Can you bear it?

No!!!! The urge is too strong.......mmmust...tttouch...ccarving!!! Argghhhh!!

I went to go get my passport in order a couple of days ago (it expires in July), and i had to go
down to downtown Houston to find the Australian consulate. I was driving around for a while down there, before i finally found the place inside a small, almost residential looking, art gallery! It was a showcase of Aboriginal art, with a small office on the side which i guess they call the consulate. I actually walked in the office thinking it was another part of the gallery, when i saw the consulate general sitting behind a small desk!

"Whoops! i guess i'll come back later!"

All that aside....there was this really cool crocodile carving, with an even cooler warning beside it. I'm kinda looking forward to going back next week to re-submit my passport app. (since i didn't have all the paperwork). Maybe i could touch the carving!!!! Nooo!!! Must resist the urge!!!!

What's kind of funny, now that i think about it, is that our first bible study kind of tied into all that. We've started a study on the book of Daniel; we went over the first chapter yesterday. It talks about how Daniel and his posse were taken from their families Jerusalem, cross-country to Babylon to start a three-year study program so they could be advisors to the king over there. A bunch of other people were brought over too. They were all given the finest food and wine to drink and a great education. But Daniel decided that he wasn't going to accept the food and wine; it went against his religious laws, and felt it was displeasing God. So he negotiates with the officials and pulls a deal:

"Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said. "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet." So the attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days.
(To demonstrate what this must have been like for Daniel, i made our group eat Vegemite on crackers!)

After ten days, they were stronger and healthier than the rest of the recruits, and God blessed them for their obedience with a lot of wisdom, so they could understand their education far better than the rest.

I really felt like that step of faith Daniel took can really apply to a lot of us today. We are constantly told that everything in moderation is a good thing. The problem is, that "everything", apparentley applies to EVERYTHING: alcohol, drugs, sex...etc. I really don't think most of us realize how even "a little" of these things can change the course of our lives, or even influence the course of others.

It's also interesting that we use that phrase to rationalize the things we do that go against our beliefs......*I'm the first guilty culprit*. I'm so glad Jesus didn't come down and say ".....but the greatest of these commandments is to enjoy everything is moderation!" I get the feeling he wanted us to love in excess, not by becoming apart of the crowd or the pressure to follow a cultural norm, but by loving God and others. And especially yourself. Somehow, i think Daniel understood that.

Well, i'm glad i got that out of my system.....haven't done that in a while. Hope everyone is having a good week! I'm missin my Kansas peeps!