Microscopic Faith

Lately I've been convicted that I'm not depending on God like I should. It's easy for me to see God and ask for his help with big things like family issues, health problems, world peace, etc., but it's hard for me to feel like I need to depend on God for the small everyday things like food, clothing, joy, shelter. I guess it's somewhat a testament to how blessed I am that I don't feel like I won't ever go without a meal or have a roof over my head, but at the same time I forget that God has blessed me and it's not of myself. I'm starting to be able to see God in everything. The orange I had after lunch was exceptional, spring roommate situation taking care of itself, I had warm jacket to wear this morning when it was quite chilly outside. He is everywhere, and is in control of everything. I want to get to the point where I see everything that happens in my life, big and small, as a direct involvement of God.

Girl's best friend, or utter injustice?

Mankind is sick and twisted. I used to think that people are inherently good, but that is hard to justify with the Bible (all have sinned and come short....). So, the richest 1% or so of people in the world think that some stupid rock is "pretty" and the poorest people in the world have to slave to dig these things out of dirt and rock and make next to nothing for it. Talk about injustice. I don't understand the big deal about diamonds anyway. I mean, they're basically just clear coal. Sure, they are beautiful, but do you really need to adorn your body with them? By no means am I trying to say that I am not a materialistic person, but if we were constantly aware of the hardship we bring to other people as a result of our lofty desires I think the world would be a wildly different place.

Open question

I seemed to have lost my tweezers several weeks ago. My question to anyone who might be reading is this: Where the heck does one find tweezers in Walmart? I looked all over the health and beauty section but came out empty-handed. So if you know what aisle tweezers are located, please enlighten me.

Wes

Pondering

I've recently been listening to the new Shane and Shane CD, Pages. One of the lyrics is "May the vision of You be the death of me." Do I truly think this way? I mean, I want to see Jesus desperately, but am I willing for that vision to mean the death of my desires? It's so hard to just let go and let Him be in control, but I think it's something that I'm learning to do.
-
Here are some things that have made me happy lately:
1. A trip to Memphis and Columbus, MS to hang out with two of my favorite people on the planet, Jonathan and Jordan.
2. Getting a new car and not having to worry about it breaking down, thus allowing #1 to happen.
3. The weather.
4. Easily finding a new community group that I love.
5. My Sunday School kids...I seriously love them.
6. Bluegrass.
7. My friends - I wish I knew how to express how much I love them.

Look at me, I'm in Long Island

So I figured I'd follow the crowd and blog about my trip that I'm currently on. I'm at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories in Long Island, NY. Long Island itself isn't very pretty (at least the little I've seen of it), but the lab campus is amazing. The weather is awesome, lower 80's...not missing Arkansas August weather at all. I'm rooming with this guy from Holland. We had kind of an awkward meeting because we didn't run into each other moving in yesterday and then he was asleep when I got back to the room last night. So we met after we had already slept in the same room for a night. He came out of the bathroom from his shower and I was brushing my teeth and we were like "Hi." Quite funny. Oh, and his name is Sake, pronounced "Shocka." It was hard for me not to laugh when he told me his name. Probably my favorite part of the meeting so far is when people give presentations when English is obviously not their native language nor are they fluent, and then people just as bad at English try to ask them questions. They totally just don't understand each other at all and it ends up being like 5 minutes of back and forth with no real resolution because neither side ultimately understands. Oh and hearing the Japanese people talk makes me laugh too because they pronounce their "l" as "r." For example, nucleoplasm ends up being "nucreoprasm." It's all I can do to not LOL all over the place. Anyway, maybe I'll post again before I leave. Goodbye.
::Wes (I decided to try the cool little thing Blake does at the end of his posts...hope you don't mind, my red brother)

Life is changing

So I feel like my life is changing a lot right now. A good 15 or so of my friends have moved away within the last year or will be leaving very shortly. I guess that's what I get for going to grad school at the same place I did my undergrad instead of being the one to leave everyone else. I definitely don't regret it though. I'm positive that God's Will was for me to stay at Arkansas. I got to make some incredible relationships that I otherwise would've missed out on. This fall will be my first semester without having to take a class (although I still have one class left to take in the Spring). My friends are getting "real jobs" and driving "grown up cars." I am so thankful for the friends that I still have here and the new people God is placing in my life (especially a certain lady-friend). I am looking forward to getting involved in a new community group and forging new relationships and community. With this transition, it has made me realize how much stock I put in my friends. At times I think I fall into putting my identity in people I respect and love, but this is a good chance to (yes I know it's cliche) work on putting my identity in Christ. I'm excited to see what and who this next part of my life will bring. I usually am resistant to change in my life, but I definitely think it can be a positive and healthy thing.

Only in Dreams

Dreams are probably one of my favorite things God has blessed us with. Mine are usually never scary or anxiety-filled, but usually bizzare and something that I can have a good laugh about the next morning. Last night though I had an amazing dream experience. I feel like I got to visit a place that no one else in the world has ever been to. It was so vivid and real-feeling and the dream seemed to last for hours. It started by me riding on a four-wheeler in a forest with my golden retriever. We crested a hill and looked down upon the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. The sand was pure and not littered with trash, and the water....oh the water. It was shallow and brilliant blue. There were lots of sandbars that gave texture to the ocean. Apparently in my dream I knew that this place was a volcanic beach - the largest in the world. Mountains arose dramatically just behind the beach, and there was an old temple/tomb thing that was built into the mountain. It seemed to be a relic from an ancient civilization. I got to explore it walk the ancient halls. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Even though this place most likely doesn't exist anywhere on Earth, it existed to me for that vapor of time and I probably won't soon forget it.