A Permanent "Experiment" in Love

I'm going to try something "new". Every person I meet, as well as those I already know, I am going to ask myself one simple question when interacting with them: "How do I see God in this person?"

I want to stop looking at people and start seeing people. I never thought I struggled with this until I really stopped to think about it. I don't think many people think they struggle with this. But, if they're like me, they haven't really thought about it. Think of the labels we give people that we've had one, maybe zero, conversations with: The hot girl, cute guy, homeless person, mean lady, Jesus freak, gay guy, etc.

I am challenging myself to see people the way God does, and stop looking at them the way the world does. I know that God loves EVERYBODY (seeing as how he sent his Son to die for the sins of all of us), so I think that's a good place to start in deciding how to see people.

I know it will be tougher with some people than with others. For instance, I have little to no tolerance for egos. But God loves those who are full of themselves just as much as he loves the humble. Yes, I know the verses about humility, but show me where it says that Jesus didn't die for the arrogant, or where it says that God doesn't love them.

If anybody is reading this (and according to google analytics, nobody reads this but me since I deleted my facebook), I would encourage you to do the same. The people I struggle with may not be the same people you struggle with. So I would encourage you to think of those people you struggle to love, struggle to see the way God does, or just dismiss. Gay people? Drinkers and drug users? Christians? (Oh, believe me, there are more than a few Christians that I struggle with.)

I can't promise that you'll change the world by doing this, but I can promise that you'll see it in a whole new (and happier) way.

-Oh, and if anybody was wondering (again, nobody is reading this), bar studying has been going pretty well this week. Overall, I feel fairly on top of things for this stage of the game.

"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?'"

I've been reading through The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborn lately during my breaks. Man, what an eye opener...and a great way to keep things in perspective during this rough time (Ha! I say rough, but I'm fully clothed with a full belly in a nice air conditioned study room in the library).

Well, some of you know that once (sometimes twice) a month I go volunteer with PIN Ministry down at the ocean front. It started out with just feeling good about myself because I stuck a spoon in a dish and put some veggies or chicken on a paper plate in front of me without making eye contact with the person holding the plate. Eventually I started bringing an acoustic guitar and hanging out with the smokers outside. I don't smoke, and I can't stand the smell of it. But hanging out with those guys (and gals) and having a good time by playing some old rock and roll songs really does light up some faces (theirs and mine). Good times for sure.

Well, now I'm realizing that once (sometimes twice) a month is not truly loving your neighbor. I don't think I know what that truly means. But I want to figure it out.

After the bar exam, I plan on heading out. Where? I don't know. But I may bring someone with me if they are interested. I want to just hit the road in any random direction with no luxuries but my guitar, my Bible, a camera, tent, and a smile (maybe a GPS...haha...). I want to discover how to love strangers and how to be loved by strangers the same way that Jesus could love prostitutes and tax collectors, and even a rich young man who just wasn't quite ready to accept Him.

I hope to blog and chronicle the trip; with the hopes that once it has all been said and done, God will reveal His glory through the eyes of the people I meet. (Oh, one last thing: I have to admit that when I pictured this in my head, I sort of had a vision that it would be like the tv shows Renegade, A-Team, and Quantum Leap...where I would be helping people everywhere I went. Except, I wouldn't be on a motorcycle, or in a sweet van with Mr. T, and I'm not hoping that the next leap will be the one home.)

The niceness of new-ness

Went for a change of pace today and asked Ashley if I could study at her parent's house. Instead of being surrounded by drab colored walls and stacks of legal books, I'm in a screened in patio surrounded by the sounds of goats head butting each other, birds chirping, and the occasional rain shower. I'm looking out at the beautiful green colors of early summer, and I just saw one goat get on top of a stump and LEAP head first in order to head butt the other one. That was pretty sweet!

How is this affecting my studying? I've done about 4 essays, reviewed a ton of topics, and still have plenty of energy to do more. I love mixing it up. Especially when this is one of the options.

Beard update

I figure I can only tell the difference if I have a visual storyboard to follow. So I'm chronicling the growth of my beard until I decide to shave it in late July.

Also, on an unrelated note, I've realized that I retain a lot more when I am happy while studying. So feel free to send me funny stories, jokes, prose, life reflections, adages, etc. to keep me entertained during my desperation breaks.

Mustard Seed

As I said in my previous post, last week ended pretty roughly for me. Sunday was such an amazing blessing of a day though. The day started out by leading the church in worship, then by getting to have a meal with my dad and Ashley (which has been a rare occurrence as of late due to this exam), then by heading out to PIN Ministry at the ocean front to hang out with some cool people, and ended by walking the boardwalk/going out to eat with some friends. I couldn't have asked for a better way to replenish my weary soul.

I would have to say that the best blessing didn't come until this morning just before BarBri class. A fellow alum suggested that we start a prayer group. I was able to send facebook messages to those students who had graduated from Regent, and this morning we met outside of our classroom to encourage one another in prayer. The part that inspired me the most was when I made an announcement to the class (full of people I've never met before) about the group and invited anyone who was interested to join us outside. Two people, whom I have never met before, decided to join us. I'm sure the time in prayer was a blessing for them, but for me their presence was the greatest inspiration. It reminded me what this is all about in the first place. It's not about passing, or studying the hardest. It's about faith.

I realized that last week, when I was feeling stressed or apathetic, I would throw up a quick "Hail Mary" prayer. Something along the lines of "DearGodPleaseHelpMeStudyAmen." Then I would open my eyes and expect a miracle to happen. And, of course, I would still be as sullen as ever with the mounting workload in front of me.

Today, I'm comforted knowing that the disciples had the same problem. In Matthew 17:14-20, a man asked Jesus to heal his son. The man said that the disciples weren't able to heal him when they tried. After Jesus healed the boy, the disciples asked why they weren't able to do the same. Jesus tells them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

A faithless prayer gets a faithless response. Sometimes...ok, often, I find myself praying without the belief that God can accomplish what I'm asking for. How silly is that? Ha! God created everything...in 7 days, mind you...and I don't believe He can answer MY prayers? Jesus tells us to give faithful prayer; to realize that if we honestly know that God can accomplish what we're praying for, our asking is just a formality.