Hello friends, I need to take my last exam of the semester sometime this week. Sarah’s out of preschool now so I don’t have any kid-free time. Can someone watch her for about an hour this Wednesday or Thursday? Please oh please?

And while I’m begging for help… Anyone want to help me unpack? Cover shelves in contact paper or hang things on the walls… you know it sounds fun! I’ll make coffee…

The Springfield News-Leader:

Remember the Sons and Daughters of Missouri who have given their lives in service of our country since 2002.

Well… almost. My family, our furniture and most of our stuff have found a new home. Most of our junk… [and my coffee stuff and nice clothes... and shoes... and anything else I might need to start my morning and get ready for church] are still at the old apartment. I better get over there or I’ll have to wear hiking shoes to church.

No time to post for a while. I’ll catch up soon.

I really enjoyed today’s devotion but didn’t get the chance to write about it yet. I skipped yesterday because I felt absolutely miserable. I must have caught something bad bad. I’ll have to catch up on the devotions posts later. We’re moving soon and I have a ton of homework.

Meanwhile here are a couple interesting blogs I stumbled upon today when I was supposed to be doing a million other things.

Stuff Christians Like - Pretty funny

Caffeinated Thoughts - Stimulating musings from a Jesus-loving caffeine addict.

Here’s one post I liked: I read dead people

P.S.
This is fun to play to the kids… I put it on my phone to have it handy at all times.

Setting: The master bedroom door is locked.

Daughter: “Whine whine whine.” knock knock knock
Me: “Who is it?”

Daughter: “Mommy!!!”
Me: “Who is it?”

Daughter: “Momeeee!!!”
Me: “It can’t be Mommy, she’s in here. Who is it?”

Daughter: “It’s Sarah.”
Me: “Sarah, what do you need?”

Daughter: “I need Mommy!”
Me: “Try looking in your closet.”

Silence…I tell my husband, “I think I’ll be a little disappointed in her if she leaves.”
A minute passes… maybe two… followed by footsteps and a loud knock on the door.

Daughter: “YOU LIED TO ME!”

Not only does this book contain a wonderful collection of classic devotional reading, but it also begins each selection with an intro about the author. I love that.

Sorry for the late post. I got a lot out of the reading earlier today but didn’t take the time to write.

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Reading notes on: Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 41

The sixth selection includes excerpts from On the Love of God by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153).

Here’s my favorite quote: “Thus it happens that once God’s sweetness has been tasted, it draws us to the pure love of God more than our needs compel us to love him.”(43)

Here’s a summarizing quote. I recommend reading further.

“What are the four degrees of love? First, we love ourselves for our own sake; since we are unspiritual and of the flesh we cannot have an interest in anything that does not relate to ourselves. When we begin to see that we cannot subsist by ourselves, we begin to seek God for our own sakes. This is the second degree of love; we love God, but only for our own interests. But if we begin to worship and come to God again and again by meditating, by reading, by prayer, and by obedience, little by little God becomes known to us through experience. We enter into a sweet familiarity with God, and by tasting how sweet the Lord is we pass into the third degree of love so that now we love God, not for our own sake, but for himself. It should be noted that in this third degree we will stand still for a very long time… I am not certain that the fourth degree of love in which we love ourselves only for the sake of God may be perfectly attained in this life. But, when it does happen, we will experience the joy of the Lord and be forgetful of ourselves in a wonderful way…” (40)

Bible Selection: 1 John 4:7-21
I LOVED this passage. I’ve decided to memorize it.

Reflection Question: “Which of the four stages of love have you experienced in your spiritual journey? Describe.

Reading notes on: Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 33

The fifth selection includes excerpts from The Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross (1542-1691).

Dark Night of the Soul

I first heard the phrase my freshman year at Evangel University. I’ve definitely experienced it. I wrote a letter to Nicole in February of 1998 explaining the dark place I found myself in. I wrote,

“… I’m feeling a little lost, like I’ve entered into another one of those “dark nights of the soul” like Abraham after he made the covenant with God, he fell into that deep sleep. . . or maybe like when he had to wave his arms and chase away the birds that were trying to eat the covenant sacrifice. There are some buzzards circling round here. It’s all I can do to yell “shoo.”

…I’m distressed, discouraged, disillusioned, and discontent. I’m so thirsty, my throat is parched for lack of the Spirit. I feel like yelling and wailing and shouting and falling on my face and crying out to God, “I want to come home.” But I can’t because my head’s in a vice and there’s an anvil on my chest. . . I can hardly breathe. Oh for Aslan to jump over the white witch’s wall and to breathe on this cold white marble statue His breath of life.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not like I’ve fallen into some great immoral sin of any sort. . . well doubt, and complacency, and apathy. . .uggg I guess I have.

sigh…

I’m not sure where I’m going and I can’t remember where I’ve been; though I know it was better than where I am. I faintly remembering how real God was to me, how real and awesome His call was. I know He spoke, I’m sure I heard his voice. But I no longer recognize it. Henry Blackaby says, “If you have trouble hearing God speak, you are in trouble at the very heart of your Christian experience.” That sounds serious to me.

…I just want my heart to stop hurting and my stomach to stop churning, and my head to stop spinning, and most of all my soul to stop aching. God is dealing with me in a powerful way and I’m not enjoying it in the slightest.

John of the Cross explains this dark dry place as a tool God uses to purify the soul.  At some point in our Christian walk, God removes the feelings involved in religious activities in order to bring his children into a deeper walk with him.  It’s painful, but these times in our life “teach virtue and prevent vice.”  John of the Cross proceeds to explain seven spiritual vices a “dark night of the soul” helps treat and prevent.  They include spiritual pride, greed, luxury, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth.  I encourage you to read more about these spiritual vice, they might not be what you expect.  When God sees these spiritual imperfections in us he wants us to grow up… “No soul will ever grow deep in the spiritual life unless God works passively in that soul by means of the dark night.” (37)

Bible Selection: Psalm 42

Reflection Question: “Have you ever experienced what might be called a “dark night” in your spiritual journey, a time when the joys and delights seemed to vanish?

Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section.

Note: Sorry I don’t have more time to write on this.  Homework calls!