hosea

We started reading the book of Hosea this week in our Monday night Bible study. It's an interesting book. In the 1st 3 chapters, God asks Hosea to marry a prostitute to reveal the nature of His relationship w/ Israel, and their unfaithfulness. I am struck by the tennis match of emotions that are played out in the 1st 3 chapters. Hosea's wife, Gomer (nice name), bears 3 kids after marrying Hosea. We're not sure if they're Hosea's kids or of a "John", but God instructs them to give the kids names that represent violence, "no love", and the breaking of covenant. Gloomy, eh?

But then after naming the last child, and in spite of the children symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness to their covenant and relationship w/ God, God promises to make Israel His children. Hope in the midst of the gloomy.

But then God states that He will take away all the blessings Israel claims have come from other places than God, all so she can see that God is the source of all blessing. Gloomy again?

But then after stripping away everything, it says that God will lead Israel into the desert (w/ nothing) and speak tenderly to her (refreshing her). Promising that He will make "the valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope", making the land a place of peace and security and rest. Awesome!

I think the reality I see in these chapters is the reality that we "make our own beds", having to live w/ bad decisions. We are w/o hope on our own, like the sorrowful and broken patterns of a prostitute. But there IS hope. In this sorry state, God moves toward us and calls us home, home to that place of peace, security, and rest. He did come to us in Jesus, and continues to bring hope.

Hosea is a challenging book, but a book of human reality, and the reality of God's grace. I pray that He will reveal that grace to us again today and as we walk about our week.

prayer letter 9.2010

FYI - This month's prayer letter for The Table has been posted. Just hit the "prayer" link to the left. Thanks for your prayers for our church!

balance and the bellingham bay half-marathon

Next week is the race, The Bellingham Bay Half-Marathon. I've been training for about 7 weeks now. I always enjoy running a race in the fall. It seems like a good way to start a new season. This year I had another motivation... Mexico. A week after the race K8 and I are heading for Mexico to celebrate 10 Years of marriage, which should be sweet. So to gear up for it I felt extra motivation for this race (no one wants to see flabby Aaron). This is the longest week in my training, and I'm ready for shorter miles.

In light of thinking about making running for of a weekly/daily rhythm, I've been thinking about balance. Unless I have a goal, working out is usually the 1st thing to go in a busy schedule. But it is the workout that helps me maintain balance in the midst of a busy schedule. I find that if I don't get into the word and get active in the mornings, the rest of the day feels rushed or strained. It may be different for someone else, but this is what I've found. I dislike the days that feel disproportional toward one thing or another. A well proportioned day of study, fitness, work, being social, family time and service feels the best. And summer felt pretty proportioned and balanced. So the question for me is, How will I continue to find balance after the race is over, and once fall is fully in bloom?

I pray that you and I both will be blessed with the foresight to make proactive choices (rather than reactive choices) so we may live lives w/ margin, balance, and joy. I believe that when we are able to live in these spaces, we are able to listen to God's voice more clearly and have the room in our lives to bless our families, friends, and neighbors in His name. So will you join me in raising a glass to His movement in lives as we strive for balance?

change

As I was working at the Firehouse today, one customer mentioned that they had just dropped their kids off at school. Today is the 1st day back for Bellingham School District. I was curious if they were relieved to get their kids out of the house or wishing they didn't have to go. My customer mentioned that this year is their child's senior year of high school, and so they were navigating the feelings surrounding this being the last year of school, and all that means for their family. In contrast to this, just yesterday Kate and I were standing inside a classroom deciding whether to enroll Montana in her 1st year of preschool. "It's only preschool", but it feels funny thinking about sending her off to begin a new chapter. Then I also think about some new friends of mine. They've just moved to town from another state. Beginning new jobs today, making new friends, and finding "their" new spots to hang.

Change is in the air this week, and w/ it is a mix of emotions. We long to keep things as they are. I found myself saying (the same words my mother said to me as a kid) to Montana, "Don't grow up so fast". Yet, we also long for newness. I'm excited for the new adventures that the next season will bring. It's a strange mix of emotion. Change is in the air this week, but it always there. Change has a feeling of destabilizing us. And depending on our mood or disposition, this can either be welcomed or feared.

Change is something we can count on. But in the midst of it, there is One whom we can actually depend on, One we can look to for true stability. I'm encouraged by the words of Psalm 62:5-6, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." This fortress will remain solid in the face of attacks, and strong winds.

So as think about my customer, my friends, and our family - all experiencing a different form of change - I have hope. I hope in the Constant One, our strength and our salvation. I know He is good, stable and powerful when we feel mixed. For that, I have hope and give Him praise.