Monday, May 26, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sisters in Christ
What a blessing! I don't have any biological sisters, so that makes my sisters in Christ that much more precious to me. Their laughter and joy bring happiness to those around them. Praise to God for welcoming hearts, beautiful spirits, and the building of friendships. Their encouragement and support are vital during this walk through life. Praise, glory and honor to God.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
God's Glory, Part 2
I've been thinking about this entry for awhile now. It is the continuation of the post on the glory of God from a few weeks ago and was actually meant to come immediately after it. I've been putting it off because I couldn't completely wrap my head around it--still can't. That seems kind of obvious since it is about God's glory which is more than my simple, human mind can understand. I guess it's different in the fact that as I sit here typing, I don't really know exactly where the next few paragraphs are going to go. This may end up being more of a stream of consciousness kind of post.
In the last entry I talked about seeing God's glory in the world around me. This time I want to start with a verse:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. --1 Corinthians 10:31
This was causing me some trouble yesterday. I was at the lab working and did not want to be there. I had forgotten my allergy meds so I had a headache and as a result was not a happy camper. Bad attitude. During the morning I listened to one of Dan's old sermons from last semester when he was talking about the solas of the reformation. This particular sermon was on Soli Deo gloria, glory to God alone. After listening to this sermon and some worship music, my attitude improved quite a bit, although I still don't think I was really thinking about doing my work for the glory of God. I didn't even have a good idea about what that should look like really. After contemplating it for awhile, here are a few ideas that I think relate to doing everything for the glory of God.
1. Avoid sin. When you do fall, repent, get back up and keep going.
Obvious, right? But one thing I hadn't really thought about is what makes sin, sin. One of things that Dan mentioned in that sermon was that when we sin we are doing the opposite of giving God glory. Sin drives a wedge in between us and God. We're not giving God glory; we're turning our backs and running away from Him. In John 8: 34, Jesus says "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." In Matthew 6:24, Jesus explains that a man cannot serve two masters. So it's up to you which to serve, God or sin.
2. Do everything to the best of your ability.
I had the privilege of growing up in a home where my best was what my parents required of me. They knew I wasn't perfect, but as long as I did my best they were happy. God expects that too. It doesn't matter if I'm at the lab or doing the dishes at home, I should always be doing my best. Laziness in whatever I do should not be tolerated. It results in me becoming selfish and not using my gifts and abilities to glorify God. It's like planting your talent instead of using it to further the kingdom (Matthew 25).
3. Be a good representative of your faith and your God.
Remember in elementary school when you would go on field trips and the teacher would remind the class that you were representing the school and her classroom, so you'd better behave? It's the same sort of thing. We are ambassadors to the world through God. We are in charge of delivering God's message to all people. First of all, we wouldn't be effective in doing that if we weren't good representatives of God (leading back to #2). Second, others should see God working through us. That brings glory to God. Psalm 66 says:
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah
In the last entry I talked about seeing God's glory in the world around me. This time I want to start with a verse:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. --1 Corinthians 10:31
This was causing me some trouble yesterday. I was at the lab working and did not want to be there. I had forgotten my allergy meds so I had a headache and as a result was not a happy camper. Bad attitude. During the morning I listened to one of Dan's old sermons from last semester when he was talking about the solas of the reformation. This particular sermon was on Soli Deo gloria, glory to God alone. After listening to this sermon and some worship music, my attitude improved quite a bit, although I still don't think I was really thinking about doing my work for the glory of God. I didn't even have a good idea about what that should look like really. After contemplating it for awhile, here are a few ideas that I think relate to doing everything for the glory of God.
1. Avoid sin. When you do fall, repent, get back up and keep going.
Obvious, right? But one thing I hadn't really thought about is what makes sin, sin. One of things that Dan mentioned in that sermon was that when we sin we are doing the opposite of giving God glory. Sin drives a wedge in between us and God. We're not giving God glory; we're turning our backs and running away from Him. In John 8: 34, Jesus says "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." In Matthew 6:24, Jesus explains that a man cannot serve two masters. So it's up to you which to serve, God or sin.
2. Do everything to the best of your ability.
I had the privilege of growing up in a home where my best was what my parents required of me. They knew I wasn't perfect, but as long as I did my best they were happy. God expects that too. It doesn't matter if I'm at the lab or doing the dishes at home, I should always be doing my best. Laziness in whatever I do should not be tolerated. It results in me becoming selfish and not using my gifts and abilities to glorify God. It's like planting your talent instead of using it to further the kingdom (Matthew 25).
3. Be a good representative of your faith and your God.
Remember in elementary school when you would go on field trips and the teacher would remind the class that you were representing the school and her classroom, so you'd better behave? It's the same sort of thing. We are ambassadors to the world through God. We are in charge of delivering God's message to all people. First of all, we wouldn't be effective in doing that if we weren't good representatives of God (leading back to #2). Second, others should see God working through us. That brings glory to God. Psalm 66 says:
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah
Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man's behalf!
Those are a few things that I think result in giving God glory in all we do. I fail at all of them, but I am aware of them and try to follow. God is working in me and it is so evident when I look at my life through the past year. Glory to God in the highest. God of all creation. Lord Almighty. King of Glory
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Jersey girl for a weekend
I took a trip out to New Jersey last week to visit my uncle, aunt, and cousins. What a blast! It was just the little vacation that I needed relax after graduating and start off the summer.
My uncle is just 10 years older than me. Actually there's less of an age difference between he and I than between he and my mom (his sister). Because of that, I grew up following him around like a puppy. In my grade school mind, you couldn't get much cooler than my uncle. I think part of that stuck with me a little. :) I still think he's pretty cool--my aunt, too. It's always neat spending time with them because we have so much in common. They both did their undergrad and grad work here at IU and they share my love of Bloomington. They're also both microbiologists so I can talk science with them (which we all know I love.) Actually, they're kind of the reason that I first became interested in research...but another story for another day. So it was really fun to spend time with them.
Now, they've added to their/our family. They have twins who are now about 9 1/2 months old. I really enjoy kids in general, but these two take the cake. Haley and Bobby are the cutest babies I have ever seen--I may be biased, but other people seem to think they're pretty cute as well. Honestly, there's not much I can tell you to relay how much fun it is to spend time with them. Their smiles are infectious and they share them easily. They even wake up smiling. You peek into their cribs and they just grin--excited to
begin the day. They talk often--baby jibber jabber and really like music. It's funny how there is a distinctive difference between boys and girls already. Haley really examines things. She'll hold a toy in her hands and turn it around and just look at it really closely. Give her a book and she'll be entertained for quite awhile. Bobby, on the other hand, is a slam-banger. He loves anything that makes noise and throws his toys around as hard as he can. I had so much fun with them and miss them a lot!
I also got to see Princeton (where they both work: my uncle as a post-doc and my aunt as a lab tech/manager). It's really neat--so historical and old compared to things here in the mid-west. We also went to NYC for part of one day. It just so happened to rain all day that day, so we didn't end up doing most of the touristy things. We went to the Museum of Modern Art which was really fun. You don't always get to go to those kind of places with the intention of spending the whole day, so we really got to see a good chunk of the museum.
I really like the painting galleries. They had a lot by French artists that I had studied some in HS (Monet, Cezzane, Matisse, etc). They also have van Gogh's Starry Night, which I didn't know until I saw it there. There were also some very cool architecture and technology exhibits. After the MoMA, we took the subway over to Times Square and grabbed some lunch.
So all in all, a fantastic trip. :)
My uncle is just 10 years older than me. Actually there's less of an age difference between he and I than between he and my mom (his sister). Because of that, I grew up following him around like a puppy. In my grade school mind, you couldn't get much cooler than my uncle. I think part of that stuck with me a little. :) I still think he's pretty cool--my aunt, too. It's always neat spending time with them because we have so much in common. They both did their undergrad and grad work here at IU and they share my love of Bloomington. They're also both microbiologists so I can talk science with them (which we all know I love.) Actually, they're kind of the reason that I first became interested in research...but another story for another day. So it was really fun to spend time with them.
Now, they've added to their/our family. They have twins who are now about 9 1/2 months old. I really enjoy kids in general, but these two take the cake. Haley and Bobby are the cutest babies I have ever seen--I may be biased, but other people seem to think they're pretty cute as well. Honestly, there's not much I can tell you to relay how much fun it is to spend time with them. Their smiles are infectious and they share them easily. They even wake up smiling. You peek into their cribs and they just grin--excited to
begin the day. They talk often--baby jibber jabber and really like music. It's funny how there is a distinctive difference between boys and girls already. Haley really examines things. She'll hold a toy in her hands and turn it around and just look at it really closely. Give her a book and she'll be entertained for quite awhile. Bobby, on the other hand, is a slam-banger. He loves anything that makes noise and throws his toys around as hard as he can. I had so much fun with them and miss them a lot!I also got to see Princeton (where they both work: my uncle as a post-doc and my aunt as a lab tech/manager). It's really neat--so historical and old compared to things here in the mid-west. We also went to NYC for part of one day. It just so happened to rain all day that day, so we didn't end up doing most of the touristy things. We went to the Museum of Modern Art which was really fun. You don't always get to go to those kind of places with the intention of spending the whole day, so we really got to see a good chunk of the museum.
I really like the painting galleries. They had a lot by French artists that I had studied some in HS (Monet, Cezzane, Matisse, etc). They also have van Gogh's Starry Night, which I didn't know until I saw it there. There were also some very cool architecture and technology exhibits. After the MoMA, we took the subway over to Times Square and grabbed some lunch.So all in all, a fantastic trip. :)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Graduation Day
It's over. 4 years of undergraduate study finished. I am now a college graduate. It hasn't sunk in yet, adding to the strange feeling of today. Not inherently bad or good... just strange. I'm happy that I accomplished several of my goals within those 4 years and I will be glad to move onto other academic pursuits. That said, it's going to be a big change.
I feel like it really only hit me today. It's been really easy for me to get used to the idea of moving on and doing other things. Partly because I'm not really moving on... at least not physically. I'll still be here in Bloomington, enjoying life as a Hoosier. I'm well acquainted with the bio department and a handful of the professors I hope to be working with. I'll still be living with Kendal and the fellas will still be around to hang out with. The fellowship at ECC will still be my church family support system. So I don't have to deal with the stress of adjusting to a new city and university, making all new friends, finding a home church, or trying to find a job.
That said, it's still going to be a change--and that's what hit me today. Seeing some people that I may never see again--I mean, if we hardly saw each other while we were in the same town, often even in the same building, you know it's not going to happen now. "I haven't seen you in ages. We should get together and hang out sometime." --we all know that even with the best intentions, that only gets carried out 5% of the time. In other cases, I realized that these last few days are the end of an era. Our fab foursome is splitting--Kendal and I will still be here in Bloomington, but Melissa will be at UMass and Sara will be moving on to find a job, hopefully close by in Indy. Although we know that we will visit, it won't be the same as living together, day in day out. That's going to be hard. I'm getting nostalgic and a little teary just thinking about it. Sara made this awesome picture slideshow of our last 4 years. I watched it this morning before graduation--I laughed, I cried--emotional rollercoaster in the space of about 10 minutes. Those friendships made in the past 4 years are the tightest I've ever had. These girls know me better than anyone (save my parents) and I know they're there for me no matter what. That's so cliche, even as I write it, but it's true. Once you find friends that fulfill that description, you don't want to let them go. The connection that's there can't be put into words. That's what is hard--that's what I'll miss the most.
I feel like it really only hit me today. It's been really easy for me to get used to the idea of moving on and doing other things. Partly because I'm not really moving on... at least not physically. I'll still be here in Bloomington, enjoying life as a Hoosier. I'm well acquainted with the bio department and a handful of the professors I hope to be working with. I'll still be living with Kendal and the fellas will still be around to hang out with. The fellowship at ECC will still be my church family support system. So I don't have to deal with the stress of adjusting to a new city and university, making all new friends, finding a home church, or trying to find a job.
That said, it's still going to be a change--and that's what hit me today. Seeing some people that I may never see again--I mean, if we hardly saw each other while we were in the same town, often even in the same building, you know it's not going to happen now. "I haven't seen you in ages. We should get together and hang out sometime." --we all know that even with the best intentions, that only gets carried out 5% of the time. In other cases, I realized that these last few days are the end of an era. Our fab foursome is splitting--Kendal and I will still be here in Bloomington, but Melissa will be at UMass and Sara will be moving on to find a job, hopefully close by in Indy. Although we know that we will visit, it won't be the same as living together, day in day out. That's going to be hard. I'm getting nostalgic and a little teary just thinking about it. Sara made this awesome picture slideshow of our last 4 years. I watched it this morning before graduation--I laughed, I cried--emotional rollercoaster in the space of about 10 minutes. Those friendships made in the past 4 years are the tightest I've ever had. These girls know me better than anyone (save my parents) and I know they're there for me no matter what. That's so cliche, even as I write it, but it's true. Once you find friends that fulfill that description, you don't want to let them go. The connection that's there can't be put into words. That's what is hard--that's what I'll miss the most.
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
-"You're gonna miss this" Trace Adkins
(nostalgic country music is the best :) )
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
-"You're gonna miss this" Trace Adkins
(nostalgic country music is the best :) )
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