puhlease

i guess i am kind of a weirdo in that i usually like to hang out in the 'less popular' books of the bible. i'll go chill in isaiah for a while...kick it in the peters (which sounds kind of dirty now that i have typed it)...tool around in hosea...when i was in high school, i don't even know how many times i read job. followed closely by the number of times i read lamentations. you can see what a cheery kid i was.

but hey, um...i mean, can we talk about the book of romans for a second?

sick.

so i guess it's just been a while (maybe since sometime last year) that i really dug my heels into romans. but holy crap, kids. this book is RIDICULOUS.

every day, i read something like it's the first time i've ever even read it. i want to sign right up for paul's army of champion christian soldiers. the whole book is just stupid (in a freaking great way)...every chapter has me underlining and writing 'YES!' in the margins like i'm sitting in the pews of a southern baptist church. 'PREACH ON, BROTHER PAUL! THAT'S RIGHT!' haha.

let's look at chapter 12 for a moment. please. it's just...i can't even come up with a word right now. i am chomping my gum and shaking my head to find the correct adjective for how bad ass this chapter is.

'don't just pretend to love others. really love them. hate what is wrong. hold tightly to what is good. love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.' romans 12: 9-10

before i read this, i had just gotten done writing in my journal about how thankful i was for the community that God has lavished on me here. i wrote about that last week. he is so not done with me. my prayer for community was a weak, wannabe prayer. kind of like how before i went to myrtle beach, i prayed that he would teach me to trust and be vulnerable with others. he must just laugh hysterically at me and say, 'oh, girl, you have no idea what i have in store for you.'

so anyway, i really feel like he is pointing out, 'hey, i heard your prayer (as half-hearted as it may have been), and i am delighted to answer it. but i don't just want you to have friends in marion. i want you to invest deeply. really love them. press into them, and allow them to press into you. your love for one another is a symbol of my love for you. know me more through them. in your love for others, you will show me.'

wow. :)


get it? they're romans.