Memorize:

"But My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19 (KJV)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Admit What?!

I cried at the end of a book. Yeah. Me. I've never done that. I've come close, but never actually done it. Until last night. And I wouldn't have admitted it except for the cool thought I got out of it.

So, to back up. This was the second time I've read this book. Pretty sure the first time, nearly a year ago, was one of those 'came-close-to-tears'.

For those who were wondering, the book is actually two books, but the second isn't really a sequel, it's more like a continuation. Yeah, the first one leaves you like, in the middle of a sentence. They're Black Out, and All Clear by Connie Willis. They're Sci-fi/Time Travel books that explore the power and purpose of a single variable in a situation. They're excellent, although I must warn that there is some language. Also, they're a little hard to follow if you haven't read any of her works before. That is because as with most time travel books, the author came up with her own system as to how time travel would work. And, it's never exactly explained precisely. You kind of have to pick up on it as you go. To Say Nothing of the Dog may possibly be better to start with. Her non-time travel book, Bellwether is also fascinating by the way...It's about fads...or influence...or variables...or all of the above.

Anyway...

I cried when I finished All Clear. It was just so, so...beautiful.

So, I was sitting there crying, and I thought..."Now wait a minute, I'm here crying over something beautiful in a Sci-fi book, but I've never cried over the beauty of the cross when I read it?"

Something seemed out of whack there, so, I followed that train of thought for a few minutes. And then it hit me...

It's OK not to have been super emotional about the cross. Maybe it'd be nice once in while, and maybe that time will come. It's OK to have been super emotional about a work of fiction that was beautiful.

Why?

Because the Sci-fi will never change my life, and the Bible has, and will, and does, and that is the most beautiful thing of all.

Which is not to say that no other book has changed my life. There have been a select few that have. (Works of fiction, so far, have not been among them)

God's Smuggler, by Brother Andrew, began a change in my outlook of mission, ministry, persecution, and suffering. There were several books I read right afterwards that solidified that change. If I Perish by Esther Kim, Of Whom the World was not Worthy, by Marie Chapian, Brother Andrew's sequels, or updates, The Calling, and The Light Force, also, Against the Tide, by Angus Kinnear.

Andrew Murray's School of Prayer, obviously the title indicates the area of change. I also read a biography of Hudson Taylor and John Hyde, or, Praying Hyde, which, again, reinforced the change. Also, I have in my possession a biography of George Mueller, which has influenced me greatly in regards to faith and prayer.

Radical, by David Platt, is a book I would include in the life-changer list, but not exactly because it began a change than that it reinforced and directed a change.

But, in spite of that, none of these books have the power to change every aspect of my life. Only God, through His Son, and His Word, the Bible, have that power.

So, obviously, the next thing for you to do would be to sit down, read the Bible, and then go read all the books I just listed, including the Black Out, and All Clear, which won't change your life, but might make you cry, and it might give you a break from all the hefty ones I just listed, (some of which aren't that hefty.)

Cheers!


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

San Antonio 2012

I had a Great time! Here are a few highlights

+Flying with Captain Diamond, Captain Gross, and Captain Hook on the way there. Captain Hook looked like Einstein which made it all the better!
-Not feeling to well at the change-over location
+I was able to give tracts out to my seat mates on the way over.
-I was too scared to go through the Gospel with any of them.
+One of them was a Kentuckian and worked with violence victims...so, that was interesting.
+/-Sitting in the Wrong Row! And having to move! At least everyone was nice about it.
++++ Seeing Paul and Sarah!
+Sarah's cooking
+Sarah's decorating
+Getting ideas for Christmas presents. *Grin* It's always hard when you haven't seen them in a long time...and I got some ideas for other people too.
-Texas water...I had terrible hair all week.
+Dominion. A game they had. It was fun
+Legos...I've always liked them, and it was nice that they were already built, because I've never been brilliant at making something out of them. Duplos on the other hand...those I can do.
+Church
+'Mexicans'
+Brownies
+The River Walk. We passed out tracts there too. It was interesting to do that in the "Bible Belt"
+/-Mission Concepcion. An old Spanish Mission. Also an active Catholic Parish. The grounds and masonry were beautiful. But it was sad to see a dead religion in action like that, and to know the great influence it has down there.
+Church. It's a good one. :)
+Sleep. And Relaxation. And pillows that I want and miss.
+Music
+/- Movies.
+Family
+Getting to know Sarah a bit better
+Skype
-Missing Dad's birthday
+Walks
+No trick or treaters
+Piano
+Jokes. Laughter. Tears. Forgiveness. Mercy. Grace. Love.
+Cracker Barrel
++Sarah's excitement over the sock monkey display
+The checker-outer person at Cracker Barrel. "That will be $1,825.00 please..."
+Warmth
+/-Dryness
++++/- All the other things I'm forgetting
-Flying with Captain Mumbo-Jumbo. Couldn't hear a word he said. (that's a nickname by the way. I don't think anyone has such an awesome name for a real name.)
---Feeling extremely sick. I frequently get that way when I fly. I guess I don't eat enough or something.
+They had a Ruby's Diner in L.A. They have good milkshakes
+/-Losing my boarding pass. They were able to print me a new one though.
++The reaction of everyone I gave a tract to there.
--Not having any tracts to give out on my last flight.
+/- Sitting in the wrong seat. Again. Something I never do...I was dissappointed because the lady I sat beside the first time seemed really really nice. But then, the couple I sat next to in my proper seat were also very sweet.
+The very sweet Chinese Presbyterian couple I sat next to.
+The man was reading a book on Christian Warfare
+There excitement that we were all Christians. (I think they were more than just professing...)
+Flying with the humorous Captain Shepherd. "We're about to begin our descent into Seattle. The temperature is 54 degrees. And...it's raining............of course.
+Cloud shadows from the air
++Flying into Seattle. I admit I was a little homesick
++Flying over the black hole which was in reality the extremely dark clouds over Washington...
++Dropping down from the sunlit lands above the clouds into the darkness of the clouds
++The cloud layers that looked like a new land. And the sun touching the tops of the Olympic? mountains in the far distance.
+/- The solid red and white ribbons of headlights on the freeways. Unfortunately, my ride was in that traffic.
+Home.
+Family
-Exhaustion
-A very busy next day
+Rest eventually

Yep. I had fun!