but not entirely in a bad way. To be fair some of it has been bad, and I'll hit that before the good so I can finish on a positive note. But first, I just wanna say that God is awesome. No particular reason; but that's not entirely true. There is one VERY particular reason. He sent His one and only Son to Earth to live a perfect and sinless life, knowing He would one day give up that life for the lives of the very pitiful, worthless wretches who would kill Him. And He still came, and through His death and resurrection we can have life, and have it more abundantly. And all we have to do is believe. For that reason, I say that God is awesome. And that is the understatement of not just the century, but of all eternity.
Now for the bad. I almost had to bite my tongue off to keep from cussing at a camper the other day. See, I used to have an extremely dirty mouth - I would cuss up a storm. I tried a few times to stop cussing, but I was relying on my own strength. I tried to do it without God, and I failed. Then came January and the huge wake-up call that a run in with the law often brings. I began to seek God instead of myself, and without even thinking about it those words disappeared from my vocabulary. Then came the third week of summer camp, and an 8-person soccer game at 9:30 in the morning. One kid argued with me about penalties for at least the first 30 minutes of the game, and I managed to keep my cool for most of it. But the time came when I had had enough, and as I heard the "f" start to form in my mouth I bit off the word, closed my mouth, and turned around to look at the other counselor who was playing and silently screamed. I turned around and in no uncertain terms, but at the same time without being mean or hateful, set the kid straight on our relative positions on the proverbial food chain. I even explained to him why what he was calling penalties were in fact not penalties. I really wish I hadn't lost my cool for that second, but at the same time I thank God that I didn't cuss at the kid and that I was able to regain my composure very quickly and handle the situation correctly.
Well, that was the bad; now for the good. I spent the weekend at home with my dad (all our womenfolk were away) and got to have a late Father's Day with him and celebrate Olivia's fourth birthday. It was great; honestly one thing I really miss about living at home is being able to spend time with my dad. I also picked up a french press, which means I can finally make coffee at the apartment again without having to pay a bajillion dollars for those Keurig k-cups. And it's so much better - by far the best coffee I've ever made myself. Next thing I buy is gonna be a grinder; gonna grind my own beans! Started up Bible study with Alex again this morning, and it was awesome. He brought Hardee's, I brewed coffee, and we got in the Word. I really treasure the friends I have that I can do that with, the main two being Alex and Tucker. Y'all are both an encouragement to me, and I love you both to death. I also got to go to College Connection for the second time this past Sunday, and it was great once again. Good food, good fellowship, and good people. The sense of community that I've seen within this group, and within Alliance in general in the one time that I've been so far, is super-duper neat. Got ice-cream with some of the folks after we left, and that was great too. I'm just really excited about what God will have in store for me at my new church home in the mountains.
And now I come to the last thing I want to say before I hit the sheets and get some shuteye. Knowing God's will is SO important. Without seeking His will and being able to determine what it is we might as well be shooting blind. I've sought God's will on many of the bigger decisions in my life. I sought His will on my decision to join the Navy, on where to go to college in the first place and then more recently on whether to stay here at App or go back home and do my undergrad work at Southeastern. I sought His will on where to go to church up here in Boone. Now I'm seeking His will on something else, as well as reading a book entitled Finding God's Will by Gregg Matte. I've read the introduction, back cover, and inside flap so far (just started tonight) but it seems like it will be good. One particular thing it said I really liked: The best way to find the will of God is to do the will of God. Seems like circular reasoning, but I think what it's saying is that to find God's will in particular areas of our lives we must do what we already know His will for us is: immerse ourselves in His word, come to Him in prayer often, share His love and good news with everyone we meet. Then His will in specific areas will become more evident. And that's what I'm seeking now, for His will in a specific area to become clear. Specifically, in an area pertaining to women; one in particular. I've hung out with her a total of 3 times now, twice in group settings at College Connection. She's a really cool girl, super pretty, and a ton of fun to hang out with. Most importantly, she's also a Christian, one who seems to be actively seeking after God. She actually asked me to pray for her, which is something that I have not experienced in a girl that I've been interested in before, and something that I find awesome. Anyway, I'm seeking God's will on how I should pursue this relationship; whether to pursue it as a romantic interest or to keep it as just friends, to use the colloquialism. I pray for guidance for both myself and for her on that front.
Anywho, it's about time to pack it in. Goodnight interwebs.
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