On the brain today...

"hallowed"

Photo by Bgrace

I took this picture in Seattle, at a restaurant tucked into Pike Place Market that overlooks the water. I get really mixed reactions from people when they look at this photo. Some people gasp and "LOVE it." Others are completely unaffected by it and wonder why I even bothered to keep it. Some people say it's important to know why you like a photo...of course I don't restrict myself to that rule, sometimes I keep a photo because I think it likes me. But this particular photo I like because of the server. She completely mesmerizes me. She's just going about her business, busy doing her job, focused on the task at hand. She's not even aware of the light that falls on her. But in the stillness of this photo, I see it. I see the light that falls on her as she works and serves. I see how important she is. I see that her work is holy...at least from the light's point of view. It sees fit to shine on her.

I'm going back to work. As a server. I LOVE that title. It really puts things into perspective, doesn't it? It's part time, at the loveliest place. Matt and I had been there for dinner before--once for our anniversary and once for Valentine's Day. I love the estate, the history of the Inn, and the food is wonderful. So when I saw the ad in the paper I applied on a fluke. And the Lord just kind of took over. It's recently been acquired by a Christian couple and as it turns out it seems to be the perfect fit for us all. Matt and I are planning on taking the whole family to Porto Alegre this Christmas--a costly undertaking to say the least--and I've been praying that the Lord would provide the money for us to go. But working here is a gift in and of itself.

There will be some adjustments:

It will take me away from my girls a bit more. And that will be hard for us all. But summer is soon here and with school out we'll have our mornings in the backyard and our afternoons at the pool.

We've already been soaking up the few days of fun in the sun...

And rain.

I won't have as much time to read, pray, and meditate. At least not in the same way. I've been reading a book lately that is changing everything for me. Well, maybe I should say it this way...over the last few years, I've been forced to take a hard look at some "sacred cows". Those things I've believed about God that defined for me who God was and how He works. My sacred cows fell completely apart because they did not allow for the experiences in my life or for God's words and work in my life. My beliefs fell into a particular paradigm and God literally blew that to pieces. Once your theology doesn't help you it becomes meaningless. I knew that God had shown me mine was inadequate, and He has slowly built a new paradigm for me to understand what I have experienced and understand Him better--and how He works. But until now, I haven't had the courage or the healing to fully grasp it. And I haven't had anyone who could help me work through Scripture to learn how it actually allows for such an understanding. But I do now. The book is called A God Who Risks, and is a theology of Providence. It's about the kind of sovereignty God chooses to exercise in the world. Does He know the future? Or does He lead us into His divine will, but leave the choice up to us? How much choice? What are the consequences when we don't follow His righteous plan for our lives? Does He preordain all of our behavior? All of our actions? Or does our lack of cooperation with Him consequently affect His will for our lives, His righteous plans. How long does He keep working to bring them about? Before you answer these questions, I encourage you to read more widely about it. John Sanders' book is a bit of a challenge--it is written for theologians. But Gregory Boyd has a couple books out that are a little more readable. I've read "God of the Possible" and I've heard good things about "Letters from a Skeptic". I don't necessarily agree with everything--and these guys don't necessarily agree on all points with each other. BUT I am almost sure that whether or not you agree with all of their conclusions, you will notice enormous pitfalls that you fall into in your walk with God. If you say things like, "What will happen will happen" or "It must have been God's will" even though something terrible happens or you find that things that God has shown you or said to you don't always work out the way you understood...you should definitely do some reading. I believe that it will have an enormous impact on how you view your past, and certainly on how you approach your future.

And I won't have the freedom to travel as much. But we are getting to New York for Easter. And the weekend after that we are headed to Cedarville. It's been FOREVER since I've been back and I'm actually looking forward to it. Matt has been asked to be on the Board of Advisors for the new Geology major they are offering. We're going to have a little away time just the two of us Saturday and Sunday and go back to our favorite places. On Monday he's going to be in meetings all day and the Lord and I are going to do a lot of revisiting...with camera of course.

But then I will have to settle in....

And I'm looking forward to it.

God is good. Always. And we especially notice it when we recognize His blessings.