145

Psalm 145:8-11

” The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. All your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom. And talk of Your power.”

The first two verses often enter my mind when I am in a time of need, seeking to find God and understand His mercy. They affirm the character of an Almighty, yet all gentle God that covers His entire creation with mercy and loving-kindness. However, it seems that a key piece of this scripture is many times lost. In verse 9 we are able to identify ourselves as heirs to mercy as the Psalmist writes that God’s mercies are over all His works, humans being the chief of these. That is not the last time the Psalmist refers to God’s chief creation, though. A mere 3 words later we are again recognized but this time it is accompanied by responsibility, privilege, honor and worship. “All Your works shall give thanks”, you see, we are not only partakers of mercy and grace but also vessels of praise and adoration. A few words later the writer gets more specific and notes that “godly ones” shall bless God. Without fail, God’s word then dives into application in the following sentence, “they (being us) shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power.” Clearly and concisely, we are instructed how we, as God’s workmanship, are to give god glory and bless Him. I believe that within these verses God is providing us with an element of accountability and challenge. In reading verses 8 and 9 we come to a point of dependence and identity in God. We understand a bit more clearly who He is and the protection and assurance we have in Him. These verses, when understood in the purest of light, drive the reader to their knees in worship and comfort in the creator. A point of vulnerability. God chooses this moment to test the true level of our thanksgiving by continuing with the following verses. If we, being brought to our knees, truly are in awe of a God that desires to bestow on us unconditional grace, then should we not be thus compelled to bless Him by speaking of His kingdom and by making known His power. The very power that finds us in our most vulnerable state. You see, it is not our immediate response to verses 8 and 9 that God is looking for, rather it is how we handle the following verses. The verses that require even more trust, vulnerability and desire than the former.

I am confident with what you and I will do about the first two verses, but what are we willing to do in response to the latter?

Final week.

Wow. I am now just days away from loading my stuff onto a bus and saying farewell to Sevilla as we head up to Madrid to fly home. It is hard to believe that we are meeting the end. In some ways, time has flown and in others its like we have been here forever. Home will feel a bit more like a vacation and I am curious how long it will take me to realize that there will be  no more walking through a bustling city that more than quadruples our country in age. No more cobblestone roads, Gothic cathedrals, riverboats, or flamenco bars. There are many mixed emotions running through me as I begin to pack my things. I have barely had time to think about so many elements of this place that I will miss dearly. To say the least this has been a learning and trying year. I feel like God has grown me in a way that could not have been not if I had stayed home. Home. A very relative concept a of late. I can’t tell if I am leaving home or going home. In any case I am looking forward to spending the summer thinking about this past year and letting all that I have experience seep into my identity as it molds me and develops my character for the new roads ahead. I ask that you pray for God’s direction for the next steps in my life and that I will be able to meditate on this year in a way that causes me to redefine who I am in Christ and where I need to be.

tick tock

Time flies. In just a few days we will head north to Badajoz and work with a missionary there, then a weekend in morroco for a vacation with some friends here. Right after Megan and I will be flying to Jordan for a few weeks and when we get back we will only have 15 days or so before we go home. Its a bit surreal to think about it but its bittersweet. Focusing on what needs to be done has to be the epicenter as we finish out here. So much has happened, and there is so much to look forward to beyond this year, but right now, finishing string is number one. We have a futbol sala tournament, a few more English clubs, and a worship night before we leave. As well as spending our last days with friends we’ve made over the year. Pray that we continue moving forward but stay consistent until the end. Grace and Peace. Eric

Faith…

Well, I am currently sitting in Starbucks in town, waiting for our weekly English Bible study to start. It has been quite adventurous these past few weeks and I feel like I am sprinting just to stay caught up. Its not a bad feeling though, being busy, always having something to do. However, it does teach you something. I have been more challenged by the idea of “active faith” and discipline these past few weeks than I ever have in my whole life. About two and a half weeks ago I moved out of my house in down town Sevilla, in hopes of finding Spanish roommates somewhere. Tim had found a place in a zone called Bami, over by where the girls live. I headed out to the suburbs to stay at the Acton’s while I was on the hunt for a flat. With Dave’s help, we called about 20 different places and time after time it fell through. I searched both main campuses for housing signs, we called residencias, Spanish families, and about anything else that showed up, but nothing in the city was working out at all. Then we went to the university out in Burmujos where I was staying and we saw one sign of someone looking for a housemate. After a short call Dave said I could see the house the next day and by five pm I was moving in. It has been a relief and an answer to prayer having a house. It ended up being a brand new townhouse, my own big room, wireless internet, and a private pool… all of which were hard to come by in the city. I have also started private Spanish classes, Distance Learning Spanish through Liberty, and am finishing up my other online classes, so it is pretty crazy. Not too mention the three short term teams that are occupying the next three weeks. Again, it has been busy bit good. As I have been studying through Hebrews my concept of Faith is being expanded and deepened greatly. When we stop to really understand who our Faith is in and why Christ is worthy of our complete existence, it is a powerful thing. It has been encouraging to realize that I serve a sympathetic God who has been subjected to the same things I have been tempted by. Rather than scolding and pouring guilt on my back, day after day He picks me up, brushes me off and says “Brother, I know…” I am also taking on a new understanding of the grace and peace that is manifested in its perfection through Christ. I am in such need of His grace that it is impossible not to experience it. And there are so many things happening in my life and so many potentials exist right now that without the peace of God I would not be able to maintain consistency. All though I struggle so many times every day to stay above reproach, I still feel God is bringing me to a level I have never been. It is in the brief moments when I feel my life in it’s entirety is fluid with the love and power of Christ that I truly understand not only the necessity, but His ability to change this world. I pray that I will be counted worthy to take part in such a task every day given to me.

A few weeks in a flash

Again, I apologize for the belated post. Things have been moving right along since Christmas. I guess the best way update you all is to go in order. Christmas was a lot of fun, although very different than being home. All the interns went over to the Acton’s house for a big Christmas meal and we all exchanged gifts and had a good time. The few days between Christmas and New years were pretty uneventful as most of our friends were gone for the holidays. On January 1^st I left for Granada, a city a few hours away, in route to meet a friend from home in Germany. Granada is a gorgeous little city the rolls into the Sierra Mountains. It was a pleasant change to see snowcapped mountains in the background of the city. The next day after serious flight delays (I can’t complain because the plane ticket was 15 dollars) I finally met up with my buddy Craig in Frankfurt, Germany. We spent 4 days visiting small towns and big cities along the Rhine River in Western Germany. It was incredible and quite an adventurous trip. Half of the nights we were in hostels and the other half we slept in public transportation facilities, although not recommended in the dead of winter. The following week was spent back home in Sevilla. We thought that this was our big week to be at the University but as it happens the new semester doesn’t start until mid/late February. This past week Megan and I took a trip to London and it was awesome. It was incredible to see how much history is there. We covered a lot of ground and saw everything from the Magna Carta to Big Ben to the one of the first Gutenberg Bibles. The purpose of the trip, though, took the show as we saw The Phantom of the Opera last Thursday night. Coming home, we missed our flight to train problems but we were able to practice Spanish and befriend a group of 4 Spaniards. There were three ladies and a daughter that did not speak any English and we ended translating for them as they rebooked, found a hotel and tied up some other loose ends. It was a lot of fun and encouraged us in our language progression. Also, big news in Burmujos as the Blacksten’s (The family that is working with the Acton’s) got in this past weekend. They are an awesome family and I can’t wait to get to know them as we begin working together. This week has been busy so far as I am trying to balance loads of school work with the work needed to be done here. Also, we are all moving out of our house and trying to find Spaniards to live with in order to develop our language skills better but I am yet to find a house. I am hoping to find one within the next week so we will see how that goes. Well, that was the past few weeks in a nutshell and no worries; I promise you will hear from me sooner next time. As always, Grace and Peace- Eric