Israel's war against Hezbolla and Hamas-- and by extension Syria and Iran, has me distracted. I don't know why anyone reads my blog, but for those of you who do there must be something here that strikes a pleasant or otherwise (insert appropriate adjective) reason that keeps you coming back.
For those of you who don't know... and that includes just about everyone on the planet, even people I work with... I've been chasing God in one way or another for the last 30 years. Or has He been chasing me? I've never felt called to preach or teach, even during my more faithful years. But I have been called to be a witness. And to learn. Even though I've never felt those specific calls, I have often felt called to enter a seminary... to learn. These days that feeling is very strong.
God has given me a lot of gifts. Gifts I've squandered... buried in the dirt. It's true. I'm loaded with creativity... I just have no idea what to do with it. I draw and paint, though not recently. I play musical instruments, but don't apply myself enough to even consider doing anything professional. The only gift I do put time and effort into is writing, and even in that I feel I squander too much. Some of you may beg to differ that my writing may be construed a gift-- So be it. I won't argue with you. But my point is this. Even a man, sated and water-fat, can taste moisture in the air... can sense when a large body of water is near. And I've been sensing this for a few years now.
Which brings me back to Israel. For me, Israel is like an empty glass with a bucket of ice sitting nice and pretty, inches away, beneath a blisteringly white hot desert sun. Now, a man dying of thirst might wonder why ice and an empty glass are sitting nice and pretty right in front of him. Such a man might even think it reasonable to search for a spigot nearby. But common sense, and all the signs around us, tells me to fill the glass with ice and wait... God will provide the water in due course. Israel, you see, represents 'Possibility'. The possibility of something truly refreshing. Without Israel we are left to chew ice... and squander the possibility of something far better.
Some will think that silly, but that's not my problem. I have a thirst only time and a glass of ice can fulfill. Has God been chasing me for thirty-plus years? I believe so. I believe in fact He's been chasing me since the foundation of the world. Some of what I write here doesn't always reflect that (though I fear it should), but this blog has never been about preaching or teaching (though I fear it should). That's not what I'm called to do... As far as I've been able to tell.
What I DO know is I've been called, at present, to Observe. To Chronicle. To Wait.
And Learn in process.
So it's my hope you'll forgive me when I get distracted. After all, I assume you come here for some reason. Maybe it's because I've become a welcome distraction for you.
Me, too, brother, me, too. While I think sometimes you and I are on opposite sides of the mountain, I believe we are climbing the same one, heading to the ssme place, figurative, literal, metaphorical -- and real.
Writing is a gift, and you have it. You seem to have a fair amount of patience, too -- more than me, for sure.
And if I ever figure out what draws me back here, you'll be the first to know. :-)
I have no doubt that he will continue to lead you. I know he led me here. And I know I have been blessed because of it.
I've had people come up to me--people who I thought never even thought much about me-- and tell me how some little something I had said in the past--something I thought insignificant--had encouraged them in their faith.
One guy, a high-school class-mate that I occasionally partied with in my young and dumb youth, caught me after a gospel singing at our college one night about five years ago and told me that God had used me in his life to lead him to Christ.
I had never spoken to him about Christ. I never attended church with him. He had never visited our church. Until that night he revealed this blessing to me, I had not spoken to him in 17 or 18 years other than saying hello at the gas-station or grocery store.
He had heard about how God had worked in my life and told me that it had pricked his heart and eventually led him to the Gospel.
God IS using you even now, EL. Let him do so and he will guide you in the direction you need to go.
Be careful of seminary. Check out some independent Baptist schools before you decide to go anywhere.
I suggest taking some individual courses on things like Hebrew History, Homiletics, or OT/NT Survey while you're waiting for God to lead you.
You have a humble spirit that is rare in this world. Coupled with your compassion and obvious talent, I know God will use you for mighty things.
You may not even know to what extent he uses you.
When my classmate told me what he did, I was humbled. I was encouraged. And believe it or not, God used his words to draw me closer to Him.
I'm glad He is in control!
Could be worse!
"It is important to note that suddenly, and against all probability, a Sperm Whale had been called into existence, several miles above the surface of an alien planet. Since this isn't a naturally terrible position for a whale, this innocent creature had very little time to come to terms with its identity. This is what it thought, as it fell:
"The Whale: 'Ahhh! Woooh! What's happening? Who am I? Why am I here? What's my purpose in life? What do I mean by who am I? Okay okay, calm down calm down get a grip now. Ooh, this is an interesting sensation. What is it? Its a sort of tingling in my... well I suppose I better start finding names for things. Lets call it a... tail! Yeah! Tail! And hey, what's this roaring sound, whooshing past what I'm suddenly gonna call my head? Wind! Is that a good name? It'll do. Yeah, this is really exciting. I'm dizzy with anticipation! Or is it the wind? There's an awful lot of that now isn't it? And what's this thing coming toward me very fast? So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like "Ow," "Ownge," "Round," "Ground!" That's it! Ground! Ha! I wonder if it'll be friends with me? Hello Ground!" [dies]
:)
We each have a limited amount of time upon this earth in which to find our purpose and do what we can to achieve it with the gifts given us... before the earth rises up to meet us.
We must all be careful not to fall into the trap of the slothful servant; given a talent to invest, but instead, hid it in the dirt...
It's time to get busy.
See? I'm pretty sharp when I wanna be!
Called CRS disease. Gets worse as we get older, I hear.