Fall Beginnings
In the beginning God created the havens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV) Spring is commonly associated with new beginnings, but I would argue that fall should be, too. It marks a new school year. It marks the beginning of the colder months. The tastes of fall with their warm spiced flavors are a prelude to the holiday festivities and feasts. Creekside has even historically done fall kick-offs for our church events. And this year, it marks the run-up to the...
Read MoreFully Trained
“A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40 NET) One of the starkest memories I have about being “Christian” happened after undergrad, bumping into a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years. I had known her from some of the youth groups I had attended on campus while trying to find my niche. We were talking about life, and I said I had come to Costco right after church. She quickly exclaimed, “I had no idea you were Christian!” I am not sure how she meant it, but it has always stuck out to me, even many years later. I feel...
Read MoreSilence in a Time Like This
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV) Three months or whatever into this pandemic, I have flitted between having times of deep prayer and choosing to sleep in the mornings before my nursing shifts. I think the feelings of dread have lifted, and at work we have somewhat resigned ourselves to the new normal, the new status quo of a world with Covid-19. There is not much we can...
Read MoreRespect and Honor
(I originally wrote this in 2018, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately as well.) Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7 NIV) In the midst of school, I sometimes—not always—find time to attend my Bible Study Fellowship class on Monday nights, when I get out of clinicals early or they’re canceled. Two weeks ago, we had our lesson on Romans 13:1-7, titled “Submission to Governing Authorities.” If you have chance, read the passage. It’s still stuck in my head weeks later. And...
Read MoreEverlasting Words
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35 NIV) I never thought my introductory years to nursing would involve a pandemic of this scale. I was a hospital volunteer during SARS and worked in hospitals during MERS, but I think we can all agree that this time, it’s very different. We might show a brave face, but in the pockets of conversations between HCWs (health care workers), there is fear of the unknown, anxiety, anger at the situation (especially the lack of PPE and poor planning overall), and dread—lots of dread. We don’t know what’s coming; we...
Read MoreThe Beginning of Wisdom
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV) God must be telling me or reminding me something about His wisdom. I had yet to do my Bible study homework on 1 Corinthians by church on Sunday, and I knew that it was something about “Countercultural Unity.” I had completely forgotten that 1 Corinthians 1-4 have several paragraphs about God’s wisdom. The sermon at church last Sunday was on Solomon and what it means to be wise, as this Sunday’s scripture from Proverbs 1:7 explains: “Reverence for [often...
Read MoreA Cycle of Love
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1 NIV) I just finished listening to Pastor Mark’s sermon on the book of Judges (catch up with the podcast). As a refresher, he mentions the negative cycle of the Israelites and the judges: the people rebel, God is angry, oppression by enemies, the people cry out (repentance), salvation through chosen judge, peace, judge dies, repeat. It’s a prime example of how history repeats itself. I’ve also been studying Acts and the apostles this school year. In Acts 7, Stephen gives a speech to the Sanhedrin outlining this...
Read MoreRejoice!
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 ESV) In church last Sunday, we went over the passage that includes this verse to finish our study in Philippians. Philippians 4:4 can be found on Christmas cards from forever, and Christmas is one of my favorite seasons. A time of laughter, good cheer, presents both given and received, family… and of course, celebrating the birth of the Messiah. It’s easy in that light to say “Rejoice!” But what does the word really mean? One can see a sort of root of “joy” in it, which makes sense for the season. According to Google,...
Read MoreThy Word
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105 NIV) A couple of weeks ago, Keith spoke on really diving into the Word and making a conscious effort to be still and read for at least 15 minutes. I was sitting there nodding my head, thinking, “Check! Done!” After all, for the past three falls, I participated in an in-depth study of a section of the Bible complete with homework, discussion, and lectures. This is year is no different. But what struck me about Keith’s sermon was the part about the Bible being the only book that calls its readers into relationship with the...
Read MoreFriends, Rare and Beautiful Treasures
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (Proverbs 24:3-4) Because I’ve been in and out of school every decade of my life, Fall signals a new year to me more so than January 1st. Even Bible studies and small groups and new church series start as the summer programs end. And these new beginnings always seem to result in new friendships, those “rare and beautiful treasures”! I’ll be honest, I haven’t read the verses before and after the one above. I just felt I needed to write something...
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