i was sitting in a Subway of all places.
i would love to say that i was in a bustling metropolis, hopping on a big, metal bullet. but no, this day was about sandwiches.
one footlong sub purchase into my stay, i sat on a plastic bench in an every-day sandwich shop, examining a seemingly boring day on Water. St. hunger had gotten the best of me, and i had a bit of time to burn before i had a J Well youth group meeting at The Goat.
A few bites in, i pulled out my bible, journal, headphones, and decided to use the best of my time. today's quiet time with Jesus was going to be in Subway. I had been thinking a lot about the idea of the mind of christ that week. which in retrospect i realize is ironic in a lot of ways. but that afternoon i opened to 1 Corinthians 2 and dug into Paul's words on discernment from the Holy Spirit ( its a great chapter, check it out! ). With music running through my headphones, i all-of-sudden felt a hand-tap on my left shoulder.
With a half-smile i lifted off my headphones and turned to expect to see an old friend who had spotted me. instead, my gaze saw from the ground; old sneakers, blue pajama pants, a large belly that filled a green, faded t-shirt, and a man missing a tooth looking down at me. before i could even speak, the man breathed into me words that would soon rock me.
i feel like Holy Spirit is telling me that God is going to bless you in these next few weeks.
what??
i sat for a second, half-turned and stunned. i was surprised that the next words out of my mouth were of instant gratitude and thanks.
and then he turned to leave. i fumbled out a quick sentence to keep him there for another moment and asked him his name. he gave it, and just like that, he left quicker than he had appeared; back onto the street.
i sat in a state of spiritual-shock for a few seconds, with two simultaneous thoughts in my head: "God what the heck! that was awesome!" & "wait, was that just for real?"
then i turned back to the passage i had just been reading and nearly laughed out loud:
'However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived"--
the things God has prepared for those who love him--
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.' ( 1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
((* i encourage you to read the rest of the passage here))
and that was three weeks ago.
since then, i've had my eyes opened to cool ways that God has been blessing me.
I've received blessing through:
~ feeling at home in Bridgman
~ still times reading Come Away My Beloved
~ exploring music and deep friendships through Reservoir ( & the wild opportunity to play at VNL )
~ joining the worship team and small group leaders with the kiddos at J Well Middle School Youth Group
~ the peaceful presence of Ben (aka Beans) and his contentment with ukulele, a good book and better friends
~ exploring hard questions through sharing my faith with someone at night outside of Bridgman
~ Taylor's well-timed wisdom
~ talking with Lutheran Social Services about a possible internship for the Spring working with Runaway Youth
~ wanting to know God's heart better
~ the Bridgman bible study guys, and feeling challenged by their vulnerability and honest friendship
~ sore legs that show that my body was made to run and misses it
~ the books of Romans & Galatians
~ desiring to receive God's kindness
~ phone calls, visits, and real conversations with TJ
~ Wednesday morning breakfast meetings with Ken that are waaaay too early but just as great
~ witnessing how God has been faithful through Nik Doll's testimony
~ unexpected kindness from strangers in Bridgman
~ feeling challenged and convicted of white privilege and racism, both in my classes as well as in myself
~ & chopping wood
( to name a few )
and through all of this, i find myself wanting more of what Jesus has for me. His gifts are Good. and each day I can choose to welcome Him as well as his gifts, or I can squander them, forgetting who I am.
In wanting more of life with Jesus;
to know Him better,
to become more like Him,
to have the mind of Christ,
the Good news is that He wants that for us too.
and that's the best.
i would love to say that i was in a bustling metropolis, hopping on a big, metal bullet. but no, this day was about sandwiches.
one footlong sub purchase into my stay, i sat on a plastic bench in an every-day sandwich shop, examining a seemingly boring day on Water. St. hunger had gotten the best of me, and i had a bit of time to burn before i had a J Well youth group meeting at The Goat.
A few bites in, i pulled out my bible, journal, headphones, and decided to use the best of my time. today's quiet time with Jesus was going to be in Subway. I had been thinking a lot about the idea of the mind of christ that week. which in retrospect i realize is ironic in a lot of ways. but that afternoon i opened to 1 Corinthians 2 and dug into Paul's words on discernment from the Holy Spirit ( its a great chapter, check it out! ). With music running through my headphones, i all-of-sudden felt a hand-tap on my left shoulder.
With a half-smile i lifted off my headphones and turned to expect to see an old friend who had spotted me. instead, my gaze saw from the ground; old sneakers, blue pajama pants, a large belly that filled a green, faded t-shirt, and a man missing a tooth looking down at me. before i could even speak, the man breathed into me words that would soon rock me.
i feel like Holy Spirit is telling me that God is going to bless you in these next few weeks.
what??
i sat for a second, half-turned and stunned. i was surprised that the next words out of my mouth were of instant gratitude and thanks.
and then he turned to leave. i fumbled out a quick sentence to keep him there for another moment and asked him his name. he gave it, and just like that, he left quicker than he had appeared; back onto the street.
i sat in a state of spiritual-shock for a few seconds, with two simultaneous thoughts in my head: "God what the heck! that was awesome!" & "wait, was that just for real?"
then i turned back to the passage i had just been reading and nearly laughed out loud:
'However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived"--
the things God has prepared for those who love him--
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.' ( 1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
((* i encourage you to read the rest of the passage here))
and that was three weeks ago.
since then, i've had my eyes opened to cool ways that God has been blessing me.
I've received blessing through:
~ feeling at home in Bridgman
~ still times reading Come Away My Beloved
~ exploring music and deep friendships through Reservoir ( & the wild opportunity to play at VNL )
~ joining the worship team and small group leaders with the kiddos at J Well Middle School Youth Group
~ the peaceful presence of Ben (aka Beans) and his contentment with ukulele, a good book and better friends
~ exploring hard questions through sharing my faith with someone at night outside of Bridgman
~ Taylor's well-timed wisdom
~ talking with Lutheran Social Services about a possible internship for the Spring working with Runaway Youth
~ wanting to know God's heart better
~ the Bridgman bible study guys, and feeling challenged by their vulnerability and honest friendship
~ sore legs that show that my body was made to run and misses it
~ the books of Romans & Galatians
~ desiring to receive God's kindness
~ phone calls, visits, and real conversations with TJ
~ Wednesday morning breakfast meetings with Ken that are waaaay too early but just as great
~ witnessing how God has been faithful through Nik Doll's testimony
~ unexpected kindness from strangers in Bridgman
~ feeling challenged and convicted of white privilege and racism, both in my classes as well as in myself
~ & chopping wood
( to name a few )
and through all of this, i find myself wanting more of what Jesus has for me. His gifts are Good. and each day I can choose to welcome Him as well as his gifts, or I can squander them, forgetting who I am.
In wanting more of life with Jesus;
to know Him better,
to become more like Him,
to have the mind of Christ,
the Good news is that He wants that for us too.
and that's the best.