Vegetable Tales

You are like an onion.

The outside of an onion is tough. It can even be bitter. Kind of like your outer struggles, hurts, and frustrations. A shell of protection if you will.

However, your life, your onion...is larger on the inside. 

That hurt, that shell protects the real you. In order to get down to the reality of who you are, to remove the bitterness and hurt, you have to peel the onion.

One problem...

Onions cannot peel themselves.

I would submit to you that you need to let One greater than yourself do the peeling.

As the layers of hurt and fear are peeled back, you will discover that each successive layer is larger than the next.

That as you let go, allow the shell to fall away, and allow One greater than you to reveal yourself, you will find the depth of love and peace that comes with releasing control and allowing God to unwrap what he has created.

An onion may cause tears as you peel it but as you get to the core, the massive, huge core of God’s love, it can be the sweetest of vegatables when prepared properly. And He is the Master Chef.

What you will find as you surrender and let him peel away those layers, you will realize that He has already done the work. It won't be easy, there will be good times and bad, and it will take a lifetime, but it is worth it.

Like Aslan removing the skin of Eustace the dragon. 

God is the only one who can truly peel away yourself and give you Himself.

Full Implications

You've probably heard it said that "Perfect love casts out fear."

I looked up the verse. And was dumbfounded by the implications.

Read it. See what you think.



1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Visions of Grandeur: June

June was busy. Really busy. Spent time with young folks at a retreat called Olive Grove. Neat experiences...Memories and people I will never forget.

Climbed hills

Spent time with great young people

Got a few scars along the way

(and wore a personally tie-dyed shirt for the first time ever)

(that also happened to be sleeveless...yeah, not the greatest fashion choice...)

(I was homeschooled...what can I say)

Skits about Friendship with "Ty and Eli"

(Me and Jenelle)

Drew closer to the Creator

How could I not?

There are so many stories to tell, so many things to share, but they will have to wait...

Have no fear, I am writing them down, they will not be forgotten.

That was June. July and August will follow.

Grace and peace.

Extirpate

Extirpate:

1. To pull up completely by the roots.


Life is like a garden.

Your life carries along. There are beautiful flowers in your garden. Trees that produce fruit. Birds sing in the branches. Bees flit from plant to plant.

But there are also weeds. Poisonous plants. Parasites. Pests. Things that can come in and take over the garden.

A garden needs to be cared for. Plants need to be pruned back. Watered. Harvested.

Weeds need to be removed. Pests and parasites chased away.

Problem is, a garden can't do that by itself.

Sure, a garden can grow in the midst of thorns...but those thorns and weeds will eventually choke out the plants that need care.

A garden by definition is a place that is cultivated and cared for. Set apart.

A garden needs a gardener.

Cutting weeds does nothing, for they will only grow back. Instead, you have to uproot them. Problem is, sometimes, the roots go deep.

Really deep.

When that happens, you have to dig, and dig, and dig. The gardener has to burrow into the soil until they find the last tiny fragment of that root and rip it out.

Remember, this garden is your life.

Uprooting hurts.

When you recognize a deep seated issue, a weed, or a lie, or a hurt, that has taken root in your life, it must be removed. Otherwise it will take over. It will mar your garden.

Let the Gardener do His work.

Yes it will hurt, yes it will by messy, yes it will cut deep.

But when it is gone, when that root has been extirpated...

You will be free.

Out of the Ashes

Letting go.

Hopes. Dreams. Desires.

Letting go.

Releasing tight grip on the things that you want, things you think you want, and things you want but don't even have.

Letting go.

Unclenching your fists and opening your hands. Offering what is there and saying, "I surrender."

Letting go.

Is pain. Is suffering. Is difficult.

Is worth it.

Letting go.

Placing these things on the altar. Lighting them ablaze. Letting His fire consume them.

Reduced to ashes.

Letting go seems final...

And yet...

...Fire refines...


"Out of these ashes...beauty will rise
and we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes...beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning...
in the morning, beauty will rise"

Letting go allows the chaff and dross to be burned away.

Hopes. Dreams. Desires. They can be reborn. Remade. Recreated.

They may perish. But if they burned to ash, then were they worth it anyway?

But if instead they persist...

...Perhaps they turn to gold. Perhaps they reveal the shine of ruby. Emerald. Diamond...

If they are then cut, pounded, and worked...

...shaped into a crown that can be laid before His feet...

...forged into a useful and beautiful object...

...well, then...

Letting go was worth it.

Out of the ashes.

Overdue

Have you ever had the feeling that you are missing something? You know, that nagging sensation that tickles the back of your ears. You try to ignore it, but it keeps coming back. It gets better for a time, then gets worse. It seemingly disappears and then reappears with a vengeance. Eventually, you manage to push it aside...only to accept later just what it was you were missing...

I have been missing something.

Hence this post.

It has been nearly two months.

High time for reflection.

Overdue.

Huh

There are times in life when you think to yourself..."Huh."

Those huh moments come in many forms. Sometimes the are after a  massive tragedy or an unexpected complication. Other times they are huhs of joy and elation. In some circumstances, the huh moment may be over something that is trivial, or seems so at the time. but huhs have a funny way of making us think bigger.

I just had a huh moment.

It wasn't after a tragedy or complication. Though I have experienced those. It wasn't because of some incredible joy or a sense of elation. I've had those too. This one wasn't one of those.

I'm typing on a keyboard that has some English keys replaced with Turkish keys, but yet, the keyboard is still laid out in English. There are letters and spacing that I am totally unfamiliar with tat are hiding the key layout I am used to. As a consequence...typing this note has taken WAY longer than I originally anticipated. I keep looking down at the board and thinking, "Waaaaaaiiiiiiiit...that weird o with the two dots over it is hiding the comma...Huh."

Ok. That may not seem horribly profound. It isn't really.

But through huhs I have come to expect the unexpected.

I have been noticing huhs at odd times...

...and this huh made me think of another huh.

I huh-ed when the flat I was staying in got broken into and my camera and computer were stolen. I lost tons of pictures and portions of three chapters of my thesis (yeah yeah, back your stuff up more often, I get it)...but I couldn't help but keep thinking, "Huh...if I hadn't gone to Bible study and then visited with a few friends afterward I might have been home when the break in happened and WHO KNOWS what could have gone down..."

No one was hurt. Only a few tangible items were taken. My finances and passport are still secure.

Huh.

I've begun to realize that, perhaps, these huh moments can be chances to stop and reflect for a moment. To, perhaps, see a Hand at work that is greater than ourselves.

That night, my huh turned to a wow.

Things could have been so much worse. I or someone else could have been harmed. Sure, I lost my stuff. But I can rewrite. I can take more pictures.

Now, back to the Turkish/English/Whateverish keyboard...

I'm sitting here still. Arguing with an inanimate object about which key is which. The keyboard seems to be winning. It is just sitting there. Giving me the silent treatment. Stupid keyboard.

But this huh moment that came as I tap away made me recognize the huh moments elsewhere in my life. Made me realize that I need to stop more often and take in the huhs. They can be opportunities to grow. To look at things from a difference perspective. To see the hand of God at work.

Huh.

"Prolific" Failure

For being a person who is verbose...I have been absolutely terrible about keeping up with this blog.

No excuses.

My goal is to change that.

Starting...uh...now-ish.

Big news.

I'm sticking around Turkey for awhile.

More updates to follow.

And a picture for your enjoyment.

Duden Salalesi

From Memory...

I've been doing school for such a long time. Things got busy, life happened, struggles occurred. I forgot.

Urbana '06: You Have a Calling.

One piece was...Performance. In some capacity.

No idea how, when, or where. The world is so vast. Making people laugh, bringing people joy, spreading the good news.

I just remembered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSG_TMeVhmk

Pictures

Progress...and More

Thesis writing...Rough drafts are reaching final stages...

Trip within a trip about to start...

Pictures to come...

This has been a brief update.

Thesis-ing

Late Night Ruminations

It's late here. 12am. Or 0:00. 6 to one half dozen to another.

I'm writing. Still. Will be for awhile.

It's times like this when my mind can get stuck. Not in a bad way necessarily, though not always in a good way either. Sometimes it is just best to stop for a few minutes. Recharge. Regroup. Clear my mind.

Ask for peace.

I know I haven't written much on here in the past weeks other than a few pictures and some brief lines. More will come in future. It may take a week or two due to the nature of the amount of other writing I have to do...but rest assured, more will come.

I have one hope, one prayer for you all right now.

Peace.

As you go about your daily lives, some busy, some not busy, ask yourselves a question...

Are you at peace?

I mean really at peace. Do you have any assurance about tomorrow? Do you know for what purpose you live and draw breath? Are you secure...really?

Ask for peace.

Isaiah 26:3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FaBiVCFMyE

Greater...

Greater love has no one that this, that he lay down his life for a friends. ~ John 15:13

Song and Photo #1

I have nothing more profound to say at this very moment. So I instead share a song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSuY2XqhHys

...and a picture...

Turkish breakfasts are incredible

The Power of Water

Our God is great and worthy to be praised

Time

Time is different here. Now, don't get me wrong, there are still twenty-four hours in a day, just like everywhere else. An hour is still and hour. A minute still consists of sixty seconds. Just like the rest of the world, time has a brillianly frustrating ability to pass quickly or slowly depending on the circumstances...

That is not how it is different...it is not that they use military time, nor that the days are shorter or longer, nor that there is no concept of time.

Time is ancient here.

I know that the earth is all the same age, that civilizations stretches back on all continents, but here, in Turkey, you can feel an oldness that you don't notice as much in the states. At least, not a feeling I get all the time. Now, when I go to the mountanis at home, I get this feeling. An oldness that rises from the craggy rocks, stretching into the sky, a testament to the Hand that formed them. Here in Turkey, the land feels ancient in much the same way. Not everywhere mind you.

A few weeks ago I spent some time in Ephesus, and that city is washed with the paint of time. Multiple ancient cities dot the now silted ancient bay. The busy streets that once housed one of if not the greatest city of Asia...

...that guarded the Temple of Artemis known as one of the wonders of the ancient world...

...that spread the word of the Way throughout the rest of that region...

...now lies empty except for tourists, cats, and sheep.

The streets lie in ruins.

The pillared ways have collapsed.

Once strong buildings are a shadow of their former selves.

And yet, it still remains. Time is different here.

Psalm 130

Heyo!

So, Ephesus pictures and a more lengthy post to come...but I wanted to share this...

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. And in His word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. For with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. ~ Psalm 130

A View for You (I'm a poet and didn't know it)

Ok folks...so, read Acts 19. Watch this video. Enjoy...sorry about the wind and bouncy camera...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuDjyQ-Cv6o&feature=youtu.be

A Convicting Contradiction

Contradiction. The words carries such weight and negativity. I make a comment you contradict it. You say I am wrong. I disagree and respond to your contradiction with one of my own.

I am sitting here in Kushadasi nearby ancient Ephesus, getting ready to go out for one final day of work before I head back to base in Antalya. A few minutes ago, I was listening to the Aegean pounding on the rocks outside of my room and praying quietly, enjoying my moment in the morning.

Then began the contradiction...but it is not quiet as you might think...

For those of you not familiar with Islam, the call to prayer, broadcast by speaker from every mosque, rolls across the land every day. So, as I sat there praying, the call echoed across the water, bounced off the same rocks, and reached my ears. Two different beliefs, two different prayers rising in two totally different ways. A bit of a contradiction, but not the one that struck me like a blow to the face...no, this one has much more import and is much more convicting...

The call to prayer happens yet some simply ignore it. It is supposed to be a rallying cry, to call a people to prayer and worship and action, yet it is met by some with passivity and inaction. A contradiction.

And then came the convicting part...is this true in my life? At times have I become so used to the "norm" of my belief that I simply ignore it? At times have I met God's call or urging in my life with half-hearted enthusiasm, or passivity, or even inaction? Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not doubting myself horribly, just struck with the reality that I cannot be half-hearted, passive, or inactive.

A convicting contradiction.

My life cannot be directed by lip-service and good deeds. It is an affair of the heart, a rooted desire for the things of God that bubbles up from the deepest wellsprings of my spirit. Quiet simply, this belief, it is all or nothing. For if it is nothing...then why even bother to pretend?

Wind and Rain...and what Comes After

This place brings to mind the journey of my heart. It makes me think of the grace of God. It reminds me of promises and assurances...you may not be tracking with me on this, and that's all right. Regardless of that, the pictures you see below will hopefully amaze you.

It rains here. A lot. At least it does right now. Winter here in Turkey, especially on the southern coast, is the rainy season...and when I say rainy, do I ever mean it. We've had three torrential downpours in the past two weeks. A few nights ago, I woke up around 3 in the morning to lightening flashing across the sky, thunder echoing between the buildings, rain and hail pounding on my window. I lay awake just listening to the raging winds howling through the streets.

It made me think of the turmoil that can come to my heart. The anxieties and fears that one would not expect, or ones that one might expect, can come and surprise you when you least expect it.

I took a walk in the rain the other night, as I do...rather often (LOVE the rain). This time, I was struck with the power of the storm...and also the One who makes them. This time, I didn't think of struggles, but I saw the power and majesty of the wind. I walked down to the Mediterranean  soaked to the skin, grinning all the way. I couldn't see 20 feet in front of my face. Palm trees were bent almost double, the wind whipped the water around. At the base of the cliff I was next to I could hear the pounding of the waves smashing against the rocks. I was in awe.

Storms can be cleansing. Natural ones wash the streets clean, bring life to the flora, and nourishment to the fauna. Internal storms can wash away fear and anxiety when you place your trust and hope in the One who is the giver of life. As struggles come, as storms blow about you, the are a chance for growth and strength and self-examination. Becuase what comes after a storm...

...is totally worth weathering it.

Parks-n-such

My running place...