Reflections

Okay... so these might not have anything to do with what I'm about to write, but I thought they was so ridiculous that it needed to be shared. Also, for more laughs go to failblog.org. There are funnier ones, but I dare not post them... or dare I? hmmm. only time will tell.

Anyways...

School is out and the sun is in! Life therefore = good. I need to enjoy this month while it lasts though, because at the end of May and into June I will be taking 3 classes! Yikes! Who wants to sit in class in the spring time? well... someone who wants to only have one evening class in the fall semester and then no more school ever! Exciting times these are. Times of expectancy... that God is going to do some hip things in the near future with our lives. And times of anxiousness... that I have absolutely no idea what those hip things are yet. Could it be community living, a full time ministry job, a car... who the heck knows. Well the big man upstairs hopefully knows.

I'm in a time of learning what it means to wait, to trust, to hope. The concept and idea keeps coming up... I think I wrote a paper about that recently... or an exam... I guess studying helps in the growing process. Ah yes! Promise theology in the Old Testament. It is characterized by the people of God waiting, hoping, and trusting in the Lord. I'll be honest. I'm not so good about doing these three things. But I'm trying my best. God's people where called to live in the expectant future hope. So the exile sent many away from their homes and known lives, but even in a time of stress and uncertainty, they were certain of God's good grace and love. Here's a cool couple of verses that these people prayed... and I think that I could even pray too.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait patiently for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:22-26

Maybe I'm not a Jew in exile back in the day, but I am a girl who is unsure about what tomorrow holds, but my God sure does. And that's something that I (and you) can cling to. The Lord is enough for me... I don't need anything else. Not even the answers of tomorrow. And because he is enough, I can be patient and begin to learn how to walk in hope, trust, and to wait patiently for what God is going to do next.

hmm... well the above has been a mixture of my reflections on life and Old Testament theology. As exams and papers have recently been a big part of my life, I feel that the line between the two is fuzzy. But I now have a much needed break to clear up that line... and to use to simply enjoy this waiting game. (and enjoy the sun while I'm at it!) But this waiting game doesn't have to be an inactive thing. It can be a very active one I think. Actively participating in the kingdom and waiting on the Lord I think can go hand in hand.

Taking a stand for peace and justice

So I recently came across new initiative put forward by the founders of Invisible Children. Over the years I have appreciated the work that these three guys have done in order to raise awareness about child soldiers in Uganda and ultimately to seek freedom for these kids.
Their new project is called The Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers. They have released a half hour video essentially describing what they have been up to the past six years, how history has been unfolding up until this time, and how they are trying to get the LRA to go for peace instead of destroying young children's lives. It is a movie that is both hopeful and heartbreaking, but will leave you with the sense that you've got to get involved as well.

On April 25, 09, they'll be releasing a new video describing the next steps that need to be taken in order to see freedom for these kids. I won't say much more about their most recent project, but if you have half hour to spare, go to their site, watch, be convicted, be heartbroken, be inspired to make a stand for these kids who have lost their childhood, and in a sense, their humanity. Watch it at therescue.invisiblechildren.com.

It might be something to consider.