Well, today was just like any other.  Went to the Ancient Agora, saw where Socrates hung out and the dialogue in the Crito took place, strolled through a Byzantine cathedral, ventured to the location of Plato's Euthyphro, spotted the where stoicism began and strolled through Kerameikos.  You know, the usual.  NOT.  Oh my goodness!  I feel like I jumped into a philosophy book and travelled back in time today!  I cannot believe I actually walked down a path that might have also supported the feet of men like Socrates and Plato!  Although the Agora looks more like a bunch of stones formed into squares with overgrown grass, I cannot help but appreciate what is left.  If you don't already know, the Agora was considered the main center of the city.  It had a market, courthouse, altar of the 12 gods, the temple of Hephaestus, a prison,  and so forth.  Only men of a certain age were allowed in the Agora and women could get as close as the watering hole located right outside.  Something I saw particularly interesting at the Agora Museum was what looked like the first way of deciding jury duty!? Never thought about where that came from and not too sure I want to actually thank them for it.  Lunch involved eating yet another chicken gyro and the most wonderful strawberries I have sunk my teeth into.  Plus, they were super cheap!   

        After visiting all of those places we were free for the rest of the afternoon, so a lot of us went onto the top floor of our hotel and did some work while enjoying the perfect weather with the hotel cats.  (Even the best Nashville coffee shop can't top that) For dinner, we went back to the same place we ate at last night called Estia and this time, I got the bread with dip for an appetizer, vegetable soup for my meal and the best crepe I have ever had for dessert.  Basically, the crepe had Nutella and strawberries, so of course I'm in.  The waiters liked us so much that they sat us on the outside of the restaurant to comment on how much we liked the food to passerbys! It was hilarious.  After a beautiful evening, we poked around some shops on the way back to the hotel and I ended up getting a really neat ring with a snake representing the god of medicine, Asclepius. 

Currently, my roommate and I are laying on our beds with the window open, a breeze coming in, and listening to a group of men from down the street sing beautifully together.  It is safe to say that today has been nothing short of wonderful

First Day in Greece

Kalispera! (Good evening in Greek)

The past two days have been the best combination of excitement and exhaustion.  We flew out of Nashville around 9 a.m. on Sunday and arrived in Athens, Greece around 11 a.m. Monday morning, so basically en entire 24 hours of nonstop traveling.  As soon as we got off the flight, we get into a bus and head for our hotel.  At first, Athens looks like any other foreign place to me with multilingual signs, cool telephone booths and a smell that says, "This is not America." (I love that smell) But as we get closer to the main part of the city, I look up and see it, the Acropolis.  It is so much closer to the Plaka than I excepted and appears to be floating on a sea of Athenian cityscape.  I instantly tried to picture what it would have looked like in it's prime and how I could get closer, thankfully, it was on our schedule for the next day.  After we freshened up at our hotel, The Art Gallery, we headed to see the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.  I cannot imagine traveling with two better guides than a philosopher and an art historian because they have completely filled us in on all of the great history that goes along with each of these places.  For example, apparently Socrates dialogue in Plato's Phaedra takes place at a house right outside of that temple!  I never thought I would possibly walk the same streets as Socrates, so that was an exciting thing to see.  After those two locations we hiked up higher, higher and even higher to one of the tallest point in the city, Lycabettus.  It was the most incredible view! You could see the entire city and even eat dinner up there if you wanted to.  What I enjoyed most was walking through residential apartments on the way and seeing about 4 different cats.  If we hadn't done enough walking already, we headed back to the hotel to change and then headed to the Athens Center to meet up with our guide and go to dinner.  Dinner was incredible.  We enjoyed bread, some Greek salad, and main dishes that could have fed a small village.  I have enjoyed tasting the staple Greek meals and leaving my comfort zone to experience good food.  Dinner put us over the top so we went back home and I feel asleep almost instantly.  Well, there you have it, our first day in Greece!  Sorry it is so choppy and short, but as you can imagine... I am still a little jet lagged ;)

Words on a plane

(( I am aware that the previous post mentioned blogging from California but I regret to inform you that I indeed failed at writing down anything except my Yahtzee score, however, I did have a splurge of inspiration on the plane ride there and have had it in the notes section on my phone ever since just waiting on the opportunity to post it! ))





Soo... just so you know, I am originally writing this in my Notes on my iphone as I sit in a seat in the air ... Aka flying to California. Haha Anyways...

I am reading a devotional book for Advent and this weeks topic centers around being "small." It opens with a prayer (from Sacred Space: the Prayer Book) asking the Lord to help persist through tedium and to "survive without the oxygen of recognition, praise, and stroking." Instantly I think,"Wow, how pathetic that recognition and praise are considered oxygen to us!" They really can consume our actions and thoughts to a degree that prohibits us from becoming more like Christ. 

The Psalm for this week is 131 and, to my surprise, (although this is the 4th day I've read it this week) it mentions the quietness that God talked about in Isaiah 30:15! It's so great! I love being able to connect with David and understand his words whether hurting or rejoicing, praising or questioning.  I feel like I am sort of at the place now that he may have been when he wrote Psalm 131 ..."But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me." 

Often, I feel that admitting things like I have quieted my soul are prideful or false because we cannot do anything perfect on this earth. But it's verses like these that comfort me and remind me that I am wrong. I can confidently say things like this because I am confident in Christ's work within me. His work does not need justifying, so I should not be shy about what He has done for me or helped me do for Him through the power of His Holy Spirit, so today I can tell you that I understand what David means and can attest that my should has also been quieted. (("...In quietness and trust is your strength." Is. 30:15))

This whole idea of being small goes completely against everything our society shows us daily. Since we were little, it's been about being known, being good at something or just getting attention. Even in the church it can be about who gives the best sermons, who loves the most and who prays the hardest. Pride has the ability to poison even the sweetest things. Pride will never leave our sinful bodies but through the power of the Lord, we can overcome it daily.

Along with Psalm 131, today's scripture reading was Luke 22:24-32. I have read these verses before but not in this context and I am thankful for the understanding I received today! It begins with the disciples asking for Jesus to tell them who was greatest... ehmm... pride, see! ( So don't beat yourself up too much- even Jesus' closest disciples struggled with it!) Reading this and then Jesus' response painted a picture in my mind of frustration. Although I am absolutely sure Jesus has more patience than I do, I couldn't help but want to just stand up and yell at the disciples. After all this time and everything they have heard/seen Jesus do how can they STILL be missing it!?! My goodness people don't you understand that's not what the Lord is about!?! Gaaaaah leeeee. Get over yourselves and listen to what Jesus is saying! Who cares about being the best when you get to spend eternity with Jesus?? Give me that over any kingdom or title! 
However, as I am expressing these frustrations, I can picture myself doing the exact same thing as the disciples... How many times Jesus must want to pull His hair out over me! Haha but that is what is so so so sweet about Him. He is patient and kind. He tells us over and over again not to fear and, of course, we forget but that is why He gave us His word and spirit... So we can be reminded as often as we need to. How beautiful it is to have a Savior who loves us more than my mind can comprehend. I get frustrated just thinking about how many times I've missed the point, but thankfully, He doesn't abandon me because of that. He loves unconditionally and although I am sinful, God sees His perfect Son in me. I will choose to die to myself daily so that Christ can live in me. 

God didn't say it would be easy... But He does promise that it is good. And you know what is also great? Satan has no ability to act outside the boundaries within which God has confined him... In Luke 22:31 Jesus tells Simon that Satan has asked Him if he can sift (plural you) like wheat... What!? Can't you just picture Satan calling God up and asking permission to sift you as wheat? ... Scary to be lead in that direction. As much as I wish God would say no every time, I am extremely comforted by the fact that Satan MUST go through God before He can actually do anything. I also love reading that Jesus prayed for Simon- He did not pray for Simon to not be sifted but rather that his faith would not fail... what a beautiful truth revealing the presence of hardship but the trust in the Lord's hand holding onto His children through it all.  I also love reading about Jesus praying because it shows the weight that prayer holds and even Gods son prays to Him. Our requests and desperate please are not prayed in vain but rather they immediately lift to the Lord's omniscient and ever listening ears.  

Sorry this is getting long, but I had these things on my heart and just needed to write them out or I was going to burst! 

And I think we are about to land... That's one way to pass the time on a plane!