Abraham

So, after writing my post about Gilbert Morris' book series, I really wanted to go back and read the actual accounts in the Bible, so today, I started reading through the story of Abraham, and I noticed a few new things! The part that struck me the most was in Genesis chapter 18.

¹ Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre,^[a] as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. ² So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, ³ and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.  (emphasis mine) 

Do you see how it starts out in the singular form: "The Lord"...a very definite description. Not "the lords"  but "The Lord".  Then, in the second verse it changes to plural: "three men". I had always just had the idea that these men were angels of God who sent them to Abraham. Now I'm pretty sure that's not true. The third verse brings us back to singular with Abraham's greeting of "My Lord".  I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if you had already figured this out, but it really was a revelation to me. I think Abraham got to see God in a physical presence in context of the Trinity. So, he saw three men, but one God. How interesting would that be? My thoughts are confirmed even further by verses 9 and 10:

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
¹⁰ And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” 

 

Here again, we have the plural combined with the singular. And you may note that the singular is capitalized as it should be when discussing God. This passage really struck me, and it was something I never noticed before. As a side note, in the beginning of chapter 19, it says that two "angels" visited Lot..they noted a difference between the people in chapter 18 and those in 19. Interesting, eh? What are your thoughts on this?

Seeking

Before I went to Germany, I started looking for potential churches to attend. The first church to pop up was IBC, and that was all it took. I went there exclusively, and I'm so glad I did! That church was such a blessing to me in my time out of the States! But, now I've moved somewhere new, and find myself, once again, looking for a new church. I had it easy in Germany; I only had to try one church, and it was the right one. I haven't had much of a chance to go to any church up here in the windy city, just because of traveling, and different plans. I have managed to go to one, and before I went, I was sure that this would be it, but now I'm not so sure. It is hard to not compare every church with IBC. The International Baptist Church of Hamburg is so alive, and energetic! There is always something going on..and there is no pressure to be anyone but yourself. The music is excellent, the word solid..the community supportive..not a perfect church by any means..but a mighty good one! So, how do I deal with not having an IBC yet here? It is really difficult to not have that church body as an active part of my life. This Sunday I will be trying a new church where one of my dancing friends attends. I'm nervous..that I'll get my hopes up, only to be crushed..but no matter what, God is still with me, and He will lead me to the right one, even if it takes a while.

A New Perspective

I started reading a series by Gilbert Morris which is called "The Lion of Judah", I believe. He has taken important characters in the Bible and made their story into a 200ish page book each. So far, I have read about Noah and Abraham, and I just started the one about Isaac. I definitely know not to take these books as straight truth! He has just used his interpretation to create an interesting book.
  There was just one thing in the book about Noah that I really didn't agree with; he had the characters eating meat before the flood. The part that I found interesting was his portrayal of Noah being unrighteous. I know that Noah was a sinner just like the rest of us, but God saw that he was a righteous man...what I hadn't thought about was the fact that maybe Noah hadn't always been righteous in God's eyes. I'm not saying that I believe anything one way or the other, it's just interesting.
  Now, the story about Abraham was really intriguing to me! It starts out with Abraham at the temple making sacrifices to many gods. You might imagine my confusion as I was reading that page. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that Abraham could be raised in that sort of environment. Anyway, the story has both Abraham and Sarah start out as pagans, but he has always been striving to know if there is a TRUE God. Of course, it doesn't get too far in the book before God calls Abraham unto Himself. Morris also takes smaller stories and expands on them; Eliezer, for instance, plays a vital role in the book. I'm guessing that the Bible gives a pretty clear picture of this, but I have just never thought about it...Morris described Ishmael as being in his twenties at least before he and Hagar were thrown out. I need to go figure all this stuff out!

  I guess that is the best thing I can say about these books: they make me want to find out for myself what the Bible says about it. I'm curious to see what he has to say about Isaac and his sons! What do you think about it?

My New Job!

The day after I arrived here up North, I started applying for jobs in the downtown. I wasn't feeling the most confident as I came to the end of my day's list. I didn't feel like I had filled the applications out very well, and honestly didn't know who would ever hire me! I almost gave up and turned back, but then I saw one of the businesses in the distance. My sister was especially encouraged by that cafe/bakery, and she really wanted me to apply there, so I figured- "I'm here..might as well!"
I walked in and was greeted by the happiest person I had seen all day! She was enthusiastic when she gave me the application. It was the first time that day that I really felt comfortable. She even told me that there was a position open, and that I should call back in a few days and talk to the manager. I walked out of that cafe feeling so hopeful and excited!
It was a thrill and an utter surprise to me when I got a call from the manager the very next day! The interview was set up and I was ecstatic. The interview probably only lasted 15 minutes, but I felt that I had been honest and open, and that I had done a good enough job. I knew there were other applicants, so it was just a matter of waiting.
Nearly a week later, I received a phone call from my former boss when she informed me of the extremely positive conversation she had with the bakery's manager! It was so nice to hear how my former boss appreciated the service I had given her. That was encouraging in itself. The manager called me the day after to officially offer me the position. I could not contain my excitement!
I went in yesterday to meet the other workers and to get a feel for the system. It was truly enjoyable. I loved talking to the husband. Oh, this is a family owned business, so the husband does most of the baking and cooking, and the wife does everything else. She showed me around the building and explained a bit of what I would be doing.
Today was my first training day, and I worked for three and a half hours. I was a bit nervous going in, but all the workers put me at ease right away. I just floated around for the majority of the time. I asked questions and got lots of answers! Whenever they didn't have something for me to do right away, I would go back and wash more dishes.
The most nerve-wracking thing I did was frost some cookies. I am not a culinary master AT ALL!!! I'm not physically artsy, and I've never been a good frost-er...but, I did it! And I felt more comfortable the more I did it, and I had a few that actually turned out pretty well; the others were just mediocre. I'm looking forward to the day that I can just whip out the frosting and be finished in short order. They were very encouraging despite my deficiencies. :P 
I have tomorrow off, but will go back on Friday from 7-2pm. It will be an early morning, but better than Germany! :P I'm really looking forward to working on Friday. I had so much fun talking with all of them and serving people again. I love to serve people! Serving makes me feel like I am doing something worthwhile and being a positive spot in peoples' days.
That is my job update!

It's a Girl!

My lovely cousin, Kendall and myself!

The lovely arrangement of food.

Laura with Nicole's mother-in-law and grandma-in-law. 

Nicole opening up my present.

Here's a better look at it. This was my secret project which I mentioned before.

It was lovely to visit with Miss Jamie again! 

And the three of us with Aunt Sheila and Kendall. 

We were all there to celebrate the coming arrival of Miss Reilly Marie Loyd!

Sister Weekend!

  We all met up in Denver this past weekend for Nicole's first baby shower!! I will post pictures of that as well, but not until I'm cleared to let everyone know the baby's gender! Woot Woot!  So, Bethany and I met up in Minneapolis airport on Thursday and only missed one flight before catching a plane out to Denver where Nicole picked us up. We mainly relaxed; games and talking were the main activities. It was so nice to see Chris and Nicole's new house and the things they have prepared for their new family member. 

    I got to feel the baby moving quite a bit. I've always wanted to feel that, but never really had the chance, so I figured that since she is my sister...it's okay to ask. :P Such an incredible thing to feel...to know that God is creating this small child inside of my sister! So strange, and so amazing! I cannot wait to meet this little one.

    Anyway, Laura made it out on Friday and she, Bethany, and I hung out while Nicole worked. We spent a very enjoyable time doing some personality analysis tests. We love to analyze. Nicole wasn't feeling the best when she got home from work, so we all just hung out. I watched Chris make supper and was asking questions incessantly. Thankfully, he was very patient with me (at least outwardly) and answered all my questions. I still have so much to learn! 

   Nicole's baby shower was on Saturday, and thankfully, she was feeling up to it, but by this point, Bethany was out sick. So, the three of us went without her, as much as we hated to do it. It was nice to see all of Nicole's in-laws, some of our family, and a good friend of ours! It was a great time just to celebrate this new life joining our family. Unfortunately, by this time, I also, was not feeling the best, so as soon as we got back home we all basically crashed. Laura showed Chris and Boo all of Nicole's gifts, and that was good. :D We spent some time watching the first two episodes of America's Got Talent, which was quite fun! We all had to leave in the morning, so there wasn't too much other than packing going on. 

  So, we left the house before 7am yesterday and spent the day waiting and hoping for flights. We were blessed to get our three seats on the first flight out of Denver. Bethany was also fortunate to get on the first flight back to Iowa, and Laura and I hung out in Minneapolis for a few hours. We had heard that there was very little change of us getting on a plane before 7pm, and were so grateful when we actually got on the 5:15pm flight! Praise the Lord! We got back to the apartment around 6:30, I finally blew up my air mattress (since Boo brought the cap with her from home), and by 7:30pm I was out! My fever finally broke, and I woke up at 8:30pm.  I just hung around until I fell back asleep at 9:30pm. The next thing I knew, it was 8 this morning! 

  I am feeling much better today, and am looking forward to what this week will bring! Hopefully meeting some more people, and getting even more settled in. Oh, and btw...I got the job! I applied for a job at a bakery/cafe, and found out on Friday that I had received the job. I am profoundly grateful for it, and hope to not be a disappointment to my new employers!! :D I will go in tomorrow to meet everyone, and will start training on Wednesday. Maybe I'll have something more interesting to blog about now! :D

Social Life in the Windy City