Boy Meets Girl

Now here's a beautiful story about boy meets girl (No mom, not me yet). Please forgive me, the story itself is beautiful but I am sure that my retelling of it will not do it justice. Sarah, please feel free to help me re-write this better!

My friend Sarah met a young man named Rustam on a missions trip to the country of Kazakhstan a few months ago. I am not sure of the details exactly, but they began talking online when she returned and their acquaintance quickly turned into a growing friendship. In the due course of things, their friendship began to get more serious and they finally started dating. I am sure this was difficult for both of them both due to the physical separation and the time difference (something like 10 hours). But as all truly wonderful things go, their relationship blossomed in a healthy and meaningful way. He recently came here for a 2 week visit. During this visit they were able to spend a lot of time together doing various things. They even were able to go on a trip up to Niagara Falls and enjoy a meal at the Skylon Tower. Well, during dinner, Rustam asked her to marry him. In case you didn't already see this coming,...she said "yes!" As her friend, it was very exciting to see Sarah meet someone who complements her personality and life goals so perfectly. I would say that this truly is a match made in heaven.



Sadly, because of their circumstances, Rustam had to return to Kazakhstan for work. He will be returning at the end of June (I assume) for their wedding on July 4. This had to be difficult for both of them - the exciting engagement period has begun, but they are left temporarily alone and yearning for each other's presence. There are of course many things to keep them busy between now and the wedding (namely wedding preparations!) but that doesn't make this process any easier on either of them. Rustam will be preparing for her move to Kazakhstan and she will be preparing for his return and the celebration of their relationship. As I talked with Sarah, I began to realize that this event has changed her perspective on life. She is now living with a more "temporary" perspective. The way she lives and the things she does will all be changing.

But in the midst of her changing life, I see an even more beautiful picture than the story of love between man and woman. I see a deep parallel to the relationship that Christ has with the church. Sarah is excited and expectant for her bridegroom's return. Likewise the church waits expectantly for Christ's return. We yearn for His presence and put our hope on the day that we will become joined to Him again.

Sarah will be working hard to prepare for his return; she is preparing for a true celebration of their love. She must also prepare for what her life will entail after returning with Rustam. And she is even trying to convince some of us to come along and move to Kazakhstan. In the same way, we are trying to prepare ourselves for the celebration of His return. We worship so because that is what we were made to do for all eternity. We show love to one another because we are becoming made more perfectly into the beings that God created us to be. We long to know Christ because in that sacred and intimate knowledge comes eternal life (John 17:3). We spread the news about his imminent return because we want those we care about to be ready too. We want to bring as many people as we can with us!

While she is preparing to leave this place, he will be lovingly preparing a place for her so that she will belong when she arrives. Christ is doing the same thing at this very moment. He is preparing a place for you and I because he loves us and wants us to feel welcome when he comes to take us away. We are not of this world, we belong in another place (Hebrews 11:13-16).

I am confident that in the midst of their separation, their love and desire for each other will increase. It will become stronger. And when they are finally reunited, they will feel more complete, and will feel a deeper gratitude for one another.

I am amazed and in awe of this beautiful picture. There are many more things that can drawn out of this analogy, but I will leave you to ponder it for yourself. Let the mystery of His great love astound you. May you be overwhelmed by His great, redeeming, and perfect love for you.

Loving Others

Job, to his friends, as they accused him of doing wrong before God, paints a beautiful picture of what it means to stand in confidence before God.

"For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:25-27

Job sees that regardless of our temporary troubles, there is something greater on the way. Job does not condemn his friends, but shows them his firm understanding of the love of God. The edge to his tone in this passage (and the surrounding verses) almost sounds more like He wants his friends to see how great God is. His friends had just finished giving him some very biblical sounding advice, which many people would have accepted. But Job is in a place of deeper relationship with God than merely a sound, scriptural advice can stand for. He knows God.

We do not need to be in the midst of any trials to see the value of what Job is saying to us. Seek the Lord's face earnestly and passionately, at all times, with eyes on eternity, and the intimacy of relationship with Him will guide you through all circumstances. May we all be blessed with this holy perspective.

Not Me ( a poem in progress...)

I am not
the tallest or thinnest,
the fastest or strongest,
the smartest or quickest.

I am not
the best singer or dancer,
advisor or listener,
teacher or learner,

I am not
the most humble or forgiving,
the most honest or loving,
the most compassionate or giving.

Even so -
if in these things I never excel,
I still recognize a Love for me
that is pure, holy, and eternal;
and I know that I have been saved
from the very depths of Hell.

So I will walk and NOT grow weary,
I will run and NOT grow faint.
to soar on wings of eagles -
a more beautiful image, I could NOT paint.

I am many things, but these things I am not.

Swimming Upstream

I am the Salmon. Not in the psychedelic, drug infused, Beatles, "I am the Walrus" kind of way, but in more of a metaphoric, poetic, analogy kind of way.

I don't know if I was just naive, or if i was overly hopeful, but I realized today that I am most certainly swimming against the cultural torrent. During class today I was able to have a conversation with some of my students about what I am like outside of school. Somehow they had the impression that I am just like every other person they know and that I drink and cuss and sleep around when I am not teaching. They also thought I was 30 or older, so that gives you a hint about their powers of perception. But the sad thing is, once I started telling my students what I am like, they didn't believe me. They were convinced that I was lying to them.

I realize that the cultural norm is far different from the way I choose to live my life, but am I really that much of a minority? These kids had no idea that someone like me existed in this world. They had never met someone who holds the same values that I do. What a grim realization. No wonder these kids face the things they face and have the attitudes they have. It is a dark world they live in. A world in need of Light. A world that is so dark they are blinded when confronted with the Light (H.G. Wells' "Morlocks" are not a bad analogy here...).

As much as I care for my students, I found it frustrating that at the end of the conversation a number of them were pitying me as if I am the one who is missing out on something. I wanted so badly to confront them with the truth, but they couldn't understand. They have a "now" mentality. How do you share a message of hope (which is by necessity about the future) with someone who is incapable of thinking about the future?

I realize now more than ever the importance and beauty of waiting patiently and prayerfully for my bride, whoever she may be. The odds are against me in finding someone with the same values and faith as I have. But that doesn't matter because my hope is in my Savior. No matter when, where, or how I meet my bride, I can trust in Him. It is unlikely that I can find someone who will measure up to the standards God has given me to expect in a woman, which is why I can't find her. I'm letting go. It's no longer my responsibility to find her. Instead I am living with the expectation that she will be God's gift to me, because there is no better way.

So I am swimming upstream. At times it is tiring and I wonder if I will make it. But there is something inside of me driving me to keep pressing on until I reach the headwaters.

"Classic"

Alright, its time for a slightly more light-hearted post.

I was noticing on google today that they have what they call the "classic" look as one option or you can have a more personalized look as well. Then I went to another website that also had made some changes, but allowed you to opt for the "classic" page style. This (for whatever reason) got me wondering how one would define the word "classic." So, being who I am, I looked it up. (By the way, whenever you want to know what a word means, don't go to dictionary.com or anything, go to your good ole' google search box and type "define: " and then the word. It gives you the best definitions you could hope for.)

So this is what I found (summarized):

• authoritative: of recognized authority or excellence;
  
• classical: of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier culture
  
• a creation of the highest excellence

So, "classic" actually refers to the best that something could be. The question then remains: why are more people not still using the "classic" version of something, or why would we call it classic if we make something newer that is supposed to be better? Our culture seems ripe with misuses of the word classic.

However, there are (in my opinion) some rather common, but proper uses of the word as well.

"Classical music" - music of the highest quality and excellence. Seriously, if it takes that many people to perform it, it must be good right? Could this be why the upper class has tried to claim this music exclusively to itself?

"Classic rock" - seriously, has rock music gotten any better since the 70s or is it all just the reiterations of the same things?

"Classic!" (the interjection - see school house rock if you don't know what an interjection is) - some event in life that is so unique and incredible, that it must be either the best of something that has ever happened, or the worst of something that has ever happened, and in either case it is noteworthy for its state.

Anyway,...not quite deep and profound, but worth thinking about...maybe.

The Secret Lives of Balloons

Nearly every child loves a balloon. It is such a simple object, but it brings pleasure and joy. Why is it that it brings children so much pleasure? At best it is a diversion. It is temporary. In the end it is meaningless.

A balloon's life begins simply enough - it is a piece of rubber that gets stretched around air. All it does is sit there. It is nothing special.

The most excitement a balloon can possibly bring is when it "dies." The spectacular and sudden end of a balloon's life is its most impressive moment. Then it is gone - it's last cry a reverberating memory in the ears of those nearby. Children who experience the death of a balloon are often heartbroken and traumatized until the memory of the balloon is replaced by another diversion.

Of course not all balloons die in a violent outburst. Some balloons slowly shrivel and fade away. They slink into a meek existence, only to bring disappointment to children who encounter it. They wonder at its sad state, quickly growing bored with the balloon and seeking other pleasures.

Some balloons, in fear of either end, run away, looking for a simpler answer to life's woes. They flee for safety without any regard for their owners' feelings. Abandonment and loneliness overwhelm the child who clung to their now absent source of joy.

Why is it that children seek such temporary pleasure? The emptiness of these simple thrills becomes apparent to us as we grow older, but to a child, a balloon can be the epitome of pleasure. In reality, it seems as though we are often the children, holding on to the empty pleasures that this world offers us. We are surprised when things blow up on us. We are depressed when we grow weary of things as they lose their glisten. We are disappointed when things disappear on us and we are left empty-handed. We often put so much stock in the things that this world is offering us, but that cannot satisfy us in the end. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we realize that life's pleasures often bring nothing to our lives - they have been at best a diversion. But a diversion from what? From taking the perfect gift from the Perfect Giver and living a life of meaning. Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). This is a bigger promise than a simple balloon. This is a promise of substance and beauty. This is a promise of relationship and joy. This is a promise of intimacy. But as long as we seek after the pleasures of this world (humor/entertainment, money, status/recognition, etc) we are bound to be disappointed. It is only by letting go of the empty balloons we are clinging to that we can grab hold of all He is offering us. Don't get me wrong - this is not an easy choice. In many ways to our immature natures, the balloon seems like the better choice. The "balloon" is usually shinier at first. We see the callouses on His hands are realize that it is going to be difficult at times. A "balloon" will never discipline us for making a bad choice, but our Father will. A "balloon" will never ask us to do anything, but our Father will. But, a "balloon" can never interact with us in the same way that our Father can. A "balloon" does not care about your feelings and interests and abilities, but our Father does.

Will you let go of the balloon and take hold of His hand?

Balance

Not the physical kind of balance, but the other kind. The kind where it sometimes feels like you are fighting with everything you have to stay sane. Activity balance. Spiritual balance. These are ever-increasingly difficult areas of life to maintain balance, and at the same time it becomes ever more important to maintain balance in those areas.

I have recently been on a quest to find a greater balance in my life. I am by nature a sort of an "all or nothing" character. I tend to dive into things and immerse myself in any new area that I choose to take on. In some ways, this can be a great thing - when I really want to get something done, I can shove other things out of the way and get it done. But more often than not, this is not a good attribute.

In so many areas of my life, I find the need for greater balance. I have a tendency to immerse myself in my school work during the school year/week. I will sometimes spend hours upon hours working on improving the things I do as a teacher in order to help my classes learn better. But what usually happens when I do this is that I get stressed out and frustrated because all of my energy has been on school stuff and my teaching ends up suffering. I forget about taking care of my own needs - to socialize with friend, find quiet time with God, and just relax. Then when I realize that I haven't been addressing my own needs, I sometimes stop doing schoolwork for a while, which usually leaves me in a tight spot where I am forced to do a lot of work in a short amount of time and the cycle repeats itself.

More than just in the day-to-day life things, I also find that I need better balance in the Spiritual realm as well. I often find myself focusing on one area of my faith - be it reading Scripture, prayer, reading devotionals, helping others, etc. In the same way that an unbalanced life leads to a chaotic life, an unbalanced spiritual life leads to a chaotic (and feeble) spiritual life. In the same way that the Apostle talks about us all being parts of one body (each providing unique, yet important qualities), the Spiritual life is lacking when one area of our faith is ignored in preference to another. All of the aspects of faith work together to benefit the believer. No aspect of faith can be allowed to lack.

I recently began reading a book titled "Knowing Christ" by Alister McGrath who is a scientist-turned-theologian (fascinating people they are). He mentions in his book that our greatest strengths often act as our greatest weaknesses as well. This exactly fits with what I am trying to say - my ability to focus solely on one thing at a time and not balance more numerous things, while beneficial at times, often results in a deficiency somewhere in my life.

May you lead a balanced life, filled with peace.