Tea and Travel

This is my last day in North Carolina!  I can hardly believe that my plane leaves tomorrow morning.  I am certainly excited to return to Chicago (and see my fiance again!), but it is always difficult to leave family behind.  To dull the conflicting emotions, I decided to indulge in a Southern "delicacy" at lunch today.

I used to complain that Bojangles was majorly overrated in the South, but there's something strangely satisfying about those over-salted fries, breaded chicken strips, thick honey mustard, and sickly-sweet tea.  Yay for diabetes and obesity.

I have essentially finished packing my bags.  They are extremely heavy (sorry, Josh), but I intend to weigh them tonight to avoid embarrassment and inconvenience at the check-in counter.

I decided to listen to John Piper as I packed.  Listening to the exposition of Scripture caused me to realize just how starved I am for the Word of God.  This summer, my time on the Internet has taken me through countless episodes of Lost (five entire seasons, actually), hilarious re-runs of The Office, and pointlessly funny sites like FAIL Blog.  Entertainment is harmless, right?  I'm not so sure.

 

Evident in my life is a creeping degradation of the mind.  Reading material which requires me to think (or worse, to feel convicted) is avoided entirely, and I remain unchallenged and unchanged.  Through seeking continual, seemingly harmless entertainment, I have inadvertently exposed myself to sexual references and material which have seeped into my mind like a stubborn stain.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Philippians 4:8

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

My God deserves better.