Suffocate.

         Well, I am out doing homework.. you can see how well that's going as I have resorted to updating my blog since it has been a very long time. Goal for the day: Finish up my Evolutionary Theory class. One 8 page paper is all that stands between me and being school free... for a month. Brief update on things lately. Passport has yet to arrive which is a slightly stressful situation. I think the passport phone people stress me out more than need be. They can't tell me anything. I get they aren't allowed to, but still so annoying. So I just paid the fee to get it rush ordered in hopes to speed up the process and get it here on time. It's funny cause all of a sudden in the past three days I have gotten worried about it so started really praying the passport would get here so I wouldn't have to pay the fee. My pastor always says to pray fervently and with faith believing that God will actually do something. So I did. I prayed expecting God to make the status of my passport say 'being shipped' rather than 'processing application' before Friday. As much as I wanted God to run on my time this week, apparently He still knows better and His timing is still better as the status still reads 'processing application.' So I continue to fervently pray expecting that regardless of the timing, God will work it out as He has done with everything up to this point.

          Then there's the packing. Ugh. I still need to get business casual clothes. I know, shocker that I don't have business casual attire. I have been jotting down a list of things that I need to bring so hopefully I won't forget too many things. My game plan is to shuffle out my paper today so that all I have left to focus on is preparing and packing for Thailand.

          I have decided that although I am not a morning person (that's not the new revelation) I need my time with God in the morning. I got this great devotional book from my wonderful roommate last year called 'The Jesus Calling'- if you haven't done it, do it. Or don't. But if you are looking for a good devotional book, I recommend it. The only thing I have discovered is don't be dependent on your devotional book. Devo books are great but also make it easy to spend a quick ten minutes with God and read the few verses referenced in the text. Be cautious. But anyways, I would go read that day's devotion at night or after work and wish I would have had those words to have carried with me throughout the day. Not because it's not some peace or wisdom or advice or whatever that God couldn't have spoken to me outside the devotional book, but because I didn't give Him the time to speak into my busy day until the business was over. For me, it's one thing for me to spend time with God each day. It is an entirely other thing to begin my day with Him and invite Him to journey through the day with me. The nice thing about devotional books is it gives you a quick bit to start your day with if you don't have much time in the morning. Game plan: sunrise devos (maybe late sunrise, but still sunrise). Speaking of sunrise (good transition eh?), I had an entertaining thought yesterday. I was on a morning run, got back, keeled over, watched the sun coming up and lost the breath I was already short of. I thought of all the breathtaking views I have seen and how such seemingly simple things are so beautiful. There are hundreds of sunrises, but they never get old. Then I thought 'Man, the Creator is of unimaginable beauty, far beyond anything I have ever seen or can fathom.' People always wonder what it will be like when they are face to face with the Father and how wonderful it will be. I have decided all of His beauty and glory will certainly be breathtaking, unimaginably breathtaking- so I will suffocate. I mean it's only logical :). Good thing He is the giver of life and can resuscitate my breathless body- I mean He breathed the breath of life into Adam, pretty sure He can do it again. This thought process, of course, was one where I cracked myself up. 

Now that I have procrastinated for a sufficient amount of time, I will crank out my 8 page paper. Quick note though, if you haven't been already, pray for the Colorado fires and those affected by it. It truly is devastating. It is incredible how powerless we are in such situations. God help us. 

Pray. Persevere.

K