July 16th, and halfway through the second summer session. I remember this time last year: I was grateful to have made it almost the whole summer for the first time away from home. Then, I was ready to start my junior year of college and the VMT program. Now, I'm looking at my senior year and my clinical rotations that begin in August. Over the course of the last year, I have been struggling to find a church home. I tried First Baptist, then three others until last month, I went back to FBC. Instead of going back to the college ministry, which I found lacking (to be nice, I won't go into that at the moment), I found a young women's class that I've been enjoying. I almost feel as if I'm out of touch with every other person my age because I don't care about the same things they do. I will admit it: if you asked me to hang out with you, and I had an assignment due at the end of that week, I would tell you no even if I knew it wouldn't take me but ten minutes to finish. Someone once told me that my grades were better than theirs, and my simple answer was: "I don't have a social life and I take what I do seriously". It may sound sad, but not having a desire to be a party animal, hang out excessively with classmates/friends, etc. has played a part in the grades I make.
But anyway. I digress. Last Sunday I joined FBC under their college watchcare program; basically, I'm a member, but didn't have to transfer my letter from my home church. As of right now, I'm not sure what I'll be doing after I graduate next year, and so I don't want to make my church membership too permanent until I know for sure where I'll be going. My sister and brother-in-law were there to support me, though I was so nervous my knees knocked together! But, I survived, and I feel good about deciding to join. The pastor talked for several weeks in a row about the importance of belonging to a church and finding God's place for you in a church. I felt as if God was speaking directly to me through the preacher, and spent the last week just praying about it to be sure it's where He wanted me. I did feel, however, as if God told me in the middle of the week: "Stop analyzing and obey what I told you!" So, I did. I stopped praying about it because I was overanalyzing. My devotionals during that time seemed to be targeted toward obeying God and not taking forever to consider the decision. This is a short blog post, but I've run out of things to ramble on about!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Father's Day
Okay, so this is a day late. And to be honest, I stole the idea from a friend's blog. But I thought he had a good idea.
This was the 2nd Father's Day I had to spend away from my dad. I suppose the saying is true when they say you don't know what you have until it's gone. Every holiday that I have to spend away from home makes me wish I hadn't taken the ones I did spend at home for granted. A phone call really just doesn't substitute for actually being there and celebrating. I sent him and my grandfather each a card, and for the first time since it happened, I was sad that I couldn't send a card to my mom's dad, who passed away December 2010. I was very close to him, and even though a) I know he's in a better place and wouldn't want him out of that, b) it's been 18 months since he passed away, I still get upset when I think about him or when I think about how much I miss him. He was such a great man, a great example of what a loving husband and father should be. He loved the Lord and was fully prepared to meet His Savior. He cared about others before thinking of himself; for example, before he passed away, he told my grandmother "be sure you help Stephanie get through college." I constantly live with a regret of not telling him where I was going to school or what I had finally settled on for my major. But I think that he would be proud of me now for sticking it out and doing something that I never thought was possible for me to do: move away so far from home and complete a degree/program that is difficult. If I graduate for nobody else, I graduate for him because it was partly his financial savvy that has helped me achieve what I have so far. Remembering what he gave to me is one of the great motivators for me to stay here and finish this program.
As for my dad: well, there's nobody else like him. He's a preacher, and I'll admit, I've been bitter about being a preacher's kid for a long time. My own set of scars and hurt resulting from being in the ministry pale in comparison to his; there were things I know he kept from us because he didn't want church politics completely overwhelming our home life. He has suffered scorn, ridicule, cutting remarks, people determined to get rid of him because he disagreed with what they were doing, etc etc. Yet he's still in the ministry. I know that at times, he wants to quit. People who have never been in the ministry will never understand the weight and the stress that preachers and their families experience not just on Sundays, but every day of the week. Personally, I don't wish it upon anybody. One thing I admire about my father as a preacher is his willingness to serve others. How often will he put aside his own wants and desires to minister to those who need it the most! I know he gets tired of doing so, but he continually puts other people's needs before his own. If someone is having surgery, even minor, he'll make an effort to be there in the hospital when they go in. Or he'll visit afterwards. Even if people tell him, "oh don't bother", he'll still go because he feels that's what he should do. Even if it means driving 2.5 hours and only having prayer with them before they have surgery, that's his calling. He is certainly a shepherd to his flock when so many preachers seem to not care about their members' needs on a personal level. In this regard, he's one of the most selfless people I think I know. He's also been one of my biggest supporters ever since I announced that I wanted to be a vet. tech. I think he's also been the biggest supporter/fan of MSU ever since I found out I'd be coming here! He wears his 'MSU Dad" shirt proudly every week, and his hat. And he sports his coffee mugs all the time. He's very supportive and that's something I take strength from when I feel like I want to give up. Yet he's always a firm voice of correction when I'm either slacking or when I'm not living up to something I said I'd do...that happens a lot, but at least he's able to correct me for being wrong! I also know that he brags on me, my sister, and my niece a lot to his church; and I actually don't mind. He's a great person, and I've been very blessed to have him as my dad. Did I mention that he and my mom will celebrate 30 years of marriage this Christmas? Talk about a record in today's world of love 'em and leave 'em.
This was going to be longer, but as I had over an hour break in between these big paragraphs and the last 3 sentences...I kind of forgot where else I was taking this entry! lol!
This was the 2nd Father's Day I had to spend away from my dad. I suppose the saying is true when they say you don't know what you have until it's gone. Every holiday that I have to spend away from home makes me wish I hadn't taken the ones I did spend at home for granted. A phone call really just doesn't substitute for actually being there and celebrating. I sent him and my grandfather each a card, and for the first time since it happened, I was sad that I couldn't send a card to my mom's dad, who passed away December 2010. I was very close to him, and even though a) I know he's in a better place and wouldn't want him out of that, b) it's been 18 months since he passed away, I still get upset when I think about him or when I think about how much I miss him. He was such a great man, a great example of what a loving husband and father should be. He loved the Lord and was fully prepared to meet His Savior. He cared about others before thinking of himself; for example, before he passed away, he told my grandmother "be sure you help Stephanie get through college." I constantly live with a regret of not telling him where I was going to school or what I had finally settled on for my major. But I think that he would be proud of me now for sticking it out and doing something that I never thought was possible for me to do: move away so far from home and complete a degree/program that is difficult. If I graduate for nobody else, I graduate for him because it was partly his financial savvy that has helped me achieve what I have so far. Remembering what he gave to me is one of the great motivators for me to stay here and finish this program.
As for my dad: well, there's nobody else like him. He's a preacher, and I'll admit, I've been bitter about being a preacher's kid for a long time. My own set of scars and hurt resulting from being in the ministry pale in comparison to his; there were things I know he kept from us because he didn't want church politics completely overwhelming our home life. He has suffered scorn, ridicule, cutting remarks, people determined to get rid of him because he disagreed with what they were doing, etc etc. Yet he's still in the ministry. I know that at times, he wants to quit. People who have never been in the ministry will never understand the weight and the stress that preachers and their families experience not just on Sundays, but every day of the week. Personally, I don't wish it upon anybody. One thing I admire about my father as a preacher is his willingness to serve others. How often will he put aside his own wants and desires to minister to those who need it the most! I know he gets tired of doing so, but he continually puts other people's needs before his own. If someone is having surgery, even minor, he'll make an effort to be there in the hospital when they go in. Or he'll visit afterwards. Even if people tell him, "oh don't bother", he'll still go because he feels that's what he should do. Even if it means driving 2.5 hours and only having prayer with them before they have surgery, that's his calling. He is certainly a shepherd to his flock when so many preachers seem to not care about their members' needs on a personal level. In this regard, he's one of the most selfless people I think I know. He's also been one of my biggest supporters ever since I announced that I wanted to be a vet. tech. I think he's also been the biggest supporter/fan of MSU ever since I found out I'd be coming here! He wears his 'MSU Dad" shirt proudly every week, and his hat. And he sports his coffee mugs all the time. He's very supportive and that's something I take strength from when I feel like I want to give up. Yet he's always a firm voice of correction when I'm either slacking or when I'm not living up to something I said I'd do...that happens a lot, but at least he's able to correct me for being wrong! I also know that he brags on me, my sister, and my niece a lot to his church; and I actually don't mind. He's a great person, and I've been very blessed to have him as my dad. Did I mention that he and my mom will celebrate 30 years of marriage this Christmas? Talk about a record in today's world of love 'em and leave 'em.
This was going to be longer, but as I had over an hour break in between these big paragraphs and the last 3 sentences...I kind of forgot where else I was taking this entry! lol!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Summer School
So, I'm roughly halfway through summer classes at the moment. Right now, we're doing our surgery class which can be really tedious, but also interesting at times since we get to participate in real surgeries. Last week we had our first surgery lab, and I finally got to put an IV catheter into a REAL dog! up to that point, we'd only been using models and fake veins, so to actually stick it into a patient was rewarding. Amazingly, I hit the vein and got blood on my very first try, which even the vet students in my group were amazed at (I felt like I earned some of their respect at that moment!) because they hadn't ever gotten the catheter in at the first try. Unfortunately, the dog I was working with had very thick skin, and I kinked the catheter right after I almost got it in all the way ready for taping. :( Thankfully the dog was medicated and somewhat sedated, so she didn't feel it. But I was happy that I hit the vein on the first try, which is very difficult to do even for some experienced technicians. I'm hoping that tomorrow I will actually get it in successfully, tape it onto the leg, and maybe even intubate (insert the breathing tube for anesthesia) the dog. It's one thing to do it on a model: it's another to do it on a living, breathing animal where the anatomy doesn't always quite match the model.
On another note, I've already registered for fall classes. This will be my lightest regular semester at only 12 hours. But these aren't normal classes: these 'classes' are clinical rotations! Except for one class (the class that will help me take the national board exam for technicians), every class is mostly practical clinical stuff. I'm nervous but excited because these classes will probably provide the most learning experience yet. Fall is also when I'll be doing my externship, which I'm excited about because that means I get to go home for 4 weeks! :)
So I've registered for my final fall semester of college and at MSU, and I'm almost one semester closer to graduation. Wow. I can't really even remember where I was last year, and even when I think back to orientation, it's hard to imagine that day! It was such a blur, so overwhelming, yet incredibly exciting. What will the next few months hold? I don't know, but I almost can't wait!
On another note, I've already registered for fall classes. This will be my lightest regular semester at only 12 hours. But these aren't normal classes: these 'classes' are clinical rotations! Except for one class (the class that will help me take the national board exam for technicians), every class is mostly practical clinical stuff. I'm nervous but excited because these classes will probably provide the most learning experience yet. Fall is also when I'll be doing my externship, which I'm excited about because that means I get to go home for 4 weeks! :)
So I've registered for my final fall semester of college and at MSU, and I'm almost one semester closer to graduation. Wow. I can't really even remember where I was last year, and even when I think back to orientation, it's hard to imagine that day! It was such a blur, so overwhelming, yet incredibly exciting. What will the next few months hold? I don't know, but I almost can't wait!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Looking Back Over the Year...
It's April 28, 2012. Yesterday, April 27th, the senior VMT students had their pinning and awards ceremony. The 2012 class of Veterinary Students graduated on Thursday. "Official" graduation isn't for another week or two. Graduation for me isn't even for another year, but I suppose all the hubbub surrounding the graduations at the vet. school has gotten me anxious over the next year.
But, it also makes me reflect back on the past year. This time in 2011, I was busy packing and preparing to leave Texas for MSU for the summer, not really wanting to go, but at the same time excited. It's really hard to believe that I've been in Mississippi for nearly a year, and when I look at where I was last year compared to now, it's really hard to believe how much I've learned in that time. I mean, I'm about to complete my first official academic year here in the VMT program. This time last year, I was finishing my volunteer time at the vet. clinic my family uses, and I didn't know then even 1/4 of what I know now! The summer semester was brutal in my eyes: it was ridiculously humid (something I wasn't used to), not to mention hot, AND it rained all the time! Add to this: a very irritating dorm roommate in Rice Hall, Rice Hall itself and dorm life in general, walking at least 2 miles each day for class beginning at 8 a.m., having to tackle trigonometry in a 5 week period, and being extremely homesick as well as out of place. The one thing I think that really helped me to not just give up and leave was having my sister so close: somewhere I could retreat if I needed to. But hey, look on the bright side: I'm pretty sure I lost several pounds that summer, and I got used to walking a lot without it bothering me! (Though I'm certain I gained all that weight back over the Christmas break...)
Then enter the fall semester. I only had a maximum of about 10 days at home in-between the summer and fall sessions, and had to be back for VMT orientation on the 15th. It's strange now to think back on orientation because I can't imagine not knowing my classmates! I didn't know anyone then, felt really out of place, and felt extremely overwhelmed with the expectations I was handed at orientation. Now, as I said, I can't hardly imagine not knowing my classmates like I do, and it's hard to believe the wealth of information I've gathered over the last academic year. It's funny: each new block of classes presented its own challenges, each block threatening to send me packing. Not saying that they were so hard I couldn't overcome them (Hey, I'm still here, right?), but that I felt like at the time that "one class" would be the one to send me home. (classes bolded were the ones I considered my hardest) The first semester saw radiology, animal handling, anatomy and physiology, food animal, small animal tech. skills, and terminology. Now, I don't even remember half of what I learned in classes like radiology because we dont' use radiology every day at the moment, but I still know more now then I knew prior to taking it...
Then came this semester: anatomical pathology, hematology, parasitology, clinical pathology, equine disease and management, animal science, intro. vet. med careers, pharmacology, and small animal. Oh yes, and art appreciation, which I only had to take online from NCTC because I found out MSU didn't accept my film appreciation class as my core fine arts course. Go figure! In all, I've taken 22 hours this spring semester, my heaviest load EVER in my college career. Now, there have only been 3 classes that were all semester, while the others were split up into blocks like before. But still, those classes take away from time you spend studying and completing assignments for other courses; time which I really wish I had! As soon as I submitted my final art appreciation assignment, I said to myself, "I hope I never see anything art related again", because I find art a drag. I've been more challenged this semester than ever before, and so far, I've done pretty well. There are projects and papers I didn't do as well on because I got to the point in the semester where I was trying to complete them, complete them well, but felt like I was running out of time to do so. I think even my art teacher realized that, because at the beginning of the semester, I told the class, "I'm only in this because I have to be. I'm taking 22 hours and this is one of them; I'm taking this course because it's cheaper through NCTC than it is at MSU." My art teacher made the comment on my final art paper: "I realize you only took this course to complete your academic requirements", i.e. "I realize that you didn't care about your assignments because it was a must-take course." Thankfully she was very lenient in grading things, and even though I don't like being a slacker, art appreciation wasn't one of those "Must do extremely well in" classes. I do have an A, which is all that matters I think.
Finals begin on Tuesday, and I'm very ready for them to be O-V-E-R! We only get a 4 day break (excluding the weekend) before our Maymester and summer classes start, but I'm going to take full advantage of that 4 day break! I have a list of things I've been wanting to do that I haven't had time to do since this semester started, so I'm looking forward to it very much!
But, it also makes me reflect back on the past year. This time in 2011, I was busy packing and preparing to leave Texas for MSU for the summer, not really wanting to go, but at the same time excited. It's really hard to believe that I've been in Mississippi for nearly a year, and when I look at where I was last year compared to now, it's really hard to believe how much I've learned in that time. I mean, I'm about to complete my first official academic year here in the VMT program. This time last year, I was finishing my volunteer time at the vet. clinic my family uses, and I didn't know then even 1/4 of what I know now! The summer semester was brutal in my eyes: it was ridiculously humid (something I wasn't used to), not to mention hot, AND it rained all the time! Add to this: a very irritating dorm roommate in Rice Hall, Rice Hall itself and dorm life in general, walking at least 2 miles each day for class beginning at 8 a.m., having to tackle trigonometry in a 5 week period, and being extremely homesick as well as out of place. The one thing I think that really helped me to not just give up and leave was having my sister so close: somewhere I could retreat if I needed to. But hey, look on the bright side: I'm pretty sure I lost several pounds that summer, and I got used to walking a lot without it bothering me! (Though I'm certain I gained all that weight back over the Christmas break...)
Then enter the fall semester. I only had a maximum of about 10 days at home in-between the summer and fall sessions, and had to be back for VMT orientation on the 15th. It's strange now to think back on orientation because I can't imagine not knowing my classmates! I didn't know anyone then, felt really out of place, and felt extremely overwhelmed with the expectations I was handed at orientation. Now, as I said, I can't hardly imagine not knowing my classmates like I do, and it's hard to believe the wealth of information I've gathered over the last academic year. It's funny: each new block of classes presented its own challenges, each block threatening to send me packing. Not saying that they were so hard I couldn't overcome them (Hey, I'm still here, right?), but that I felt like at the time that "one class" would be the one to send me home. (classes bolded were the ones I considered my hardest) The first semester saw radiology, animal handling, anatomy and physiology, food animal, small animal tech. skills, and terminology. Now, I don't even remember half of what I learned in classes like radiology because we dont' use radiology every day at the moment, but I still know more now then I knew prior to taking it...
Then came this semester: anatomical pathology, hematology, parasitology, clinical pathology, equine disease and management, animal science, intro. vet. med careers, pharmacology, and small animal. Oh yes, and art appreciation, which I only had to take online from NCTC because I found out MSU didn't accept my film appreciation class as my core fine arts course. Go figure! In all, I've taken 22 hours this spring semester, my heaviest load EVER in my college career. Now, there have only been 3 classes that were all semester, while the others were split up into blocks like before. But still, those classes take away from time you spend studying and completing assignments for other courses; time which I really wish I had! As soon as I submitted my final art appreciation assignment, I said to myself, "I hope I never see anything art related again", because I find art a drag. I've been more challenged this semester than ever before, and so far, I've done pretty well. There are projects and papers I didn't do as well on because I got to the point in the semester where I was trying to complete them, complete them well, but felt like I was running out of time to do so. I think even my art teacher realized that, because at the beginning of the semester, I told the class, "I'm only in this because I have to be. I'm taking 22 hours and this is one of them; I'm taking this course because it's cheaper through NCTC than it is at MSU." My art teacher made the comment on my final art paper: "I realize you only took this course to complete your academic requirements", i.e. "I realize that you didn't care about your assignments because it was a must-take course." Thankfully she was very lenient in grading things, and even though I don't like being a slacker, art appreciation wasn't one of those "Must do extremely well in" classes. I do have an A, which is all that matters I think.
Finals begin on Tuesday, and I'm very ready for them to be O-V-E-R! We only get a 4 day break (excluding the weekend) before our Maymester and summer classes start, but I'm going to take full advantage of that 4 day break! I have a list of things I've been wanting to do that I haven't had time to do since this semester started, so I'm looking forward to it very much!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Chapter 3: Crazy Love
(Sorry about the absence; it's been very hectic in my life with school, but I had some down time and decided to read some chapters and blog).
So chapter 3 is all about God's crazy love. Chan opens the chapter talking about how he had difficulties understanding God's love because of his relationship to his earthly father. I can honestly say, I think I've been surrounded by two of the best examples of God's fatherly love: my dad and my mom's dad. My grandfather is no longer with us, but he left an impression on me that will never be erased. He exemplified what being a responsible father and husband meant. In the same way, my dad has impacted me and continues to impact me even from a distance. I know that I can call on him for something and, if able, he'll do it. This is going off subject, but I've always maintained that if I ever begin dating while in college, or really regardless of when I date, the boy has to get my father's permission first and foremost to date me. It may seem silly or even old-fashioned, but I believe that my father knows who I should and shouldn't be dating. I love the part in Courageous (2011) where the man takes his daughter to dinner, and asks her to entrust him with her heart, and that he will pick "the very best" for her when God shows them the right one. I'm able to entrust my heart to my earthly father, but I often struggle with entrusting my heart to my heavenly Father.
Something that has been plaguing me lately is my devotion to God. I've been struggling with establishing a church home, and I find more excuses to avoid church than you can shake a stick at. Believe me, I want to find a church home, and schoolwork does interfere more often than I want it to. Unfortunately, no church is perfect. I've been praying lately that God would show me in some way where He wants me to go to church. I've found one that I basically like, the only problem with it is the schedule of the college ministry. Chan touches on the subject of "having quiet times out of guilt." This is another area in which I've been asking myself why I'm doing it. My parents bought me Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest", and I've been reading it since November. But, I do little more than read the verse that accompanies the devotional and the devotional itself. It hardly takes me 5 minutes. I never feel like I spend much quality time with God. I was struck by some quotes from the book that apply to this area of life:
"Over time, I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him-frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day."
"This is how God longs for us to respond to His extravagant, unending love: not with a cursory 'quiet time' plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives."
He isn't saying not to have a quiet time. I believe that what Chan is getting at is that we should want to spend time with God daily because of our love for Him; if you want to get to know a friend you've just met, you have to spend time with them. you want to spend time with that person because you enjoy their company/presence. I think the same thing should apply to our quiet time with God. It isn't required, but it should be desired.
I want to close with this quote from the book, because I think it is so true today:
"The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him-and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by."
So chapter 3 is all about God's crazy love. Chan opens the chapter talking about how he had difficulties understanding God's love because of his relationship to his earthly father. I can honestly say, I think I've been surrounded by two of the best examples of God's fatherly love: my dad and my mom's dad. My grandfather is no longer with us, but he left an impression on me that will never be erased. He exemplified what being a responsible father and husband meant. In the same way, my dad has impacted me and continues to impact me even from a distance. I know that I can call on him for something and, if able, he'll do it. This is going off subject, but I've always maintained that if I ever begin dating while in college, or really regardless of when I date, the boy has to get my father's permission first and foremost to date me. It may seem silly or even old-fashioned, but I believe that my father knows who I should and shouldn't be dating. I love the part in Courageous (2011) where the man takes his daughter to dinner, and asks her to entrust him with her heart, and that he will pick "the very best" for her when God shows them the right one. I'm able to entrust my heart to my earthly father, but I often struggle with entrusting my heart to my heavenly Father.
Something that has been plaguing me lately is my devotion to God. I've been struggling with establishing a church home, and I find more excuses to avoid church than you can shake a stick at. Believe me, I want to find a church home, and schoolwork does interfere more often than I want it to. Unfortunately, no church is perfect. I've been praying lately that God would show me in some way where He wants me to go to church. I've found one that I basically like, the only problem with it is the schedule of the college ministry. Chan touches on the subject of "having quiet times out of guilt." This is another area in which I've been asking myself why I'm doing it. My parents bought me Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest", and I've been reading it since November. But, I do little more than read the verse that accompanies the devotional and the devotional itself. It hardly takes me 5 minutes. I never feel like I spend much quality time with God. I was struck by some quotes from the book that apply to this area of life:
"Over time, I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him-frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day."
"This is how God longs for us to respond to His extravagant, unending love: not with a cursory 'quiet time' plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives."
He isn't saying not to have a quiet time. I believe that what Chan is getting at is that we should want to spend time with God daily because of our love for Him; if you want to get to know a friend you've just met, you have to spend time with them. you want to spend time with that person because you enjoy their company/presence. I think the same thing should apply to our quiet time with God. It isn't required, but it should be desired.
I want to close with this quote from the book, because I think it is so true today:
"The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him-and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by."
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Crazy Love: Chapters 1 and 2
Okay, so far these posts might be pretty short, but that's because I don't have a great deal to say right now about the book. So, here we go.
Chapter 1
This chapter opens with Chan asking, "What if I said, 'stop praying'?" Then it follows up with another question, "What if I told you to stop talking at God, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word?" I think I have to agree with this statement. We spend too much of our prayer lives telling God what to do instead of letting Him speak to us [I'm pointing a finger at myself here!]. I also found another statement on page 1 very true: "Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of." Ouch. But isn't that the case? God is mocked, and so are His followers. The best example I can think of is Tim Tebow. If it were a Muslim praising Allah, I guarantee you not ONE word would be said about what is coming out of his mouth. Thank the Lord for a person like Tebow who doesn't conform to what his peers demand, and that he is confessing His Savior in public. You may call it preachy, but I call it being true to God's instruction to confess Him before men. God will silence the mockers and the critics, in His own way and time. But enough of that; back to the book. Another point that Chan makes is that our world insists on either "ignoring or merely tolerating" Jesus. However, like Chan pointed out, God doesn't call us to tolerate Him; He commands us to worship Him and Him alone.
Later on in chapter 1, Chan says that "when I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and want a break, it doesn't come as a surprise to God." Since about August, I've been struggling to feel at home here in Mississippi. I've been struggling with finding a good church home/family, something I hope will be resolved in the next week or so. But you know, God knew all that when He directed me to Mississippi State. He knew I'd have a hard time, He knew I would struggle with being depressed and lonely. What I'm going through never comes as a surprise to Him. That's a comfort, especially considering that, if He knew my hard times, surely He knows about the good times and has a plan beyond the difficult spots.
Chapter 2
This chapter brings up some points that I disagree with Chan on. Namely, his statement that "worry and stress reek of arrogance." While I agree that worry is or can be the result of a lack of faith that God can provide, I disagree that stress is pure arrogance. I know this is no excuse, but I believe stress to be at least a little biological. Maybe it is due to our lack of faith at times, but I know people who are not in the least arrogant, and yet still struggle with stress. I did agree with him, though, when he said that when your life is hard, God uses it to point to Him, and that is the entire point of our lives as believers: to point to Him.
That's about all I have to say right now. will post my thoughts about Chapter 3 when I read it.
Chapter 1
This chapter opens with Chan asking, "What if I said, 'stop praying'?" Then it follows up with another question, "What if I told you to stop talking at God, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word?" I think I have to agree with this statement. We spend too much of our prayer lives telling God what to do instead of letting Him speak to us [I'm pointing a finger at myself here!]. I also found another statement on page 1 very true: "Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of." Ouch. But isn't that the case? God is mocked, and so are His followers. The best example I can think of is Tim Tebow. If it were a Muslim praising Allah, I guarantee you not ONE word would be said about what is coming out of his mouth. Thank the Lord for a person like Tebow who doesn't conform to what his peers demand, and that he is confessing His Savior in public. You may call it preachy, but I call it being true to God's instruction to confess Him before men. God will silence the mockers and the critics, in His own way and time. But enough of that; back to the book. Another point that Chan makes is that our world insists on either "ignoring or merely tolerating" Jesus. However, like Chan pointed out, God doesn't call us to tolerate Him; He commands us to worship Him and Him alone.
Later on in chapter 1, Chan says that "when I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and want a break, it doesn't come as a surprise to God." Since about August, I've been struggling to feel at home here in Mississippi. I've been struggling with finding a good church home/family, something I hope will be resolved in the next week or so. But you know, God knew all that when He directed me to Mississippi State. He knew I'd have a hard time, He knew I would struggle with being depressed and lonely. What I'm going through never comes as a surprise to Him. That's a comfort, especially considering that, if He knew my hard times, surely He knows about the good times and has a plan beyond the difficult spots.
Chapter 2
This chapter brings up some points that I disagree with Chan on. Namely, his statement that "worry and stress reek of arrogance." While I agree that worry is or can be the result of a lack of faith that God can provide, I disagree that stress is pure arrogance. I know this is no excuse, but I believe stress to be at least a little biological. Maybe it is due to our lack of faith at times, but I know people who are not in the least arrogant, and yet still struggle with stress. I did agree with him, though, when he said that when your life is hard, God uses it to point to Him, and that is the entire point of our lives as believers: to point to Him.
That's about all I have to say right now. will post my thoughts about Chapter 3 when I read it.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
My best friend handed me a late Christmas/birthday present the other day: Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It's a book I've been hearing about for a while now. I just never bought a copy or bothered to look into it. I don't know yet if it's a book I'll enjoy, or even agree with. But I'm up to chapter 3, and so far, I'm in agreement with most everything he's been saying. When I return to S-ville, I plan on re-reading the first two chapters, and really take notes on what I do and don't like, and how I think about what he puts forth. Hopefully, I can convey those thoughts to this blog. Care to join me?
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