Isaiah 55:8+Romans 8:28

I started this post a couple weeks ago on the Friday before classes started. Being my fifth and final semester, I was posting my class schedule and also the actual title of my Associate's Degree I will have, but when I went to look up the title of my Associate's degree, I realized that the Sign Language class I was signed up for was not in my degree plan and would not satisfy my foreign language credit. If I had not been blogging, I would have totally missed this.

To back up, I was also posting about how awesomely God had worked out my scheduling of classes for this semester. The Thursday before classes started, I received notice that my online Math for Teachers II had been cancelled. Being two days before classes started, there was very little selection for me to rearrange my schedule (which I had organized perfectly months ago!) So, I worked on what seemed to be the next best option, having a difficult time fitting in Spanish (which I was not thrilled about taking) so decided on Sign Language (which is only offered at the SAC campus).

Back to Friday- after much frustration, I had figured out another schedule that would work...until I realized the problem with SNLG. I decided to just go to SAC to see what I could do about this...only to turn up yet another problem! I needed another Kinesiology credit for my Associate's Degree! I would have finished the whole semester thinking that that was it, all the while needing one credit hour of PE! So the counselor signed me up for Jogging (again, all that was left, but what I needed). She also told me that the SNLG issue was minor, but it was out of my hands until Monday (when classes started). I really had to trust God here that it would work itself out, to avoid having to change my entire schedule agian.

So- Monday- back at SAC. SNLG works. I just have to drop and add the same class (different course numbers) to make it a transferrable credit. Sounds easy enough except that the course I needed to add was full. It was literally the same exact class/room/teacher/time-everything, but technically I couldn't do it...but God allowed, and the nice man behind the counter overid the system on my behalf...this nice man then preceded to tell me that I had a balance of $50 that needed to be paid ASAP or they would drop me from all of my classes!!!

Oh snap! This balance showed up somehow, I'm guessing, during the canceling and adding of my Math course. I had checked it on-line, but hadn't seen that I owed anything. So I quickly and thankfully walked down the hall and paid the balance. Whew!



In short:
Math class cancelled=swtich to Sign Language, not Spanish -->
correct Sign Language class full=Kinesiology credit filled, balance paid.



*Through all the frustration, stress, and complaining, God was working things out for the better on my behalf. Romans 8:28
*Looking back, had I been more prayerful and careful about what I was doing, I wouldn't of had to go through all this. Isaiah 55:8

I praise God for working all this out and for knowing what is best. He knew that I would have dreaded Spanish, and I am really enjoying Sign Language. He also knew that more than likely, I would not have found the time for jogging to get into shape before the wedding, and so saved that last appropriate kinesiology credit for just the right time!


I know this post is long and rambly, but it helps me realize, give credit to, and fully appreciate all that God has done through this situation to reveal his power and faithfulness. There were so many more little details that he worked through that I cannot even enumerate-our God is an awesome God!

Prayer of the Nonbelievers

So we went to the new campus of Northeast Lakeview to pray on Sunday before school started. Kimmi, Christi, Blayne and I (the officers of Campus Crusade) plus two random people Tim and Sara* (who I am pretty sure aren't Jesus followers). Kimmi had invited them and when they showed she said "Woah, they actually came! I didn't think that they would!" Now I'm not saying this as a bad thing- just that they are unlikely candidates to come and pray for the students and the school.
So we stood in a circle and prayed a hand-squeeze kinda prayer (if you don't want to pray, squeeze the next person's hand). And everyone prayed. Some long and drawn out and some short and to the point. I love to hear other people pray. All kinds of people. Even if they say "Hey God, it's me Tim" like they haven't spoke to God in a really long time, or "Ummm, hello! It's Sara!" like they haven't ever prayed in their life.
It was really cool to just listen to people say what was on their hearts to a God that none of us can fully understand.
I'm really looking forward to what God is going to do on this campus this semester through our willing hearts.

*names changed

FW: Malachi 3:3

I normally don't pay much attention to the various forwards I recieve in my inbox, but this one was interesting, and I hadn't seen it before so thought I'd post it. (Thanks, Art!)
-Taylor

In the Old Testament book of Malachi 3:3 we read: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.' This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

I can't wait until I reflect God! And I am so thankful for his grace in not letting us be totally destroyed, even when take too long.

Mail for God

[A conversation between me and Brogan (my 4-year-old brother)]

Brogan: "How do you draw God?"
Me: "Why?"
Brogan: "I wanna send it to Him."
Me: "Okay."
Brogan: "But I don't know how to mail it to Him."
(Brogan: thinking...)
Brogan: "What if when we go to church, I can put it in the money box and then when they send the money to God they can send the picture to God." (said with a huge grin) :)

Kids blow my mind sometimes.

Disclaimer 6-12-08

I do struggle.
(I just don't always feel comfortable sharing what about with 10 other people.)

Amazing Because It Is

-my God
-my life
-my friends
-my family
-my job
-my Summer

also:
-the music
-the clouds!!


simply amazing.

"Why is it upside down? Why is it upside down?"

Church was great this morning! Everything about it was different and out of place and would have, on any other Sunday, made me crazy, but today I think I got a glimpse of what it should be like.

The sermon was about having things upsidedown and about the Beatitudes, and we were challenged throughout the service to figure out what we were doing upsidedown. This morning I faced one of my "upsidedowns"- my focus. My focus in life often seems to be upsidedown- I decide what needs to happen in order for God to do His work, then I pray that it be done. I realized this morning, the problems with thinking like that and that if I could only flip it, things would be much better - I need to pray first keeping my focus on God in every circumstance, and then do what needs to be done to glorify Him. It works better that way, putting God first. He knows whats up. I keep hearing His words in my head that we discussed some time ago in our community group:

"My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8

I like the Message version also: "I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work."

This reminds me when I am trying to take control of situations, that I need to flip my focus rightside-up putting the goal of the Kingdom first and then life will come along greatly.

PS- Thanks for the encouragement! I appreciate you guys!

(Monetary) Tipping

(Just in case you thought I was going to talk about cow tipping or any other kind of tipping that doesn't occur in a restaurant.)

Daniel Clark wrote an interesting note on Facebook about tipping. I enjoy reading these notes because they focus on scripture-based insights to life situations. And I just thought I'd give my 2 cents about the topic. I agree that as Christians we should be generous [Luke 3] and so, generous tippers. And, I don't belive that we should leave bad tips for bad service. But there is a difference between bad and poor service. Bad service deserves at least a fair tip. Poor service, however- being that the food was bad, the server wasn't smiling or pleasant, he/she didn't refill your drink fast enough, or take your order on time - is still worthy of a generous tip. Not extra generous, like I would for excellent service, but a generous tip from a generous person. I would not like to reward or enable bad behaviors with a generous tip (although some would disagree with even that), but I do not want to be known as an arrogant, non-generous Christian when service isn't perfect.