Another Panera Morning

(One of a few uncompleted blog posts. I finally posted this on 1.11.11)

You ever hear something; small like a whisper but clear enough and loud enough to know with certainty what you've heard?

I did this morning. I heard the word "fire."

1 Kings 19

Elijah Flees to Sinai

¹ When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. ² So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

³ Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. ⁴ Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

⁵ Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” ⁶ He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

⁷ Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

⁸ So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,^{a]" style="line-height: 0.5em;">[a]} the mountain of God. ⁹ There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

The Lord Speaks to Elijah

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

¹¹ “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The Chiropractor

chiropractic |ˌkīrəˈpraktik|nouna system of complementary medicine based on the diagnosis and manipulative treatment misalignments of the joints, esp. those of the spinal column, which are held to cause other disorders by affecting the nerves, muscles, and organs.
So as I was typing the title, I suddenly realized I was unsure of the spelling of said word. So I highlighted it, held Control and clicked on it. I then chose Look up in Dictionary. And the above definition came up. It doesn't have a real significant meaning. That's not why I included it with this entry.
What is important is that my back has really been bothering me, and I feel that I am on the road to recovery. Mostly because someone who knows more than I AND can do something about it is now working on the problem. It's amazing how that no longer is an issue that worries me. I feel like I have put it Dr. Colvin's hands and I am golden. As I left his office today, I felt like I was walking taller, standing straighter, and overall feeling more optimistic. I find it intriguing how so many factors play into how I feel. Physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and all the other "-al's.
In other news, I am just finishing up my essay questions for seminary in the fall. I'm pretty excited but also a bit nervous. I honestly don't think it has hit me yet that in a few short months I will be in school again for an unspecified amount of time. I had a friend recently ask me if I really wanted to spend 7 years going to grad school part time. I had honestly never thought about that. 144 hours. Each class an average of 4 hours. This is 36 classes roughly. They are on quarters. If I go to school for four quarters, two classes a quarter, I will finish in 4 1/2 years. This is the end of 2013. If I take a quarter off every now and again, this extends even further. Hmm... So we will see. We will see.
I'm sure it will hit me when I realize that the amount of free time I used to have was enormous compared to what I will have this fall. Margin. Add more to life. Add margin. Take classes. Margin. Seminary. Margin.
Somehow this must fit together.
Somehow.

An Old Pro

Sometimes I forget that God is an old pro at watching over and helping guide my life.

I am a firm believer that I can choose to do my own thing, apart from the wisdom and counsel of His Spirit.

Maybe too much so.

Or maybe I don't take seriously enough the depth of which He understands me and is still able to draw me back to going the right direction.

I miss details.

He doesn't.

What is the verse in Matthew? Something about He sees every sparrow that falls from the sky, has every hair on my head numbered; do I really think He is going to forget something even if I do?

But what if He just lets me forget?

What if I just totally miss something? Then what?

And then I reflect. I reflect on all the times that I missed a step in the journey of life, the times where I forgot to do something or had a poor attitude or simply skipped passed an opportunity to show someone love. You know what?

It has always worked out.

Maybe not perfectly. Maybe not, well certainly not, the way I thought it would have. But the key for me is this:

The world did not end.

Nope. Sure didn't.

And the journey continues.