O God who brought me
From the rest of last night
To the new light of this day,
Bring me in the new light
Of this day to the guiding light of the eternal.
Lead me, O God, on the journey of justice.
Guide me, O God, on the pathways of peace.
Renew me, O God, by the wellsprings of grace,
Today, tonight and forever.
-Philip J. Newell
I think I’m going to go on a walk to 7-11 for some 50 cent hot coco. For some silly reason I just feel like getting soaked in the rain…ever feel like that?
So I’m sitting here trying desperately to focus on my reading and listening to Cassie’s classical mix cd that I burned from her a while ago (remember that Cass?). Anyhow, here’s the train of thought that has been distracting me from my studies…
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
If you were to die today and a non-profit organization was created in your memory…what would it be?
My roommate came into my room this morning and unplugged my alarm clock. Thank the Lord I had set my back up.
Lord, even though my heart may not want to…I pray that you’ll help my french roommate to have a good day. And I pray you’ll be with me the rest of my day, even though it got a bad start. Amen.
“Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? WHAT ELSE WILL DISTINGUISH ME AND YOUR PEOPLE FROM ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH?” -Exodus 33:15-16
It’s been a while since I’ve really thought about the impact God has on my life. I mean, I think about it every day, but in a different way. I haven’t really known anything different. And I suppose Israel didn’t know much different either. The presence that God had with them is how they distinguished themselves. I hadn’t realized it until now but the Bible is full of moments where the people cry out for the Presence of God. It seems that our generation isn’t so familiar with the concept of relishing in the presence of God (otherwise known as the Holy Spirit) because the image of what we understand to be the Holy Spirit is so weak. We constantly refer to the HS in symbolic terms that are hard to relate to. Like wind, fire, or a dove. Christ gives us a solid reference for us to use to identify with God as the Father. But who can really identify with the wind? Or a bird? In this passage out of Exodus, something stuck out to me in its tone. It’s very similar to the tone of Paul in the NT in John 14 when Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and is in you.” (v.16-17)
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I five you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (v.26-27)
In these passages Paul doesn’t use symbolic terms to describe the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s more personal than that. The Holy Spirit isn’t some ambiguous impersonal force. The Holy Spirit isn’t an “it”. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence on earth; within God’s people.
Gosh, there is SO much there, in those few passages that gets me so jazzed. There is so much more I could say. But moreso, I think there is a lot there that some people reading this already know because God is speaking to them from within right now. (Great feeling, isn’t it? 🙂
So, since I’m tired, I think I’ll just stop here with this thought…
I pray that the presence of the Holy Spirit is what distinguishes me from every other person on this earth.
| PoluOwau’s LJ stalker is propheceye! |
| propheceye is stalking you because you are really good at bowling. They are also not very liked around here! |
Lord God,
Keep her safe. Don’t let her get hurt. Don’t let him hurt her. I love her so much, more than she probably knows. Protect my sister as she places her heart in his hands. Give him wisdom, caring and the eyes to see what he holds. Remind her that she is never alone. Remind her that I care. Remind her of all that she already knows.
-Amen
Suspicions have been confirmed. My roommates have decided to move out and not tell me. Yea, it hurts. People have been mentioning it to me for a while but I just kind of shrugged it off thinking to myself, “Nawh, they’d tell me if they were doing that.”
I mean, I can’t blame them for wanting to move out; the place is built for two people but there’s three of us; the construction is really loud and annoying; and obviously I’m not the easiest person to live with…but I thought I’ve been pretty considerate. And it honestly hasn’t been that bad. We hardly ever see each other anyway.
For a while I thought Brigitte was just mad at me for something because of the way she has been stomping around, slamming doors and going out of her way not to talk to me. So tonight when Jamie went to pick up a book from a friend I went into Brigitte’s room and asked if she had a few minutes. She said, “Well, this would be better if Jamie were here so we could have told you together. We’re moving to the Wesley next quarter.”
So they’ve already arranged to move into a double. As opposed to asking me to move in with them into a triple (which would have been less expensive. Price was one of the reasons she gave for moving out.)
I’m bummed. I’m going to bed.
Last night it was determined that I’m not a girlfriend, but I’m “not not a girlfriend.” Interesting, I’m still working on that one in my head, but so far I’m not not liking the idea.
Last night I also got to talk to my best friend, my dad, my mom, and my brother. *sigh* I can’t wait to come home.
Although today didn’t start the way I planned, things turned out alright.
Today I had a quiet time this morning. Talked to an old friend. Went to UW’s Law library to look up stuff and study. I had dinner with my small group at Janet’s house and had a full, yummy, home cooked meal. It was marvelous. Now I’m headed over to Sarah’s place to study for a test that I have tomorrow (which I’m not ready for AT ALL) and finish homework that’s due tomorrow also.
In short, yesterday and today were good because God is good and I love my friends.
My heart and my brain are not on speaking terms. I hope they resolve their squabble soon because, as we all know, lack of communication leads to serious confusion. I feel like I have so much to do that my mind gets overwhelmed and my body just freezes up. Then I end up sitting and doing nothing for long periods of time. When I snap back to reality, I get mad at myself for wasting so much time. I wish there was such a thing as a closet organizer for the mind. I think it’d really help to sort things out and separate my heart life from my academic life. Then maybe I could clear my head and sort through the priorities in my life.
Focus, focus, focus.
