Inspiration from the world’s fifth best party city


It’s true; today I am drawing inspiration from the world’s fifth best party city! No, I did not spend all night out partying with Barack and Michelle to celebrate MLK and the Inauguration. I will not be posting pictures of John and I dancing with Joe Biden and Sonia Sotomayer.

The real truth is that my morning quiet time led me to Thessaloniki, Greece – the world’s fifth largest party city! What I learned and walked away with? Peace, Love, and Gratitude. Like Glennon over @ Momastery says: Love WINS!!!!

This weekend a friend of mine was talking about Beth Moore, I was intrigued and thought I’d check out Beth’s blog: http://blog.lproof.org/ which discusses a Tuesday Bible Study and asks the question:

What are you most looking forward to?
That’s a loaded question.
Because brilliance is my middle name, I am assuming the question is referring to the bible study and not just a general, what’s up.  Uh-Oh…deep thoughts are coming…do I turn back now and close Internet Explorer or do I press on? Pressing on, I find that the origin of the question is based on the study of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. Who, what, where? Are these New or Old Testament, who in the world are the Thessalonians? Seriously, I cannot quote you scripture or even explain much of the Bible; I can tell you that I am a woman of faith, who believes in a Higher Power, whom I call God. I believe in angels, miracles, spirits, and Satan. Panic ensues. I take a deep breath, find a Bible, and carry on.  
So 1st and 2nd Thessalonians are in the New Testament and are letters to the Thessalonians from Paul. Pause while I go check out who these Thessalonians are…

Whoa…good stuff. A quick glance at my source WikiPedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessalonica 1st and 2nd Thessalonians are undisputed letters from Paul to the early Christian Church in Thessaloniki, Greece. Which today it is the second most populous city in Greece; here are some other cool facts:

·        2010: ranked world’s fifth best party city (Lovely Planet) (Jesus did like a crowd!!!)

·        2012: Marked the 100th Anniversary of the incorporation of Thessaloniki into Greece

·        2013: Top Tourist Destination in the World (National Geographic Magazine)

·        First Anti-Nazi Newspaper in any European occupied territory

 
These Thessalonians and Paul developed a spiritual love and the letter is overflowing with Paul's love and confirmation of these faithful people. From this party city, I have walked away with a reminder that peace, love, and gratitude are not just good lfe practice, but critical to our faith journey.
1Thelossians 5:12-18 called out to me: “Be at peace amongst yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that none of you does evil for evil, but always seek to do good for one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Back to the original question: What are you most looking forward to?
1.      I have enjoyed taking 30 min out of my morning to do this. I am looking forward to studying God’s word and connecting the scripture with my daily life. I already live a spiritual life, practicing prayer, meditation, gratitude, and more – so this feels like a natural next step.  

2.    After seeing how totally cool Thessaloniki, Greece is, I am hopeful I can travel there someday. For now, I will go seek the National Geographic Magazine with pretty pictures. HAHA.
Originally, I wasn’t going to post this, just journal it…I am not sure I am ready to admit how unlearned I am – but then again, maybe there are many out there like me and we can learn together? Please don’t judge me or laugh at me, I am feeling quite vulnerable putting this out there. Why is it easier to talk about my breast cancer journey than my faith? I am afraid of being laughed at or categorized…silly, eh?
What are you looking forward to?
Have you been to Thessaloniki, Greece?
What’s for dinner? Ugh.

 For today: I pray that this spiritual growth time will guide me and help me remain at peace with myself and others, lifting us up, offering praise, and practicing unwavering patience.

Comments

Amanda Jane said…
I hope I was the friend that mentioned Beth Moore and eventually led you to my favorite book!

Love you! XOXO Amanda
February 1, 2013 at 1:12 PM
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