Stirring My Affections

      Longtime no blog.  Once again I will blame it on my lack of pictures.  I have a pathological fear of my last semester as a student at Clemson not being documented by pictures.  I can't even remember what I had for breakfast an hour ago forget what I did last weekend.  Alas, I will continue to try to share my life with my family and friends even in the absence of pictures.

     I want to share a little about how my semester is going.  It has already been a month and everything is off running at full speed. (except my Relaxation and Meditation class...)  In the midst of everything God is teaching me to pursue His Joy.  At conference, one of the things Pastor Matt Chandler asked is, "What things stir your affections for God?" Chiefly we rest in the message of the cross.  We pursue the Creator over the Created.  But I never realized that even though that is true he still wants us to enjoy the created so that it will push us more to the Creator.  I think this would be a great thing for everyone to ask themselves so that we will live our life with more joy in the Creator through the created.

So here are a few things that stir my affections for the Lord which I'm sure are different than the things on your list.  Mock me if you will.  I have no shame in my dorkiness.

1. Planet Earth.  You might think the monotone voice is enough to bore you to sleep but o contraire mon ami it is absolutely amazing to see God's creation for hours upon hours in places that have never before been seen by the human eye.

2. Old People. Yep I said it.  I love seeing someone that has lived such a long life and is like a walking story book.  I just see wisdom based on their experiences oozing out and I just want to sit on a park bench and glean their wisdom for hours. There are few things more encouraging to me than to see an 80 year old following the Lord daily.
                             I love you Nana and Papa!

3. Learning about the human body.

4. Exercise.  I love exercising my body and knowing that God created it for us to take care of it.  He even created endorphins to release while we are exercising so we just feel better! I know exercise feels good to my 21 year old body and in 20 more years I might not have the same sentiments, but let me enjoy it while I can.  I have to be one of those wise old people eventually right? 

5. Cultures.  It is a constant reminder to me that truth is concrete but culture is relative.  God wants us to grow from contact with other cultures so we can get a more full picture of who he is.  

6. Traveling and seeing new place. 

7. Organizing my things.  This may seem weird but I get so much joy out of things having a place and looking pretty and put together.  It reminds me that God has provided for me and he has called me to steward all that he has given me.  

8. Fresh Vegetables. 

9. Coffee Shops with "character." duh I'm a college kid with a touch of hipster.  Just a touch don't go crazy.  

10. Change. I love change of any kind.  It can be putting my clothes in a different place or things I can't control like the seasons.  Change revitalizes me by giving me hope that I am not always going to be stuck in the same patterns but that God does change me and he is changing the world.   

So those are just a few things on my list.  I hope you will sit down a make a list yourself and make sure what you wrote down is a part of your life so that we all will have greater affections for Jesus.