Coleman Family

October 4, 2008

It’s a fall Saturday in California. Although it’s not the same without the trees enflamed in color or the crunching leaves punctuating each footstep, the colorless skies kind of set a certain serenely subdued mood. Or maybe it’s just an Idahoan missing books, jackets, scarves, wind storms, and swirling leaves who is listening to too much Andrea Bocelli’s “Les Feuilles Mortes” (which I highly recommend to anyone who loves beautiful music, it’s his Italian rendition of ‘Autumn Leaves’). I encourage everyone to wrap up (56 degrees up there, so we got 15+ degrees or so on you) and go walk around the Coeur d’Alene park, near the lake, or on a beautiful trail anywhere with a coffee or tea or hot chocolate and be smug in the knowledge that I am envious. It’s just not the same walking around here with the blaring cars, crowded streets, and mountains of housing.

The campus is quieter as we have just ended Block 2 Genesis and are going into our next block, Block 3, which has no classes for the week as it is Pastor’s Wives Retreat week. Many students have returned home but there are several missions trips taking place to the countries of Mexico and Laos, and then several others in the neighboring states. Penniless, I’m staying here where we will be having required prayer and worship meetings every day at 8:30a.m., but then we are encouraged to volunteer to serve anywhere needed during the retreat for the pastor’s wives. I had heard a paid for spot opened on the trip to Mexico to serve at an orphanage and I would love to do that but it will only be possible if Mom scans and emails my birth certificate to me (hint hint!) or if leaving Stephanie alone would be too unhappy for her or if she would rather go in the opened spot. It is undecided as of 12:46p.m., meaning… oh, right now.

A dorm sister is trying (yes, trying) to teach me to croquet a scarf and after about a week I have a lovely… hm, one inch in width cord of three feet in length done? … It’s very slow (and painful) goings and I am not sure if the feat is even remotely possible for me. I am handicapped in many things ‘girl’, even the incredibly easy things like this (I’ll try to get around to posting a picture of the slightly pathetic and lumpy but somehow beautiful-to-my-eyes thingamajig). I was going to take requests and make everyone lumpy scarves but I might be a properly old blue haired lady in a rocking chair/walker before that miraculously occurs. I might have to bribe my dorm sister in skittles to make them all for me.

But speaking of skittles. So, Stephanie and I have decided upon a home church and we are pretty excited about it. Probably too excited because we’ve uh, how do you say… slightly jumped the gun and signed up for college group, children’s ministries, and the choir and etc.? Yes. I know. But… Come on, we were excited… So. It’s called Crossroads and it’s led by Pastor Scott and Diane who were a part of the church we attended in Oceanside back when we were younger. But, skittles. We had attended there 2 weeks then spent the next 2 Sundays looking around at other churches. (Slightly scary yet, intriguing experience by the way. I’ve never sat in a lazy boy recliner with coffee and snack in hand while I stared at the pastor who sat on a stool surrounded by three huge stadium seating TV screens with his face) THUS! The fifth week we decided to make Crossroads home. Pastor Scott had added me on Facebook the earlier week and had noted that it was my birthday on Sept 25th apparently because as the illustration of the sermon was skittles and giving of ourselves: time, heart, service, money, etc. I wound up with a rather heavy 5lb (give or take) box of Costco sized Skittles on my laptop. So, I am rich in skittles.

But to talk about the college, I have read some incredible books: Humility by Andrew Murray and A.W. Tozer’s Knowledge of the Holy which will really punch some large holes in your kiddy pool beliefs, faith, and humility. Talk about taking the human (even unwittingly proud) wind out of my supposed sales and making me feel like Genie in itty bitty spiritual space surrounded by total Phenomenal Cosmic Power. I’ve been praying the prayer for humility for about three weeks now and it really works! Life has gotten harder already!!! Wait… no… But…yes. Ahg. Let’s just say that to a greater degree than before I am not content or satisfied with the way I am, I respond, I instinctively react, who I am within and that instead of excusing or bypassing certain things I can see them for what they really are. And I guess that’s the key things for me right now. It isn’t trying to fix or humble myself but just seeing how much pride is ingrained within and realizing doing things for Christ and doing God’s service can be done with an incredibly great deal of human pride and flesh. It’s just like I see the truth behind a lot of things that I would have attributed to something without even the slightest thought or guilt or repentant realization. And the more I realize how great and deep and ingrained it is, the more I realize I can’t do a thing about it. I have to keep aligning myself with the truth in realizing what it really is and then throwing myself into the sheer grace and power and love of God through His Word to put to death what I cannot.

But everyone can benefit from reading these books, even those who have read them before and if you think you know all there it to these books let me encourage you to guess again. That’s like reading a book of the Bible and saying you’ve read it so many times it has nothing new for you. God has something for you and not always in the big impressive proud ways but in the little, unimportant and plainly humble things.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Cor 1:26-31 (ESV)

Sorry, this letter is so long. I should have written last week but I had no words at the time. These sorts of days help bring out the writer and yes… poet… in me. I hope you all are doing well. Thank you everyone for my birthday wishes and messages! : ) It was a very great day and I will try to dedicate the next letter about the interesting events that happened.

Thank you Robin and Thomas Erny for being so amazingly awesome! You guys are the best bosses ever and two of my favorite friends!!! Your card and gift has had me laughing for the last week every time I look at them J. (Even you Thomas, you scalliwag) I honestly miss working and being with you guys. Crazy, eh? What madness is that! Thank you Mom and Dad for my 12 red roses, they are pristinely gorgeous and have some people thinking I have a secret admirer (Even more madness!)

Mean your day!

Leslie E Coleman