Summer Begins at Bag End
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat; it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
The Hobbit was published in 1937 and a beautiful hardback edition came out in 1987 to celebrate the 50th anniversary. I was 23 and decided that I would like to read that version of the classic to my kids someday, so I bought it. Last night, I took that old book from the bottom shelf of the bookcase, dusted it off, and sat down with it next to my son's bed as James and I journeyed together to Middle Earth, specifically to a particular hobbit-hole in the neighborhood of The Hill, where we met Bilbo Baggins and a strange wizard named Gandalf. Tonight, we are likely to meet a number of dwarfs.
Truly good things are worth waiting for.
God Will Never Give Us More Than We Can Handle
A dear friend got me thinking about this verse yesterday:No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (I Cor. 10:13)How I hear it all the time is: "God will never give us more than we can handle." I think that's where we run into trouble.I'm not going to analyze the scripture today. I'm excited that I've learned how, or at least, how to start. But I just want to point out a couple of things. Paul wrote about temptation. And he never said it was from God, at least not in this text. All he was saying to the Corinthians was that God provides us a way...or a Way...to stand up to the temptation we will all encounter.But as far as the stuff...the really rotten stuff...that is a normal part of life? I don't think this verse has anything to say about it. And I think interpreting it the way we often do is very dangerous. Here's why.Let's be honest for a minute. Sometimes we get more than we can handle. Maybe this has never happened to you. I pray it never does. But it happens. Sometimes it's just...TOO...MUCH. That's where the church comes in. That's where community comes in, if we can put our pride away long enough to let people share our sorrow. And sharing it isn't going to make it go away, it's just going to mean we don't have to suffer alone. And make no mistake, God is not sitting back enjoying our suffering. He just reminds us that He knows what suffering is...maybe even better than we do.But when we think that God will never give us more than we can handle...and then we go through times that are definitely...unquestionably...more than we can handle...well, it's perfectly natural to wonder about this God of ours? Was He lying? Are we not good enough for Him? Are we letting Him down by admitting that THIS is too much?? Or, hey, is He even really there at all? Here's a thought I know for a fact that good Christians have (and I say this because I have a GOOD friend...who is a GOOD Christian...and I'm pretty sure he thinks it): "I've always been taught that God would never give me more than I can handle. THIS is more than I can handle. It's either ME or HIM. Maybe it's HIM."Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes it is loss after loss after loss. Every loss hurts. And sometimes there are too many. And sometimes just one is too much. We lose our jobs...our homes...our friends...our marriages...our minds...our children. Just thinking of those losses brings me incredible sadness, for I know someone who has lost each, sometimes even more than one. But there is a loss greater than any of these, the loss of faith. Watching a friend lose that...or feeling your own slip away...is the last thing any of us want to happen.For now, for today, can we just all admit this one thing? Sometimes, some people will have more than they can handle. In those times, God has not lied. And He has not deserted us. He is there. And He will still be there when things start to get better, which they inevitably do. In the meantime, He has given us a few things to help.He has given us Psalms of lament. Read them. Read them aloud. Scream them if you want to. God's children have been hurting for a very long time. And God has been there before, during, and after the hurt.He has given us the church. There are people to lean on...people to cry with...people to help you do things that you just don't have the strength or will to do...people who share our faith and can give us a little of their own when ours wanes. Only pride keeps us from allowing them to help. Only the feeling that this is my pain and nobody else's. God has put us in community for a reason.He has given us His Spirit. It's hard to be quiet in pain. But if we can be still for just a bit, we may hear the voice of God's Spirit, giving us assurance that it will end...and maybe even ideas of what to do in the meantime.If you are going through a time when you have more than you can handle, I have four final pieces of advice. Remember how many people love you (chances are good I'm one of 'em...chances are 100% that God's one). Remember that it will end. See if you can summon something deep inside and go find someone to help. With anything. Just something that will get you out of yourself for a while.And take an hour and a half and watch "Kung Fu Panda." I'm serious about that.Hebrews 13:5 -- "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Is This The End?
The time I took off from blogging has taken its toll. I'm finding it extremely hard to get back in the habit. To be honest, Facebook is doing a far better job of keeping me connected and allowing me to share bits and pieces of my life. I also just spent an entire semester writing more than I have ever done in such a concentrated amount of time.Another truth is that I'm going through quite a valley right now and I don't like sharing those. They bring everybody down and inspire a lot of "hang in there's." And while I appreciate "hang in there's," I don't really like "hang in there's."I don't believe for a second that the constant succession of things that have knocked me around recently are coincidence. I am both enjoying and doing very well in seminary. I'm starting to get a glimpse of what serving God as a teacher of His Word will be like and I am beyond excited about it. So, sure, the enemy would like to put the kibosh on that. But I've tried to stand in the gap for a large number of people in crisis, all the while sick and a bit "crisised" on my own. Thing is, my faith is only stronger. My resolve is only deeper. So I know that very good things will come of all this. I'm sorry for those few of you who waste time clicking over here. I haven't decided if I'll try harder to get it going again. But if I do, I'll try to let you know. For now, to quote a cliche I'm growing to hate, it is what it is.
What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then
I can't possibly sum up the last month in a brief (enough) blogpost. Let me try to hit some highlights.Biblical Interpretation was one of the most work-intensive courses I've ever taken. I learned so much about exegesis and hermeneutics and all that good stuff. But the five books, the weekly lesson notes, the regular posts in the online threads, the four two-page research papers, the outlines and charts, the ten-page portfolio, the fifteen-page final research paper, and the final exam...made me tired. Just typing that made me tired.The Gospel of Luke was a wonderful journey. What an amazing writer Luke was. I can't wait to teach what I've learned...and continue to learn by doing so. I put in more tutorial time than ever with my AP class this year. I really hope it pays off. This was the first time I've ever heard the word "easy" used when discussing the test. As in, "most of the mulitple choice questions were pretty easy." Sadly, I won't find out the results until next school year. But my students feel good about it.Lisa has started working full-time (or "fuller" anyway) at Mt. View. This has made for many nights when we just look at each other and decide that going to bed sounds better than watching TV.James has been playing on the 8-10 year old team in baseball. For the first time, he's starting to really get the game. He seems to be settling in at second base. His hitting is coming around and he's fielding everything that comes his way. His throwing has always been good, but the catching needs a LOT of work. Fortunately, he still loves going outside with his dad and practicing.Star Trek was awesome and deserves a post all its own. I know many of you look forward to that.Kris is going to win American Idol and I'm glad. Not because I don't think Adam is immensely talented. Just because I like them both a lot (even though I like Kris' music better) and I think Adam will be tremendously successful with or without the title. Kris probably needs it a little more. (Sorry Gokey-ites. I fell off that bandwagon even before he slaughtered "Dream On.")The LOST finale was awesome and deserves a post all its own too.I missed blogging. Kind of. Mostly. Mainly, I missed having time to blog. The best feeling of turning in that final paper was just knowing that I wasn't going to have to spend every waking moment working anymore. I'm looking forward to reading some books just for the fun of it...watching some baseball games without being distracted by the work I should be doing...playing some mindless computer games...and taking better care of my family.One more thing for now: one thing that never seems to change is that there are always people who are hurting. I'm grateful for the time to be there a bit more for the people I know. They are always in my prayers, but I'm glad for the chance to be able to listen to them a bit more now, check on them more frequently, remind them of God's great love. In this past semester, I went through one of the toughest stretches of my life. But God was there at all times and I am so grateful for that. Let's all remind each other as well. There is nothing so broken that He can't fix it.
This Space For Rent
Blogging is obviously not a high priority right now. There's simply too much else going on. I have, as my students say, "a grip of schoolwork" right now. We are also closing in on the AP Calculus test and we are having many tutorials (including the dreaded Saturday Sessions). James is playing baseball and practicing one night a week. And there's, y'know, other stuff.
So I'm thinking a lot about May 17th. That's the last day of the seminary semester. Everything will be turned in by that day (by hook or by crook, as my student's do not say) and then I'll be able to think/breathe/blog again.
I'll try to check in on other blogs as often as I can. But I'll be mostly out of it for the next month. Remember this: it doesn't mean I don't love ya!
Because It's That Time of Year
Each year I have a group of friends that predicts the winners for each baseball division. I like to have my own predictions on record somewhere so I use the blog. I completely understand if you non-baseball type click away.ALWest: Angels (duh)Central: Twins (although a Tigers upset wouldn't shock me)East: RaysWild Card: YankeesPennant: AngelsNLWest: DodgersCentral: CubsEast: PhilliesWild Card: MetsPennant: PhilliesWorld Champion: ANGELS!Why not? I can pick at least a little bit with my heart, can't I? Of course I know that doing so has doomed my team to utter failure and humiliation. But once we get our whole rotation back in May, I think we'll cruise to the playoffs. And since the Red Sox won't see the postseason for a change, they won't be there to thwart us.Opening Day is upon us. Play ball!
Entropy
Anyone looking for visual verification of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics just needs to peek inside the bedroom of an 8 year old boy. I tried to get something out of his closet early this morning and darn near killed myself.
Hit Counters
