Galatians 5

^16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

^19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.

^22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

^23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

^25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

I especially like the comparisons between verses 19-21 and 22-23. It's striking to me.  How easy it is to fall into that first list... how natural it is.  And then how you can identify with that list, and one day see that God has shifted you. Not through your hard work, but through His grace and your letting him guide you and lead you to another way of life. How generous He is!

Adoption

Hopefully only people who are close to me read this... because I'm sure this will weird you out, if not. Maybe it will weird you out anyhow.

Last night, I dreamed about Charlie and my adopted son. He was a toddler and very not-perfect and yet I had this amazing, unbelievable love for him. Ohmygoodness I'm going to cry thinking about a DREAM! I feel like maybe I got a hint at what great love parents feel. I've been thinking about him all day. I love him and I can't wait to meet him one day.

He was grafted into our family just like we're grafted into God's

He was a part of our family... he was a part of me. Charlie said his name was Alley... we'll have to wait and see about that :)

So this is happening

I started filing my taxes tonight.  I got probably a little too excited about filing them myself after last year's debacle. (I did NOT know it was legal to tax someone BELOW the poverty line!!)  But then I got to all the scary questions and I quit for the night.  Yeeeeeah.  We're going to have to sit down and do this one together. Who knows? Maybe we'll actually get a dollar back this year!

So I survived the first week of classes. Yay. It felt like a really, really long week... but maybe that's what I get for taking a month off of life. I think this semester is going to be very busy. Hopefully I can keep super-organized and super-motivated to power through my last semester of classes (ever!)  I will probably be working this time next year! Eeek!  Am I ready for that?

I want to be more talkative right now.

I like to daydream about me and Charlie's kids sometimes. (Besides Goof and Pernkie, of course). I think we're going to have a nice family.  I was going to say nice little family... but something inside of me doesn't think it's going to be so little. I had another woman pray for my womb last night. That makes 4 in a month. 4 people praying for me to bear children. You'd think I was pregnant or something.

Charlie is currently sitting on the bed next to me bouncing up and down and whistling to Cajun music.

Yessssssssssss.

I'm taking Environmental Health

Which basically means that we learn about all the stuff in the environment that is killing us.  Cool. We watched this last night.  Obviously there is a big agenda here... but it's still kind of interesting.

Also. Did you know it takes 50 gallons of water to make one latte? (between watering the coffee beans, sugar beets, cows (for milk), etc?) That's a lot of water.




Why not show this one, too?  It's shorter if you just want to watch one.  Tap water for the win!

The Beatitudes

I love this passage from the Message. I think verse 5 is my favorite... how about yours?

You’re Blessed

5 ^1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

⁶ “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

--->

I made a list of stuff I need to do tomorrow.  I have already knocked out 5 of those items (out of 11).  That's not bad, huh?  Maybe I'll go ahead and make granola tonight which will make me more than half-way done with my list.  Great idea, Stephie.

I really like being called Aunt Stephie.  I hope to have many more nephews (and nieces!  Come on, people!) who will call me that.  Being called Aunt Stephie makes me warm inside.  More warm than being called "someone" or "no-one" :) Although, when your precious nephew calls you that, it's not even so bad!

Charlie and my winter vacation (2012-2013) was the best vacation ever.  I got to stay with my family for a bit over 2 weeks and we just sat around and visited and ate and told stories and enjoyed one another... and fit one fun trip in up to Bentonville.  AND Susan and Al and Caleb surprised all of us by coming early and getting to stay with us for longer than 48 hours!  The guys shot arrows and guns and did men things.

And then Charlie went down to Louisiana before me, and I joined him a week later, and we had a full agenda of stuff to do and people to see!  It was so fun.  And I still got to sleep in in the mornings :) And Charlie got to take me squirrel hunting AND duck hunting, which he had never done before, and we had a great ole time living like country-folk.

I've spent a lot of time (especially up here in Minnesota) thinking and praying about our move back.  I tell people, "We'll move back because Charlie has a family farm down there" but it's really about so much more than that.

It's about the call God's put on us for that region. Charlie and I are going to be family people.  I believe in what my dad prayed for us at our wedding... that through family we would bind and loose. That God will use us to find solutions for people in our community.  That people can change and that people can find freedom.

That we'll care for outcasts.  That we'll employ and impart life skills.  That we'll love. That we'll extend God's grace.

It's easier to write than to do.

But I believe it's more beautiful to do than to write.