Classes started this week. In order to understand how I'm feeling about this semester, there are some facts of which you need to be reminded.
Last semester:
- 20 hours of class time each week for 6 classes (with way more homework than I could possibly complete)
- overcommitment in extracurriculars
- a lack of focus, spiritual health, general well-being. stress.
- Nashville
This semester:
- 4 hours of class time each week for 2 classes, which are only on Tuesday and Wednesday [hello 5 day weekend!] (with what seems to be a very manageable amount of work)
- memories from this summer to fill my heart and mind
- more than enough time to breathe
- involvement in just 2 societies
- Scotland
- feeling God everywhere. knowing Him.
Can you say excited? Happy? Dreading next semester already? I can :)
It also helps that I have N.T. Wright (or 'Tom') as a professor.
Wish you all were here!
9.29.2011
9.28.2011
Worship
Here at St. Andrews, there is only one Christian organization. That means that there is no disunity among Christians. There is no competition for new members. They love each other and support each other, no matter their denomination. And they don't just sweep difficult theological issues under the rug, but they also don't allow those issues to get in the way of worship or their relationships with one another.
I went to the first main meeting of the Christian Union last week. We packed out a pretty large venue (St. Andrews-wise at least). It is a time for Christians to gather to worship, pray, and hear teaching from a number of university and locally affiliated pastors. I was expecting that. I was expecting normal.
But guess what?
I cried. I love singing, but I don't usually cry. We sang "Prince of Peace," a song I've known for many years. True, it is a powerful song in its own right, but it isn't just a song for me anymore. In Greece this summer, Tyler noticed the worship band at Kamp Kalamos practicing it. He went over to help them with the key. Being the wonderful servant that he is, he also wrote out the lyrics for me (side note: we would often sing songs in Greece with tunes that were very familiar to me but the lyrics would be just out of reach). That day in Greece, I fully experienced worshipping God in the presence of Christians from around the world. It was so blatantly obvious that we serve the same God for the same reasons. The team was singing as loud as we could in English, but that had no chance of covering up the sound of voices singing the same lyrics to the same melody in another tongue.
Well, the other night, here in Scotland, we sang "Prince of Peace". This time, all of the voices were praising the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in English. This time, only the accents were different. This time, I was surrounded by people I didn't know, in a place I'd only just arrived. Once again, God was pressing into my heart that there are Christians all over world. They struggle with the same things I do. They have the same hopes and fears. I am not alone here. No Christian is ever alone, for we are all connected to one another around the world in a very intimate way. We may not always sing the same songs. We don't all speak the same language. But we worship. And our voices rise up together. If only in this, we are one body--unified, whole.
P.S. We also sang a song to which I didn't know the English words. But I did know the music. We sang it in Greek this summer :)
I went to the first main meeting of the Christian Union last week. We packed out a pretty large venue (St. Andrews-wise at least). It is a time for Christians to gather to worship, pray, and hear teaching from a number of university and locally affiliated pastors. I was expecting that. I was expecting normal.
But guess what?
I cried. I love singing, but I don't usually cry. We sang "Prince of Peace," a song I've known for many years. True, it is a powerful song in its own right, but it isn't just a song for me anymore. In Greece this summer, Tyler noticed the worship band at Kamp Kalamos practicing it. He went over to help them with the key. Being the wonderful servant that he is, he also wrote out the lyrics for me (side note: we would often sing songs in Greece with tunes that were very familiar to me but the lyrics would be just out of reach). That day in Greece, I fully experienced worshipping God in the presence of Christians from around the world. It was so blatantly obvious that we serve the same God for the same reasons. The team was singing as loud as we could in English, but that had no chance of covering up the sound of voices singing the same lyrics to the same melody in another tongue.
Well, the other night, here in Scotland, we sang "Prince of Peace". This time, all of the voices were praising the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in English. This time, only the accents were different. This time, I was surrounded by people I didn't know, in a place I'd only just arrived. Once again, God was pressing into my heart that there are Christians all over world. They struggle with the same things I do. They have the same hopes and fears. I am not alone here. No Christian is ever alone, for we are all connected to one another around the world in a very intimate way. We may not always sing the same songs. We don't all speak the same language. But we worship. And our voices rise up together. If only in this, we are one body--unified, whole.
P.S. We also sang a song to which I didn't know the English words. But I did know the music. We sang it in Greek this summer :)
9.20.2011
A Scottish Beginning
Hello from Scotland!
I've been here four days now. I'm pretty much settled in, but I'm definitely still working on the jet lag. I think. Or I'm just tired.
My roommate is wonderful, as are all of the people in Sallies (my hall). When I moved in bright and early on Saturday, another student and her father helped me carry my suitcases up to the top floor even though she was on the first. And because I'm on the top floor, I have a fantastic view of the castle ruins and the sea. Apparently this side of the hall is colder. I don't really want to find out. Ha. But the view is totally worth it. I also love my room. It's way less hospital-esque than dorm rooms at Belmont, and the whole building itself is absolutely gorgeous! It's only 80 years old but it is modeled to look like it belongs to the town of St. Andrews. That means that it is completely stone and has this fantastic roofline (meaning that my room has slanted ceilings!). We have a common room, a dining hall with long wooden tables, a reading room, a wooden central staircase, and cubbies for the post! I love living here!
The town is adorable. Seriously. It's tiny and quaint and perfect.
Sallies gave me quite a comforting welcome. My first couple of meals had dishes reminiscent of Greek food (bread and nutella, spanakopita, and stuffed peppers).
So far, I've had my face painted to look like the Sallies' shield, I've danced at a Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), tried Irn Bru (a soda that's famous in Scotland but that nobody likes because it tastes like liquified bubble gum), and I've fallen more in love with the Scottish and English accents (I didn't think it was possible).
I can't believe that I'm living here! It doesn't really feel like a foreign country. I go off wandering around town on my own all the time. Nothing is more than a 15 minute walk away. There are always people around. It's quite fantastic. I already know that December is going to come way too soon, and I'm not going to want to leave this place.
By the way, I've seen more rain in the past 4 days than I've seen in the past 4 months. Texas, I'm trying to send it your way!
I've been here four days now. I'm pretty much settled in, but I'm definitely still working on the jet lag. I think. Or I'm just tired.
My roommate is wonderful, as are all of the people in Sallies (my hall). When I moved in bright and early on Saturday, another student and her father helped me carry my suitcases up to the top floor even though she was on the first. And because I'm on the top floor, I have a fantastic view of the castle ruins and the sea. Apparently this side of the hall is colder. I don't really want to find out. Ha. But the view is totally worth it. I also love my room. It's way less hospital-esque than dorm rooms at Belmont, and the whole building itself is absolutely gorgeous! It's only 80 years old but it is modeled to look like it belongs to the town of St. Andrews. That means that it is completely stone and has this fantastic roofline (meaning that my room has slanted ceilings!). We have a common room, a dining hall with long wooden tables, a reading room, a wooden central staircase, and cubbies for the post! I love living here!
The town is adorable. Seriously. It's tiny and quaint and perfect.
Sallies gave me quite a comforting welcome. My first couple of meals had dishes reminiscent of Greek food (bread and nutella, spanakopita, and stuffed peppers).
So far, I've had my face painted to look like the Sallies' shield, I've danced at a Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), tried Irn Bru (a soda that's famous in Scotland but that nobody likes because it tastes like liquified bubble gum), and I've fallen more in love with the Scottish and English accents (I didn't think it was possible).
I can't believe that I'm living here! It doesn't really feel like a foreign country. I go off wandering around town on my own all the time. Nothing is more than a 15 minute walk away. There are always people around. It's quite fantastic. I already know that December is going to come way too soon, and I'm not going to want to leave this place.
By the way, I've seen more rain in the past 4 days than I've seen in the past 4 months. Texas, I'm trying to send it your way!
9.13.2011
pages.
I'm quite proud of myself. I've read 15 books this summer. Only one of those was a reread :) Granted, it was a longer summer than normal, but I also spent two months out of the country.
Here's the list:
Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Radical by David Platt
Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis
Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson
The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Miz Lil and the Chronicles of Grace by Walter Wangerin
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos (the reread)
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
They were all great reads; some I probably won't read again. It was definitely a good summer if only measured by a standard of pages. It was a good summer for other reasons, too :)
And remember: I still have a flight across the pond before my summer ends...
Here's the list:
Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Radical by David Platt
Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis
Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson
The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Miz Lil and the Chronicles of Grace by Walter Wangerin
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos (the reread)
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
They were all great reads; some I probably won't read again. It was definitely a good summer if only measured by a standard of pages. It was a good summer for other reasons, too :)
And remember: I still have a flight across the pond before my summer ends...
9.09.2011
be strong and courageous.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9
Joshua was afraid. He was about to lead a people into an unknown land. Moses, their leader, had just died. Joshua had much to live up to.
I'm not usually nervous about traveling. There are always the normal fears about security, take-off, landing, etc., but this time, I'm worried about everything. I think it's because although I've gone to Europe many times and flown by myself many times, I've never flown overseas without another American (even if I didn't know them very well).
This verse is comforting. God was with Israel in Egypt, with them in the desert, and would be with them in the Promised Land. God was with me in Greece (without a doubt), He's been with me in this period of loneliness at home, and I know He will be with me in Scotland.
I have nothing to fear, for the LORD my God will be with me wherever I go.
Joshua was afraid. He was about to lead a people into an unknown land. Moses, their leader, had just died. Joshua had much to live up to.
I'm not usually nervous about traveling. There are always the normal fears about security, take-off, landing, etc., but this time, I'm worried about everything. I think it's because although I've gone to Europe many times and flown by myself many times, I've never flown overseas without another American (even if I didn't know them very well).
This verse is comforting. God was with Israel in Egypt, with them in the desert, and would be with them in the Promised Land. God was with me in Greece (without a doubt), He's been with me in this period of loneliness at home, and I know He will be with me in Scotland.
I have nothing to fear, for the LORD my God will be with me wherever I go.
7.31.2011
7.24.2011
family
Kamp Kalamos is over. And what a wonderful week it was! Sadly, we fly out in less than 12 hours. 12 hours...
I'm a bag full of mixed emotions. I want to cry out of sadness and confusion, but I'm excited to see friends and family. Much has happened since I've been away. Long story short: my friends and I had a house in Nashville, and then we didn't, and now I have a new house with fewer friends. We have three days of debrief after our arrival in Atlanta tomorrow, and I was planning on staying with a friend for a few days after that. Now, we are going up to Nashville to move our stuff from one house to the other. The point: don't expect a very succinct and processed blog post about this summer right away. I've struggled to process much at all in terms of how I'm growing and learning, and with a whirlwind next few days I don't think it'll get any easier. Debrief will help, but I may not be able to blog again until after I make it all the way home to Houston on Saturday.
Back to Kalamos and the point of this post: The theme for the camp was the Church as a family and what that looks like in a number of situations. There were lessons on respecting elders in the church, lessons on the body of Christ, lessons on the different roles of people working in and out of the church, and lessons on relationships among Christians and what they should look like. At Kalamos there were teens from evangelical churches all over Greece: from Volos (oh, how wonderful it was to see them again!), from First, Second, and Third Churches in Athens, and from many others. There were also teens from across the world, most of whom spoke Greek. We worshipped together as a family at least twice a day, most of the time singing in Greek, but there were some times when we were able to recall the English lyrics ("Who Am I", "Here I Am to Worship", "Prince of Peace"). I don't think I can describe to you what it is like to truly worship alongside other languages if you've never experienced it. Language really is no barrier. Despite singing in two different languages, we were fully united as one voice praising our God, our Lord, our Jesus. We know Him the same. We worship the same God, with the same voice, under the same stars, which He created.
I know intellectually that I have brothers and sisters all over the world. That's also a fact that's become even more obvious to me as I've begun to pray for a different country everyday (thanks David Platt). But coming here? I've now met those brothers and sisters. I know exactly how they need prayer and support. I can see their hearts and their struggles. They feel like my brothers and sisters, and I love them dearly. Nothing, not language, not distance, can separate me from them, just as nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. Why? Because the love of Christ has been poured out onto each and every one of us. And this week that love was poured right back out upon one another.
I lived in a tent with the 11 youngest girls at Kamp. They are 12, 13, and 14 years old. They love playing bougello (water fights) and making farsa (pranks). They're young and innocent. They may not have opened up to me very much, but that doesn't matter to my heart. I love these girls. I love them like I love my best friends, like I love my sisters. I could never forget a single one of their faces. While I would much rather be with them to watch them grow, thanks to a world of internet, I can still keep in touch and watch from afar, all the while praying earnestly for them and waiting for God's timing in allowing me to return.
My heart feels so full, but I know that all this loving is making it work, just like any other muscle needs work to grow. This tightness in my chest, this heart that feels like it'll burst at any minute? It's a heart that's growing and stretching and learning how to love more abundantly, more selflessly, more purely. It's learning to love because it's been loved first.
Join me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. But join me in prayer especially for our siblings in Greece that I now know personally. Because I've blogged about various ministries I've been involved with here, you can see just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the kinds of prayers needed in Greece. As I begin journeying home, let me know if you'd like to talk about this summer. I might need a few weeks to organize my heart and mind, but I assure you, I will LOVE to talk about these amazing servants of Christ and how you can be praying for them.
Well, I'll blog again from America. I can't wait to see you all!
I'm a bag full of mixed emotions. I want to cry out of sadness and confusion, but I'm excited to see friends and family. Much has happened since I've been away. Long story short: my friends and I had a house in Nashville, and then we didn't, and now I have a new house with fewer friends. We have three days of debrief after our arrival in Atlanta tomorrow, and I was planning on staying with a friend for a few days after that. Now, we are going up to Nashville to move our stuff from one house to the other. The point: don't expect a very succinct and processed blog post about this summer right away. I've struggled to process much at all in terms of how I'm growing and learning, and with a whirlwind next few days I don't think it'll get any easier. Debrief will help, but I may not be able to blog again until after I make it all the way home to Houston on Saturday.
Back to Kalamos and the point of this post: The theme for the camp was the Church as a family and what that looks like in a number of situations. There were lessons on respecting elders in the church, lessons on the body of Christ, lessons on the different roles of people working in and out of the church, and lessons on relationships among Christians and what they should look like. At Kalamos there were teens from evangelical churches all over Greece: from Volos (oh, how wonderful it was to see them again!), from First, Second, and Third Churches in Athens, and from many others. There were also teens from across the world, most of whom spoke Greek. We worshipped together as a family at least twice a day, most of the time singing in Greek, but there were some times when we were able to recall the English lyrics ("Who Am I", "Here I Am to Worship", "Prince of Peace"). I don't think I can describe to you what it is like to truly worship alongside other languages if you've never experienced it. Language really is no barrier. Despite singing in two different languages, we were fully united as one voice praising our God, our Lord, our Jesus. We know Him the same. We worship the same God, with the same voice, under the same stars, which He created.
I know intellectually that I have brothers and sisters all over the world. That's also a fact that's become even more obvious to me as I've begun to pray for a different country everyday (thanks David Platt). But coming here? I've now met those brothers and sisters. I know exactly how they need prayer and support. I can see their hearts and their struggles. They feel like my brothers and sisters, and I love them dearly. Nothing, not language, not distance, can separate me from them, just as nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. Why? Because the love of Christ has been poured out onto each and every one of us. And this week that love was poured right back out upon one another.
I lived in a tent with the 11 youngest girls at Kamp. They are 12, 13, and 14 years old. They love playing bougello (water fights) and making farsa (pranks). They're young and innocent. They may not have opened up to me very much, but that doesn't matter to my heart. I love these girls. I love them like I love my best friends, like I love my sisters. I could never forget a single one of their faces. While I would much rather be with them to watch them grow, thanks to a world of internet, I can still keep in touch and watch from afar, all the while praying earnestly for them and waiting for God's timing in allowing me to return.
My heart feels so full, but I know that all this loving is making it work, just like any other muscle needs work to grow. This tightness in my chest, this heart that feels like it'll burst at any minute? It's a heart that's growing and stretching and learning how to love more abundantly, more selflessly, more purely. It's learning to love because it's been loved first.
Join me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. But join me in prayer especially for our siblings in Greece that I now know personally. Because I've blogged about various ministries I've been involved with here, you can see just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the kinds of prayers needed in Greece. As I begin journeying home, let me know if you'd like to talk about this summer. I might need a few weeks to organize my heart and mind, but I assure you, I will LOVE to talk about these amazing servants of Christ and how you can be praying for them.
Well, I'll blog again from America. I can't wait to see you all!
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