Floyd and Jessica's newest and most adorable addition. She is beautiful.
-I got to catch up with and see so many friends. I only lived there for a total of 17 months, but the place sort of feels like home.
-I unfortunately was there to attend the funeral of a great man. Dr. John Taylor died on a trip with his wife and his funeral was the Monday I was in town. I continue to pray for Raynor and Ethan and Tori, as well as all of his friends and family. He was a great man. For those of you who've ever heard me called or have yourself called me the "young shepherd," that nickname is compliments of Dr. Taylor.
-I made it back to Savannah to see my family for over a week. This was the longest consecutive amount of time I've been home in quite a few years. It was so great to see them all and celebrate Christmas with them. It was just some much needed rest and fellowship. My nephews and my niece are getting so big. I love to see them and play with them. I miss them dearly. (but thanks to my parents' new computer cam, I got to talk to them on skype Friday night :)
-As he had come home to surprise his family, I was able to stop and see Chris Black on my way back to Lexington. I can't believe it had been that long since I had last seen him. I was also able to catch up with Sarah Olds while she was back in the states. They are back to their "homes" now. But it was so great to see them and get a physical hug.
-I made it back to Lexington in time for the arctic blast and snow that continues to fall outside right now. I hope it stops soon. It is soooo cold here.
-I also had to come back to another tragedy. A friend was killed in a car wreck on New Year's Day. His family was home in California. I picked them up at the airport, but he had already past away. I've lost some incredible people throughout my life and it never gets easier. But to pass a message along to a mother and father from their son whom they'll never get to see again was possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to do. They are back in California now and are continuing to grieve. I'm still trying to catch my breath.
On a positive note, I was asked to be a groomsman in Sean's wedding in June. I am so honored and humbled by his request. I still don't know why he wants me in it. However, that means I'll be back in north GA the first week in June. (oh how I long for June weather in GA.)
Grant me a few more words. I'd like to sum up the past month in this way.
Life is so hard. As we struggle through it we often lose focus of the big picture and what is most important to us. But over a break like this, even through dealing with the two funerals, I am so blessed to be challenged to regain focus.
I love my family so much. I miss them terribly. I love my friends more than I can express. They give me life!
May you all have a great week ahead. May you continue to find focus on the "big" picture. May you allow yourselves to be loved. I love you dearly.
Happy New Year.
January 10, 2010
December 10, 2009
looking back?
December 10, 2009 = Lucas is 1
It's amazing how quickly that happened. Still, today is Lucas' birthday. I still have a photo on my phone of the first day I ever met him. He was around two weeks old. That picture looks so much different from this:
Today, when I called my sister to tell her Happy Birthday for Lucas, she was quick to inform me that he was now facing forwards. (In my mind..."what is she talking about?") Apparently at year 1, children's car seats can be turned around from rear facing to forward facing. She started laughing and said, "yep, now he can see where we're going instead of only seeing where we've been."
We talked for a few more minutes, and then I had to go. However, the dork in me had been alerted. My mind wrapped around that sentence and I began to ponder it's relevance to life. Not only Lucas' life, but each of our lives as well.
How often do you find your mind consumed with your life that is behind you? Regardless of if it is 2 feet or 2 miles behind you. You are still mad at that person. You are trying to understand where that year went. You are reminiscing with high school or college friends about the "good ole' days." (I can remember so many stories that my grandmother would tell about her childhood and young adulthood. It will be sad to not hear any of those stories again this Christmas.)
Now, I will be the first person to argue the value and significance of remembering and contemplating the past. However, that is not what I am talking about here. I'm talking about being so caught up in the mundane and petty circumstances which trap your gaze and turn your attention to life gone by.
How often do you turn around and consciously look forward to where you are headed? I believe this is one great weakness in our culture. Our ability to envision the future, to dream, to imagine the fullness of what the Lord will take us into is gravely missing. You may have "plans for the future" and even be actively moving toward those goals. Still, I would wager that your gaze is more often than not set on the life you've lived and not on the life that awaits you.
As we celebrate Christmas with friends and family, I challenge you to turn 1! Let your seat be rotated so that you can see where you're going instead of where you've been. Christmas is a celebration of the story of Christ's arrival. Moreover, it is a celebration of the story that is yet to come as He continues to reign over His Kingdom.
May you remember your past. May you remind yourselves of the story of your life and the even larger story to which you belong. Yet, may you set your gaze forward. May you see and believe for the life that lies ahead. May you see the beauty of Him who is leading you onward.
It's amazing how quickly that happened. Still, today is Lucas' birthday. I still have a photo on my phone of the first day I ever met him. He was around two weeks old. That picture looks so much different from this:
Today, when I called my sister to tell her Happy Birthday for Lucas, she was quick to inform me that he was now facing forwards. (In my mind..."what is she talking about?") Apparently at year 1, children's car seats can be turned around from rear facing to forward facing. She started laughing and said, "yep, now he can see where we're going instead of only seeing where we've been."
We talked for a few more minutes, and then I had to go. However, the dork in me had been alerted. My mind wrapped around that sentence and I began to ponder it's relevance to life. Not only Lucas' life, but each of our lives as well.
How often do you find your mind consumed with your life that is behind you? Regardless of if it is 2 feet or 2 miles behind you. You are still mad at that person. You are trying to understand where that year went. You are reminiscing with high school or college friends about the "good ole' days." (I can remember so many stories that my grandmother would tell about her childhood and young adulthood. It will be sad to not hear any of those stories again this Christmas.)
Now, I will be the first person to argue the value and significance of remembering and contemplating the past. However, that is not what I am talking about here. I'm talking about being so caught up in the mundane and petty circumstances which trap your gaze and turn your attention to life gone by.
How often do you turn around and consciously look forward to where you are headed? I believe this is one great weakness in our culture. Our ability to envision the future, to dream, to imagine the fullness of what the Lord will take us into is gravely missing. You may have "plans for the future" and even be actively moving toward those goals. Still, I would wager that your gaze is more often than not set on the life you've lived and not on the life that awaits you.
As we celebrate Christmas with friends and family, I challenge you to turn 1! Let your seat be rotated so that you can see where you're going instead of where you've been. Christmas is a celebration of the story of Christ's arrival. Moreover, it is a celebration of the story that is yet to come as He continues to reign over His Kingdom.
May you remember your past. May you remind yourselves of the story of your life and the even larger story to which you belong. Yet, may you set your gaze forward. May you see and believe for the life that lies ahead. May you see the beauty of Him who is leading you onward.
December 7, 2009
twitter saves my phone
If you don't know what Twitter is, it is simply another social networking website. Someone can update their Twitter page with a "tweet" and all of the people who follow them on Twitter (just like your "friends" on facebook) can see the update. Feel free to check it out for yourself.
My friend Alan Meincke convinced me to get on Twitter a while back and I have enjoyed it for the most part. However, after the events of last Thursday, I really appreciate being on Twitter.
In a way that I have yet to figure out, my phone fell out of my pocket while I was in chapel at Asbury. Within moments of leaving chapel I realized I didn't have my phone. After an unsuccessful return in search of it, I assumed that my phone was long gone. For the rest of the afternoon, I began wondering how much it would cost to buy a new phone and how difficult it was going to be to retrieve numbers that I had stored in my contact list.
However, right before I finished my last class of the day, I received an email informing me that my phone was in the student center and I should come by to pick it up. Beyond being relieved, I began wondering not only how it found its way to the student center, but also how they had identified the phone as mine.
So this is how the phone was traced back to me. Upon being turned in at the student center, the lady working the desk began scrolling through the contacts in my phone to see if she recognized any of the names. She apparently recognized the names of several other seminary students in my phone and called their phones in the hope that they would be able to identify whose phone had called theirs. After four unsuccessful attempts, the lady saw the "twitter" contact in my phone. (one feature of Twitter is that you can 'text' an update from your phone and it uploads to your profile) Therefore, Jessica, the lady working the desk, sent a tweet to my profile stating "your phone is at the student center. please come get it :)"
After uploading the tweet, she logged into her Twitter account. Because she is a friend who follows me on Twitter, she saw that my profile had been updated with the status "your phone is at the student center. please come get it :)". Now realizing my profile had been updated from the tweet she sent using the "lost" phone, she emailed me to let me know that she had my phone.
On one hand, this seems like a crazy way to go about identifying the owner of a phone. At the same time, it is yet another function of Twitter which makes me happy that Alan convinced me to get on it. I'm sure that the creators of Twitter never imagined this social networking site would be used to locate lost cell phones. But alas, it has.
So to Alan, I say: Thank you!
To Jessica, I say: Thank you!
And to Twitter, I say: Thank you!
Phone crisis averted. Peace retained. Communication still in operating order.
November 19, 2009
Christian Thanksgiving, part 2
One other aspect of thanksgiving that is relevant for Christians is the way in which it affects our heart. Now, when I write "thanksgiving," I'm referring to the act of giving thanks, and not solely the holiday.
In the Colossians and 1 Thessalonians passages I referenced in the previous post, we are encouraged to give thanks in all things and in every circumstance. This seems like a simple enough concept. Still, I pose the question: Why? Why should we, as the children of God, always give thanks?
I believe one reason is because of the humility it helps to develop within us. If I am daily thanking God for _________ , then I am less likely to develop a sense of entitlement for ________ . Whether that is my health, my home, family, friends, financial provision, ministry, food, conversations, books, art, music, etc....
So often in life, especially in this American culture we live in, we all too quickly establish a sense of entitlement to most things we enjoy in our lives. Unless we have had to work really really hard for them, we grow numb to the reality that they are all a gift from God.
Yet, a result of giving thanks is that we are reminded nothing we have in our lives is a right. It is all a blessing. Had I been born in another country at another time in history, my life would look a lot different. So much of what I enjoy in life today, check that: All of what I enjoy in my life today is an expression of the goodness, the graciousness, and the generosity of God.
May we give thanks in all things, being reminded that we are not entitled to anything on this earth. And in so doing, may we grow in humility. May your act of thanksgiving the next few days be an act of worship. And may it saturate every area and every day of your life.
On a personal note, I ask for your prayers. A very dear friend of mine lost his brother yesterday. There was a fatal incident and Michael was killed. Sean, who was in Brazil at the time, is preparing to fly home to be with his family. They have gone through so much in their lives. My first response is that I want to suffer so that Sean doesn't have to. Yet as I know that is not possible, I try to remember that Christ's suffering on the cross allows Him to truly intercede on Sean's behalf and carry some of this pain. So would you pray for Sean, his mother and sister and all of his family as they begin trying to grieve through this together?
Sean, I love you so much.
May the Holy Spirit breathe Peace on you.
May the Prince of Peace wrap you in comfort.
May the God of all comfort hold you close.
May Love surround and protect you and your family.
In the Colossians and 1 Thessalonians passages I referenced in the previous post, we are encouraged to give thanks in all things and in every circumstance. This seems like a simple enough concept. Still, I pose the question: Why? Why should we, as the children of God, always give thanks?
I believe one reason is because of the humility it helps to develop within us. If I am daily thanking God for _________ , then I am less likely to develop a sense of entitlement for ________ . Whether that is my health, my home, family, friends, financial provision, ministry, food, conversations, books, art, music, etc....
So often in life, especially in this American culture we live in, we all too quickly establish a sense of entitlement to most things we enjoy in our lives. Unless we have had to work really really hard for them, we grow numb to the reality that they are all a gift from God.
Yet, a result of giving thanks is that we are reminded nothing we have in our lives is a right. It is all a blessing. Had I been born in another country at another time in history, my life would look a lot different. So much of what I enjoy in life today, check that: All of what I enjoy in my life today is an expression of the goodness, the graciousness, and the generosity of God.
May we give thanks in all things, being reminded that we are not entitled to anything on this earth. And in so doing, may we grow in humility. May your act of thanksgiving the next few days be an act of worship. And may it saturate every area and every day of your life.
On a personal note, I ask for your prayers. A very dear friend of mine lost his brother yesterday. There was a fatal incident and Michael was killed. Sean, who was in Brazil at the time, is preparing to fly home to be with his family. They have gone through so much in their lives. My first response is that I want to suffer so that Sean doesn't have to. Yet as I know that is not possible, I try to remember that Christ's suffering on the cross allows Him to truly intercede on Sean's behalf and carry some of this pain. So would you pray for Sean, his mother and sister and all of his family as they begin trying to grieve through this together?
Sean, I love you so much.
May the Holy Spirit breathe Peace on you.
May the Prince of Peace wrap you in comfort.
May the God of all comfort hold you close.
May Love surround and protect you and your family.
November 16, 2009
Christian Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approaches, we all remind ourselves of the things that we are thankful for and focus on the many blessings in our lives. It’s a season to be thankful for family, friends, health, homes, and employment. Even when life seems really difficult, the possibility always exists to be thankful for something.
Specifically as Christians, we are called to be thankful. In passages such as Colossians 3:15 where Paul is writing to the church about being holy he succinctly states, “And be thankful.” Likewise, in his first letter to the Thessalonians Paul commends his readers to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes. 5:18). Thus, we normally hear a good Thanksgiving sermon around this time of the year encouraging us as Christians to especially be thankful for all that the Lord has done for us.
However, as Christians, we are not limited to being thankful for what the Lord has done in our lives. By conquering death on the cross, Jesus has made a way for us to be thankful for what the Lord will do in our lives. This is a blessing which separates Christians from the rest of the world. We are able to praise the Lord for the Kingdom that not only has already come, but also the fullness of it which we know is coming. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).
So this year, I am thanking God not only for the countless ways He’s blessed us, cared for us, revealed His love to us and forgiven us, but I am also thanking Him for the Kingdom that is still coming and His reign over it. I am thanking Him both for His incredible provision in my life and the blessing of family and friends as well as the many relationships I have yet to form which will be instrumental in my life. I am thankful for the freedom He has given me and for the freedom that awaits to be released on this earth. I am thankful for the promises that I’m still believing Him to fulfill as His Kingdom comes to the world.
Will you join me this Thanksgiving in praising our Father for all that is and for all that is to come? May you be blessed and filled with His peace on this, the day that He has made.
Specifically as Christians, we are called to be thankful. In passages such as Colossians 3:15 where Paul is writing to the church about being holy he succinctly states, “And be thankful.” Likewise, in his first letter to the Thessalonians Paul commends his readers to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes. 5:18). Thus, we normally hear a good Thanksgiving sermon around this time of the year encouraging us as Christians to especially be thankful for all that the Lord has done for us.
However, as Christians, we are not limited to being thankful for what the Lord has done in our lives. By conquering death on the cross, Jesus has made a way for us to be thankful for what the Lord will do in our lives. This is a blessing which separates Christians from the rest of the world. We are able to praise the Lord for the Kingdom that not only has already come, but also the fullness of it which we know is coming. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).
So this year, I am thanking God not only for the countless ways He’s blessed us, cared for us, revealed His love to us and forgiven us, but I am also thanking Him for the Kingdom that is still coming and His reign over it. I am thanking Him both for His incredible provision in my life and the blessing of family and friends as well as the many relationships I have yet to form which will be instrumental in my life. I am thankful for the freedom He has given me and for the freedom that awaits to be released on this earth. I am thankful for the promises that I’m still believing Him to fulfill as His Kingdom comes to the world.
Will you join me this Thanksgiving in praising our Father for all that is and for all that is to come? May you be blessed and filled with His peace on this, the day that He has made.
November 13, 2009
exhale.
As of yesterday afternoon, it's official. I do not have eye cancer.
Now I exhale.
Throughout the waiting period, I have been rather convinced that this was not going to be cancer. Yet, when the doctor asked me last week if someone would be coming with me to get the results this week, just in case the news was bad, I think I stopped breathing. That just made it all so very real. And I feel like I have been holding my breath for a week. I am once again breathing :)
Regardless of the news I would have gotten, my Holy Father was going to take care of me. So the "answered prayer" is not that I don't have cancer. The answered prayer is that He continues to be faithful and reveals Himself as such. He never left me and He has now displayed His care for me one more time. Of course I'm happy that I don't have cancer. But I simply can't attempt to qualify His goodness by the results of my medical exam. He is so much bigger than that.
So much else has happened this week (perhaps some of which I will get to blog about soon...) I just wanted to take this moment and share this update with you, especially those of you who have repeatedly asked how I was doing.
I love to share stories of His goodness towards us, His children. May you find a way to share your stories as well. He is worthy to be praised.
Now I exhale.
Throughout the waiting period, I have been rather convinced that this was not going to be cancer. Yet, when the doctor asked me last week if someone would be coming with me to get the results this week, just in case the news was bad, I think I stopped breathing. That just made it all so very real. And I feel like I have been holding my breath for a week. I am once again breathing :)
Regardless of the news I would have gotten, my Holy Father was going to take care of me. So the "answered prayer" is not that I don't have cancer. The answered prayer is that He continues to be faithful and reveals Himself as such. He never left me and He has now displayed His care for me one more time. Of course I'm happy that I don't have cancer. But I simply can't attempt to qualify His goodness by the results of my medical exam. He is so much bigger than that.
So much else has happened this week (perhaps some of which I will get to blog about soon...) I just wanted to take this moment and share this update with you, especially those of you who have repeatedly asked how I was doing.
I love to share stories of His goodness towards us, His children. May you find a way to share your stories as well. He is worthy to be praised.
November 7, 2009
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