Hmmm....

I borrowed/stole this from Jaelle. It seems to speak to where I am right now in my walk with the Lord:

DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 40:20-41:1

The process of discovering, processing, purifying, and shaping gold is a lengthy, painstaking process. Affliction is gold in the making for the child of God, and God is the one who determines how long the process takes. He alone is the Refiner.

This is where Joseph was when we left him. He is still in process. His gold is still being refined. His heart is still being broken by affliction and abandonment.

Those two full years for Joseph were neither exciting nor eventful. They represented a long, dull, monotonous, unspectacular, slow-moving grind. Month after month after month of . . . well, nothing. Not even the Genesis account attempts to make those years seem meaningful. Because they weren't.

That's what it's like when you're in a period of waiting. Nothing's happening! Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.

On the other hand, it only seems like nothing is happening. In reality, a whole lot is happening. Events are occurring apart from our involvement. Furthermore, we are being strengthened. We are being established. We are being perfected. We are being refined into pure gold.

We're back to my earlier comment---Joseph is being shaped for greatness. All whom God uses greatly are first hidden in the secret of His presence, away from the pride of man. It is there our vision clears. It is there the silt drops from the current of our life and our faith begins to grasp His arm. Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac. Moses didn't lead the Exodus until he was eighty. Elijah waited beside the brook. Noah waited 120 years for rain. Paul was hidden away for three years in Arabia. The list doesn't end. God is working while His people are waiting, waiting, waiting. Joseph is being shaped for a significant future.

That's what's happening. For the present time, nothing. For the future, everything!

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Mystery Money....

Yesterday I received a check in the mail from U of R for the exact amount that my last class cost. It was a rather startling event, partially because I have no idea why they would be paying me, but mostly because I came to the realization that this check is worth more than one of my paychecks!!!

New Year's Eve

Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I was listening to the book of Luke when I heard the story of the paralytic man who was lowered into the house by his friends. Now I don't know much about the construction of houses back then, but being that they lowered him through the roof, the friends must've gone to some trouble taking apart the roof in order to get him in the house. What stuck out to me was how much work it must've taken these men to get the paralytic in to see Jesus. And then I thought about how easily I am distracted from meeting with Him, and how a diligent effort must be made on my part to meet with the Lord. I have been aware of how many times recently that I know the Lord is calling me, telling me to meet with Him, yet I find things to keep me busy and not meet with Him. This is one thing that I pray would change as I go into the new year.

Three Endings, a New Beginning

For the past few months I have been praying that the Lord would bring about a change in my life. Not necessarily anything specific, but just some sort of change, something different from the monotony that life can become. I guess I really didn't expect that the Lord would answer the prayer, but He has, in ways very different than I would've thought. The one change I did anticipate, completing my graduate work at Eastman, has finally come. Truthfully, it is a bittersweet ending as I am thankful to not have the coursework, but will miss working with Dr. Fox and spending time at Eastman. I am looking forward, however, to finally having the time just to sit in the library and read what I want to read, not what I need to read.

The two surprises were that through some pretty sad circumstances I am now looking for a new church and will no longer be teaching at my old church. Due to my ankle injury and needing to complete my master's degree, I put off starting my church teaching until January. I was looking forward to starting and already had many things planned out for the year, but was told that I was no longer able to teach there. The sad part is that this all came about because I responded honestly to a question that someone asked me. As I was forming my response, I knew that it could be my "downfall" per se, but I was so convicted that I needed to be truthful that I couldn't change my answer. It grieves me that we've gotten to a place in our fellowship where issues are not looked into and discussed before dismissing someone. If church can not be the place where a person can be open and honest, where we are encouraged to walk in the light as the Lord has called us to do, where do we turn?

As I was taking down things off of the walls the other day, I found myself thinking, "how many hours were put into creating the visuals...if people only knew." Today I packed up the rest of my stuff, five years worth of stuff. The worst part about it is knowing that now I would've finally had the time to plan and try out some things I learned over the summer. I know that the Lord has a plan in the midst of all this, but it grieves me that it has happened in such a way where so many people are affected and that it stands as a poor witness to the people in my life who don't know the Lord. The Bible does say to expect trials and tribulations, so perhaps I should not be surprised. Perhaps it is a sign that we are getting closer and closer to the Lord's return. Whatever the case, it truly saddens me that people inside the church can do more harm to fellow brothers and sisters than I have experienced outside in "the world." I do pray that the Lord would take care of this situation and bring conviction and healing where it is needed.

What will I do with my free time? Rest, spend time in the Word, go through and organize my teaching materials, prepare for a possible move, and catch up on all the visiting I have missed over the past two months. So...one step at a time, I'll keep moving forward. Have a goodnight!

Finally Done!

I'm done! My presentation is over and my paper has been e-mailed off! So that is a huge praise. And now I'm ready for a break.

Fascinating...

According to Facebook, the top books in the Rochester area are:

1. The Bible
2. Harry Potter
3. Lord of the Rings
4. The DaVinci Code

5. To Kill a Mocking Bird

I think it's interesting that the top two books are complete opposites as far as spiritual content is concerned!

I'm Done Writing!!!!

I'm done writing my paper! It has to be revised and polished, but I'm done writing! Woohoo!