The Final Countdown

I am getting ready to leave for fabulous Brussels, Belgium! I will be staying at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, La Plaine Campus, Logement Henri Lafontaine. I'll get more details once I arrive, such as room numbers and all that good stuff. I haven't even started packing, but I still feel like every waking minute of the last few days has been devoted to preparations. Little things that I would never normally acknowledge are looming in the forefront of my consciousness all of a sudden--Watch batteries, letters to my grandmother, birthday presents for people who haven't yet even begun thinking about their own birthday--such attention to detail! I can't imagine what a semester abroad would entail. That's what I have to keep telling myself: This is all good practice. I plan on going abroad at least once more before undergrad is over, so hopefully all the mistakes I make this time will help me not to err when I'm going for five months instead of one.

In light of my hastily approaching departure, I recently purchased a pocket Bible to take with me (the other one is far too big, despite its invaluable margin notes and information.) In the few days I've owned this new book, I have developed a pretty strong attachment. It's almost as beautiful on the outside as on the inside. I'm not sure why, but this new Bible has really made reading Scripture into a remarkably different experience. Perhaps it just feels more personal (all my other Bibles have been gifts). The fact that I bought it, I suppose, indicates I feel more invested in it, and that in turn encourages me to treat Scripture with more value. Being the type of person that can very easily fall out of habits, this newfound approach to Scripture is invaluable. How often have I told myself: "well, if I were only more committed to reading and memorizing, many of my spiritual struggles wouldn't be so difficult anymore." I am always so taken by those people in my life with a seemingly never-ending supply of Scriptural knowledge... perhaps because I read so casually, without treating Scripture the way it should be treated. I tend to forget much of what I've read, and other things tend to wash over me without any kind of emotional response or application to my life. So buying this Bible has actually really convicted me to be that much more committed to my reading. And lo and behold, after reading Hosea of all books, I came to a sudden realization that things I never expected to impact me were in fact changing me in subtle ways. I suddenly feel much more convicted to put down and destroy my personal idols... the strong language in Hosea was a very direct reminder to me (and Israel) to stop the worship of Baals. (I won't get into details, but hey, we all have them. These guys' were made of bronze and gold, oftentimes mine are just chilling in my overactive imagination.) And in the twilight spaces of my consciousness, when I am drifting off to sleep and then waking up to my vicious alarm clock in the morning, I find myself captivated by the imagery of passages I had never thought to remember in daylight hours. I'm not sure how this works out with the timing of my trip and my other recent spiritual goings-on, but I feel like this is the kind of habit that I can take to without much effort. I have been listening to a pretty old song over and over recently, and it really speaks to what's been going on recently. I have tilled and planted and waited patiently for a harvest of spiritual dedication, but it has taken my prayer for rain (the Spirit) to fulfill my actions and start new growth in my life. I hope that has been evident in the story above.

Anyway chew on this, blogopoids.

barren land can overflow with
life and fruit and fields that grow
in the barren land with labor and toil
planting seed and tilling soil
will stay the same, stay the same

but if for rain! but if for rain!
but if for rain to fall, irresistibly call
rain to cover me
but if for rain to heal, uncontrollably fill
the soil of eternity

and barren land will overflow with
life and fruit and fields that grow

Holy Spirit spur me to till
a once barren land so thirsty still
for living water, O God, sustains
so life and fruit and fields remain
lest they stay the same, stay the same

(hebrews 6:1-3, john 5:39; 6:44, ephesians 2:8-10, psalm 119:73)

Much love from Cary/Detroit/Amsterdam/Brussels!!

Ian