A Question For All

My advisor told me that I struck her as the kind of person who could put someone in their place without a problem. How do I take that? Do I say thank you? Do I worry about where that idea came from? Any thoughts?

I promise I will try to be nice.

Stop Living A Christian Life

I was given some interesting advice in a sermon a few weeks ago. I was told to stop living a Christian life. Let's just say that was a way to open a sermon. The speaker talked about the fact that we couldn't ever completely live a Christian life. We would always lack on our own. He said that it was time to let Christ fill us and live in us. We couldn't do it on our own but Christ can. I have really been challenged by that the last few days. The speaker apparently is renowned for his sermons on Matthew. He was a spry older gentleman who had lost some of his hair but none of his love for the Lord. He was the invited speaker for a revival type weekend at my family's church in Delaware, Ohio. I wished that I had been able to listen to more of his talks.

Poor Attitude

Well another semester has begun and my attitude stinks. Some of it has to do with other people frustrating me but a good portion of it has to do with my heart. Fortunately, God has not turned away from me but has been continually reminding me of how awesome He is. Today I was really blessed by a conversation I had that was quite out of the blue. I found myself opening up about things that I never discuss with people. I think that it had to do with the fact that this has been an emotionally draining time for me lately. God has really been challenging me to let things go and focus on Him. As I do that my issues look less like catastrophes and more like opportunities to share His love. I was reminded how we are constantly being stretched and refined. That is not a bad thing.

I don't particularly like the saying "Jesus is my friend". I think that He is so much more than that. I have realized; however, that the way I think of Him doesn't allow me to fully embrace the righteousness granted through His sacrifice. What I mean is that I tend to fixate on my sinfulness as opposed to His glory.

I don't know if any of this makes sense. I tend to avoid giving specific details to protect those involved in any of the stories. I am afraid that makes my posts quite cryptic.

Sampling and Stuff

Well I finished my extensive round of sampling soybeans in the field. My attitude was not the greatest but we are done. I had an excellent helper who made things go so much more smoothly. The storms and the grasshoppers and the beetles and the other flying insects were not nearly as bad with someone else to get grossed out with. My bible study lesson this week was about being grateful in prayer and life in general. I so needed that because I can be a real crab sometimes.

Take a moment to think about how lucky we are to have the lives we are living. There is a saying of "Take all the trials of the world and put them in a pile and you will pick up the ones you already have been through." They are what make us who we are and that ain't bad.

Much Thanks

I want to thank all of you who prayed for my boyfriend and I during his visit. God's abundant grace was apparent in our conversations and our attitudes.