Book Review: Hunger Games Trilogy

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

What if you were selected to participate in a game of survival, a battle to the death with 23 other teenagers? What if your younger sister was selected for this "honor"? This is the situation Katniss Everdeen was faced with.

Hundreds of years in the future, the American continent is under the rule of the tyrannical Panem. The Capitol has organized the country into twelve impoverished districts. No one may leave their district. Every district must supply two teenagers, a boy and a girl, to participate in the annual Hunger Games. Only one comes out alive. When Katniss hears the name of her younger sister, Prim, read as the next contestant in these cruel games, she doesn't have to think twice about volunteering to take her place. But the Hunger Games turn out to be much bigger and much deadlier than she ever expected.

These books (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) are filled with action, drama, and a little romance, but my favorite part about them is the deep themes Suzanne touches upon. Suzanne explores the power of kindness, the psychological effects of war, and the effect of a symbol. This is the story of a rebellion against oppression and a stand for justice and love. It is the story of a girl who doesn't quite understand the effect she has on people--the power of one small act to change everything.

Once you start these books, you won't be able to stop as the draw you in every step of the way. The characters felt real, the plot was intriguing, and the themes in this book make for excellent discussion. I felt the ending was slightly lacking, but overall, I would recommend these books.

"I think...you still have no idea. The effect you have on people....None of those people we lost were idiots. They knew what they were doing. They followed you because they believed." -- Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)

Survival

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 -- 1 Corinthians 13:13

Faith, hope, and love--these are the three most important ingredients to survival, to life.

Faith--Trust. A sense of truth. A foundation. Without some kind of trust, some kind of truth, we are tossed about like a ship in a storm, alone with no one to anchor us down. Faith is our anchor. It keeps us steady and provides a foundation, a lens through which to view everything else. Where is your trust? What do you know to be true?

Hope--A reason to go on. A hopeless man has no chance at survival because he has no reason to survive. Sure, he may go on from day to dragging day, but without hope the spirit quickly dies. Without a promise of something better--of rest and peace and joy and the restoration of all things, what is there? Life becomes the vain emptiness that the writer of Ecclesiastes talks about. Hope is that light at the end of the tunnel, the rainbow at the end of a rain storm. It is the promise of something better. What is your hope?

Love--Kindness. Compassion. Love is at the very heart of our life. It is what binds us together as one in this present moment. It is what gives life to the little things. Without it we turn selfishly inward and cut ourselves off from everyone else. Outside that flow of love, we stagnate and die. We need both to love and to be loved for life to flow through us. Who do you love? Who loves you?

Faith is our past, Hope is our future, and Love is our present. Without these three things, no man can truly live. With them, one can conquer almost anything.

The Little Things

In my latest reading adventures I have been noticing a lot about what makes good writing. One of those things is paying attention to the little things. The polka dots on a tie. A broken fan blade with cobwebs hanging from it. A flock of birds silently passing overhead. Little things that seem totally insignificant and from a logical point of view add nothing to the story. Yet, remove these little things and the story ceases to have life. Why? Because a story must do much more than take you from point A to point B. It must paint a picture.

I believe life is the same way. Sometimes we are guilty of missing the forest for the trees, but sometimes we focus too much on the big picture. Day to day life fades away as the little things are eclipsed by the phantom "big things." But think about it--if all that matters in life is the big things, then most of our lives are filled with nothingness. And if you remove the little things, what really do you have left? Life is in the little things. A silent walk with a friend. Watching the storm clouds roll in. Holding the door open for a stranger. Dancing in the rain and jumping through puddles. Letting your little sister put you in time out just because she says you need one. Life is not simply about getting from point A to point B. It's about the picture you paint with each and every moment you live.

Challenge: Take a week and each night write down one of the little things of that day and what it means to you. Learn to appreciate the little things and you will learn to make every moment count.

People

I've been thinking about people recently. How we look at different people. How we need people. And the simple fact that people are people.

There are so many cloaks that sometimes blind us from seeing people for who they really are. Outward beauty and charm (or lack thereof). Dress. Beliefs and doctrines. Race or nationality. Sometimes we uphold people as idols because we see their fame. Other times we look down on people because we see their struggles and sin. But often times what we see is nothing more than a mask. Can you really judge a person unless he opens his heart honestly before you? And I would guess that in our hearts we are all a lot more similar than we think. Broken, struggling, looking for hope and love and purpose. Wanting to know that we matter, that we are beautiful inside. Seeking something, but we know not what.

We need people. When left on our own, we are easily broken. We need family. Ecclesiastes 4 talks about this. We need people to encourage us. We need people to challenge us. We need people to love us and for us to love.

People need us too. They need us to look past the their appearance, to look past their accomplishments and failings, to look past their race and religion and see them for who the really are. They need to be loved and encouraged and challenged. But most of all, they need a friend.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.  -- Hebrews 10:24-25

Just One Step

The desert before you stretches for miles.

You already feel like you are drowning in sand.

Exhausted, suffocating, you struggle for air.

Panic sets in as you sink into the depths below.

"Help!" you cry. "Save me!"

A hand reaches out and takes yours.

A grip so firm, yet so gentle.

"My child, you drown in fear--it's your own imagination.

Don't worry about getting across.

Just take one step."

When I was 14

This is a picture of the sunrise from Matamoros, Mexico. Sorry for the poor quality--it was taken with a disposable camera. I am standing beside our bunk--a small building with six beds and no air conditioning. Behind me are the showers which require a not-so-reliable generator to work. When the generator isn't cooperating, there are buckets. In the meeting hall (separating the guys side from the girls side), we got to eat authentic Mexican food. The owner of the camp, though he may not have had the "best" of resources available to him, was very hospitable and our whole group was very grateful for him.

Dancing at the worksite. It is such a joy to serve. The shack in the background--that is a home. That was the home of the family that we are building a new house for. A new house that is still less than your average American would settle for.

This is just one of the families that we met as we walked through Matamoros. Before we came they didn't have a Bible. Now they have one and have begun reading it.

There  are so many stories--sadly, I don’t remember them all. But I wrote little tidbits down before leaving Mexico, and I want to share some of that with you:

Never forget the train that never moves, the girl threatened by her neighbor, the lady who was scared by Satan from going to church, the girl with unspoken family problems, the man without job or food, the man eager to read the Word, the family who shared their photos, the lady with the miracle baby...the lady who gave us water, the fifteen-year old single mom with a week-old baby, and all the wonderful playful children. Never forget the man who followed the bus to ask for prayer, and never forget the joy despite poverty of the children…
 

This area is in the dumps. It's where this boy lives and plays.

A lot of our work was simply playing with the children.

It's been a long way since 14. But this is a year I will never forget.

Book Review: The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters
C. S. Lewis

So, for the last two weeks I've been reading a series of letters from Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood about how to best tempt his human. Screwtape covers a wide range of topics including: misdirecting prayer, sowing seeds of dischord in a courtship, keeping the human involved with bad company, and making him overly spiritual. Oh...Screwtape and Wormwood are, uh, demons. I know, I know, what good could possibly come from reading correspondence between demons? A lot, actually, when it's written by Christian author C. S. Lewis.

C. S. Lewis has got to be one of my favorite authors. He has a knack for packing his books full of spiritual wisdom and he certainly does not fail here. He shows through Screwtape's letters many of the ways in which we humans can be deceived--and some of the ways to overcoming that deception. One of the biggest lessons I learned (or was reminded of) in this book is the importance of living day by day, hour by hour. Screwtape writes about how the future is a great way to distract humans simply because it is so uncertain. It is so easy to tie ourselves into a know about something that may not even affect us when we get there. Rather we must trust God for our daily bread.

The Screwtape Letters is not simply a dull book of proverbs either. C. S. Lewis creatively describes the workings of the enemy, full of cruelty and bureaucracy. They even have an "intelligence" department in charge of figuring out the supposed secret behind God's love for man. Apparently, they've been at it a few thousand years with still no results.

Before closing this review out, I must give a note of caution: Not all of the issues dealt in this book are appropriate for young children. That being said, I would definitely put this book high on my list of recommended books. Oh, and this book is very quotable (as my Facebook friends can attest to).

Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. -- The Screwtape Letters (C. S. Lewis)

Birth of an Atheist

A chariot is prepared for light to make its course
A path is lined out across space
Darkness breaks as the first rays of dawn call forth
A thousand voices answer in praise
Numberless stars answer to our King
They speak of glory all through the night
But one has been given the duty to bring
Light to our world and reveal what is right

An alarm clock rings, the snooze button pressed
Late for work again today
Put on some shades and buy a coffee express
Crank up the music, drown out the blue jay

With dirt covered hands, a seed is sown
It's joy in death brings life
Day after day it strives all alone

With patience it grows to new heights
Every branch becomes a place to rest
Every fruit pleasant to eat
Every flower clothed in only the best
Existing only to express His beauty

A homemade sandwich with factory made meat
He scarfs it down forgetting to bless
With so much work to do he's feeling the heat
Can't stop to think lest he see his regress

The clouds roll through, darkness covers the streets
Fire strikes down from heaven
Healing rain comes down like a sheet
Giving grace to all men and women
God rolls out His justice, bringing kings to their knees
But on the humble He has compassion
He blots out a record that was our disease
Closes the gap that was a great chasm

He gets down on his knees cause he feels guilty
Prays the sinners pray to make things right
Gets on with life without so much as a blink
As if God owed him this life

What If Today Really Does Matter?

There seems to be an idea or more of an assumption throughout the church that when we get to the Kingdom, we will all be made perfect and alike as if nothing we did on this earth mattered. It is this idea that getting into heaven is all that really matters--as long as I make it in, everything else will be all hunky-dory. Sure, we talk about storing up treasure in heaven and such...but I don't think pictures of gold and silver really drives the point home. Now, I don't claim to be an expert on the future Kingdom. I honestly have no idea what it will be like. But I would like to give you something to chew on...not as a new understanding of the Kingdom, but as a different way of looking at life here on earth:

What if our actions today actually have an impact on eternity--more than just who's in and who's out? What if the wounds we do not tend to, the sins we do not repent of, the wrongs we do not forgive--what if these showed up as scars in the Kingdom? What if the love that we give, the joy that we share, the people we embrace--what if these are the things that make our new bodies beautiful? What if our new bodies are a reflection of our spiritual growth while here on earth?

What if this was what Yeshua was talking about when He said "Store up your treasures in heaven" and "Seek first the Kingdom of God"?

Book Review: Hinds' Feet on High Places

Another thing I like to do besides writing is reading. So, why not combine the two? I plan to start writing book reviews on some of the books I read (the good ones anyway). My hope is that maybe you might see something that you would like to read. Anyway, here is the first review.

Hinds' Feet on High Places
Hannah Hurnard

First my mom recommended this book to me. Then my neighbors told me it was an excellent book. So, I picked it up a couple weeks ago and slowly made my way through it.

The book is an allegory about the journey to spiritual heights. It's based on the verse at the end of Habakkuk: "The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me walk upon mine high places." The story recounts the journey of a woman named Much-Afraid. Much-Afraid has a desire to go up to the high places where she can be free from her relatives who continually torture her--Pride, Bitterness, Resentment, and Craven Fear to name a few. The problem is Much-Afraid is crippled and cannot make it on her own. So, she goes to the Shepherd for help. The Shepherd agrees and promises to make her feet like hinds' feet so that she may leap across the high places herself and follow Him wherever He goes. But the journey is not an easy one. Much-Afraid has many lessons to learn and a lot of growing to do before she is ready for hinds' feet.

The story is very much a love story between Much-Afraid and the Shepherd--the type of love that each of us has for our King. As Much-Afraid goes through various trials, her love for the Shepherd and her willingness to follow Him wherever grows. The theme of love runs throughout the book, from the beginning when the Shepherd plants the seed of love into Much-Afraid's heart, through the middle where Much-Afraid learns the basics of love, to the end where true Godly love blossoms in Much-Afraid's heart.



Biblical imagery is woven throughout the book and several times quotes from Scripture are integrated seamlessly into the dialogue. The whole time I was reading the story, I couldn't help but think of stories like the Exodus from Egypt, the binding of Isaac, and Psalm 23.

Reading through Much-Afraid's journey, I found several lessons that I could apply to my own life. One example is to accept everything God sends our way with joy--even if He takes us through the furnace of Egypt. Probably the biggest lesson I got from this book, however, is that our Shepherd is leading us to help us grow and become more like Him. No matter what the cost, I must choose to always follow Him. This book has been an encouragement to me as I seek after my God and His ways--I would definitely recommend it to you.

My Library

Inspired by: http://brokenbarsoflight.blogspot.com/2011/08/library.html

Hi! My name is...well, I seem to have forgotten who I am. That page should be around here somewhere. Anyway, welcome to my library. It's a bit of a mess at the moment. That's what happens when you go for years without really caring for it. Like this section over here--this is the school section. The books should be arranged by topic and then alphabetically, but they're just a jumbled up mess right now. I'm not even sure they're all there. And then over there--that's the hall of memories. Wow...anyone who can keep track of all the books in that endless hall is nothing short of amazing. I try to keep the best ones near the front. Over there behind that pile of books, see the door? Yes, there is a door there. Behind it is the room of fiction and dreams. I used to spend hours and hours in there. Now, the shelves are covered with dust and cobwebs. I miss those days. Come this way. I want to show you a very special book. Watch your step. Don't want you tripping over a book or slipping on a loose paper. Ah, here it is. The Book of Friends. It's a kinda collage-scrapbook. Has a few smudges, a tear that needs mending, but this book will always be near to my heart. There's a Bible in here somewhere. You might not be able to tell--it's been marked up so many times. I'm working on cleaning it up so that hopefully I'll find that treasured wisdom said to be hidden within.

I've noticed that a lot of people lock up their library like the closet that all the toys were stuffed into. They check books in and out--but they never take the time to organize it. It's sad really. That's how you end up with the mess I have here. But I'm working on it. Trying to get books back into their places. Bundle loose papers back together. Clean up smudges and crayon markings...mend pages torn or falling out. I've even started working on a catalog to help me find things in this place. It's a vast library (and new books are being added every day)--I may never get the job done. But with the help of the Author of Life, I think this place can be made to look a lot better.

What does your library look like?




....now, that page with my name has got to be here somewhere....

Joy

It has been far too long since my last blog post. Sukkot has been busy, but it was amazing and full of joy. Actually, I want to share two scenes of joy from this past week.

The first happened just prior to Sukkot. I went in for an advising appointment at the college to find out what classes I still need to graduate. For the longest time I was under the impression that a meteorology degree leaves very little room for freedom in choosing classes. For the longest time that was true. But when I went in that day, I found that this was no longer true--next semester I have complete freedom in choosing all but two of my classes. Freedom...to pursue my heart's desires without worrying about what my family, friends, or adviser thinks; without worrying about whether it can get me a job or how much money I can make. Freedom to be who I am. Freedom to pursue a dream. And all praise goes to God for granting me this freedom. Coming out of that office, I wanted to jump for joy. Thank you Father.

The second snapshot comes at the end of a Shabbat in the middle of Sukkot. This day I felt what Sukkot is all about--coming together as brothers and sisters and drawing near to our God. Played kickball with the kids, enjoyed some amazing cooking, but the climax of the evening was when we took the speakers outside and danced. To come together and dance before our Father--there is nothing like it. When the joy of community is overcome by the presence of God--words cannot describe it.

So often we get caught up in day to day mediocrity. It's easy to forget the joy of our Father. The joy of the freedom we have in Messiah. The joy of our Father's love for us and His desire to see us prosper and live--really live. The joy of community--the friends and family God has given us. The joy of dancing before our King.

Someone worth dying for

Someone worth dying for

MikesChair

I was driving one day and this song came on. I decided to turn it up and really listen to the words. I had heard the song before, but never really paid attention to the words. As the chorus begun I thought "This is beautiful" and could relate it to my own life. Then the last line of the chorus was sung--and I was not expecting it. At that point my spirit broke within me. Someone worth dying for? Me?

Some time later, listening again to this song, I realized that not everyone knows of this love. I realized that I need to live my life in such a way that those placed in my path can see that they are more than flesh and bone. That they are something beautiful. That they are seen and they are known. That they are someone worth dying for. And I realized that I don't have enough love for that. But God does. So, Father, let your love flow through me.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
(John 15:12 ESV)

Hiding from God

The traditional reading for Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"--just ten days from now) is the book of Jonah. This is the story of a man who tried to hide from God. Hiding...several things (a blog post, a movie, old journal entries) have echoed this theme today.

Have you ever hid from God? I believe I have. In friends. In knowledge and Bible studies (ironic, isn't it?). In various distractions. The thing about hiding from God is it usually involves hiding from yourself as well. That makes it hard to detect--and even harder to correct. But God can help you come out into the light, if you ask Him.

Today is Yom Teruah--Day of Trumpets. On this day the trumpet sounds calling to our hearts and piercing to our soul: "Prepare for the coming our King!" How do we prepare? We must lay open our hearts before Him. We must strip ourselves of our pride. Your grades, your art, your career, your friends, your family, your wealth, your knowledge, your good works...I could go on--all must be laid down before we enter the presence of our King. We must approach in humility, laying down our crowns of gold and our crowns of thorns before Him. When it comes down to it, the only thing that matters is His faithfulness and His mercy.

As I read through some old journal entries, I am noticing a pattern. God has revealed Himself to me when I lay my heart bare before Him--when I acknowledge my faults, my guilt, my confusion and cry out sincerely to hear His voice. When I hand over everything--my past, my present, and my future--to Him. He is there waiting to reveal Himself to us. But maybe He's waiting for us to reveal ourselves to Him.

My desire is to pursue God with all my heart--to chase after the Ruach. But sometimes I wonder, who is really chasing who? Perhaps, in a sense, God is chasing after His bride. Shall we hide from Him any longer?

Surrender

My grip tightens. My resolve strengthens. And slowly everything I care about slips away.

Let go.

My hands slowly relax. I look to Him who gives me peace. My life falls away. I lose focus--I reach out to catch all the things I let go of. Frantically, I try to grasp at my fleeting ambitions.

Hand it all to me.

My eyes lock with His. My trust is in Him. Slowly I begin to hand pieces of my life to Him. He takes them. He molds them. I cry out "No! That's not what I wanted!" I reach out to grab my life back. And as I pull, they tear. My hopes. My dreams. Torn. My fears. My frustrations. My bitterness. My life--broken. And He says to me,

Will you trust me? My ways are higher than your ways. My plans are greater than your plans. I can take your life, your love, your hatred, your ambition, your fear--I can take all the broken pieces and turn them into something greater. But you have to give it all to me.

Broken, I hand Him what is left of my life. As He begins to work, I begin to see Him work wonders in my life. And as I see my life restored, I feel empowered to take it back. But He gently reminds me that I am His. Reluctantly, I surrender. My hopes and my fears. My friends and my family. My hands and my heart. I place it all into His hands.

Father, sometimes surrender feels like the hardest thing in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm caught in the middle. Father, help me to trust you.

Prayer of a Butterfly

God of our fathers and of every creature under heaven
Transform my life, make me a new creation
Through death of myself and in you resurrection

In wisdom you are crafting the wings with which I fly
Give me wisdom to use them to sail into the sky
And discernment to know when I have flown too high

With kindness you sustain every living creature
Mend my wings, make my flight sure
Forgive my sin, make my heart pure

Creation groans under the weight of sin
They hiss, they fight, but I won't give in
Gently I'll touch a shoulder or a hand
Sharing your love, waiting for redemption

Stepping Out Of The Boat

If you have not seen the movie Soul Surfer, you should. It is an amazing, true story about faith and courage. It's stories like this that help me see life in a different light.

Where the Dinosaurs Roam

Miles away from civilization, where the dinosaurs roam...


Where water is scarce, and the floods sweep away boulders, and the rain pours on a dry and dusty desert.

A connection is made with the Most High outside the cell phone network.

When Life Overwhelms You

Stop.

Pray. Cry out to God for help.

Take a breather. Give your mind a chance to relax.

Pray again. Ask God for the strength to continue on. He knows what you're going through. He can help. Trust Him.

When you start again, pace yourself. Remember, your Father is with you. Rest in His peace.

Remember to thank your Father for His help.

And finally, remember the sun is the most beautiful when it shines in through the clouds of life--and rainbows only appear after the storm.

Thank you Father, for helping me through the business of this week. Thank you for giving me the strength to get done what needed to be done. And thank you for giving me rest. Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who gives man rest.

Back to School

Well, I've started school back. I suppose that's worth a blog post. First impressions on the professors--all of them are in the good to great range.

Glimpses of Eternity, Glimpses of Beauty

Sometimes life feels like chasing after the wind; like darkness has set in and I cannot find my way. But even in the darkness, you can find flickers of light. These sparks of light are glimpses into the eternity which God has hidden in the heart of man--they are glimpses of beauty. I want to share just a few of these sparks that have been light to me with you:

Some Definitions

Beauty
The evidence of the Creator's hand. His fingerprints can be seen throughout all creation.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Faith
Trusting our Father at His word.

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
(Habakkuk 3:17-18)

See also: Hebrews 11

Thankfulness
Accepting a gift in such a way that honors the giver. Let us honor our King with the gifts He has given us.

We love because he first loved us.
(1 John 4:19)

Wind
An invisible force that baffles scientists to this day. This force can manifest itself in many forms from the power of a tornado to the stillness of a whisper.

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
(John 3:8)

When Everything Else Crumbles

When everything else crumbles, what is left?

Comfort Zone

There is a lot I do not know. There is much I have not surrendered. I have considerably more growing to do. And the fact is--until Yeshua returns, this will never change.

I am not saying that I am satisfied where I'm at or that I will not continue along the path. I will continue to learn. But there will always be something deeper. I will continue to surrender. But there will always be more to give. I will continue to grow. But there will always be something higher. The more we grow, the more we long for more.

Identity: Who You Are

I think I want to wrap up on the question of identity...at least the question of Who am I? Maybe I'll continue more on how to be who we are. But I think I've ranted long enough about finding out who you are. It's really pretty simple--just not something you can put in a box. You are who you are and you are growing every day.

Identity: Your Voice

Often times when we think about the question of identity, the first thing we think of is an occupation. What am I going to be when I grow up? I know for the longest time that was where my focus was. To be sure, finding a job is pretty important in this world. But when it comes to the question of who you are, I think your job is only a minor part. In fact, I would say how a person responds to their job tells you more about them than what their occupation is.

Identity is defined as "the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known." How do you recognize someone? Usually we see their face or hear their voice. Sometimes a person may be recognized by their smell, but that doesn't happen as often ;)

Power of Prayer

I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me.
-C.S. Lewis

There are a lot of things I don't understand about prayer. I don't understand it's affect in the spiritual realm. I don't know if telling God something He already knows can cause Him to change His mind. I've seen people miraculously healed through prayer. Sometimes when I pray it feels like I'm talking to the secretary. But there is one thing I have learned about prayer--and it's enough to keep me praying. Prayer changes me.

Identity: I am who I am

I talked with a some friends a few days ago on the subject identity and they've helped me to put a few more of the pieces together. I think the whole idea of finding out who you are is a little bit misleading. Why? Because you are who you are.

Identity: In His Image

(repost from my FB notes)

Where to begin? What is step 1 in finding out who I am? Honestly, I don't know where the best place to start is. But we have to start somewhere--so why not at the beginning?

Then God said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness."
Genesis 1:26a

When I said that to search for our own identity would lead us face to face with God, I was not exaggerating. We are made in the image of God and so our being reflects who God is.

Identity: Introduction

(Repost from my FB notes)

God has been teaching me about identity lately...asking myself Who am I? And how do I live as myself, not as a pretender. Seems that several people I have talked to have reported similar stories. So, what I originally started as a personal project, I want to open up to you so that we can help each other in our journeys. I want to write a series of notes on this subject...I have some ideas floating around in my head, but no definitive plans. It's gonna be a trial and error type thing with possible false starts and dead ends. But isn't that the way every journey is?

Chasing after the Ruach

If you're my friend on Facebook, then you know I like to write (91 notes at last count). Unfortunately, Facebook is not the most stable website. You just never know what new update will be next. So, I've decided to pack up camp and move over to blogger--a little easier to follow and a lot more stable (Don't worry FB friends...I'm not leaving FB...yet).

For those who are new...well, all I can say is you will have to wait and read my writing for yourself. I love to write and I love to share what God has been teaching me. I hope that you can find some blessing in it.

So, I'm sure some of you are wondering about the name. Some of you may have already recognized it as a phrase from the book of Ecclesiastes--and if you know me, you know my love for the book of Ecclesiastes. I picked this name because it describes my life pretty well, in more ways than one. Yes, there's a bit of word play involved.

In Ecclesiastes the phrase appears as "chasing the wind" or "striving after wind." It's a way of expressing the futility of life:

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14 ESV)

Yes, I was serious about this being my favorite book. The fact is, if you take the time to question your purpose in life, it can often seem like striving after wind. What can I do for an all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God? I can add nothing new under the sun. If you need further explanation, just read Ecclesiastes ;)

However, as the title shows, the Hebrew word for wind in Ecclesiastes is ruach. Ruach can also be translated as spirit. Chasing after the Spirit--I think that does a good job of summing up our purpose. It's not about what we can do for God--not about what we can add to His plan. It's about growing closer to Him. As a good friend said, the only thing we can give that He doesn't already have is our hearts. And in giving Him our hearts, we learn to chase after His heart.

Life without God is chasing after the wind. Life only finds it's meaning with God--in chasing after the Spirit.



Oh, and there is also the fact that I am training to be a meteorologist...so I chase after the wind in a more literal sense as well. Anyway, like I said above, I hope you find some blessing from this blog as I attempt to share the things I am learning from my walk with God. And I hope that you will grow ever closer to Him as you chase after the Ruach.