Lessons learned on the Coast

Some wonderful lessons learned throughout the last week courtesy of my ever-loving and ever-teaching Heavenly Father... (if you want to read the recap of what the last week involved, feel free to go down to the prior post and read that first!)

• Humble me to pray... Being with my friend Tina is always a tremendous privilege. I have a hard time coming up with someone that I respect as much as I respect this sister in the faith. She challenges me more than anyone else in my life. When I get cocky and feel like no one could love God or His Word more than I do, some time with Tina always puts me in my place. She loves Jesus with a passion that I hope to know one day and her life is lived in persistent prayer. Lord God, make me a woman of prayer. Remind me once again (how many times do I need to be beat over the head with this!??!) that I am not self-sufficient and that far more fruit will be yielded out of me spending time in prayer than me trying to do a million different tasks for your sake.
• Declaring the truth with boldness... I was reminded anew this week that I have believed the version of love that our culture has marketed. The world says love=being nice, accepting everyone's choices as being equally right and good without judgment. Tolerance is the buzz word of our day. And to be honest, at times, I have leaned in this direction as a result of encountering some well-intentioned brothers and sisters in the Lord who have turned me off by what I can term only as unloving judgment. Yet, as with most things in life, there appears to be a ditch on every side. Love without truth is enabling and isn't really love at all. Truth without love is nothing more than judgment. I want to walk the narrow road. I have been convicted about the need to share the gospel more boldly in relationships where I have been treading lightly for fear of offense or loss of the relationship. Where is my praise coming from? Lord, forgive me for fearing man more than I fear you. Give me the boldness that characterized your servant Paul.
• Living intentionally... We are given a short time on this earth. As I get older, the time is seeming shorter and shorter. I want to live every moment intentionally. I realized once I got to Florida that I really just wanted to be in vacation mode. I did not want to serve or reach out or pursue people with love. I just wanted to chill. Ugh. That is just gross. We are never on vacation from being vessels of Christ to the people around us. Lord, help me to make the most of EVERY opportunity, whether it comes when I'm tired, weak, and undermotivated or when I'm excited about you and filled with your energy which so powerfully works within me!
• Needing a heavy dose of Scripture memorization and meditation... My two buzz words for 2009 are not very buzzy actually, but they apply to this lesson category: Deliberate recollection. :-) Being with Tina once again reminded me of the importance of this practice. Here's the thing. I love to read the Bible. I love to study it. I love to know what the words mean in Greek and Hebrew and what different commentators have to say about it. All this is good. Unfortunately, after I read and study it, I move forward onto another area of Scripture. Then, when I'm trying to recollect something I read or studied later, I utter this classic phrase: "Somewhere in... I think, it says..." I want to know my God's words so deeply that they literally dwell in me. Father, forgive me for minimizing the privilege of having your Word when so many around the world have memorized the one page that they have managed to secretly acquire despite unavailability and high risk of repercussion. Make Psalm 1 true of me- that I would be one who meditates on your law day and night.
• Consuming justly and organically... Over the last few months, I have been increasingly convicted about the need to consume differently. When I lived in Africa, consuming ethically was so much simpler. I purchased fruit and vegetables at local markets. We had clothes made by a tailer and bought the fabric locally. Here, things are very different. I'm sickened by our factory farming practices and injecting of meat with hormones and antibiotics in order to generate more meat more quickly. I'm even further sickened by our exploitation of third world labor to make our clothing. The pesticides we use to grow many of our vegetables and fruits aren't too thrilling either. All of this to say, despite the increased cost and challenge, I have made decisions over the past few months to eat only meat without antibiotics and hormones from cows that have been grass-fed and humanely-raised/slaughtered. I have started buying all fruits and vegetables that cannot be peeled from organic sources and thrift stores have become my new best friend. I'm working toward starting a garden this summer and wanting to learn all that I can about what it means to consume (which I, first of all, want to do increasingly less of!) in a way that does not support injustice or increased health risks. April and Tina have both been wonderful resources to this end, and I praise the Lord for the opportunity to learn more from both of them over the last week!
• Speaking of markets, I'm in the market for some wisdom... When I went down to Tampa, I definitely went down to visit my darling friends and restore my vastly depleted stores of vitamin D. BUT, in addition to these reasons, I had a bit more elusive purpose that I have expressed to a select few. Though I have been planning for the last year to move down to Minneapolis at the conclusion of this summer, I have recently been prayerfully contemplating moving to Tampa. There are a number of reasons for this consideration which I will leave unexpressed here (but would be ever so willing to share if you'd like to ask me personally!! :-)) but the moral of the story is this: I have made lists of pros and cons. My lists are almost even. I have sought God's face and I have yet to hear a conclusive "yes" or "no" in either direction. As such, I am going to apply for nursing jobs in both areas and see what God opens or closes. I would so appreciate your prayers for wisdom, discernment, and clarity. I want to be whereever God wants me. If that means Minneapolis, praise be to the Lord. If that means Tampa, praise be to the Lord. If that means somewhere else entirely, praise to His name, I will go!!

I love that the Lord teaches me everywhere I go. That every moment of life bears witness to His truth. The ocean speaks to His never-ending mercy and faithfulness. Fellowship echoes His communal, triune nature; the sand, the number of His thoughts toward us. The list could go on and on, but it certainly testifies to the truth of Psalm 19:1-4.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

Lord, you astound me. May you never cease to teach this all too oft hard-headed child your beautiful ways. They are straight and they are life.