In Christ Alone

I ask great things of a great God

A couple weeks ago a friend told me that it was often during the times that we expected God to do the least that He in fact does the most.  I had been complaining about my upcoming year at grad school and how I couldn't wait to finish and move on to the next, more interesting stage of my life.  Her reminder resonated with me, and I have been thinking about it since, knowing that I needed to hear it and to quit limiting God to my own feeble imagination.  Then, this week at Shannon Forest Christian School, a couple of the women who work in the office were making bulletin boards, and this was one of the verses they chose to display on the wall: 

I was immediately reminded of the advice I had been given weeks before, and I thought "I need to memorize this verse and plaster it all over my house, car, and office, so that I will remember that God has big plans for me even though I forget sometimes."  What an awesome God we have that even the furthest reaches of our imagination cannot even begin to understand what God wants to do in our lives!  Of course, He reminds us of this throughout the Bible, in verses like Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Or Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Jesus promises to do great things through his disciples in John 14:12-14 saying,  "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."  

I think I need an attitude adjustment, as my dad says.  I need to quit thinking about the upcoming year in negative terms and start trusting that God has something amazing in store for me.  I can't limit God to my own human limitations; instead, I should trust him to do more than I could ever even begin to imagine.

When thou art present, evil cannot abide;

In thy fellowship is fullness of joy,

Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,

By thy side no fears disturb,

no apprehensions banish rest of mind,

With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;

Make me meet, through repentance, for thine indwelling.

Nothing exceeds thy power,

Nothing is too great for thee to do,

Nothing too good for thee to give.

Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,

limitless thy grace, glorious thy saving name...

I ask great things of a great God.

(The Valley of Vision)

Paradigm Shift

Why History?

The reconstruction of worlds is one of the historian's most important tasks.  He undertakes it, not from some strange urge to dig up archives and sift through old papers, but because he wants to talk with the dead.  By putting questions to documents and listening for replies, he can sound dead souls and take the measure of the societies they inhabited.  If we lost all contact with the worlds we have lost, we would be condemned to live in a two-dimensional, time-bound present, and our own world would turn flat.

- Robert Darnton

Movin' to Mississippi

Several months ago I blogged about how I did not get into my #1 graduate school. It has been a crazy past few months, but it's also been amazing to see how everything has worked out. The weekend before finals, I went to MSU to present my Community of Scholars research at a history conference. The next week, the professor who organized the conference sent me an email informing me that there was a graduate assistantship available for the fall and that I should apply. So I did. And I got in. And now I'm moving to Mississippi in less than two weeks. I feel a little bit like I'm flying by the seat of my pants, but so far everything has worked out: I found an apartment, a church, and I'm working on accumulating furniture. It doesn't feel like much has changed; however, I know that once my first electric bill comes in, I may change my mind about this whole adult thing.

So, I will be pursuing a Masters in History with a focus on American and European history. I have a teaching assistantship which not only covers tuition but provides me with a living stipend and the chance to get some classroom experience. I found an apartment complex that is full of graduate/medical/international students. There is even a PCA church about a mile from my apartment. I'm excited!

It always amazes me to see God's plan unfold. I had a plan, and then I had a new plan, and now I'm confident that I'm in God's plan. It's good to know that He is sovereign and knows what He is doing because I sure don't.

Before the Throne

Graduate School

I found out this morning that I did not get accepted to my favorite grad school. I was turned down by most of the schools I applied to, but this one stinks. I have been trying to have the attitude that wherever God wants me to be next year, that's where I will get in and where the financial aid will be enough. I wanted it to be Indiana University, but it looks like I'll be headed to Tallahassee. I know that FSU is a good school and I'm glad that I have family and friends in Tallahassee, but I really wanted to go to Indiana. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to go to grad school, and it looks like FSU is where I am supposed to be next year. I guess I'll find out for sure once I hear about financial aid.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
~Jeremiah 29:11