*i took this picture when i was visiting kristen and UIC physical therapy school in chicago last weekend. i don't currently own a functional camera, so my phone is the best i have and this was through a window while driving in downtown traffic. so try to look beyond the blurriness :)
i like it because it has the word "shred" in it. ironic. i work in an office (lame) and we have this hardcore shredder (coughcough) that like annihilates papers...when we have something that we don't want anyone else to see, something that needs to be destroyed so no one else can get their hand on it. we shred it. so when i think of the word 'shred'...i think complete destruction.
funny how people thought killing Jesus on a cross would do the same thing. by killing him they thought they would end his life and with it all of the crazy things he was saying that they didn't want anyone else to hear. unlike those papers after they are shredded though - Jesus was not destroyed. he could never be ripped to shreds.
and even though he is no longer here on earth. we have been given the sacred document. the Bible. to continue to teach and pass on the information that God had written for us.
it is no secret. there is no way to destroy an everlasting God.
"face down in the dirt, she said this doesn't hurt, she said i finally had enough."
there are moments in our lives were we feel like we are swimming in a sea of unknown. drowning even. there are moments in our lives when we aren't sure which way is up. there are moments in our lives when we are being taken by the current - swallowed by the waves.
there are also moments in our lives when we fight it. when we struggle to the surface and the breath of fresh air couldn't be more welcome. when our feet hit the sandy bottom that we were always supposed to feel and we are once again oriented in the right direction.
favorite YOUTUBE video ever. yup. that is one of my best friends and ex-facebook-wife. just saying...
it is finals week. spring 09. end of junior year. craziness is in the air. the end. the beginning. the unknown...
i had a job interview friday that i am still waiting to hear back from. praying hard for it! that would be great to have...and know about at least soon. i hate when plans are up in the air still. i will be staying here in EL though...at least i know that.
i am excited. the last time i was home for the summer it was terrible. this year i will be here, but i will be staying at my house in EL...and i feel good things a brewing...big things. routine, thought process, ironic things about to bust onto the main stage that is my life. and i am so ready...
if you are my facebook friend you may have noticed that one of my interests is Relevant magazine. i just got the new issue and it is one of the best ones yet...here are the top three things i learned from it just on my first run through...
1. my life's priorities will flip without me intending them too, but i then need to INTENTIONALLY bring them back into balance. it is easy for us to get so busy with what we feel we are doing FOR God, that we forget about our relationship WITH him. in my case i feel that i have been in isolation for the past few years...of my own doing...but in doing so, i have placed myself in a position of not needing to ask for help - not needing to rely on God or friends - and i have kidded myself into thinking that if i work hard or long enough on something, then i can eventually overcome any obstacle. i have been living in deception and unintentionally created a cycle that is not helping my life... (Cameron Strang help put these words to my feelings)
2. we are a generation of irony. we will be known for the sarcastic twist we put on all things important. "I think so many of us Christians have become cynical and ironic because it is something safe to hide behind." (Matthew Paul Turner) - as Christians it is important for us to understand how irony impacts our relationships and where it is appropriate. irony is the epitome of pride and detaches us from real conversation. it is a way for us to show off how smart we think we are. in Romans 12:3 it is said that as Christians we are called to live humble lives in which we never think more highly of ourselves than we ought...ouch.
3. sloth. the overlooked commandment. sloth is not just laziness. it is a deceiver that moves us away from all the things that ultimately matter and gives us diversions and worldly things to keep us occupied. "sloth praises the ruts we dig for ourselves"...it is the voice in the back of our heads that says, "hey this is just the way it is" and helps us to continue the cycles that are keeping us away from God. "sloth chooses noise over silence. busyness over joy. anxiety over rest. soul-sucking indifference over a full-throated passion for life." (Jeff Cook)
good reminders as i close out this semester and a new way to look at the next.
