I need an outlet.  I haven't been writing enough.  Too much stuff sloshing around in my brain and it hasn't been going anywhere.

Here's some personality stuff cause I like it.  To be honest, this is one of those days where I really really wish I wasn't an "F" .  Why do my feelings have to drown out what is perfectly and logically good.  I think a lot of people think that I'm a "T", but for things that matter to me, I am, through and through, an "F".  And right now, it's making life so much more complicated than it needs to be.  It makes it so much harder to trust in God, to cling to joy, to have peace, to accept truth, to experience grace, and to have an all around normal, non-"what the heck am I doing???" kind of day.

And yet even with that, as desperation sets in, it really is true...  at the beginning of the day, in the middle of the day, and at the end of the day, the only thing left is God.  Everything else is empty and pale in comparison.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (ESV) - Colossians 3:1-3

Thank you Father, for your truth, which unshackles me and sets me free.

Just wanted to keep people abreast of what is going on.  I went to the doctor's yesterday to have my knee looked at; she thinks that it's just a sprain, so I got a knee brace and she prescribed some anti-inflammatory meds.  So I'm still just hobblng around.  Thanks again fro your prayers and encouragement this week!

I also wanted to add a thought to my talk from Friday.
    This is IMO.  I think that it's a common misconception that if we have faith and/or we pray for something and that something doesn't come to pass, then our faith and our prayers were misplaced ad maybe not directed in the right direction in the first place.  While I think this CAN be true like in the case of active sin leading us astray, or if we seek things very selfishly, maybe fooling others and ourselves that it's for God; I do not however think that this is the case everytime (or perhaps even most of the time).
    I think that God can lead us or we can feel burdened to pray for something or to have faith and take steps towards something and then in the end it doesn't necessarily work out.  I think that the process of prayer towards that end or faith towards that end even if it wasn't successful bears fruit.  And in actuality, that fruit may have been what God was aiming for all along.  Does that make sense?
    I'll use a very simple example.  If for instance we have a picnic, and we ask everyone to pray for good weather, and in the end the weather is bad, does that mean we shouldn't have had the picnic?  Does it mean we shouldn't have prayed for good weather?  Does it mean that something was wrong when we prayed.  The answer could be "yes" to each of those questions, and I think commonly that is what we are inclined to believe.  It could also be "no" though, it could be that we planned accordingly, we prayed as we should, and that there was no sin leading us astray, and simply it was according to God's will (his choice) that it should still be poor weather.  It could be as a trial, it could be allowing the evil one to have his way, it could be simply cause the rain looks nice. 
    Again, I'm not trying to say that it is always happening the way it "should" be.  It is still very possible that because if sin or bad planning that things don't turn out the way they should.  But in many situations I think things may not work out and that's the way it was supposed to happen.  It doesn't mean that we shouldn't have tried, nor does it mean our prayers were not answered.
    Our faith lies in God, not in what He can do.  Our faith lies in a perfect, holy, loving God who may or may not work as we expect or desire.  If he chooses not to do as we expected or desired, our faith still lies firm in Him.

    How is your faith?

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