Typhoid vaccination, Malaria Pills, and why does the word 'recommended' make me just want to put off a visit to the doctor? 2 weeks to go, perhaps I am becoming a little afraid for my health. Well, we do have the option of DEET and mosquito nets, so fingers crossed and prayers answered, all should go well. We only have two more Nicaragua meetings until take off! I feel slightly unprepared and curious about how this whole thing will work out, but overwhelmingly excited for this travel opportunity. I can't believe it's down to two weeks.
Speaking of weeks, I sure had a heck of one. I had the privilege of speaking at the INN on Tuesday - I get to do one talk a semester, so bingo, it came and went. I haven't had the chance to hear it yet, but feedback has been really encouraging. I think the best comment was that I sounded like myself, which is what I was hoping for. I like it when speakers seem like real people, and seem like the person you talk to face to face. I think that's one reason Rob Bell is so effective. But I feel like when I gave the talk, it didn't really flow naturally - a little nervous about making the good points that I'd prepared on paper, and not talking too fast. That one always gets me - to the point now that I'm paranoid about how fast I talk, and at the end of my talk I could've sworn it was only 5 minutes long and figured I should pray extra long to make up for not talking long enough, but it ended up being ~22 min so that's an improvement!!
I think I might be slightly addicted to caffeine ... the looming headache in the morning was the tip-off, as well as it's quick disappearance over coffee dates. Well, you win some you lose some. In this profession I feel it may be an unavoidable condition. Or I could be making excuses. One or the other. But conversations have been rich, I talked about all sorts of topics this week, phenomenal.
But one that seems to resurface again and again is the issue of church. 'I haven't found one I like' or 'There aren't any good ones' or 'nothing like my church back home'. It kind of gets on my nerves, because I think it leaks into this mentality saying, 'I should get what I expect out of church, I want it to be preached like this and to worship like that, and I will see God working in this way and this way only.' Well, maybe that's a little harsh, but it's not too far from the truth. I feel like sometimes people aren't willing to see how God is at work in a body or community with open arms, and get put off when it isn't familiar or 'powerful' enough for them ... honestly, you could probably grab something from any sermon you hear that is a personal call to your life if you really put your mind to it. And isn't church more than just sermons and worship anyway? A congregation of fellow believers dwelling together for one cause, Jesus. Where do we get the high and mighty opinion that things should always be 'my way'. Not that I don't share that mentality sometimes, I guess it just means that sometimes I and my generation make myself sick.
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