Thoughtful

So, I just finished my first exam (1 of 4), it wasn't too bad.. could have been much worse. My next one is on Saturday at 9:30 am.. talk about the suckiest time to have an exam...ah well, I'll survive and then I'll play some football(American: soccer) with the guys. But I don't really feel like typing about what is going on.

I've been rather thoughtful lately.. it kinda comes with every end of the semester, but especially this yaer I've been forced to think over leaving all my friends here for an indefinite amount of time. I'll get to see all my friends at home soon. Also just thinking over the experience of being in a different country and how there are just alot of little things that are different.. which can make it seem incredibly lonely and unfamiliar. Not that that has really happened to me very much, I've been very grateful to have Renee around and I really do love Edinburgh.

I've also been trying to reflect on what God has been teaching me over the semester. One thing that I am really excited about is that He has given me more of a drive to read the Bible and other theological books and commentaries. I have also been getting alot out of my new favorite chapter Romans 8... it is so cool and totally full of wonderful truths. I've also been going through Acts alot... it is truely amazing how God worked in the early church and how the apostles lived and breathed the gospel. So I guess He has given me a vision for what the church should be like/ what I want to strive to. I also love the way that Jesus' statement about spreading the church to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the Earth is fulfilled after Steven's stoning and continues to be fulfilled today through missions. The church that I go to, Carrubers also has a mission focus and we hear just about every week from someone either by letter or talk or pictures. That is something that I love about the church here is that you have some form of contact with Christians all around the world and it is to a much greater extent than at home. So I guess coming here has also shown me how God is working everywhere, not just my little bubble. I've also been learning to trust Him more, just in everyday things that I sometimes worry about. Now I like walking around by myself because it gives me a chance to have a chat with Jesus, kinda in the same way I did when driving at home. I've also been reading some interesting books including The Lost Message of Jesus by Steve Chalke, this has caused a good deal of debate among the UK Christian community. It was an interesting and challenging book and although I'm not sure I agree with everything in it, it was nice to have time to think about it. I'm also in the middle of Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Also an amazing and challenging book. Both of these I've borrowed from my small groupers, which has also been a big source of growth for me. In our small group we always tend to go on tangents about the very debatable subjects in Christianity, like predestination v. freewill, creation v. evolution, and other things which is good fun. So in summary, God has been giving me a vision of the Kingdom, and the truth of His all sufficient love and grace for right now. I don't have to do anything to earn it, that is why it is called grace.. but I want to live the way the Spirit leads me because it is my act of gratitude, not to mention the best and most fulfilling wayno matter how much the world would tell us different. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37