Fun story.. I had this ridiculously long post written that had my accumulated thoughts from the past two weeks but my copy/paste option is not wanting to work for me tonight so I think I'll just rewrite it and see how it comes out differently haha. This will probably end up being a reader's digest version of the original post so lucky you.
crazy love
I had been hearing a lot of good things about this book so I decided to go out and buy it a couple weeks ago. I finished it in probably 2 days.. it was that good. Not good in the sense that it's one you read and walk away from feeling awesome about life, but good in how it convicts and challenges you. I encourage you to read it for yourself (ask to borrow my copy if you'd like) but to give you a little idea of what you're in for.. Crazy Love. Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. I love that title because that's exactly how I feel about it! haha. This book both examines the nature of God and will have you examine your own life. Be prepared for some heavy conviction but also look forward to a renewed passion and call to love. It's funny how sometimes our call to love God and love our neighbor seems like the most basic and easiest commision we could have been given and then other times it's like there's all these questions and uncertainties and resistance to it.
Hosea and the prostitute
Over the past two weeks I've developed an obsession for spending any free hour of time I find going to a local (or not so local) coffee shop. I'm sure the coffee itself is certainly a contributing factor to this addiction, but it's more about the atmosphere that I just can't get enough of. Something about that kind of setting just makes me feel still and my soul feel well. I now could give you a review on any and all coffee shops within a 40 mile radius of Huntington. While some may call this ridiculous, I choose to call it an expertise lol. I also call it market research. See, the longer I live the more I'm convinced that this is what I was created for.. to one day own the ultimate coffee shop. I love getting ideas from different places. Also, still working on this summer job hunt so that's been part of my excuse for spoiling myself like this. But anyways.. So I was at Mocha Lounge two weeks ago and I unintentionally/maybe intentionally overheard a conversation this lady in her mid 40s was having with an older home-ly looking man. She was talking to him about what she had been studying in the Word and how she was applying it to her life. I sat there absolutely engaged in how she told the story of Hosea and Gomer that I've overlooked my whole life. She shared how God told Hosea to marry Gomer and have children with her and to love her unconditionally even though she was unfaithful (hellooo she was a prostitute!) The lady then explained how God used their relationship as a metaphor for His relationship with Israel at the time. Even though the people of Israel went back and forth between being loyal to God and worshiping idols and pursuing other things, He always extended His love to them and would 'woe' them back. After listening to this coffee shop conversation I was convicted of two things. One, I'm totally the prostitute in the story of Hosea. Now please don't take that too literally lol. What I'm saying is that it's just like me to be unfaithful to my God and chase after my own sinful desires. It amazes me what a loving and patient and merciful God we serve! No matter how many times I deny Him love by not living my life solely committed to chasing after Him, He always comes through to win my heart back even if that means stripping me of that which is distracting me from Him. In chapter 14, God hears Israel's prayer of repentence and answers, "I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel." Crazy love. The other thing that struck me from hearing this conversation was that it got me thinking how unenlightened my conversations with people can be haha. What I mean by that is I feel guilty of wasting such wonderful resources. I waste the gift of the Word. I waste the gift of community. There's so much to learn from each other but how often are we willing to open ourselves up and to make connections and to seek out the heart of our Lord?
Discoveries of delight
1. Rolling down a hill is quite possibly the best natural high I've found. Please, whenever you get the chance, do this for yourself.
2. Impulisve body piercings = always a good idea.
3. Date night = funny movie. I'll recommend it. You'll laugh.
4. Jenny and Tyler. If you missed them in chapel, check em out. jennyandtylermusic.com. I like. Maybe you will too.
friends, you are loved.
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