Well, this past week has been a doozy....the social and sports spheres have been going full blast, and we've been give our first exam, assignments, etc. So everything is coming to a head all at once. I don't even know where to begin....i suppose at the beginning of the week. Dr. Leeland's lectures are quite pertinent, practical, and perniciously pugnacious!
He emphasizes impacting the culture. To do that we must first understand it, the messages hurled at us all, and the worldview implications implicitly and indelibly imprinted on such media products and messages. Have i mentioned i'm on an alliteration kick? You guys should see my notes. Anyway, i have to go prepare for war [raquetball, which i have not lost yet :)], so this is going to be a short post. But I must throw a few things out there...this has been a most adventurous week...both in the classroom and out. I had a meeting mid-week that altered the course of my life forever. I have anticipated it and prayed for it for months, and it happened without any initiation of my own...truly a 'God-only' event [and i am reluctant to use that terminology]. This has opened up new possibilities and spurned me on towards them--and each of them involves a higher level of spiritual and intellectual challenge than anything previous. It is as if God keeps whispering 'you're getting warmer, keep coming....getting warmer,' in the game of 'hot and cold,' if you will.
Yeah, so i had more FUN Thursday than i've had in a day in quite a while. We had a dress-up dinner with everyone at the Founder of FFI's house! I came as part of group of those dressed in Native Indian garb....quite fun! The pictures are great. The entire evening was a blast, and i even won a door prize. Then i lost my phone afterwards....and was detained with a friend for more than half an hour at the entrance of the Air Force Academy [its a long....and hilarious....story!]. In the midst of this my phone was located. So I thanked God for that.... and not getting arrested or something. And we went camping yesterday, saw some wild antelope and had a great bonfire time with just the guys. Pure testosterone for a day....great male bonding, though. I'm going to rest up, possibly make a day trip to Denver tomorrow to reconnect with an old law-firm friend, and be locked and loaded for another great week of half-worldview training, half-relational emphasis. We shift mid-week into Roc & Bev Bottomly's class on marriage and family. And we get to hang out with Del when he gets back from his rafting trip in the Grand Canyon....good stuff!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Extremely energetic excitement...
That could well describe the entire experience as a whole, and certainly the most recent week. Saturday was an activity day...which was really good because i hadn't gotten enough exercise to offset the classroom and reading hours. We golfed 9 holes...walking, which was excellent for our health of course, at the only course i've ever played on as rudimentary and underdeveloped as Dixon's and Waurika's....it was actually worse. Why? Well, let's just say we had a wide spectrum of skill levels and many did not want excessive expenditures [yes, i am on an alliteration kick and 'e' is the current letter running through my head!]. Anyway, then i played raquetball for the first time at the YMCA [which it has been interesting to come across the account of its origins, in some of the readings for class], which made me wish i was playing with Dave & Tyler, but alas, better than nothing.
Well, probably one of my biggest highlights thus far has been that we just got to C.S. Lewis's 'Abolition of Man.' It is the only book we have been assigned to read aloud as a group, section by section. Apparently my past experience has benefited others, as i was told i was able to translate from Lewisian language to plain English....one fellow student said it was 'like eating rocks' to read it, and it 'wasn't even English.' It really made my day to be told i helped others understand it...and it also put things into some perspective for me, really encouraged me to know my brain helps others instead of just an isolated system to myself. It also helped me understand some of why i often feel as if very few understand me, the way i think, the way i speak, etc.
Dr. Leeland began his lectures today...with a clip from the Matrix, about making a choice, the red pill or the blue pill....and that the church has been taking the 'blue pill' of ignorance and apathy for entirely too long! I wanted to stand up on the table and pump my fist in the air...
Dr. Leeland is quite adament on 'worldview,' and extremely passionate about discussing things from popular culture like movies and music, etc. This quite excites me, for there is so much that is pertinent to the predicament of modern culture that we skip over and around....we are afraid of confrontation. Recent reading of Schaeffer's 'The Great Evangelical Disaster' has lent a most accurate quote: "Truth demands confrontation....loving confrontation, but confrontation nonetheless." And speaking of confrontation, there is going to be some confrontation on the sports scene....it appears i'm one of the team captains...football, actually. This is quite not exactly what i expected! But am happy to serve in helping coordinate things. Our hikes keep getting rained out, so this will balance the classroom and reading time with outdoor time, it seems.
Well i ramble, and feel this is haphazard and low-quality writing, but there is much to attend to, we get our first exam tomorrow, and i am scrambling to keep up with all that God has put before me. His still small voice has grown louder in my ears these past few weeks, and i am humbled and touched that He loves me enough to speak so tenderly and relevantly into my life!
Much love to you all,
--MGM
Well, probably one of my biggest highlights thus far has been that we just got to C.S. Lewis's 'Abolition of Man.' It is the only book we have been assigned to read aloud as a group, section by section. Apparently my past experience has benefited others, as i was told i was able to translate from Lewisian language to plain English....one fellow student said it was 'like eating rocks' to read it, and it 'wasn't even English.' It really made my day to be told i helped others understand it...and it also put things into some perspective for me, really encouraged me to know my brain helps others instead of just an isolated system to myself. It also helped me understand some of why i often feel as if very few understand me, the way i think, the way i speak, etc.
Dr. Leeland began his lectures today...with a clip from the Matrix, about making a choice, the red pill or the blue pill....and that the church has been taking the 'blue pill' of ignorance and apathy for entirely too long! I wanted to stand up on the table and pump my fist in the air...
Dr. Leeland is quite adament on 'worldview,' and extremely passionate about discussing things from popular culture like movies and music, etc. This quite excites me, for there is so much that is pertinent to the predicament of modern culture that we skip over and around....we are afraid of confrontation. Recent reading of Schaeffer's 'The Great Evangelical Disaster' has lent a most accurate quote: "Truth demands confrontation....loving confrontation, but confrontation nonetheless." And speaking of confrontation, there is going to be some confrontation on the sports scene....it appears i'm one of the team captains...football, actually. This is quite not exactly what i expected! But am happy to serve in helping coordinate things. Our hikes keep getting rained out, so this will balance the classroom and reading time with outdoor time, it seems.
Well i ramble, and feel this is haphazard and low-quality writing, but there is much to attend to, we get our first exam tomorrow, and i am scrambling to keep up with all that God has put before me. His still small voice has grown louder in my ears these past few weeks, and i am humbled and touched that He loves me enough to speak so tenderly and relevantly into my life!
Much love to you all,
--MGM
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Veni, Vidi, Vici......ah yes, sweet victory!
For those who are non-nerds, 'Veni, Vidi, Vici' is Latin for what Caesar said after emerging victorious in battle, meaning 'i came, i saw, i conquered.' Monday night there was a picnic with our best meal yet [Olive Garden catered] and then we had a sports time. Yours truly was a bit hesitant to play football, but i decided to fling all caution and inhibitions to the wind and throw myself into the field of battle with reckless abandon. Surprisingly, my underdog team emerged valiantly victorious, and i was somehow athletically skilled....for one evening at least. It really was a unique experience. I had quite a few interceptions and several touchdowns....including the winning one! Then they decided to play soccer....to make a long story short i scored the winning goal [on the best player on the field] and my hilarious teammates first dogpiled me in the middle of the field, then hoisted me on their shoulders and carried me around without letting me down. I was, of course, extremely embarrassed and self-conscious! But their loving gesture and comments eventually eroded that, I suppose. I thought they were a bit out of line until several others went out of their way to compliment my performance. I know this sounds silly to say, but i don't think i've ever performed that well in any athletic contest, and never received praise for it in that way....at least not for an informal event!
It was extremely exciting for me, discovering that i have the ability to succeed in things i have always told myself and others that i am limited and not talented at! Most importantly, our team played entirely over its head and beat a superior team. An interesting development is that afterwards the suggestion was put forth for a regular sports team contest [think 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' family rivalry style!] to be played out throughout the summer......should be a blast if it indeed comes together. No word yet on whether any events will involve contestants falling into a lake, or something like that.
Well this is a short post, but i couldn't contain myself....i have never been the hero, athletically, anyway :) Of course i feel more comfortable heading back to the land of learning. Sadly, tomorrow is Dr. Tackett's last lecture to us :( We had a fabulous set of guest lecturer's yesterday, one of who was Focus's senior public policy analyst, Carrie Gordon Earll, and the other Mike Haley, a former homosexual who leads a powerful ministry called 'Love One Out' of the community into the church. Mrs. Earll focused on Bioethics, especially regarding abortion and stem cell research. Powerful stuff, all around! I have so much more churning through my cranium at the moment, but will save the intellectual ramblings for a later post....suffice it to say that I have been sufficiently calmed and am in stride, hitting on all cylinders, mentally speaking :)
Hope this finds all of you well and living to His fullest for His glory!
Humbly amazed at His grandeur.....your overachieving friend :)
It was extremely exciting for me, discovering that i have the ability to succeed in things i have always told myself and others that i am limited and not talented at! Most importantly, our team played entirely over its head and beat a superior team. An interesting development is that afterwards the suggestion was put forth for a regular sports team contest [think 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' family rivalry style!] to be played out throughout the summer......should be a blast if it indeed comes together. No word yet on whether any events will involve contestants falling into a lake, or something like that.
Well this is a short post, but i couldn't contain myself....i have never been the hero, athletically, anyway :) Of course i feel more comfortable heading back to the land of learning. Sadly, tomorrow is Dr. Tackett's last lecture to us :( We had a fabulous set of guest lecturer's yesterday, one of who was Focus's senior public policy analyst, Carrie Gordon Earll, and the other Mike Haley, a former homosexual who leads a powerful ministry called 'Love One Out' of the community into the church. Mrs. Earll focused on Bioethics, especially regarding abortion and stem cell research. Powerful stuff, all around! I have so much more churning through my cranium at the moment, but will save the intellectual ramblings for a later post....suffice it to say that I have been sufficiently calmed and am in stride, hitting on all cylinders, mentally speaking :)
Hope this finds all of you well and living to His fullest for His glory!
Humbly amazed at His grandeur.....your overachieving friend :)
Monday, June 16, 2008
The unlocked safe of my larynx, smoke billowing under the door of Zion, and the vacuousness of the cube from the worst Indiana Jones movie
The last bit is an off-the-wall analogy...and i admit, one that's a bit far out in an elliptical orbit [my roommate explains my brain's activity as being in a far-reaching interplanetary orbit]. It has become quite apparent to me that much creative mental energy is seeping out through my notes and both written & verbal ramblings, both within class and without. We have been discussing the fallacies inherent in the argument from Humanist of the Year in 1981 Carl Sagan that 'the cosmos' is all there is or ever will be. Dr. Tackett has used as an illustration that most of the materialist/humanist/naturalist view can be thought of as a magic cube, within which absolutely all of existence and the universe itself is contained. This made me think of the cube from the latest Indy Jones movie, because the concept is just as stupid and inadequate as that flick was, I suppose!
The overlay of much of the material we're going through right now is, you might say, the world as presented as 'The Tale of Two Fathers,' with the Father of Lights' eternal and transcendent Truth warring against the Father of Lies and his half-truths, lies, and deception. Well i've scrawled a plethora of notes, but the punch line is basically "Do you really believe what you really believe is really REAL?" Which in my opinion is a most pervasive and relevant question. Were the answer to be yes for even 10% of the Body of Christ, the Gospel would be rumbling through the streets and setting the captives free with the intensity of a rampaging wildfire. The image has been used quite forcefully that the smoke has been billowing under the door, ideologically speaking, of our nation for quite some time now...and the fire does not trail too far behind.
Overall i'd say this is the beginning of my cup being filled up, if you will. It has certainly been emptied in past years....that is something that has been extremely personally comforting....Dr. Tackett speaks of God taking him through 'cocoons' of trial, tribulation, and death leading to new life. Very reassuring to know that i am not the only one God works this way through. And its so euphorically enthusiastically energizing to go through many consecutive hours of lecture and never check the time. Which brings me to the most peaceful part of things here....God has restored my voice. It has been for years that my vocal chords have not fully expressed praise to Him....and before i got here He used a can-opener to crack the lid....and i began singing to Him in corporate and even private settings. To do it here has been quite different, and shocking to me, because i've been adoring Him with and in front of [literally, as i'm in the catbird seat in class every day] those i don't know, relative strangers, at least initially. He has been pouring out through me words and praises too long held back....praise be to our patient, omnipotent, and gracious Father of Lights and all Truth!
Probably the song that has pierced me most has been one not sung in class or church or any other corporate gathering....Third Day's "Love Heals Your Heart." And the mountains shout and scream praises to Him, if we will but have ears to hear. Alright, into the realm of incidentals...the weekend was a dichotomy of activity and rest....after the rafting and reading all day Saturday, i took Sunday completely off as a rest day, except church of course. The Father's Day sermon was quite moving....and encouraging. Spent time with a good friend here who is about to travel to Europe in a few days, very mutually enriching. Had my first day apart from the Focus community, and it was good to decompress and process more fully the events of one of the most intense, full weeks of my life! Haven't quite got back up to speed, and many [including Tackett] were under the weather today....had to gear down some :)
The overlay of much of the material we're going through right now is, you might say, the world as presented as 'The Tale of Two Fathers,' with the Father of Lights' eternal and transcendent Truth warring against the Father of Lies and his half-truths, lies, and deception. Well i've scrawled a plethora of notes, but the punch line is basically "Do you really believe what you really believe is really REAL?" Which in my opinion is a most pervasive and relevant question. Were the answer to be yes for even 10% of the Body of Christ, the Gospel would be rumbling through the streets and setting the captives free with the intensity of a rampaging wildfire. The image has been used quite forcefully that the smoke has been billowing under the door, ideologically speaking, of our nation for quite some time now...and the fire does not trail too far behind.
Overall i'd say this is the beginning of my cup being filled up, if you will. It has certainly been emptied in past years....that is something that has been extremely personally comforting....Dr. Tackett speaks of God taking him through 'cocoons' of trial, tribulation, and death leading to new life. Very reassuring to know that i am not the only one God works this way through. And its so euphorically enthusiastically energizing to go through many consecutive hours of lecture and never check the time. Which brings me to the most peaceful part of things here....God has restored my voice. It has been for years that my vocal chords have not fully expressed praise to Him....and before i got here He used a can-opener to crack the lid....and i began singing to Him in corporate and even private settings. To do it here has been quite different, and shocking to me, because i've been adoring Him with and in front of [literally, as i'm in the catbird seat in class every day] those i don't know, relative strangers, at least initially. He has been pouring out through me words and praises too long held back....praise be to our patient, omnipotent, and gracious Father of Lights and all Truth!
Probably the song that has pierced me most has been one not sung in class or church or any other corporate gathering....Third Day's "Love Heals Your Heart." And the mountains shout and scream praises to Him, if we will but have ears to hear. Alright, into the realm of incidentals...the weekend was a dichotomy of activity and rest....after the rafting and reading all day Saturday, i took Sunday completely off as a rest day, except church of course. The Father's Day sermon was quite moving....and encouraging. Spent time with a good friend here who is about to travel to Europe in a few days, very mutually enriching. Had my first day apart from the Focus community, and it was good to decompress and process more fully the events of one of the most intense, full weeks of my life! Haven't quite got back up to speed, and many [including Tackett] were under the weather today....had to gear down some :)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Machetes, lipstick, and a thrift store hat
Thus far my favorite aspect of being 'institutionalized,' if you will, has been the sheer intensity of intellectual and spiritual stimulation, sharpening, and thought-provoking conversation, insight, and yes, debate! For the first few days there were several conversations with roomates where they either exasperatedly walked away or had to calm me down....ok, i admit, i was a bit hyper, if you will, at the prospect of extended conversation on such scintillating subject matter! Well i held most of it in until class, and now my outlet for debate has come in class with Dr. Del Tackett himself. This has not been, nor is, my specific intention. It is simply a product of God's giftedness in me oozing out when someone lectures so amazingly! How can i not respond in kind, with the full force and cogently 'Focus-ed' thoughts that generate from such an experience???
Don't worry, i'm not in detention, and no one is going to send me home, Dave! It's biblical, too! We're supposed to share what we learn with our teachers, yes? In all seriousness, i've calmed down some, but there have been good outcomes outside Dr. Tackett's or my own edification, as other students have told me they have me backed up, to keep throwing things out there, and still others mention to me questions they wish to ask but feel cannot due to their inability to hold intense debate with a man who regularly defends the Faith against world-class thinkers. Guess i'm just too dumb to not know i'm not supposed to be able to hold my own with him? And besides, does the class as an entity obtain more or less when the conversation moves further beyond the predetermined path of Powerpoint slides?
Well anyway, Dr. Tackett is the man behind 'The Truth Project,' which in my opinion is one of the most revolutionary advances in sharing the gospel. Much of the material we are currently learning oscillates within this framework, and i can see concise, crystal-clear connections of most if not all the books we're reading to this curriculum. Oh yeah, and he waves a machete around during class....its great! He's emphasizing at times our need to defend the faith, and the latest instance was a visual demonstration of God equipping the state to bear the sword at times...he was lecturing out of Romans 13. The thing I love about his lectures are they are multi-faceted, diverse, and stem from the Bible, yet connect, like spokes from the hub of a wheel, to so many other arts, literary works, current events, classics, etc.
Lipstick....yeah, i may get in trouble for blogging about this :) Let's just say it takes a real man to tell an embarrassing story about himself. And my respect level for him went up, way up, when listening to the anecdote. Actually it was a testimony to his committed dedication to sharing the gospel and obeying God in speaking to a group of people...he was so focused [well i guess i made that pun again] on what he was doing that he had forgotten about....yeah, well anyway, moving on....
Strange things have occurred ever since i arrived here, all of which have been very good. It started with an in-depth discussion on the deepest religious, spiritual, ideological, philosophical, and intellectual questions in life with a dear friend and cousin of mine. We have never spoken this openly, honestly, and confrontationally before. God was more glorified in my speech than ever before. This happened the first night i was here. I have had several instances of that same 'flavor' of conversation since, as well. God is communicating extremely transparently through me right now. Probably the strangest one was when a thought came into my head that ended up being exactly what the guy i asked [out of the blue] did for a living, which opened him up to talk about it with our group. A seemingly minor thing, but it was beneficial for what God wanted to do in that time and place for him, it seems.
Well i am rambling, i wish i could communicate the entirety and intensity of everything encompassed in my experiences thus far, but i will close with some details which i find incidental but most find consequential: we are reading between 100-150 pages a night. Well, not all of us are doing that, but it's my favorite [and most jealously-guarded activity] part of things, anyway. Class is followed by an open forum for questions with Dr. Tackett [and of course, sporadic machete-waving :) ] There is hiking once a week, it seems. I have gone once and will go again at some time, i think. We went rafting today, which was quite an experience. Romans 1:20 was screaming and streaming through my head with every glimpse of God's glorious grandeur greatly displayed through His created things. My roomates and i have taken the vast majority of spots in an early-bird [no this is not a typo, i am rising extra-early here!] pre-class discipleship group with Dr. Roc Bottomly. Ironically he hails from Oklahoma. He is one of the most humble, wise, gentle men i have ever been graced with the occasion to encounter. There was also a luau held by students in which costumes were involved. Apparently i was a prominent 'hit' during the festivities due to a hat purchased at goodwill by roomates [i like to think it's my amiable and effervescent personality, but they claim it was purely and only the hat]. It was a good opportunity for everyone to become better acquainted, I suppose. I guess it's just my 'learner' and 'teacher' heart that wishes everyone would attend to their readings with equitable diligence exercised concerning social activities, but alas, if the world was full of intellectuals it would indeed be a most dreadful place. At least we can clearly identify ourselves with machetes, lipstick, and goofy straw Hawaiian hats!
Don't worry, i'm not in detention, and no one is going to send me home, Dave! It's biblical, too! We're supposed to share what we learn with our teachers, yes? In all seriousness, i've calmed down some, but there have been good outcomes outside Dr. Tackett's or my own edification, as other students have told me they have me backed up, to keep throwing things out there, and still others mention to me questions they wish to ask but feel cannot due to their inability to hold intense debate with a man who regularly defends the Faith against world-class thinkers. Guess i'm just too dumb to not know i'm not supposed to be able to hold my own with him? And besides, does the class as an entity obtain more or less when the conversation moves further beyond the predetermined path of Powerpoint slides?
Well anyway, Dr. Tackett is the man behind 'The Truth Project,' which in my opinion is one of the most revolutionary advances in sharing the gospel. Much of the material we are currently learning oscillates within this framework, and i can see concise, crystal-clear connections of most if not all the books we're reading to this curriculum. Oh yeah, and he waves a machete around during class....its great! He's emphasizing at times our need to defend the faith, and the latest instance was a visual demonstration of God equipping the state to bear the sword at times...he was lecturing out of Romans 13. The thing I love about his lectures are they are multi-faceted, diverse, and stem from the Bible, yet connect, like spokes from the hub of a wheel, to so many other arts, literary works, current events, classics, etc.
Lipstick....yeah, i may get in trouble for blogging about this :) Let's just say it takes a real man to tell an embarrassing story about himself. And my respect level for him went up, way up, when listening to the anecdote. Actually it was a testimony to his committed dedication to sharing the gospel and obeying God in speaking to a group of people...he was so focused [well i guess i made that pun again] on what he was doing that he had forgotten about....yeah, well anyway, moving on....
Strange things have occurred ever since i arrived here, all of which have been very good. It started with an in-depth discussion on the deepest religious, spiritual, ideological, philosophical, and intellectual questions in life with a dear friend and cousin of mine. We have never spoken this openly, honestly, and confrontationally before. God was more glorified in my speech than ever before. This happened the first night i was here. I have had several instances of that same 'flavor' of conversation since, as well. God is communicating extremely transparently through me right now. Probably the strangest one was when a thought came into my head that ended up being exactly what the guy i asked [out of the blue] did for a living, which opened him up to talk about it with our group. A seemingly minor thing, but it was beneficial for what God wanted to do in that time and place for him, it seems.
Well i am rambling, i wish i could communicate the entirety and intensity of everything encompassed in my experiences thus far, but i will close with some details which i find incidental but most find consequential: we are reading between 100-150 pages a night. Well, not all of us are doing that, but it's my favorite [and most jealously-guarded activity] part of things, anyway. Class is followed by an open forum for questions with Dr. Tackett [and of course, sporadic machete-waving :) ] There is hiking once a week, it seems. I have gone once and will go again at some time, i think. We went rafting today, which was quite an experience. Romans 1:20 was screaming and streaming through my head with every glimpse of God's glorious grandeur greatly displayed through His created things. My roomates and i have taken the vast majority of spots in an early-bird [no this is not a typo, i am rising extra-early here!] pre-class discipleship group with Dr. Roc Bottomly. Ironically he hails from Oklahoma. He is one of the most humble, wise, gentle men i have ever been graced with the occasion to encounter. There was also a luau held by students in which costumes were involved. Apparently i was a prominent 'hit' during the festivities due to a hat purchased at goodwill by roomates [i like to think it's my amiable and effervescent personality, but they claim it was purely and only the hat]. It was a good opportunity for everyone to become better acquainted, I suppose. I guess it's just my 'learner' and 'teacher' heart that wishes everyone would attend to their readings with equitable diligence exercised concerning social activities, but alas, if the world was full of intellectuals it would indeed be a most dreadful place. At least we can clearly identify ourselves with machetes, lipstick, and goofy straw Hawaiian hats!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Soli Deo Gloria
...meaning "for His glory alone" i knew my Latin would come in handy :) There could not be a more appropriate banner to hang in the Focus on the Family Institute classroom. This has been the grand struggle of my life, frankly....as so many have accorded me the vain praise of men and glory of worldly accomplishment. This has thus far been the most glory to God i have been, in my estimation, as I have been most fully alive in Him and pursuing His truth voraciously, vehemently, and with vivid imagination.
The purposes for me being here were reinforced and more intensely articulated during the first weekend, which was mainly orientation activities. We did team-building activities outdoors, listened to a few introductory informal lectures from staff, and began to become acquainted with each other. It seemed to me that God was telling me that an extremely large part of bringing me here was to teach me to trust people again....new people--'strangers.' That is not to say all strangers can be trusted of course. However, there is a degree of safety and security, spiritually speaking, here that I have not sensed before....even at Summit.
This makes sense, as God has grown the ministry from a 2-room office in 1977 with a scant few part-time employees to an international conglomerate boasting over 1300 employees and a budget reaching into the hundreds of millions each year. My initial reaction was....thank you, God, for being so patient with me and giving me an opportunity to learn your ways again in this arena of my life. The other purpose explicitly revealed was that I have always either been put in the place, or taken the place myself, of attempting to 'do everything' in relation to whomever i am working with, matriculating in school with, or doing church and/or life with.
That is simply impossible here! Which is euphoric, enthusiastically energizing, and puts me quite efficiently at ease. All attendees are leaders, especially spiritually. So God is, and has been, teaching me what my place in the Body is....on His terms, as He wants it. For far too long, i have been realizing, i have adapted or been a 'chameleon' in relation to what was needed in a group dynamic.
How does that look? Like August Rush, frankly. [for those who haven't seen it, a young boy is blessed with hearing music in the world around him and it streams out of him onto the parchment as he composes beautiful music of his own] The thoughts and words have been streaming into and out of my brain like a torrential monsoon....and during class it has felt like hydrogen bombs going off with connections from the curriculum to Scripture, books presently and previously read, life stories/experiences, and the conglomerate of useless facts and random axiomatic anecdotes that so plentifully populate my cranium!
There is of course a double meaning, if you will, in this blog's title...as multitudes of interested observers have been beseeching me concerning my future plans, beginning in August. Whatever the case, i will be August at Focus for the next few months, and come August...at Focus? or August at focus in another place and endeavor.....i am praying earnestly concerning this though God has been and is continuing to show me His plans for my life.
Whatever or wherever i am in life, God wishes my intellect, articulation, and interpersonal skills to be used Soli Deo Gloria!
And may your exposure to these ramblings direct you Heavenward as well!
--Matthew.....becoming August
Thank you Rae, and Dave, for propelling me onto this blogging thing....this is merely an overview....this weekend i will attempt to recount the events i have been journaling....God has continually been surprising me, its been spooky, quite frankly.
The purposes for me being here were reinforced and more intensely articulated during the first weekend, which was mainly orientation activities. We did team-building activities outdoors, listened to a few introductory informal lectures from staff, and began to become acquainted with each other. It seemed to me that God was telling me that an extremely large part of bringing me here was to teach me to trust people again....new people--'strangers.' That is not to say all strangers can be trusted of course. However, there is a degree of safety and security, spiritually speaking, here that I have not sensed before....even at Summit.
This makes sense, as God has grown the ministry from a 2-room office in 1977 with a scant few part-time employees to an international conglomerate boasting over 1300 employees and a budget reaching into the hundreds of millions each year. My initial reaction was....thank you, God, for being so patient with me and giving me an opportunity to learn your ways again in this arena of my life. The other purpose explicitly revealed was that I have always either been put in the place, or taken the place myself, of attempting to 'do everything' in relation to whomever i am working with, matriculating in school with, or doing church and/or life with.
That is simply impossible here! Which is euphoric, enthusiastically energizing, and puts me quite efficiently at ease. All attendees are leaders, especially spiritually. So God is, and has been, teaching me what my place in the Body is....on His terms, as He wants it. For far too long, i have been realizing, i have adapted or been a 'chameleon' in relation to what was needed in a group dynamic.
How does that look? Like August Rush, frankly. [for those who haven't seen it, a young boy is blessed with hearing music in the world around him and it streams out of him onto the parchment as he composes beautiful music of his own] The thoughts and words have been streaming into and out of my brain like a torrential monsoon....and during class it has felt like hydrogen bombs going off with connections from the curriculum to Scripture, books presently and previously read, life stories/experiences, and the conglomerate of useless facts and random axiomatic anecdotes that so plentifully populate my cranium!
There is of course a double meaning, if you will, in this blog's title...as multitudes of interested observers have been beseeching me concerning my future plans, beginning in August. Whatever the case, i will be August at Focus for the next few months, and come August...at Focus? or August at focus in another place and endeavor.....i am praying earnestly concerning this though God has been and is continuing to show me His plans for my life.
Whatever or wherever i am in life, God wishes my intellect, articulation, and interpersonal skills to be used Soli Deo Gloria!
And may your exposure to these ramblings direct you Heavenward as well!
--Matthew.....becoming August
Thank you Rae, and Dave, for propelling me onto this blogging thing....this is merely an overview....this weekend i will attempt to recount the events i have been journaling....God has continually been surprising me, its been spooky, quite frankly.
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