Heaven forbid I actually get to bed before midnight. ;-D
I would like to state for the record that I am not only a person of odd character, I am also a caricature of personal oddity--not to mention the fact that I am an oddly characteristic personality.
So this week has been interesting. Ups and downs, as usual. All in all, life is pretty good. There are times when I start thinking 'what am I doing here, and how is all this going to work out?', but those moments don't last too long.
I was finally able to go to college group last week at the church I've been attending. It was really good. The dude in charge (I don't know his official title) spoke on death in an attempt at giving us hope. He spoke from the passage in John--if my memory serves me well--where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The question he put before us was this:
"If the worst thing that can happen to us is death, then what do we have to be really worried about in this life?"
That's not to say that we are to just sit back and not worry about anything. The context had to do with getting caught up in the little things that tend to cause us to start freaking out. The things that we can't control, and that--in the long run--don't mean all that much.
It was a good lesson. He talk with me kind of afterward and said that he hoped that the lesson wasn't too much for me; that it wouldn't scare me off from coming back. With a heavy topic like that and the way "christianity"--with a small 'c'--is going these days I can understand why he might consider the possibility of my never returning. However, I assured him that I would return by stating "lay it on thick, just make sure it's true". It's actually really nice to hear teaching that isn't dumbed down for me or sugar coated. I like it when they say, 'this is what the Bible says. If you don't like it, tough. If it rubs you wrong, great. That means you have some growing to do. Join the club. Now let's start growing.' Of course none of that does any good unless they actually back it up with scripture, and he did.
I think I've been living in a state of almost numbed Christianity. I've heard all the good sayings. I've learned all the great Bible stories. I know a lot of the information, and I know that I should be doing something about it. But for some reason it just seems like hardly anything happens. Granted, I am doing some things, and I do try from time to time.
I think this is what I like about the teaching I've been getting lately. It's been like a club applied to the back of the head snapping me out of my seemingly stoic state. The club says 'there is a problem here, and if you aren't fighting it, you're causing it. So either join the fight or get out of the way. Cause there is a war going on, whether you like it or not. You can either wield the weapons of righteousness to the glory of God, or you can use the tactics of the evil one against your Lord and your creator. There is no option 'C'. So get your head into the battle.'
Anyway, be praying for me. I'm doing well, but I could be doing better. I'm still learning my weapons, and how to best use them.
