the greatest of these is love

so, i thought i had another post. but i have no idea where it went. like, the one i posted earlier about copying and pasting stuff, and it was that song (country, don't hate me!) by Jimmy Wayne. and now it's gone...and HK left a comment saying he couldn't post a comment...and now i don't see it at all.

and now i'm going to stop not making sense (maybe). i just thought i'd point that out.

so, i was reading in Velvet Elvis (by Rob Bell) today, and Bell was talking about doctrine. i know, i cringed a little bit, too, but it was really a good discussion. He posed two different analogies on how a Christian may use doctrine to build their faith - they are either springs of a trampoline that move, give, stretch, and mold, and are a jumping off point or they are bricks, of which a brick wall is built. in the second analogy, if one brick (one doctrine) is removed, examined, etc, the whole wall (faith) is in danger of collapsing.

wow. so, i'm still chewing on it...it's definitely something to think about. i hope that my beliefs are springs and don't get in the way of the true way - a relationship with a loving, just, faithful, perfect, holy (geesh, i wish i had words that really described Him...these seem pretty weak) God.

another part of my day has been vegging, looking through old e-mails. i especially smiled at old ones from friends who are now very dear to my heart. it makes me chuckle a little bit to see us trying this community thing (before community was a buzzword) and trying to be open and honest with each other. but it also gives great joy in my heart, because i can see how important those first steps were, and i am so thankful for e-mail and the fact that you can save them.

i also noticed the dates of these e-mails. i'd say the first half of them were from my first two years here. the second half has come in a summer + a semester + a few weeks. compare that. and it's exciting and humbling all at the same time.

it just reaffirms the fact that you guys are amazing, or perhaps more accurately, God is amazing through you all. i'm incredibly thankful for Him and for you. thanks for being such bright reflections of His love in my life.

peace