Day 2- Don't Skimp on the Sweets

     This post doesn't have a really deep meaning. Its just kind of a fun reminder of my friends. Tonight I got to hang out with some of my best friends from school... and this is what we did. We sat around. Talked. And we ate pastries. A night doesn't get much better than that. I have been very blessed with my friends here, and getting to talk to them and laugh with them always makes my day better. Two of them are not with me in classes this year for various reasons, and one of them made it through to my year. So i don't get to see some of them as much as I used to. So tonight was doubly special.

     Don't take the time you have with people for granted. You never know what could happen and where they, or you, could get taken next. We are not promised a minute with anyone. So cherish every second you have with the people you know and love. Savor the sweet parts of life as they come.

Day 1- Light in the Darkness

     I think we take light for granted most of the time. I know I do. Electricity in general, but especially light. We need it, but it always seems to be there. Walking through the "Old Center" (Centrul Vechi) in Bucharest tonight, I was reminded how wonderful it is. Not only does it allow us to see the beauty of whats around us even when it is dark out, but it also lights our path.


   




    We are called to be the light of the world. And God's word is called the light unto our path. So, are we shining bright for those around us? When we are surrounded by darkness, do our attitudes still glow in response to God's love? Are we constantly showing the way to God through our love, deeds, and interactions? And do we use the "lamp" God has provided us with in his word?

365

Hey,
Super short post here... I think.
But basically, starting on Monday I am going to try and do my own version of the "365 Project." For those of you who don't know, this is a challenge where you basically take a picture a day for a year. Obviously, I will probably take more than one picture some days, but I will be sharing at least one picture for every day. I may miss a day here and there given extenuating circumstances, but I will try my very best to make it up. So, if you want to follow my next year, feel free. I'll be posting a picture and a little thought every day. Hopefully that doesn't overwhelm or bore you, but I think it will be fun for me to watch as I change over the next year both through my experiences (documented via photo) and my thoughts (documented via blog posts). And hopefully it will be a lot of fun.

The Trainer

     This past week was an interesting one for me. I got a puppy. He was an Alaskan Malamute, my dream dog. Adorableness, fluffy coat, everything you'd want in a little puppy- he had it. The day I got him I had such big hopes and dreams for the future.

Bentley

     My best friend from school and I had talked about this puppy for a long time. And with our first arrangement it would have made complete sense. But The way things ended up, namely me living alone, it was (in retrospect) not the best of ideas. My school schedule allows for a good amount of time off. However, all of that time is rather spread out. And between school, recreational activities, friends, everyday necessary excursions, etc., the time I had left to spend with the puppy was not enough. He was only two months old, so pretty young, and not trained at all. So, I took him on. I learned quickly, however, that he was as stubborn as he was cute. If he was left alone for even a moment, he would cry. And I don't mean little baby whines, I mean cry and screech like he was being stabbed over and over. Needless to say, this did not sit well with my neighbors. And given my need to go to school and exist in the real world, things were not working out. There were a lot of factors, which I will not go into, but there were a lot of things that went into my decision. So, today was a sad day for me as I drove back to Pitesti, Romania to give him back to the family I bought him from. Bentley (that was his name) will hopefully go to a home where they can give him all the time he requires and not just the leftovers. 

     But today on the way home I was thinking about my experience and a thought crossed my mind. God created us, and cares for us as his children, sacrifices so much for us. But what do we do? The smallest thing goes wrong and we cry and screech. Or we go our own stubborn way in life and ignore him. Or we make a mess in the world he gave us. We get ourselves into situations and then get upset at him for letting us do so. We see his punishment as unjust, his provision as insufficient, and we always want more of everything. We are just like puppies. We are needy, helpless, disobedient, whiny little things. But God doesn't give up on us. Instead he keeps looking out for us and training us up in the way we should go. He has given us his training manual and all we have to do is read it.

     God's grace is boundless. Throughout Biblical history, humans have proven their unworthiness and their stubbornness and yet God continues to punish, forgive, and give us another chance. And we take it and mess things up again. But God is love. He is a caring, but just, trainer. And we are his puppies who desperately need his guidance and training. So next time something happens that you may look to God and complain, take it as a gentle flick on the nose, learn from it, and use it to make your future better. We all need to learn lessons, and some of us make it more difficult on ourselves than it ought to be. 

I'm Back...

     So, I don't know if you all noticed, but I have been MIA for a while. Honestly, there is no excuse. But let me fill you in on what has been happening for the last year and a half. I moved to Romania, as I stated in my previous post, with high hopes of getting into school here. Good news: I made it!! In October of 2011, I began medical school at Carol Davila University of Pharmacy and Medicine, in Bucharest, Romania. And let me tell you, it is awesome. Yes, the are times when I miss home and my family and friends, but I would not trade my time and the experiences I have had here in Romania for anything. Throughout my time here at school there have been ups and downs. But I have made some amazing friends and I have grown as a person through it all. However, being a medical student, living in a foreign country, and trying to maintain a social life is a little overwhelming sometimes... thus I have been AWOL. My parents finally reminded me that I have been neglecting my posts and have given me a certain incentive to write again.
     I'm sure that in the future I will sprinkle bits and pieces of my life here in with my thoughts, so you will have to wait until then (bummer, right?), but for now I just wanted to write a bit about something that has been on my mind for a while now.

The handle

     My life has been hectic, for sure, but not too hectic for me to think. The subway, bus, and copious amounts of walking I do provide me plenty of time to get tangled up in my thoughts. I, like many people, am very visual. I see something and it brings to mind another thing, and then that makes an idea pop into my head, and then that idea blossoms. I can go from seeing a bird swoop in front of me to a full fledged story going on in my head. Or I can see a building and that brings to mind something else. Or in anatomy, I see a skeleton and I begin to wonder who that person may have been (probably a little morbid, I know). Some may call this ADD, but I like to think of myself as creative and easily amused.
     In this instance, I saw a door handle. I see this handle all the time. It is on a gate leading to a house right next to my school. It is an old gate and an old handle, but I love it. The handle is a cross.
     Whenever I see this cross-handle, I think about how Christ made a way for us to access God. Through his sacrifice on the cross, we are able to enter the gates of Heaven. I doubt all of this went on in the mind of the person who made the handle, but it goes on in my head.
     Anyway, over the months of seeing this handle it has brought to mind something else. In Matthew 7:7-8 it says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened." Do we do that? Christ basically gave us access to the gates of Heaven, the door that stands between us and the presence of God. But do we actually accept it. Do we ask for our eyes to be opened? Do we seek out the "handle" that has been provided? Do we knock on the door?
God isn't going to do everything. It is our choice to follow him and to be with him. We have to choose him. We have to ask for him, seek him, and approach him. He's waiting for us. He won't drag us in kicking and screaming.

Not the gate that the handle is on,
this is at Peles Castle.

     When ask for him, he is there. When we seek him, we find him. And when we knock on his door, his glory is revealed. I know I don't knock nearly often enough. I don't visit him and spend nearly enough time with him. And I use many of the same excuses I give you all when I have been away for a period of time. "Oh, I was busy." "But look at everything else I have done." "I just didn't feel like doing it today." God is not a task master. And he should not be on our check list. He wants us to want to come to him. So, will we approach the gate more often, and will we take advantage of the way that Christ has made for us?

Turn Your Eyes

Hey guys! Its been a while, but trust me, I have not just been lazing around ignoring my deeper thought. No, I have just been extremely busy with moving halfway around the world. But this experience has afforded me with a few thoughts.

Months ago, when I first started trying to plan my move, I was stressed. This was my thought process. I would like to point out some key words. Those would be: I, plan, my, and stressed. Ha! Really, this is what I thought. And unfortunately, this is what a lot of people think like.

Let me explain. I lived in Romania last year for about 2 1/2 months. I LOVED IT! And while I was here, God hooked my heart on the high school/collage age youth. My plans went out the window. I dropped out of school when I moved back to the States and started working for Starbucks to save up money in order to move back. I felt very strongly called to Romania and I was and still am certain that that is where God has called me for the time being (whether that be an extremely long time or a relatively short time).

So I was moving. I was working. I was planning. I was trying to prepare myself. I, I, I... Me, me, me... and I was stressed, stressed, stressed. Though I didn't show it, or maybe I did, I was exhausted from worry and stress and unknowns. Then God convicted me. I don't remember how, but I know He did. I realized that my focus should not be on the planning. It shouldn't be on providing for myself. It shouldn't be on the money. It should be on Jesus. I should be focusing on and following God as closely as I can, so that He can lead me and take me where I need to go.

We as humans try to control to much of our life. And where does that get us? Anger, depression, work-aholicism (if thats even a word), stress, exhaustion, business. If we have all of those things going on in our life, how much time can we possibly be spending on our relationships with Christ? How can He be completely in control of our lives and us be completely out of control? It isn't possible. Obviously, he isn't at the wheel. We are.

God promises us a life of freedom. A life of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Do any of those sound like a depressed, stressed, tired, workaholic. Please, say no. If you say yes, then we have other issues here.

My point is, we should primarily be focusing on Jesus and He will make the plans for us. He will take us where we need to go. It may not be the plan we would have made for ourselves, but it will be the best thing that ever happened to us. There is a saying. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Well, I told him mine, and he laughed hard. However, just because he laughed doesn't mean I wasn't doing the right thing. I was just plugged in to the wrong outlet. I had my eye on the wrong goal. Keep your eyes on Christ and he will work together for the good of those who love him, and are called according to his purpose.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

• Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
  Look full in His wonderful face,
  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.

St. Patrick

So today is St. Patrick's Day. The day where people wear green and pinch those that don't. The day where Irish heritage is celebrated and shamrocks are everywhere. It is also a day that the namesake and history of is often forgotten.

Brief History: Patrick was a kidnapped from Britain when he was 16 (which was around the 5th century) and sold into slavery in Ireland. After 6 years he escaped and made his way back to his family. Once back in Britain, he joined the clergy and then decided that God was calling him to take the gospel back to Ireland. So he set out and began his missionary work in Ireland. By the 7th century, St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland.

The history of this day makes me wonder about our willingness to listen to the calling of God. Are we willing to follow God and his plan for our life even when it makes us uncomfortable? SurelyPatrick was not planning on returning to Ireland when he escaped slavery, but when God called he listened and obeyed. Manyof us listen to God's voice, but few of us actually obey. There is a difference. We have all been wounded by people, whether it be emotionally, physically, verbally, etc. We have all been hurt. But sometimes it is the people that are the hardest to love that need it the most. And sometimes it is the hardest to talk to that need to hear the good news the worst.

God does not intend for you to live a comfortable life. He told us to "take up our cross daily and follow him." The cross is not comfortable. God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone. He could be calling you half-way across the world, or He could be calling you across the street, but he is calling you. Will you merely listen and stay put? Or will you listen and obey?

Patrick listend and obeyed. Look how God used him. So... what will you do?