10 Thoughts From This Week

1. Wow, that John exam wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I also haven't received my grade back.  I could be tricking myself into thinking I did better than I actually did.
2. The "not-yet" part of the inaugurated kingdom is frustrating the heck out of me.  I hate seeing the pain and suffering of this world.  
3. My frustration with the "not-yet" has led me to yearn and long for the completion of the kingdom of God on earth.  "Come, Lord Jesus, come!" has been the deep cry of my heart.
4. Number 2 and 3 (above) may, in fact, be God's answer to my prayer for what Richard Foster calls the "gracious prayer of tears": being moved by the sin in our lives and others' to the point of tears.  In a sense, it is a glimpse of God's broken heart. 
5. Spiritual Theology as presented by Eugene Peterson in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places has been in my head CONSTANTLY!  Basically, I am over wanting to learn theology and the Bible for the sake of knowledge...it is stupid.  Theology demands a response.  It is impossible and pointless to truly study theology and the Word of God without life-transformation. There is no divide between the secular and the sacred!  Theology is not divorced from daily life!  
6. My roommate and I created the biggest mess in our room due to our Romans papers that were due today.  Commentaries, Bibles, and a plethora of other resources were laid open across desks, our couch, and the small dorm room floor.  We kind of looked smart...kind of. 
7. I am so excited to rest this weekend, especially after talking about Sabbath in Dr. Lunde's class today.  I am starting to see the natural cycle of my soul: being filled (resting in the Lord/Sabbath), then giving myself away (serving/ministry/work).  
8. I can't wait to spend quality time with my beautiful fiance!  Our schoolwork and RA jobs take a toll on us both.  Josh and Kaitlin time is needed (aka watching The Hills, eating mexican food, and jacuzzi!). 
9. My brothers are getting baptized on Sunday and I am so excited!!!  I can't wait to celebrate this with them.  I have been trying to prepare myself for the beauty of this sacrament.  Sometimes it can be such an ordinary thing in our minds (especially since it is taking place in someone's backyard pool), but there is so much to it and I want to experience and celebrate it to the fullest. 
10. I have found that my dreams often have a huge effect on how I start my day.  How I start my day has a huge effect on how the rest of my day goes.  I should start dreaming of really cool things.