:(

I think I'm blogged out.

Changing Bride.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to go see the old family vacation cabin that my grandfather and father built many years ago. There are lots of great memories from this place so I was curious to see how it was doing. Since I hadn't been there in nearly 10 years, I had to guess a bit about where it was located in the neighborhood. Thankfully, Jami was very patient with me as she drove me around each turn. I suddenly recognized a street sign. Winthrop. That's it! As we turned the corner, my heart sank. As I looked at the land I was baffled. Is it gone? The property before me wasn't at all what I remembered. And on top of it there was a funny looking building sitting where MY cabin should have been.

Turns out, verified by my father, that strange building was our cabin. It looked so different that I didn't recognize it. The land had been changed as well. This little incident was a 'what if' moment for me. What if Jesus comes back for his Bride, the Church, but she has changed so much from what he'd made her that he doesn't recognize her? That would be crazy. We must be careful not to sell our self to the world and then be made unrecognizable by our Maker. Can you imagine the heartache of the Groom as he drives away thinking "my Bride is no more". Can you imagine the surprise on the face of the Bride wondering "where are you going Husband? Come back! Here am I!"? What a terrible tragedy. Friends, I hope for our sake that Christ's return is delayed. Oh how much I long to kiss the face of my Jesus! But will he know us if he were to come now? I think many of us would be left confused and baffled by our Lord's walking past us, saying "I do not know you."

Take heart friend. You still have this very moment to be made right. To shed yourself of the coverings of the world that may disguise you from your Maker. But hurry! You may not have the next moment. Move quickly! For he will come like a thief in the night when he is least expected.

Can you believe that guy!?

The nerve. The absolute nerve of that driver!!

I think that a lot when I'm behind the wheel of my '91 Spirit. It's true. I'm a road snob. I am of the opinion that I'm the best driver on the road at any given mile post - with the obvious exception of the day I look out my window and see Kyle Busch driving beside me. At that point I'd be all over the road as I try frantically to find my camera to snap a photo for my aunt. Otherwise, keep your distance.

Now, I don't mean to say that I'm a mean driver or a speed demon, I just think that everyone else needs to re-take driver's ed. What happened to actually using a turn signal BEFORE turning or changing lanes? That bugs me. Know what bugs me more? Speeders that ride my tail. I will go so far as to use the word 'irk'. It completely irks me. Not only are they breaking the law most obviously, but they have the nerve to compromise my safety directly. To get where exactly? ONE car ahead one the road, or they just have the need to get to the red light before me. OOOOooooo.

And now I sound like an old lady driver as much as I drive like one.

I'm trying really hard to come up with a way to turn this rant into something really spiritual and profound, but all I can come up with is that I need to work on having more grace, patience, and humility on the road. I suppose I could use a little more of those in life generally, too.

Can anyone come up with something spiritual to parallel this with? Kudos if you do.

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Following

Our God is a good God. This weekend was filled with good times with friends and great discussions about God and seeking his will for our lives. That's always been a tough subject for me because I agonize over details and wonder about actually 'knowing'. There are two parts to God's will - his general will which is laid out for us in scripture, and his specific will for individual lives. It is the latter that I have struggled with. Although, I haven't been very adamant about seeking the scripture to fully understand his supreme will for his people either. Frankly, it's much easier to ignore them both as topics of study.

I love when something seems completely irrelevant at the time, but within 48 hours it suddenly applies. It's usually good for a giggle or two. On Friday evening, I was asked if I was at any crossroads in my walk that I could use prayer for. I was tempted to really dig deep and see if I could pull something out of hat, but I knew that'd really be reaching. So I simply stated, "Nope."

Fast forward to Monday morning. First thing in class, our instructor announces that the Video Production program is being canceled. For those of you who don't know me, here's a quick summary of the last 8 years. I worked 4 jobs, moved out of state and back, took a couple of community courses, and totally put off pursuing my talent in visual arts with reasons that seemed totally justified at the time. This fall I finally faced my folly and enrolled in Tech school to get an AAS and Video Production Certification. And now back to Monday morning. I laughed. I had to. I almost felt the need to apologize to the other students as though the program would not have been canceled had I not been enrolled. Foolishness, I know.

A great excitement began to grow in me. I began to imagine the wonderful things that God will be doing in my life. It was a great notion, and a wonderful day. I just wanted to share.