{{ POSTCARDS FROM FAR AWAY }}

I haven't written in a while. I blame this on several things.

1) Global Warming. It is a safe bet that somehow or another global warming has contributed to my absence. Need an excuse? Global Warming.

2) I've been on learning/growing overload and I have really struggled to cleanly put it together and explain it all. I think that I've tried on here, maybe not. I've certainly tried to verbalize it, and I feel as though my words failed to capture what I'm learning. My faith is changing. I believe that God is pulling me out of the Christianity that I've lived in for a long time. a christianity that I think I created to pacify myself. An easy christianity. He's pulling me out of it and it is awesome. It hurts sometimes but it is awesome. Sort of like pulling apart a really messed up piece of velcro.

Again, I'm lost trying to explain it. So I'll give up trying again for now. Perhaps God will give me words to express this. Perhaps not.

Class starts again in a week. preaching. I'm looking forward to it. I've been reading Dr. York's book on preaching with bold assurance. I'm not sure how you can read this book and (as I'll find out) take this class and step away from Southern Seminary and still manage to preach crap. But it happens. Crap. Everywhere.

I felt the need to spark a conversation with another customer a few days ago. I think she mentioned the heat. She's old. Drinks decaf coffee. She doesn't like the humidity. So I jumped on the chance to talk about the heat in Cambodia and our conversation took off. Here are the results of our conversation...

1) First thing she does when she walks in is smile and wave at me and say "HEY GEORGE!"

2) She told me that she really liked me and wants to make sure to get our address overseas so that she can mail us encouraging notes.

3) Found out her husband is really ill. Weak. He fell last May while standing in the living room and broke his neck. Her retirement is spent taking care of him 24/7. He isn't paralyzed though which is good. Even better, she is bitter about having to take care of him. She loves him.

People all around me have such interesting stories and such great needs. I'm so blessed to be a place like Starbucks that promotes me talking with people beyond just the typical "hello" and "thank you"...

My cat is so dang lazy. I will give him props as he chanced a lightning bug around the apartment last night. But he just sleeps. All the time. And he only eats when I go into the kitchen. I think he has some sort of separation anxiety. Strange.

My friend Michael shared a conversation with me the other day that went something like this...

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Michael: GEORGE! I have something to tell you.

me: ok, whats up?

Michael; I got to share Christ with a friend of mine the other day!

me: thats great! what happened!? Tell me about it!?

Michael: he just called me up randomly one day and asked if I'd like to go out and talk. I said sure. So we went out and he just started telling me about how frustrating life is. He was really down. Really sort of depressed and confused about life and his direction. And I just started telling him about Jesus!

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How awesome is it that!? God planned it this way! He's so good. If that conversation happens 6 months ago, Michael wouldn't have had anything to share with him. But Michael did. Michael shared his faith! Shared the hope he has in Christ!

God so knows what He's doing!

i miss my friend nick. He came to visit me again for the 4th. He's been up here to see us more than just about anyone else we know. He's awesome. I heart Nick.

My weigh is down to 213. Just 3 more pounds and I'm no longer considered overweight by the IMB. This is good news. I think that I might actually want to keep going though. I wonder what I'll look like if I dip into the 100's? I hope I will look nothing like Screech from saved by the bell.

Health = same. Experience pain and discomfort but am told I'm healthy as a...something really healthy. So thats good.

Thought about starting to run. Running, I hear, is good for you. Then I remembered that I hate running. My desire to do it faded quickly. The only time that I've ever seriously wanted to run was back in middle school. I bought some gatorade gum and I don't know what they had in it, but it made my legs tingle. Made me feel like I needed to run.

Ok, this is all for now. More later.

oh! PS. I am really afraid of Brock Lesner. that guy is one scary dude.