This week has been really delightful. I've enjoyed daily activities and life in general a lot more than I have since I got here. I was realizing earlier this week that I was just blundering through everything, partly because of the newness, partly because of the monotony, without enjoying it, or even worse, without, in it, enjoying God. So I began to pray God would restore to me the joy I learned so much about this past year and had rather lost sight of. And He has. I've been struck this week once again to dwell on His faithfulness--how He never waxes and wanes like I do and how He always gives me that joy when I ask for it. As fleeting as life is--as varied and full of frenetic movement--God's character never changes, nor His willingness to make Himself known.
Anyway. Just a bit of rambling. I've also found this to be the first week since I got here that I was having great fun with new friends--real fun, and real friends. I even have a new friend who thinks Aristotle's Mean is as glorious as I do. Monday I was extremely low and fed up with the whole situation here and wondering if I was nuts for being here. I was also really discouraged by my old nausea that was coming back. That's been much better since then and I am convinced once again that it is in large part, though not entirely, psychological. I think it was probably Monday and Tuesday that I started noticing the joy I was forgetting.
The rest of the week has been as good as that was bad. Not only have I stayed up till 2:30 three nigths in a row having a great time with friends (that's not going to become a habit, believe me) but I've had two amazing organ lessons this week totaling 3 hours of time spent learning from Ferg. I love him so much! He is just amazing and I am learning more than I ever expected to learn and enjoying it more than I thought I would--which says a lot. Once again organ lessons are the highlight of my week. I think I chose the right profession.
Church was wonderful today. I am drinking in Patrick Morgan's sermons with greater enthusiasm than I have done in years. He is an amazing pastor and knows the Scripture so well. His sermons on Hebrews are outstanding. Today was really special. A friend of mine, Matt, went with me. He's from Assemblies of God. Neat guy. Probably a biology major. After church someone introduced himself to us, knowing we were Oles. It was Mark Pernecky, an economics professor here who's a strong, Calvinist Christian. It was exciting and encouraging to meet him.
Well, I'm back to this blog after an hour listening to music with Michael Schaner so not only have I lost my train of thought but I need to get to bed.
Before I go...
Pray for Marcia, a good friend on Carrie's corridor. Carrie & Marcia & I talked about religion and Christianity and searching for truth till 1:30 last night. Pray that Marcia's eyes would be opened to the truth of the gospel. Pray also that she'd come with me to church next week. I wish I'd invited her today, because the sermon was a great interaction with everything we talked about.
And I guess you could pray that it would be a good, productive, disciplined week for me, without nausea, with enough sleep, and with the same joy and awareness of God's presence (asuming those two things are different) that this week has held.
Pray for Kenny, too, and for Nick, two of my best friends here so far. Kenny is a junior church music major who agrees with me that Ferguson and Forsberg are the greatest people in the world. His favorite modulation is C Major to A-flat Major. :) I believe he's Catholic but I suspect he has a true knowledge of Christ. Pray that Pray that he would indeed know Christ and that we'd have opportunities to discuss it, perhaps. Nick, a senior choral conducting major, directs the small lab choir I'm in. He's another who I think believes what he sings though I'm not sure to what extent. We're becoming very good friends.
And now it is high time for bed.
Anyway. Just a bit of rambling. I've also found this to be the first week since I got here that I was having great fun with new friends--real fun, and real friends. I even have a new friend who thinks Aristotle's Mean is as glorious as I do. Monday I was extremely low and fed up with the whole situation here and wondering if I was nuts for being here. I was also really discouraged by my old nausea that was coming back. That's been much better since then and I am convinced once again that it is in large part, though not entirely, psychological. I think it was probably Monday and Tuesday that I started noticing the joy I was forgetting.
The rest of the week has been as good as that was bad. Not only have I stayed up till 2:30 three nigths in a row having a great time with friends (that's not going to become a habit, believe me) but I've had two amazing organ lessons this week totaling 3 hours of time spent learning from Ferg. I love him so much! He is just amazing and I am learning more than I ever expected to learn and enjoying it more than I thought I would--which says a lot. Once again organ lessons are the highlight of my week. I think I chose the right profession.
Church was wonderful today. I am drinking in Patrick Morgan's sermons with greater enthusiasm than I have done in years. He is an amazing pastor and knows the Scripture so well. His sermons on Hebrews are outstanding. Today was really special. A friend of mine, Matt, went with me. He's from Assemblies of God. Neat guy. Probably a biology major. After church someone introduced himself to us, knowing we were Oles. It was Mark Pernecky, an economics professor here who's a strong, Calvinist Christian. It was exciting and encouraging to meet him.
Well, I'm back to this blog after an hour listening to music with Michael Schaner so not only have I lost my train of thought but I need to get to bed.
Before I go...
Pray for Marcia, a good friend on Carrie's corridor. Carrie & Marcia & I talked about religion and Christianity and searching for truth till 1:30 last night. Pray that Marcia's eyes would be opened to the truth of the gospel. Pray also that she'd come with me to church next week. I wish I'd invited her today, because the sermon was a great interaction with everything we talked about.
And I guess you could pray that it would be a good, productive, disciplined week for me, without nausea, with enough sleep, and with the same joy and awareness of God's presence (asuming those two things are different) that this week has held.
Pray for Kenny, too, and for Nick, two of my best friends here so far. Kenny is a junior church music major who agrees with me that Ferguson and Forsberg are the greatest people in the world. His favorite modulation is C Major to A-flat Major. :) I believe he's Catholic but I suspect he has a true knowledge of Christ. Pray that Pray that he would indeed know Christ and that we'd have opportunities to discuss it, perhaps. Nick, a senior choral conducting major, directs the small lab choir I'm in. He's another who I think believes what he sings though I'm not sure to what extent. We're becoming very good friends.
And now it is high time for bed.
1 Comments:
I'm glad that you have lifted your eyes up to the hills this week. Pray for me that I would do the same and keep an eternal perspective. Also, I'm going to try to meet with the feminists tonight (!). The first week they didn't have a meeting and the last two I was in such a rotten mood, I didn't think I'd be fit company for anyone, let alone non-believers.
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