Teaching prep

I had a conversation with a 30-something friend of mine about how we were feeling that when we turned thirty that was when we were living more out of who we are and not just wandering around trying to figure ourselves out. But, I'm still shocked to find that I've existed on this planet for almost 31 years and I'm still figuring out who I am. I bet that will be a life-long journey.

I have three weeks here in Taiwan with a pretty open schedule. I have this continued tension of hating routine and every moment of my life planned but I'm also realizing that if I don't have at least a little bit of structure, I get lazy and waste time and procrastinate so easily. So, I had this "game plan" for coming back that I'd write a list of goals that i'd like to accomplish (to feed that need to achieve something every day that is within me) but I have managed to stay true to that list only periodically. Sigh. I envy people who are disciplined and structured within themselves.

So, I'm trying my hardest to sit myself down and get my teaching prepared, but also enjoying the time I get to hang out with friends and next week getting to experience my first ever Chinese New Year and celebrate my birthday!

I'm teaching the book of Psalms in our first quarter here. As I've been studying (when I actually do sit down and study), I've been struck by the thought of how relevant our emotions are to God. The psalms just explode with every kind of emotion which are all raw and exposed before the Lord. We get the privilege to glimpse into someone's intimate conversations with God...but every time there is sorrow or anger, it usually moves towards worship and praise. Even what we perceive as the "bad" emotions can be used to lead us to worship the Lord. And the Psalms were used in public worship....and in our culture today I feel like the pendulum of emotions in public worship swings two ways. I've seen the extreme emotionalism where people don't think the Holy Spirit is among them unless there is weeping or hysterical laughter. The emotion is more important than the object of worship. But there is also stoicism where emotions are seen as a sign of weakness and a lack of spiritual maturity. The Psalms give us a great balance of truth and the human expression of our emotions.

So, I'm pressing on. There is lots to think about. How do you pack the entire book of Psalms into 3 hours of teaching? But, I'm enjoying the journey and hopefully I can share some of my insights as I prepare with you who take the time to read my blog from time to time (thanks by the way! I'm honored you're here.)