MK Journal

Are we not afraid of so many things? Being hurt, killed, or worse, having someone we love be killed. Fear is a constant. We are very small individuals in a vast, unmeasurable universe.

Our faith calls us to be not afraid. We are the children of the creator of the universe. Do we sometimes hate what our kids do? Yet in the next moment we would risk our lives to protect them without question.

Even at their worst, our kids still receive our protection. Imagine the power of an all might God in protecting his children.

But God’s ways are not our ways. There is a perspective on all things that is beyond our comprehension. The terrors and troubles of this world are but knee scratches to Him. Although he knows our pain, Jesus saw to that, he sees it in the conversation Nye this of all creation.

His plan is for us to be with him. We can trust Him in everything that happens we have been given the strength to deal with it.

Mark K.

The truth is, my struggle is to stop doing sinful things. But, this is not the only calling of God. We are to avoid sin but this leaves a vacuum. There is a void where the sin used to be and this is dangerous because sin wishes to fill that void.

Live alone can fill that void. Love is incompatible with sin and the two cannot I-exist. Despite my assumptions to the contrary, I cannot sin and love at the same time.

To lessen sin is noble but the path to a changed life, a fulfillment of God’s will, is to act, to love. Not only is this action the will of God, it also diverts our energies away from sin. It is a weapon against temptation. The “escape” from sin that God has always promised he would give us when faced with temptation is the opportunity to love instead of sin.

The great commandments, and they are the great ones, are to first love God with all your being, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Mindful that this live is an act, a duty, and is fulfilled in this world through charity of time, effort, prayer, and resources.

Mark K

It is, and always will be, incomprehensible to mankind, the truth of God. That perspective evades is. Our minds can not comprehend it because our minds are trapped in our bodies and therefore limited to the senses of our bodies.

Through my struggle I take comfort in the knowledge that this incomprehensible power is on my side. Truly, who can stand against me? Not for my will, many can stand against that, but for God’s will.

If I am, in my actions carrying out the will of God, a companion to his plan, a soldier in his army, what force could possibly resist? No barrier could exist that would not be swept away.

First though, I must be all these things on the mission field of my own self. But herein lays the confidence again. To engage the people niter always battle, to be aligned with God as to his plan for my soul, what possible barrier can stand against God’s will. Only one, my own will to reject Him.

Mark K

I guess I have always thought that I was very different. It is, admittedly, a source of pride for me. But am I really that different? Particularly in the ways that matter?

It seems that I may not be. I’m still to grounded to life and Earth. I still work too much, and I’m still a slave to the flesh. This makes me the same as many despite my desire to be different!

I think the key is to show the commitment to act differently, and then the power of God can provide the opportunities to grow and change. There is no room in there (inside me) for the Spirit if it crowded with my own ambitions!

So, today I make myself different. To begin the process of letting go and making room for the transformation.

Mark K.

Accomplishing goals and ambitions is never a solitary journey. Not only do we need other people, we need God. But, we need to nourish our relationships to get this help, including our relationship with God.

So, what hinders this connection to the Creator? Our sin! Often tied up into the ambition itself! Big things and small things can trip us up. That is the real lesson of Achilles’ Heel, that the small things, or the big things we minimize, can be our undoing.

I read today that sin crouches at the door waiting to pounce. To personify this we can use the Devil. Our enemy. He is the Great Psychologist but certainly not of the helping kind! He whispers assurances that things are fine with sin, that the sin is not a big deal.

Sin will be cast in contrast to the non-sin (notice I didn’t say “good”) that we do so that it can seem smaller than it is. The demon whispers into our ear because he knows how the human mind works. This is really the inheritance of sin, the egotistical ability to judge the significance of our activities. To exercise our knowledge of good and evil and focus only on our good and not on our evil.

The crouching killer awaits at the door. “just one more time!” Our addiction can scream. There is never just one more time. As the old AA saying goes “One is too much and never enough.”

So I am aware of my heel. Otherwise I may be invulnerable but for the heel (or maybe more than one heel, having not been fully dipped into the River Styx!)

These things we face so that God can be our partner, the cause, of our success in fulfilling his plan.

Mark K.

The word Irvin is synonymous with Hebrews and designates a people who have “crossed over” in one sense or another.

As Christians we believe that Christ crossed over the ultimate threshold and returned. He died and rose again. He is the King of the Ivrim…King of the Hebrews…King of the Jews.

We are called to cross over to a new life from this one. One if obedience. One in which we take to heart the notion that we do not have the wisdom to manage our own lives. We are too caught up in the ultimate sin of selfishness. Taking care of me first.

It is a strike to my pride to think that I can’t “go it alone” but the evidence of my need for guidance abounds!

The new person we become must still act in the world and embrace the tasks set before them. But with a humble heart that realizes we are all so full of fault. We have devolved (as opposed to evolved) into the creatures we are today.

That humbleness will keep me (us) open to the voice that guides us, the voice of the creator of the universe.

---

Mark K.

Ok, so now I am back to using this with a focus on reflection related to my Christian life (and other reflections, I imagine)

Off I go!

---

Mark K

On July 27 I met with Hannah for a dad and daughter day.  We spent a good period of time at the Knotty Goat Soapary.

What a great time just spending time with Hannah and a bunch of goats.  The lady that operates the facility has Hannah as a volunteer but she is also teaching her how to raise her own goats (Hannah’s goal!)  It is all very practical and pretty easy to do…though it is raising animals and there is a lot of work to it!

There were actually quite a lot of goats there!  Including a brand new baby goat (well, not really brand new but pretty young!)

We mostly hung around with the female goats…there were a lot of those.  Only three males, and one was the brother of the new little baby goat.

The males are not as friendly sometimes so we didn’t spend as much time there.

I had a really good time and it was fun watching Hannah interact with the goats and help take care of them.  She assisted the owner in administering some injections for infection control.  Very cool day!

After this we went to a mexican restaurant…what can be better than that?

Mark K.

So…today I spent most of the day moving stuff from my old office into a classroom awaiting the availability of my new office!

I also moved all the video equipment from Averill 222 into a basement space I have now. That will be cool. Pictures to come!

---

Mark K

Spent nearly the whole day working on Mara’s van as she prepares to move to Utah.

Finally figured out how to set up the electrical for the 12v fan and for the converter for her plugs! Yay!

Feels good to have helped her a lot today!

It was a long day though!

Feeling good

Mark K.