Resources on the book of Mark?

(this should probably be titled "random thoughts" but I thought I'd use the title to highlight the most important question on my mind at the moment!)

I'm rather cranky just at the moment.

My favorite mood music playlist is running in itunes, but it's not helping yet.

I want to do something, anything, but I don't know what, and frankly, I'm not all that motivated to pick something and actually engage in doing it.

I'm wishing for friends to hang out with again.

I am wondering about this deep thing within me that I have felt shifting. I am learning what it means to know deep within what it is to be beloved of the king.

I am thinking about a conversation I had yesterday at lunch, about broken people within the church, and within missionary communities around the world. I was talking with an MK newly arrived from Thailand, and our shared stories, mine from Canada and hers from overseas touched the longing places in my heart, restirring dreams long planted by God.

I am postponing the beginning of prep for a bible study I start leading this coming Saturday. I feel rather inadequate, and as such unmotivated to really dig in and start studying the scripture I've chosen to work through with these girls.

On that note, does anyone have any really great resources on the book of Mark? We're going to work through the Gospel of Mark, and I have some resources to aid me in preparing, but if you can recommend something, let me know! (To be honest, I picked Mark because I've been camped there for quite a while now, and it's dual purpose research - for my own current writing project and for the Bible study!)

I'm hating living with my parents just presently. There is a seemingly constant clash of opinions, of worldviews. It's hard to be an adult in the home of your parents. I hate that in some ways, despite my own sense independence, my finances make me still dependent on them at times.

A Tense Moment

My brother Tim and I had a few tense moments this morning. You see, we were quite desperate to get tickets to an upcoming concert in town, and tried to get them in the pre-buy yesterday. The prebuy sold out in three minutes.

So, we were both ready on ticketmaster's website this morning. Him at work, and me at home, on our cell phones (we didn't want to end up with four tickets at 90 bucks a pop).

We thought we had them, we hung up. He was going to pay. He called right back. A problem with his ticketmaster account. He had a line on another pair, but it wouldn't let him buy them. So I managed to get some, and the last pair we had are probably the best pair. The seats are decent, far enough up the bowl that we'll be able to see the stage. But we had ten tense minutes wondering if our dreams would be dashed!

And the concert that we hung our hopes on? Rascal Flats. I know that some of you will consider it my one failing that I love country music, but I can't help it. I just do, and Rascal Flats is some of the best country music around. Plus, my brother loves them (if not necessarily country) even more than I do. So, my youngest brother and I are headed to a concert on February 22nd!

Unrestfully at Rest

I am in a bit of a strange place this morning. The best way I can describe it is the title I used for this post - unrestfully at rest.

There is a quietness in my soul today, that has been lacking the last several weeks. And yet, circumstances would seem to dictate that it should not exist. I received some painful news yesterday afternoon. I am soul weary, but at peace - a peace that I described in my journal this morning as all encompassing and yet strangely empty.

There is a lyric from a Chris Tomlin song that has been floating around my head since yesterday morning, and is resonating in deep places today. "I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing."

Abba, I belong to you. Show me where you're working today and how I can join you.

Wisdom from Henri

Came across this quote this morning, and could relate!

“I often wonder if my knowledge about God has not become my greatest stumbling block to my knowledge of God.”
— Henri Nouwen

Dream Issues

I’m having dream issues again. Not the “dreams about the future” type issues, but the “while you’re asleep at night” type dream issues. Specifically, I’m still wondering which dreams I need to pay attention to, and which ones are the result of bad pizza. And, in terms of the ones I need to pay attention to, how do I distinguish which ones are from God versus which ones are a form of spiritual attack?

Because I had a dream last night, and it could go either way. What makes it more confusing is, as I was praying before I went to sleep last night, I asked God a very specific question, and the dream could very easily answer that question. However, the dream was rather nightmarish, so it could also be an attack in an area of great vulnerability. Have I confused you all? I don’t really want to get into details on the blog. If you’re good at dreams, pop me an email and I’ll probably give you details.

Uggh. Have I mentioned how much I’m NOT into the whole dream thing most days?