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squishy5x0
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Name: Robert
Country: United States
State: Illinois
Birthday: 4/24/1983
Gender: Male
Interests: Music, Biology and related sciences, Theology and Philosophy, Flamenco dancers, and People.
Expertise: I make one mean latte.
Occupation: Supervisory
Industry: Entertainment
Message: message me
Member Since:
12/8/2003
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| ¡Soy en Barcelona!
La ciudad me encanta mucho. Se me excita lo que voy a ver cuando vivo aquí por dos años. Vale. Cristo ha hecho todo perfecto en mi vida y en las vidas de las personas en este ciudad. El gente necesita mucho oración, pero creo que Dios va a cambiar la cultura y da gracia por todos.
I think it's funny that I feel justified writing in Spanish since I'm in Barcelona.
Little known fact: Spanish is not the major language in Barcelona (or in the region of Catelonia). It is Catelan, which is closer to French. One more language to pick up...
Better known fact: Robert's probably misspelling many of these words.
There are a lot of Germans here too, which should make Tom happy. Thankfully, they all speak about 17 languages already including, but not limited to, English and Spanish.
More news, updates, and pictures to follow. | | |
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This message brought to you by the good baristas at Starbucks Grand Prairie.
I'd also like to add that I find it fabulous that I took that picture with my phone in September and transfered it to my Mac Powerbook tonight via bluetooth. Hooray for screwing around with technology! | | |
| Providence is such a fantastic attribute of God. As I sit in the top floor of a house owned by Chi Alpha in Peoria (a Christian group who's Knox branch I basically wrote off during my time there for being "crazy Pentecostals!") and gaze out at the campus of Bradley University, I can't help but reflect on the way that God so intricately knit together events in my life to bring me here. He obviously knew what He was doing and he obviously had my Best in mind, because I wouldn't trade this year of making coffee, playing music, and learning about the grandeur of God for anything.
It was about a year ago that I made the decision to postpone the work that I want to do at the University in Barcelona in hopes of following the path that God was setting before me, largely through intangible means. There were events and encounters that served to verify my call to Peoria, such as having the promise of being hired at Starbucks about 6 months after I first applied (and the blatant favor of God displayed there since I had never had any encounters with Tom Green [my manager] to that point, and I am to this day that store's only new hire), but my move was definitely based more on a nudge and some vague expectations than on anything else. After more than 7 months of living the life, I must say that God is truly faithful to provide more than I could have asked or imagined since graduation.
Consider the friends he blessed me with, many of whom have been instrumental in my spiritual development! If God hadn't orchestrated my coming to Peoria, I would have left for Spain much underprepared, in my opinion. I would have known less scripture, I would have had less teaching, I would have not experienced much of the deliverance from sin that I have recently, and I wouldn't have received the so-called "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" manifest in the gifts of tongues, and the firstfruits of prophetic worship and exhortation. Ultimately, I believe that Jesus set things up to draw me closer to Him, because that was the desire of my heart. I will, indeed, praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
Still, I have to stop and wonder about many of my friends who's lives don't reflect this same level of grace. I can think of several people who have either partially or entirely stopped seeking to honor the Lord with their lives, and there are many others who do desire to know Jesus more, but their lives don't seem to be working out nearly as well my own. It could be because I tend to focus on the positive, for there are certainly negatives in my life, but I feel that they all pale in comparison to being closer to Jesus. It could be that God is using this time of struggle and trial in their lives to prepare them for what lies ahead. I suppose that it could also be that many of these people are also living hypocritical lives at the core--who say with their lips that they wan't more Jesus, but are unwilling to go where He calls, to cut off the hands and gouge out the eyes that cause them to sin, or to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in critical areas (this is an area that I'm tested in a lot, especially when the Spirit leads me away from things that seem good by all accounts, but are obviously not yet in God's time to give me).
All in all, I believe it's safe to say that the Lord wants to draw people unto Himself and to give them good and perfect gifts, but the Lord will only bless those who are willing to acknowledge themselves needy. The Lord will only bestow extravagant gifts upon those that seek Him first and take no initial consideration to the tangible things the Lord would give. It's also fair to say that if someone hasn't been seeking the Lord for a while but comes to a place of yearning for Jesus in the midst of temporal upheaval, that is the Lord's providence at work in a massive web of circumstances in order to bring a lost sheep home. The unpleasant situations are, in a sense, woven together as a net to ensnare the wayward child of God and bring him back into the loving care and affection of such a gracious Father. Indeed we know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he will not lose even one of the precious lambs that has been entrusted to His sovereign care.
I, for one, am so grateful to know that my dear Father loves me enough to pave the way for me in every stage of my life so that I may be brought closer to Him. I trust that He will do the same thing when I'm in Spain. He will take care of me. The way may be difficult at times, but that's no reason to throw out the magnificence of God's providence. Maybe it's the Calvinist inside of me, but I just can't shake the belief that "all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes." Praise the Lord.
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| Well, I'm out of college, I make coffee for a living, I'm typing this from a mac laptop, and I bought 3 new pairs of shoes today. A lot can change in over a year, it seems.
I'm leaving for a short trip to Spain two weeks from today. This is my first time leaving the country by myself, so I'm still not sure what to expect, but I'm so excited to see what Barcelona is like and to meet the team that I'll be working with in just a little over half a year. Look out, Spain, here comes the Kurtz!
Upon eating this veggie gondola from Avanti's, I've made a unilateral decision that sandwiches should be required by law to include either meat or a satisfactorially savoury meat-substitue like peanut butter or hummus. That being the case, I'm going to finish my renegade sandwich now.
For some legitimacy to this post, people should check out Friends of the Bridegroom. God's done some cool stuff in my life recently as a result of the ministry of this organization and the folks they've impacted.
And check out my cool friends!
More updates to come soon, Lord willing. If not, expect one sometime around May of 2007.
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| Thanks to everyone who suggested names in my last entry. The decided name is "Virgil," which means "Rod-bearer." This harkens back to when Moses turned his rod into a snake. Also, my snake looks like a Virgil. It's quite exciting.
On another note, my lower esophagus, back, and throat have all begun to give me trouble (in that order) this past week. I think age is settling in. If anyone knows massage therapy or acupuncture, come talk to me.
The drumming is coming along quite well. I'm through Syncopation #3, which is more than I would have dreamed to be able to do 2 months ago. My mambo beats are also hot...Hot...HOT! The little latino man inside me is breaking out of his shell and hijacking the whole operation.
For anyone interested, please pray for me this weekend. I'm leading a small group for the "Following Jesus Wholeheartedly" track at our IV fall conference. Pray that Jesus would work powerfully in that setting and that I can be a good shepherd to that group. Also pray that worship stuff would come together. I've been asked to help out, which is awesome, but it's very last-minute stuff. Thanks much!
I should go try to be productive or lay down. We'll see where the spirit leads. | | |
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