Joey writes (for a school assignment, of course)...
Senior year has been really crazy so far. Saying that reminds me of the phrase "too busy NOT to pray." I think I do pray a lot, but I don't have times for focused prayer. I have never prayed on my knees for more than a few minutes, and can never keep my eyes closed either. The time that I do pray is in the mornings when I wake up. The other times I pray are through the day at random times when I am reminded of God. I'll be in a conversation, and then remember about my savior, my God, and how I had almost forgotten the reason I was alive. Then I kind of have two conversations at once, one catching up with God, and another carrying on with the person I'm with. These times are usually refreshing, but I also feel somewhat guilty for getting distracted from God. Is it possible that someone could think about God for a whole day? I guess so- He is the most interesting subject around. If I could spend a whole day with a girl's face in my mind, then I could definitely also be considering God.
Last Sunday, I had kind of an abnormal experience with prayer. I was tired out from the week, and had not had time to read my Bible that morning, having slept in too late for church from the class retreat. That night after washing the dishes, I decided it would be a good time to read my Bible. Usually since I read my Bible in the morning, the time is quite rushed, as I only spend about fifteen minutes. This time I decided that since I had plenty of time, I would just relax and talk with God. I had had some encouraging conversations with friends over the class retreat, and wanted to lay it all before God. As I sought his will and laid my requests before him, I soon found myself frantically flipping through the New Testament, trying to find specific passages I had read before. This was a new experience, as usually when I read I just go straight through the New Testament, and am not trying to find a specific place. It was really cool to see how much I knew about God's word, and even cooler to see how much wisdom there was in it as I thought about different issues and found direct answers in the text. Soon I was lost in the powerful words spoken by the Holy Spirit through God's people and Jesus Christ. I realized how fruitful it was to intentionally seek out specific issues and look for God's view on them. Needless to say, when I looked at the clock when I was about ready to start working on homework, I was amazed to see that over an hour had passed! An amazing thing about prayer is that no matter how much time you invest in it, it's always worth it!
Last Sunday, I had kind of an abnormal experience with prayer. I was tired out from the week, and had not had time to read my Bible that morning, having slept in too late for church from the class retreat. That night after washing the dishes, I decided it would be a good time to read my Bible. Usually since I read my Bible in the morning, the time is quite rushed, as I only spend about fifteen minutes. This time I decided that since I had plenty of time, I would just relax and talk with God. I had had some encouraging conversations with friends over the class retreat, and wanted to lay it all before God. As I sought his will and laid my requests before him, I soon found myself frantically flipping through the New Testament, trying to find specific passages I had read before. This was a new experience, as usually when I read I just go straight through the New Testament, and am not trying to find a specific place. It was really cool to see how much I knew about God's word, and even cooler to see how much wisdom there was in it as I thought about different issues and found direct answers in the text. Soon I was lost in the powerful words spoken by the Holy Spirit through God's people and Jesus Christ. I realized how fruitful it was to intentionally seek out specific issues and look for God's view on them. Needless to say, when I looked at the clock when I was about ready to start working on homework, I was amazed to see that over an hour had passed! An amazing thing about prayer is that no matter how much time you invest in it, it's always worth it!
Love, Steve and Laura, Sarah, Joey, and Robby
PS I leave Friday to take the marriage and family therapy licensing test in the US, but meanwhile, my sister Carolyn and her family in Kansas are mobilizing to come to Taiwan. Brian (Drevets) will be teaching middle school in Taipei, about two hours away from us, at Bethany, which is part of the Morrison Academy system that our kids are part of and for which Laura is a board member. They are scheduled to arrive October 3, so please think especially of them with us in this chaotic, emotional, and stressful time of transition. Monday Laura will travel to Taipei with me to get some things into their apartment. I'll be going up to TEAM's Taipei office, as I have weekly since July, to help out with our area's financial accounting. Robby is playing varsity soccer and preparing for a bassoon concerto with orchestra later this month.
Dr. Steve and Laura Spinella, Sarah, Joey, Robby
Da Yi Street, Lane 29, #18, 2F-1, Taichung 40454, TAIWAN
011.886.4.2236.6145, of 4.2236.1901, fx 4.2236.2109, cell 9.2894.0514
USA: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, 719.528.1702, cell 719.360.6485
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60189, 800.343.3144 <www.teamworld.org>, <www.team.org.tw/spinella>, <www.team.org.tw/ccg>, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TEAMspinella/>,
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu>, <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>
Da Yi Street, Lane 29, #18, 2F-1, Taichung 40454, TAIWAN
011.886.4.2236.6145, of 4.2236.1901, fx 4.2236.2109, cell 9.2894.0514
USA: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, 719.528.1702, cell 719.360.6485
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60189, 800.343.3144 <www.teamworld.org>, <www.team.org.tw/spinella>, <www.team.org.tw/ccg>, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TEAMspinella/>,
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu>, <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>
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