Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Blessing

I am taking an Old Testament class right now and we are just finishing the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible). In many ways these books set the stage for the rest of scripture and humanity. It has been a long time since I have read through these books in sequence, and I have never read them this quickly. That being said, I have learned a great deal and am excited about what else I will learn.

While reading through these books, something very particular stuck out to me: the theme of blessing. God intends to bless. God could have and arguably should have destroyed mankind many times. However, God is always offering grace and blessing. God truly wants to bless his creation.

I miss out on God's blessing all the time. Even when I am in fellowship with God, I am sure he has more blessing to give. It is easy to think that we have to do things to please God. However, I believe that God wants to bless us, and we do things that keep ourselves from that blessing. Go out today and be blessed by the creator that wants to bless you!

Tim

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Summer Reflection

My lofty dreams of blogging each week during the summer were just that--lofty. It obviously didn't happen. I had plenty to say and reflect on as I raced through the whirlwind of Holy Spirit and coffee that is summer camp. However, each break I had I fell asleep and never found the energy to write a blog. Before I knew it June, July, and August were things of the past. Now I am "easing into the fall routine" and in theory should have more time to blog. Is this a promise to blog weekly? Maybe. We'll see.

I have now had plenty of time to catch up on sleep and now need to reflect on the Summer. So many things happened. I grew, I learned, I stumbled, I failed--Jesus succeeded! I could write pages and pages on my new experiences, but I will share a few things:

1. I am learning a ton--After a summer of ministry with a new responsibility (Program Director), moving, "growing up" and starting a career, I am constantly amazed at how much there is to learn. I have a lot to learn, and every day there is more and more. I am learning about the little things like meetings, taxes, paperwork, insurance, job descriptions, etc. I am also learning more about the big stuff: I need to pray more, God's word is rich, People need love, etc.

2. I miss camp--Who would think that after 5 weeks of doing camp I would want more? I miss it already. Camp life is great. The spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional wearing is intense, and almost unbearable at time. But Grace abounds. Grace is what makes camp so awesome. I need to chase after camp style Grace more.

3. I am scared to death--God is doing things that I don't understand. He is taking me all sorts of new directions in my life. His Word is constantly fresh. He actually uses me to do stuff, and that blows my mind. I am scared of where following Jesus 100% is going to take me, but I am so eager for the adventure.

Life is great. Life is hard. I smile and I hurt. Following Jesus is not easy, and I definitely don't have it figured out, so it can only get harder from here.

Resting in Jesus,
Tim Karr