There have been some really great moments this fall. I did end up playing Frisbee a few times and it was great to have a professor come and join us. There’s been lots of parties and I’ve really enjoyed just hanging out with people. There’s been great events at our seminary, like when Timothy Keller (pastor at a Manhattan church and NYT best selling author) just stopped by for a Q&A. There’s been birthday parties and study parties and pancake parties. The weather has actually turned out decently.
The sky in Missouri is so big!
I spent Thanksgiving in Cleveland, which is more mid-western than PA is, but I am constantly amazed by how big the sky looks here in comparison to where I grew up. It literally stretches as far as the eye can see. No mountains. No valleys. Just sky!
There are moments where I catch myself taking it for granted and I then get the opportunity to be shocked and amazed by it all over again. People who grew up seeing so much sky have probably had a very different experience of life than I have.
The sky in Missouri is so big!
I spent Thanksgiving in Cleveland, which is more mid-western than PA is, but I am constantly amazed by how big the sky looks here in comparison to where I grew up. It literally stretches as far as the eye can see. No mountains. No valleys. Just sky!
There are moments where I catch myself taking it for granted and I then get the opportunity to be shocked and amazed by it all over again. People who grew up seeing so much sky have probably had a very different experience of life than I have.
I was reminded of this by a Charles Spurgeon quote posted at the Desiring God blog:
"He who forgets the humming of the bees among the heather, the cooing of the wood-pigeons in the forest, the song of birds in the woods, the rippling of rills among the rushes, and the sighing of the wind among the pines, needs not wonder if his heart forgets to sing and his soul grows heavy. A day's breathing of fresh air upon the hills, or a few hours, ramble in the beech woods' umbrageous calm, would sweep the cobwebs out of the brain of scores of our toiling ministers who are now but half alive. A mouthful of sea air, or a stiff walk in the wind's face, would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is next best."
Pray that I don’t grow weary the last two weeks of the semester. They are looking to literally be the busiest two weeks of my life. However, seeing how God provided during Greek, provided during my preaching presentation, my hermeneutical process paper, etc. keeps me optimistic. No matter how much I want to despair when I look at my unprecedently large to-do list, in light of how faithful God has already been it would take more effort to despair than to rejoice. Pray that I might see the “big-picture” behind all of the work I need to do. If I don’t see a greater vision for the tasks I need to accomplish I’ll easily be convinced that they are not worth my effort. What I do in the next two weeks will help me lead others better and will, then, actually have an eternal impact.
"He who forgets the humming of the bees among the heather, the cooing of the wood-pigeons in the forest, the song of birds in the woods, the rippling of rills among the rushes, and the sighing of the wind among the pines, needs not wonder if his heart forgets to sing and his soul grows heavy. A day's breathing of fresh air upon the hills, or a few hours, ramble in the beech woods' umbrageous calm, would sweep the cobwebs out of the brain of scores of our toiling ministers who are now but half alive. A mouthful of sea air, or a stiff walk in the wind's face, would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is next best."
Pray that I don’t grow weary the last two weeks of the semester. They are looking to literally be the busiest two weeks of my life. However, seeing how God provided during Greek, provided during my preaching presentation, my hermeneutical process paper, etc. keeps me optimistic. No matter how much I want to despair when I look at my unprecedently large to-do list, in light of how faithful God has already been it would take more effort to despair than to rejoice. Pray that I might see the “big-picture” behind all of the work I need to do. If I don’t see a greater vision for the tasks I need to accomplish I’ll easily be convinced that they are not worth my effort. What I do in the next two weeks will help me lead others better and will, then, actually have an eternal impact.