After the Fire Came a Gentle Whisper

1 Kings 19 has an amazing story about one of God's most beloved prophets, Elijah. This story always encourages me and reveals so much about God's character. To set the story up for those who haven't read it in a while, Elijah is running for his life from the evil Queen Jezebel. Elijah, facing a death sentence, journeys into the desert broken, battered and alone.

1 Kings 19:3-13

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God
There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

A Few Comments
These verses are so encouraging because it is a picture of how God constantly provide us with what we will need for our journey through life. He is always concerned about our needs and will never send us out unprepared for the journey ahead.

Another interesting thing about this passage is how God chooses to reveal himself. God is so great, mighty and strong, but he chooses to reveal himself or as a gentle whisper. This speaks to the paradoxical nature of God. God is capable of coming in power, but more often than not God comes in humility (see Jesus Christ) and quietly speaks to our hearts.

Susanna

I was doing some research for one of my papers and I came across the apocryphal book (a book that is recognized as profitable, but didn't make it into the Bible), Susanna. Read it if your interested.

For some reason the text is missing verse 1. It reads, There dwelt a man in Babylon, called Joacim

Summer Burnout

Summer School

I am working on my last paper for the summer and I cannot tell you how happy I will be when it is done. I feel like this has been a less than relaxing summer. It started with me spending 4 hours a day in class for six weeks straight and it is ending with papers and a horrible sunburn. I have been working furiously (because I procrastinated) on a few papers for my last two classes. I want to find the person who invented the quarter system and punch him in the face. It is a tricky way for schools to take more of your money, make summer classes a requirement and force a semester of work into 3 months.

The Beach

I went to the beach with Melody a little over a week ago and I underestimated the power of the sun. We got up early on a Saturday and drove out to Malibu to enjoy some Southern California weather. We found a nice spot and set up our beach blanket. The waves were particularly strong so we couldn't do very much swimming. We found this out the hard way by getting our butts kicked by a giant wave. It hit us so hard that my knee was bleeding from the sand rubbing against it. We then decided it would be a good idea to stay out of the water and just do some sunbathing. I put on sunblock, but I must have missed a few key areas on my chest and my feet especially. Basically, I got the worst sunburn of my life. I will spare you the details but I missed 4 days of work and had second degree burns over both my feet and couldn't sleep for 2 days. I know what your thinking. Aren't you from California? Didn't you grow up in the Central Valley where it is especially hot? Don't you know that the sun is hot? The answer to all of the above is yes, but I got lazy and did not heed all of warnings from the Coppertone commercials (the ones with the dermaphoto booth). I really cannot wait for a cold, windy and miserable day with no sun.

There's No Time Like the Present

Buddhism emphasizes living in the present moment. This means that one must focus on the present and not reminisce about the past or worry about the future. Jesus said something similar in Luke chapter 12:22-31. One of my goals this year has been to live in the present moment. I want to enjoy the good times without worrying about when they might end. I want to get everything out of my present experience before moving on to the next. It is important to reflect on the past and consider the future, but I don't want to miss out on the present.  

Hot, Hot, Sweatin' Like a Pig!

When I was in the 7th grade and attending Ione Middle School, I used to ride the bus to school everyday. I would have to get to the bus stop by 6:45 or the bus would just keep on going. Everyday on the bus a song would come on at exactly 7:00. I heard this song so many times that it is now engrained in my memory. I shared it with Melody a few days ago and she thinks it is pretty funny. I hope you enjoy it as well.