Recently—in the last couple months or so—I have been seeing my life as a movie, trying to figure out where in the movie I am and how the movie will end. I do not know if this is a good thing. Can life really be that predictable?

Fairbanks, Alaska is different than most U.S. cities in that they cater to dry cabin living. For those who may not know, what I mean by dry is not alcohol free but rather absent of running water.

It seems that modern conveniences are actually not very convenient. Having to use the outhouse (or trees), filling up jugs, showering and doing laundry in town, these lifestyle changes have, and are, leading me to an interesting and freeing thought: simplicity. Some of these apparent “inconveniences” are actually making life simpler. I am no longer feeling tied to the internet. I check it occasionally for email mostly and I get tired of browsing after only a minute or two. But I do not feel as though I’m missing something. In fact, I almost forget the internet exists. And I like that.

It is hard to explain this freedom. Life slows down; becomes more enjoyable. It is like a huge burden is lifted from the shoulders of a weary traveler who has trudge hundreds of miles of rugged terrain under a needless weight of unnecessary but seemingly important gadgets designed to” make life easier” but it doesn’t and when the weight is lifted they sigh with relief falling weightless into a soft couch or chair.

Simplicity breeds rest; and rest is freedom.

As we drove towards Nome Creek, I realized something about myself. Long periods of being shut inside is not good for anyone, but especially me. It makes me feel tired, and eventually leads to a depressed feeling, no matter how subtle that depression may be. But when I get outside, I feel a freshness blown into my lungs, I start to become alive again. Being outside, both outside my house and outside of town where it is more quiet—free from the noise of the city, where the air is cleaner—free from the smog and refineries, clears the mind. It becomes easier to think, to listen.

Being outside refreshes the soul. Man was meant to live in the outdoors.

Many of us (my self included at times) travel through life on a path we know not where it leads. Our minds tell our feet to walk and so we walk (or run, stroll,  sprint, what have you). There are often times side trails along the way. Sometimes we take them; sometimes we do not. Some of these trails dead end and force us to turn around and go back to where were. Others eventually loop back or connect to the road we were on. And them some turn into a whole new trail that leads us in an entirely different direction in which we never return to the one we are on.

I feel as though I am wandering aimlessly on a path. I do not know where I am going or where the path leads. Along the way I pause and sit and rest, thinking (or trying to think) about my life. There seems to be no direction except to go forward. I do not know what my life is about.

And then I read Jeremiah 29:11-13Jeremiah 29:11-13:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans for welfare [or peace] and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,
and I will hear you.

You will seek me and find me,
when you seek me with all your heart.’” (ESV; emphasis mine)

I may not know where my life is headed, or where I am going. But I do not need to know specifics, though I would not mind knowing them. All the matters is that God has a plan for my life–to give me peace, not evil; to give me a future and a hope. And I do have a future and a hope; and it is an eternal one.

In a game more than a century old and an iconic symbol of what America is, one the the greatest ballplayers ever to grace the field is Albert Pujols. From his childhood in the Dominican Republic to the Major Leagues, Pujols: More than the Game traces life and career of Albert both on and off the field, never shying from his source and motivation in life–Jesus Christ.

As biographies go, this book in okay, I guess. The chapters read more like journalism articles than a book (and Chapter one feeling more like an introduction). The book, despite not being very long, still managed to feel tedious about halfway through. The steroid chapter was particularly frustrating and boring (the authors here seemed to stress their point beyond what was necessary).The last chapter felt rushed. With all the statistical highlights mentioned in the book, I was surprised Lamb and Ellsworth did not mention anything about Albert’s 400th career home run.

But the biggest disappointment I had with the book was that I never got a clear picture of who Albert Pujols really is. The authors seemed to have forgotten one of the cardinal rules of writing (no pun intended): Show, don’t tell.

I do not know how many books have been written about Albert Pujols yet, but until I find a better one, this one is acceptable, I suppose.

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This book was received  free from Thomas Nelson Publishers <http://BookSneeze.com> (FTC regulation 16 CFR, Part 255)

Without going into detail, for local media is exhaustively covering it, my landlord, a friend of more than ten years was arrested on very serious charges (and I hope and pray they are false charges). The house where I live was raided and my laptop and shotgun (among a couple other items) are now in the custody of the government.

As a background to all this, in my own life, I have been struggling somewhat in my walk with God, and this raid and arrest, brought that part of my life to a head. I suddenly felt lost, weak, and laboring for each step. I wanted to leave Fairbanks forever, start a new life, pretend this never happened. I kept waking up hoping it was all just a bad dream.

But in all of this I have learned, and am learning, some really important lessons and truths.

The first is hope. Without hope, what is there worth living for? Hope is what keeps us going; it is was keeps me going. Yet there is a hope that lasts when everything else fails and it is that hope I am talking about. It is a hope in God, a hope of a future free from pain, suffering, heartache, and doubt. It is a hope that one day my faith will given sight.

The second is friends. I have been blessed so much by the community of believers God has placed me in. Just their presence has been enough to encourage me, lighten my load, and remind me we are all in this together—we are not alone.

The third prayer and bearing burdens. When I stepped off the bus and began walking up the hill towards the house, I saw a bunch of SUV’s and a couple Trooper cars parked in front of the house.  Electronic equipment were warrant, and had I been inside when the officers were there, I would have lost my cell phone. I almost took my laptop to work that day, and had I, it would still be in my possession.

For several days afterward, I thought about what I would do if I had it to do all over again. As tempting as it would be to grab my laptop at least, I don’t think I would change a thing. And here is why. If I had not lost my laptop, or had not even lived at the house, I would have felt somewhat removed from the situation. But by being directly affected by it, I have a keener understanding of how to pray for Schaeffer, his family, and his parents (his dad is my pastor here in Fairbanks). And because of that, I am grateful for the choices I made—what I did and did not do.

In addition, I ask that you all keep Schaeffer, his family, and his parents in your prayers. Pray that in everything the name of God would be glorified. I am resting on the promise that “…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (Pilippians 4:7; ESV, italics mine).

“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD will renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:30-31a; ESV)

How long does one have to wait? How does one wait? What does it mean anyway? And why is it so hard to do?

In the midst of a crazy, hectic week where even sleep seems a luxury I can barely afford, I find myself struggling with the concept, of waiting. I struggle to understand it, to make it my own. I know for a fact  it is something I need to do, yet I feel I am unable to do it. Of course, it is easy enough to say I am waiting for God, but while I am “waiting,” I busy myself with many other tasks, other responsibilities.

But is that really waiting? In a certain way I suppose it is; actively waiting I could call it. And I am sure in certain situations, and done in the right manner, it is biblical. Obviously God does not want us to sit around on our butts and do nothing… or does he?

I am reminded of the story in Luke where Martha busily tries to get a meal ready and clean the house for her company, while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet… doing nothing. And Mary was commended for doing what was better (Lk 10:38-42).

Now of course, as Ecclesiastes points out, there is a time for everything: a time to work and a time to do nothing. To often, however, I do not spend enough time doing “nothing” for God. I do not spend enough time in silence—not reading, not praying, not sleeping…

Just sitting, listening, and waiting. Waiting for that still, small voice of God whispering, “Stephen.”

I do not give God enough of my time.

The book is well organized into different sections for easy use as a reference, as well as for a straight through read. For someone taking a class on apologetics, Beyond Opinion is an excellent text. Further, it is equally understandable and comprehensible for the lay person who may find themselves in a situation where they must defend their faith in a loving way.

I personally found this book challenging in a good way. It challenged me in the way I live, to live my life more intentionally for my God and to more intentionally imitate the one whom I am following: Jesus Christ. Understanding where other people are coming from further helps in lovingly sharing the gospel of truth to a lost and dying world. For what it is worth, I highly recommend this book to both Christians serious about living out their faith as well as non-Christians who have honest questions about God and the Christian faith.

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This book was received  free from Thomas Nelson Publishers <http://BookSneeze.com> (FTC regulation 16 CFR, Part 255)

GLEE! the great storm is over!
Four have recovered the land;
Forty gone down together
Into the boiling sand.

Ring, for the scant salvation!
Toll, for the bonnie souls,–
Neighbor and friend and bridegroom,
Spinning upon the shoals!

How they will tell the shipwreck
When winter shakes the door,
Till the children ask, “But the forty?
Did they come back no more?”

Then a silence suffuses the story,
And a softness the teller’s eye;
And the children no further question,
And only the waves reply.

I would like to think I had a say in the path I took, and will take–am taking even now–but if I do have a say, it is a very little one at best. I know in my heart of hearts, in my soul, in the deepest regions of my being that cannot be seen except as an abstract thought, that one greater than me–far greater than my own comprehension–has been guiding my feet in a certain path. Even the choices I have made affecting the direction of my life have been influenced by the hand of the Almighty. Not that I am free from responsibility of those choices, but that those choices, good or bad, were part of the story laid out for my life. My choices did not come as a surpsrise .

As I tried to live my life for my King, I have sought his counsel often, trying to do the best I could, to make the right choices–choices that I hope would please Him. But if there is one thing I have learned over the years it is that the way things are is the way they were meant to be.