Weddings, Babies and Things the World Needs Less Of

The last two weeks of my life have been crazy.

It's been 13 hour drives, airports, desert and introspection; so I figure now is just as good a time as any to write it all down and free myself up a little bit.

Wedding
My best friend Mike got married this last Saturday. It was such a blast. I'm a terrible dancer. I know it's going to be something I look back on and think "now don't we all look young and attractive in these pictures?"...and not in a depressing way. It was a milestone. We were all dashing in our vests, button ups, dresses and flowers. Somehow how the whole thing felt like victory or accomplishment.

When Mike and Seren had their first dance, I feel like God let me see something special. He values unity, oneness and sacrificial love. To see people seek after that, regardless of their beliefs, is inspiring.

Birth
As I was at the wedding, my cousin went into labor.

On my way to the airport, my family and I stopped to see the newborn Sophie. I've never seen a child so new to the world. She was beautiful in every way.

I've been thinking about all the ways I could write about this, about the ways that my cousin Mollie is so obviously in love with her daughter; or the feeling I got seeing something so small so full of life.

But I feel like I just don't have the words. It's the kind of thing that resets our experiences in this life, that wipes the slate of our heart clean. It inspires me to a better quality of love, to a kind of love that's too great for me to create on my own.

Things the World Could Use Less Of

1. Christian Dating Books. My roommate Erik said last night, "Maybe we should just try following Jesus", and I'm inclined to agree.

Things the World Could Use More Of

1. Jesus

2. Pop-punk bands that don't suck

3. Weightlifting Christians that will bring people into the Kingdom with their muscles.

4. An eagerness to learn and have it's beliefs challenged and slightly changed


Changed Hearts, New Creations, etc
So recently I began to question the "toughness" of the Gospel. Trust me, I still think it's an insurmountable task without Christ leading the way and the council of the Holy Spirit, but sometimes I find myself saying "well this is hard" and leaving it at that.

We're made new in Christ. That's a fact.

I am not the same person I was before accepting Jesus.

So here's what I have to say: If we truly believe in redemption and renewal then it's no longer acceptable to give worldly excuses for not adhering to the Holy.

He is always with us (Matthew 28:20), He came for us to experience the fullness of His way of life (John 10:10), He is the resurrection and saves us from eternal death (John 11:25-26), we should be dead to sin but alive in God!-and it's a choice to live this way (Romans 6:5-14), our light and momentary troubles are for His glory (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), if we live by the Spirit; we WILL see fruit (Galatians 5:22-25), it is by grace that we have been saved! (Ephesians 2:8-9); and that we should seek after His resurrection-somehow and know that all things are possible through Him (Philippians 3:10-11& 4:13). In short, He is Lord, and loves is passionately!

We are always coming from the Garden, from the fall, from the resurrection and we are always on our way back to a perfect relationship with Him. These are set ends and events!

Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. He has given us so much! If we consider these things to be true, that we are made new, that the rules have changed and we are in fact SET FREE, my challenge is to live out our time here like we believe it.

Okay, I'm going to get ready for class now.

-Geoff

Way Over Yonder In the Minor Key

On Monday I will begin my journey down to the more popular parts of California, see my friends and then head across the desert and pretend I'm Gram Parsons till I reach Flagstaff. Today I am telling myself I won't eat fast food.

It's Saturday, I am going to try and run with my brother. I am a runner. I will run, the people driving up Meder Rd will look at my strangely and one day I will be physically fit and worthy of worship!

These are the highlights (at least the ones I'm allowed to write about from the last couple of weeks)

1. Working at the Arab-American Learning Center down in Sacramento. I'm learning so much about Jesus just being there, having fellowship with the believers there and making friends with the refugees that come! I was invited to have an Arabic style tea with my friend Mohammad and met his wonderful family. I've also begun learning how to take care of kids. I'm awful at it, but making progress. I have a hard time being firm with kids (in general) but especially kids who aren't mine and only speak Arabic.

Either way, I love it. All the things I think make me special culturally simply don't, and that's an exciting-freeing feeling.

2. The end of every day has felt like coming home, things are familiar and things are safe.

3.The sexiness of my decision not to drink has worn off with those around me. Attention! Come back!

4.I gave a talk at Cold Springs Youth Group earlier this week. That was exciting, getting to talk to 30ish middle and high schooler's about John 10:10 and the promise of having life to it's full if we follow Jesus. There were so many emotions ranging from, "I need to wear this shirt to be more culturally relevant and postmodern" t0 "I hope I can drink water when I'm speaking with out looking inept". And yes, those are emotions. There's also the "I hope they take me serious/like me" and in that sense it's like the first day of high school or a first date.

I had a lot of fun doing it! Nick and the other leaders are great, and to be a part of that ministry in any sense was an honor. It's kind of a bummer that the part of my talk that got the biggest reaction seemed to be when I talked about baby's going to the bathroom on the sidewalk in China. Poop jokes, my go to.

That said, I know that God was there, and working in the hearts of the kids there and that it had really nothing to do with how "well" or "poorly" I did. Cause He's good like that = ).

5. My best friend is getting married, I get to wear a rockin suit, and eat all the cupcakes I want. (He works here http://www.icingonthecupcake.com/). Also-cupcakes, that's the next big thing.

6. I'm suddenly excited to give some girl some flowers, and by some girl I mean some girl someday if I'm ever doing the relationship boogie. Flowers, or so I'm told, are something girls love. Who knew. I like Rice Chex.

7. I just finished Son of Hamas. Read it, great book!

8. I got to share my testimony last week, and ideally it sounded like this,

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."

Philippians 3:7-11
Like I said, ideally.


Now I'm off into something beautiful and most likely a few shades of green!

-Geoff

Mistakes We Knew We Were Making

I feel incredibly important today. I really like Van Morrison's song Foreign Window. It reminds that there have been times in my life when I've been freed from all of the things that I think are important to my identity. You know, that I don't need to be walking around on the dirt of this place calling myself something I'm not. That I don't need to drink flavored water anymore, that I'm ready for the purity and simpleness of the real thing.

Last night I stayed up very late reading A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius because it is important to me to wait a while on buzz books. It's good, and David Eggers knows it. I've honored him by making one of his lines the title of this post, and soon there will be a holiday of some sort, and we'll all need to wait an extra day to get our mail.

I would say that it is important for people to be able to love each other. I think it's interesting how much time gets spent arguing the relativity of love. "No no, you don't understand, I loved them". We've made it so that almost any action or feeling can be traced back to love (or any emotion for that matter) if we really want it to. Everything is safe and comfortable that way. My love is the color blue even if it really isn't.

There are times I think the Narrow Gate that Jesus describes as the Way, you know truth and goodness, is really visible in everyone's life. I think people who hear about Jesus see the Narrow Gate and there is some part of them that knows that it is good, and of course I mean good, really good in the way is healthy for us, not exactly comfortable. I think people see that and get overwhelmed at the task of seeking it, because in all honesty who would think so highly of themselves that they could change to become anything that might be called righteous? To "become good" (as most people seem to see it) is a fantastic pursuit.

More and more I am understanding that I cannot call myself to "become good" or even work at making myself like that. It's simply not my place. Jesus himself says "Who is good but God alone?" I don't think that the Narrow Gate is the choice to become good, but the choice to live in Reality (taking the capitalization of reality from J.B. Phillips). It's the choice to seek the principles that God intended to be of focus when He created humans (however that happened) and we enjoyed closeness and True Love.

I'm going to hang out with my friends at the Arab-American Learning Center soon, and the Spirit will show me something great, because He always does.