As I was getting ready for bed, I picked up a book that categorizes Bible verses according to their subject.  I looked and read the verses under the subject of being content (going along with the theme of my post earlier).  Look up Philippians 4:11-13 and let me know what you think!

Summer kicked in the same day it always does in my town: July 5th.  These past two days have been beautiful with clear skies and the warmth of the sun.  My mind wandered through the experiences of past summers.  I pondered one experience in particular that happened a few summers ago.  The lesson I learned from the experience has proved to be invaluable over the past few years.
Imagine doing 300 dishes.  That's right.  Over 300 dishes.  It would take almost 3 hours to finish all of them (and that was with a team of people).  Welcome to service crew.  I was with a group of high school students spending the week working at a summer camp doing whatever needed to be done.  I got deeply frustrated (though I didn't let it show) about how much work we had to do.  I thought that summer camp was supposed to be fun.  I climbed a hill for quiet time one day and when I came off the hill I had a different outlook.  It occurred to me that it wasn't all about me having fun but about those I was there to serve.  I learned to make the most of the situation and to be content with what lot I was given.

The Dishes

I have found that being content gives me a sense of peace in whatever situation I am in.  How do you continue to be content in your life?  What keeps you from being content?

I'm currently watching a lecture series called "The History of Christian Theology".  One of my favorite parts of the series happened in yesterday's lecture when the subject turned to typology (a way Christians read Scripture).  Typology is looking for pre-figurations of Jesus (example: Jesus as the temple) or of other things (example: Israel being a pre-figuration of the church).
Here are some of my favorite typologies:
Jesus as the Passover Lamb
Jesus as the Temple
Jesus as the Rock from which water sprung to quench the thirst of the Israelites
wood of the ark as the wood of the cross.
What is your favorite typology?

I haven't posted in a while because I feel like I haven't seen God.  I was contemplating on the couch today about this and realized that I haven't seen God because I wasn't truly looking.  Upon reflection, I have a list of places that I have seen God.

1. Church on Sunday
My church went through a major transition this last Sunday.  The whole service was one big celebration.  When the pastor got up to give his sermon he addressed the fact that this felt like a finish line but that we were still in the race (Hebrews 12:1-2).  The sermon made me think about what I am focusing on as my target (I find it easy to get caught up in the little targets).

2. Second-Chance at Scholarship
I had submitted my application for a scholarship to my church a while ago.  When I got in the car after small group, I asked my Mom if anything was new.  That's when I heard that the people from the Scholarship committee had contacted my drama director (who sent them a letter of recommendation) saying that they hadn't received the rest of my application (this was the day after it was due).  I had sent the application in on May 23rd so I had no idea what had happened.  Even though they had made it very clear in the application that they would disqualify anybody whose information they had not received by the deadline, they gave me a second chance.

3. Photos
I've been going through family photos trying to put together a slide-show to celebrate my high-school graduation.  As I look back at these photos, I am reminded that God has blessed me with so much: a great family and plenty of great experiences.

More of God's handiwork 

Where have you seen God this past week?  Have you taken the time to look?

I'm currently reading the book "Why Jesus?" by Ravi Zacharias.  Ravi quotes the first verse of a hymn called "Himself" that was written by Albert B. Simpson.  
"Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word;
Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own,
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone."
See the difference between the two contrasting themes?
Once describes a self-centered person.  Now describes
a God centered person.  Which type of person are you?

Are you pursuing God for your own Benefit or are you
pursuing God for who He is?

I took a trip to the Olympic National Park this last week.  Here are some of my favorite photos that I took.  I am constantly amazed whenever I look at nature and see the handiwork of God.

Magnificent.  That was the only word that popped into my mind when the moon came into full view through the car window.  We pulled over and got out of the car to walk to a better viewing point.  We stood their looking at the moon before getting back into the warm car about a minute later.  

This experience got me thinking about two ways that it relates to faith and God.  

First, with such a magnificent moon, how could it have been made by chance?  It clearly points to a creator, a talented one at that. 

Second, the moon was the focal point.  The cold temperature was a distraction.   I wouldn’t have frozen to death in this cold, but it made me uncomfortable.  It distracted me from fully enjoying the beauty of the moon.  The question popped into my mind: when seeking something else, will I be able to withstand the distraction and keep seeking, or watching, that something?  Will you?

My Dad took this photo tonight

As I finished up reading through 1 Chronicles in my Bible this morning, I ran across this verse “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.”-1 Chronicles 29:17 (NIV).

I started thinking: what does it mean to have integrity and why does God look at the heart in order to see it?  Turns out, most definitions of integrity define it as a wholeness, unity, adherence to moral principle.  In 1 Chronicles 29, David and many of the leaders of his people are giving materials that will be used by Solomon to build the temple.  David is rejoicing that he sees his leaders giving willingly and with an honest intent to glorify God.  Seeing people giving up some of their possessions to God is one thing, knowing their motives for giving is another.  God looks at the motives to see if our actions are arising out of worship or out of promoting our image to those around us.  It’s like a student reading a book in a crowd of people.  Is the student intent on reading the book in order to gain knowledge or are they trying to appear studious without really caring about what the book says?  We can almost never tell by just looking at the student.  

When we look at the Eiffel Tower, we can see what supports it and keeps it standing tall.   When we look at a tree on the other hand, we see a trunk, branches and leaves.  We don’t see the roots or what is inside of the trunk.  We can’t tell by looking at it whether it is rotten or not because its support is hidden from us.  People are like trees.  Other people can look at us and see the outside of us but they can’t see what supports us.  God sees us like mini Eiffel Towers.  He can see through our projected image and look at what truly supports us: our motives.  He can look at that and tell whether our actions come from honest motives or whether they come from us trying to enhance our external image.  

The Way God sees us

The Way Man sees us

If I want to have integrity I have to be the same person inside and out.  If I’m not, I’m a rotting tree.  If I have integrity, I will have the supports inside of me that lead me to take actions that are pleasing to God.

I am a seventeen year old high-school graduate seeking God.  This blog is a journal of that life-long journey.  How do I go about seeking the face of God?

Answer: Reflect (meaning to “think deeply or carefully about” according to Oxford dictionaries)

-about my life

-about Scriptures

-about other people’s view of God

-about what God has done

Why do I want to seek God’s face?  Simple: I believe that we are not here by accident.  I believe that we were meant for some bigger purpose.  That purpose to me is to honor and praise God for all eternity.  Before I go praising something, it is helpful to know what I am praising.  Reviewers don’t praise the unknown by saying “it’s great!”.  Reviewers always have an object in mind: the movie was great, the newest i-phone is great, the book was great!  With the specific object in mind, they tell you why it’s great (ex. the newest i-phone is great because the internet is much faster than it was on the old one).  Seeking who God is allows me to praise God for what He truly is.  In fact, finding out more about who He is deepens my praise of Him.   How do I live my life in a way that honors God?  In order to understand this, I have a little bit of knowledge about who God is and what he wants from us.  How do I find this out?  Read my Bible.  

I could keep looking straight ahead and seeing whatever pops in front of me.  But sometimes, the beauty is around us and we have to look for it.  Take the picture above for example.  I would have never captured this photo if I kept my camera lens facing forward.  I pointed my lens around to see the world around me.  I found magnificence and yet another hint that there is a God.

Finally, what is with the title “Focusing the Lens?”?  One of my passions, along with finding out more about who God is, is photography.  In order to get a good picture, I have to focus the lens on the object.  In this blog the lens is focused on seeking God.