Time Wasters

I stopped watching tv once because it was taking up too much time (and the shows weren't really that edifying).
Unfortunately, I ended up on the computer instead.
Now I spend too much time watching tv and on the computer.

So here's the thing: if I stop doing something useless or time-wasting but don't start something worthy, I end up in the same (or a worse) position. It's just easier to do nothing.

I'm cutting back on tv again (except when The Netherlands is playing in the Euro cup; let's not be mixing up loyalty with wasting time) and turning off the computer more. I plan to spend the time studying and doing other important stuff.

Um...any ideas about what may be considered important?

Procrastination

I should be starting to research Nehemiah and coming up with a thesis/topic sentence for the paper. Instead I have...

1. printed out pictures for the rest of the Children's Church lessons to the end of 2 Kings (or until the 2nd week of October, which kills writing lessons as a worthy procrastination tool until fall)
2. baked bread
3. read a chapter of "An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics" (which doesn't really count since it was on the to-do list anyway)
4. gone for a nice walk because I needed to get out of the house for a bit
5. checked email and Facebook
6. blogged, the latest in my list of procrastination tools.

Guess how excited I am about doing that research!

From Lamentations 2

16All your enemies
Have opened their mouths wide against you;
They hiss and gnash their teeth
They say, "We have swallowed her up!
Surely this is the day for which we waited;
We have reached it, we have seen it."

17The LORD has done what He purposed;
He has accomplished His word
Which He commanded from days of old
He has thrown down without sparing,
And He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you;
He has exalted the might of your adversaries

Do you see it? The enemies are so proud of what they have done... but it wasn't them at all! It was what God had purposed and He did it.

It's still true. No matter what people do, it is really God's plan; His purposes will prevail.

Big Thoughts

This morning while I was praying I was thinking about how God made everything, and I was thinking about how big and complex the universe is. There is so much that we don't know or understand yet.

And God is more than the universe. He made it which means he's outside it and greater than it and more amazing..... And my mind would not take it it. Could not take it in. It is too much for a finite mind, to comprehend an infinite God. All I could do was sit in wonder.

That's what I mean by Big Thoughts: the ones that you can't quite grasp, that are too much for your mind. The things that are beyond us but that point to the awesomeness of God.

Because he says it so well...

...go read what Chad has to say lately. It's good stuff.

(and take a quick minute to admire my ability to include a link)

More on Learning

The thing is that learning changes people, or at least it changes me. Everything I've been learning is making me grow and stretch and change. It's not just school; in fact, it's not really school. It's Bible study and church and Sunday School and the study with the elder and how it all ties together. It's seeing God working in my life and wanting to know Him more. The thing is, nothing is properly learned until you apply it all and that's what I'm trying to do. And it means changing behaviours and thoughts and attitudes.

And it's tough stuff. Learning and growing isn't easy and sometimes it hurts. It takes time and energy and sometimes I want to give up. And sometimes I look around and I'm not sure where I fit now. It's hard.

But it's worth it. It's always worth it.

Question:

If you don't accept the sovereignty of God, how can you accept even the possibility of prophecy? Accurate prophecy would necessitate God working in people's lives in very specific ways. Wouldn't it?