A Confession...

I LOVE fresh, new pencils!

And today I walked past the printer just to see this little vase filled with pencils. Sad but true, it totally made my day! I'm not sure how or why, but something about Office Max is therapeutic for my soul. I'm pretty sure I could spend hours looking at pens and pondering the beauty that fresh binders have to offer...ok I'm lying. I'm very sure I could spend hours because I HAVE spent hours doing just that! In fact this morning I needed a pen, and it just so happened I was in the copy room...danger danger! So I meandered over to the magic cabinet of wonder that contains all pens, pencils, highlighters, markers and so much more. I'm ashamed to say I spent 5 minutes evaluating them all! I tested some, took 5 and went on my way (Bo, sorry I was 5 minutes late to our meeting!).

Call me a geek, call me crazy, call me silly (but beware I will get you back with well-crafted sass)...but I just love office supplies!

Goodness

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good..."

So often we think of God's goodness as dependent on our circumstances.

"You won't go bankrupt because God is good."
"You will totally get married soon because God is good."
"Your house will sell because God is good."

But since when did God's goodness - His amazing character, love and faithfulness get wrapped up in something like personal finance? When did it sink to the level that my finite mind can manage? Yes, God can sell my house and get me married off and fill my bank account...but what if it doesn't happen? God is good - no matter what. Even because of "what." God's true goodness is found in who He is, not in what He does or doesn't do for me.

I recently listened to this sermon excerpt on my cousin's blog and it really touched my heart. I invite you to listen to it (prepare to cry - I DEFINITELY did). It will challenge your perspective of God's undeniable, inexplicable, infinite, perfect goodness. It's only 11 minutes long (just click the little blue play button)...and a worthwhile investment.

boomp3.com

A Man Just Like Me

"Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly
that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the
earth began to yield its crops."

I've read this verse many times, and each time I read that he was mortal - not a supernatural being, not divine (obviously) - just a man. Now maybe the following will seem obvious to you, but today it was life to me.

Elijah was depressed - he ran from ministry and gave up on life. I've definitely had my moments where I wanted to give up on ministry - moments where I've been depressed and given up on life. And in those moments, I've heard the whisper of a serpent telling me that God can no longer use me - that in my moments of weakness I forfeited all the ground I gained. That whisper is tricky to fight - my humanity does seem like such a setback at times. If only I could abandon those wretched feelings that hold me down and live always by faith - live life by the Spirit! But I am human - and that fact isn't about to change any time soon.

And so here's the wonderful truth of my Monday night: Elijah was not just as mortal as I am - he was as human as I am.

I want to pray like Elijah prayed and see my prayers be effective - to see the miraculous in my everyday life. And if God made me human, then He must have a plan to use me - not in spite of my humanity, but inside of my humanity.

One of the most influential prophets of the Old Testament - a man who met with Jesus atop a mountain - who raised the dead - who healed the sick - who prayed effective prayers - was a man...just like me.