From the Trenches

Apologies again for the long break.

The July sunshine is streaming through my window, making my keyboard hot to the touch. People who say it rains all the time in England obviously haven't lived here in the summer. It has been an idyllic one with long hot days and peaceful nights. Last week was the 4th of July, which obviously isn't recognized over here by the Brits, but nonetheless there was a carnival in a nearby park that some American friends and I co-opted for our own celebration.

Most of my time is now consumed with my major project (on ebook construction) and job hunting. Both are draining and frustrating processes at times. I've had to confront my various reasons for wanting to stay in the UK and the practical/emotional call of returning to the States. All that to say I still don't know where I will be living in two months, which is definitely a new experience for me -- so used to having life planned out months/years ahead. It's an exercise in trust and remembering the thousand ways God has proven His love and care over the years. How can I not trust that the same Father who brought me here to Oxford will lead me to the next phase of the adventure?

Last year I received a special graduation gift from some dear friends -- a book of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision. Various passages from this book have spoken to me over the months, but today I wanted to share the end of a prayer called "Contrition."

"In all my affairs may I distinguish between
duty and anxiety,
and may my character and not my
circumstances chiefly engage me."

That prayer reflects the same desire that awoke in me when I read this description of Brother Lawrence in Practicing the Presence of of God (find a copy and read it!) :

"He was neither hasty nor loitering, but did each thing in its season, with an even, uninterrupted composure and tranquility of spirit."

That's what I hope to do and be in my (possibly) last few weeks in Oxford...and with the rest of my life.