Ramblings at 2:48

It's 2:48 AM and I'm awake. Word of warning, don't drink a Hot Chocolate/French Vanilla drink at midnight and expect to sleep any time soon! So instead I'm filling my time with something useful, setting up my blog so inquiring family and friends can be updated on my life!

The rest of the school has just switched classes as our block just changed, but as freshman we have another block of Hermeneutics I and Pentateuch. Since I'm not taking any more electives, that means that my classes stay exactly the same. For once I'm glad for the consistancy. We had Jody Reithmiller for Genesis, which is the first half of Pentateuch, and Jody is awesome, no other way to say it! He holds our attention, never backs down from a tough question unless he just doesn't know, and will admit that somethings just DON'T matter in the eternal view of life, so therefore they don't matter enough to get worked up over. The second half of Pentateuch includes Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers. Rex Gutwein taught us in Exodus. Different than Jody, Rex has no powerpoint, or typed up notes like many of the other profs. Rex just talks the whole hour, with many many rabbit trails. Yet another amazing prof. here at school! Now we have Jody once again for Leviticus and I couldn't be happier. Leviticus is a trying book for me, given my tolerance for slow reading, so the animated Jody is what keeps me awake for the majority of the class! (That and the coffee or cappuccino I have most mornings!)

Our chapel today was Pastor's Chapel and we had Joe O'Neill as a guest. He definately reopened my eyes to the spiritual battle that we fight even in our own lives. Here at school, I find myself focussing on what I can do for others and what I want to do here. I constantly commit myself to praying for everyone else: moms are having babies, friends are running away from home, friends are trying to commit suicides, youth groups are being destroyed, people are close to being kicked out because of money, etc. Then, since it is a part of a missions organization, we are encouraged to pray for our missionary partners and for others who send in prayer emails. I feel like all my attention is being up on others' needs and the spiritual battle going on at on the mission field. I found, though, that I was missing a critical part of the spiritual war, the battle over me. If I lose the battle over me, it's more than disappointing. Christ already won the battle for me, all I have to do is let him do the fighting for me, but that requires giving my strength up for His. That means letting go of the "I'm-a-big-girl-now" pride and surrendering myself to be carried on by his strength, peace and guidance.

So, it's now 3:24 AM. I know that I will still be awake for quite a bit while longer, but I figure I should probably wrap up this first blog. I know that it's boring, so very factual, but that's all I have for you right now! Look for the new ones coming out soon!