Brain on Overdrive
It’s funny where your brain goes when your hands are busy. I’m packing...let’s see, before I explain what’s in my brain, I’d better show you what I am up against on the packing scene.
The stuff on the table has to fit in that suitcase and carryon. And that doesn’t include the things in my clothes hamper that need to be washed before admittance to the table load. Or my favorite Bible and journal. Or my toothbrush. Decisions are imminent, I’m afraid.
But not yet. My brain is occupied with thinking about gnat bites on my arms and legs. I have half a dozen or so from watching the kids play soccer Saturday afternoon. It’s Wednesday today and finally the hot, intensely itchy welts have shrunk to where I only look like I’ve been pummeled by golf balls instead of baseballs. The gnat bites remind me of our June 1st Bible reading. I put a link to our daily Bible readings right under my profile on the left sidebar (it slides out like a shade when you touch the icon) if you want to follow along. We are wrapping up Ephesians this week at DavNaz, which is shorthand for Davenport Nazarene. We read that “Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Ephesians 2:14 NLT). In Paul’s time that was a big deal. Jews and Gentiles were polar opposites, hostile toward one another. But Jesus forged the two groups into one unit which became known as the church—Christians.
It’s like both sides got infected with the virus of peace. What's more, Paul saw himself as a vector for spreading that virus of peace. And that’s what I want to do too. Which is where the gnats come in. I wondered if the gnats spread viruses the way wood ticks do. I don’t think they do, but if they did, I would want to be like a gnat and spread the virus of Jesus-peace to everyone I meet. Minus the hot, itchy welts, mind you.
The gospel of Jesus binds people together because in his own body he broke down all walls of hostility between his followers. In Christ there is no more male nor female, slave nor free, Jew nor Greek... Republican nor Democrat? We read about it on May 22nd in Galatians 3:28 if you want to check my facts. Peace from person to person as we put down our hostilities and really love our neighbor the way Christ loved us and gave himself for us. It’s how I want to spend my life. You too? I'd better get back to packing. I wonder if I can fit another book in that stack?
Amy
The stuff on the table has to fit in that suitcase and carryon. And that doesn’t include the things in my clothes hamper that need to be washed before admittance to the table load. Or my favorite Bible and journal. Or my toothbrush. Decisions are imminent, I’m afraid.
But not yet. My brain is occupied with thinking about gnat bites on my arms and legs. I have half a dozen or so from watching the kids play soccer Saturday afternoon. It’s Wednesday today and finally the hot, intensely itchy welts have shrunk to where I only look like I’ve been pummeled by golf balls instead of baseballs. The gnat bites remind me of our June 1st Bible reading. I put a link to our daily Bible readings right under my profile on the left sidebar (it slides out like a shade when you touch the icon) if you want to follow along. We are wrapping up Ephesians this week at DavNaz, which is shorthand for Davenport Nazarene. We read that “Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Ephesians 2:14 NLT). In Paul’s time that was a big deal. Jews and Gentiles were polar opposites, hostile toward one another. But Jesus forged the two groups into one unit which became known as the church—Christians.
It’s like both sides got infected with the virus of peace. What's more, Paul saw himself as a vector for spreading that virus of peace. And that’s what I want to do too. Which is where the gnats come in. I wondered if the gnats spread viruses the way wood ticks do. I don’t think they do, but if they did, I would want to be like a gnat and spread the virus of Jesus-peace to everyone I meet. Minus the hot, itchy welts, mind you.
The gospel of Jesus binds people together because in his own body he broke down all walls of hostility between his followers. In Christ there is no more male nor female, slave nor free, Jew nor Greek... Republican nor Democrat? We read about it on May 22nd in Galatians 3:28 if you want to check my facts. Peace from person to person as we put down our hostilities and really love our neighbor the way Christ loved us and gave himself for us. It’s how I want to spend my life. You too? I'd better get back to packing. I wonder if I can fit another book in that stack?
Amy
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