Pentecost

Well, today is Pentecost Sunday.

Come, Holy Spirit. Move in power.

Here is "An Invocation of the Holy Spirit," taken from Celtic Daily Prayer, p. 284.

Most powerful Holy Spirit,
come down
upon us
and subdue us.

From heaven,
where the ordinary
is made glorious,
and glory
seems
but ordinary,

bathe us
with the brilliance
of your
light
like dew.

Please pray this with me today. We need Him so much.

Come, Holy Spirit. Move in power.

Letdown

It's probably normal to feel a letdown upon completing a difficult season. This past semester was the most demanding I've ever had (as far as workload is concerned). And though it's only been a week, I feel I've done next to nothing since graduation. In actuality, I've driven Mom & Dad back to the airport, watched Joshua all day on Tuesday, kept Lydia at home, and I've begun reading for summer classes. Yet I've mainly goofed off. I have things I want to do and need to do, but haven't done.
Too hard on myself? No, I don't think so. What I've been feeling this week is not guilt--rather, it's a conviction of the Spirit.

Earlier today, I read an account of a housewife who felt pulled in a hundred directions by her obligations and by the many distractions that drain her energy. She didn't mind being drained of her energy... it was the purposelessness of such draining that bothered her. Intentionally giving of oneself, she said, leaves one feeling refreshed. She, however, felt that her unfocused busy-ness resulted in her energy being siphoned away--like water going down the many holes of a drain.

That's how I feel--unfocused.
It shows in that I don't even know what to write about in this blog.

One portion of my daily prayers is taken from Psalm 90. It says:

May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.
Establish Thou the work of our hands.
Establish Thou the work of our hands, dear Lord.

Part of God's establishing the work of our hands must be to show us what work
we should do in the first place!
Oh God, may I live with purpose. May that purpose be You.
Sound vague? I think it leaves room for individuality while making sure we stay on course. "Living for God on purpose" sounds like a pretty good way to live.

St. Comgall's Day

Nine days ago (May 11) was St. Comgall's day. Saints' days are usually assigned to the day that a saint, according to tradition, died. Comgall (516-601) was a warrior as a young man who became an ascetic and founded a monastery later in his life. He accompanied Columba--one of my absolute heroes!--as he challenged King Brude and his druids at the fortress of Inverness.

This piece of his writing (taken from his Rule) struck me:

If anybody enters the path of repentance
it is sufficient to advance a step every day.
If you practise repentance,
if your heart is meek,
your way will be straight
to the King of the Kingdom of heaven.

Graduation

I graduated today. I still have 3 classes to take this summer, but today I walked across the stage.
It was nice.
The strange thing is...I don't know how I will use this degree. I believe God called me here, but I don't know if I'll ever need this degree professionally.
I hope He uses it. I sure enjoyed my time here, even though it put us in the hole financially.
It's one of those things: you're obedient to what you think is right and then you don't see the results you expected. You just have to trust.

The graduation ceremonies were good. The theme of the day was--God's greatness, not ours. Again and again, people talked about God being special, not Asbury Seminary. We were urged to take our experiences with us--the good and the bad--and to remember our time here. I pray that I will. One thing I have learned is that I don't need a classroom to learn. I just want the learning to have benefit for someone else.
If you are an instrument in the Lord's workshop, you have to trust that He knows what kinds of tasks you're suited for and which instances call for you specifically. I guess the Master knows how & when to use His tools. The important thing is to be available, to love, and to be humble.

God, please use me. Fill me with Your Spirit. Equip me. Put me to work. Keep me close to You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Psalm 103:3

Psalm 103:3 spoke to me this week. Here's my translation:
But you, Yahweh, are a Shield around me, my Glory, and the Lifter of my head.
The Psalm deals with enemy persecution, and the psalmist is in real danger. My devotional material this year is coming from Celtic Daily Prayer, and I've noticed that the Celtic saints place great emphasis on the need for protection. In their mission efforts, they were out confronting pagan religion, and their lives were often in real danger. Thus we have prayers like "The Breastplate of Saint Patrick," caim prayers, and the like.

This verse, however, just struck me as beautiful. In the midst of an oncoming threat, the psalmist is reminded of the Invisible One who never leaves his side.

• God is a shield around him--he provides protection and is worthy of trust.
• God is his glory--he does not have to worry about his earthly reputation. His identity is secure in God; he has the LORD Himself as his glory! (Why settle for earthly praise?)
• God is the Lifter of his Head. This is one of my favorite images...a loving father gently lifting his downcast child's head, as if to say, "I love you. Daddy's here now, and it's all gonna be OK. I'll never leave you. You can do this, because I am with you." He lifts our spirits, gives us confidence, and reassures us in our weakness.

What a great God, huh? Not only does He provide physical protection, but He provides for our self-image and our feelings, too. He's awesome. Later on in this short psalm is where we get the words for the song you may have sung in a youth group: "I am not afraid of 10,000s of people who have set themselves against me. Arise, arise, deliver me, O my God!" I remember singing this song many times while walking alone through the streets of Sofia, Bulgaria late at night. I was praying for physical protection, but I didn't know about verse 3. Now, I can say this prayer, knowing that He really is my "all in all."

Thank You, Lord.