"Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."

- St. Augustine

Freedom in Simplicity

Greetings from Tucson, AZ! I arrived here this Monday, start classes this coming Monday (two days from now). I've had a fabulous time so far.

One of the main reasons I've been enjoying myself is the opportunities presented by my decision not to seek an apartment to live in this year. That may sound strange at first, but the more I've lived out the consequences of that decision, the more I'm convinced that God is having as much fun as I am with it. :) You see, paying $300 a month (which is cheap for the US in general, but pretty average here) for a room that I personally really only use to sleep in (I've always been a social person, hardly ever using my room for much) is an extravagant waste, especially considering the poverty of so many in the world. So even though most people consider having a house or an apartment to be an essential aspect of life, I've found tremendous freedom in choosing not to have one. A couple nights I've slept outside, other nights I've slept in friends' places while I look for a more permanent "patch of ground" I can reliably lay my head down on at night. I'm hoping to find some church basement or somesuch arrangement eventually, God willing.

In the meantime, God has been taking care of me in such beautiful ways!! Choosing to give up this convenience has opened the doors for me to talk to so many people, believers and especially non-believers, about the grace God has had on us in Jesus--that though He had all the riches in heaven, He became poor so that we might become rich; that though He was the King of Kings, He often went around homeless on this earth (Matt. 8:20). And most importantly, that He first loved us on the cross, and that's what motivates me to show love to others in His name, by giving out of the abundance of His giving to me. Oh, there's such great joy in obeying Jesus! May I grow more and more, in all aspects of my life, to follow Him on the way to the cross, no matter what it costs me. (And chances are it'll cost me a lot more than my apartment room.) ;)

There's been some very interesting, beautiful and challenging people I've met this week, that I've been blessed to know a little bit. May those relationships grow, and may God use them to increase my love for Him and the people He's created, and may the glory of Jesus be reflected in me as they see His grace in my life.

Love you all, whoever you are--

Seth