Summer So Far

So far this summer has been fantastic. After graduation I spent the rest of May in Cleveland doing a little work for the Theology Department and spending a lot of time in prayer and study. It was a needed rest, especially after the weird nostalgia of graduation. Everyone rolled out of Cleveland on May 7th except for a small group of us, and I had an incredible opportunity to get alone with the Lord.

Last weekend (June 4) I went to Birmingham for Mason Tanner's wedding, and afterward I was able to spend the rest of the night and Sunday at my old roommates house, Caleb Hughes. His family gives leadership to the Birmingham Prayer Furnace and Hope Culture Church. It was a blessing to hangout with them for a day. As I left it really does seem like they have developed a culture of hope. Being in the community I was edified and challenged to go deeper with the Lord.
That same week my brother and I left for a road trip on Wednesday at 4AM to visit Illinois. He is starting their grad program in the fall and needed to take a trip, so we drove 8 hours Wednesday and came back thursday. That was a long (but very fun) trip. Then Friday I left to go to Augusta GA to visit my grandmother and other Family. Monday I left again to come visit my other grandmother on St. Simons Island. I'll be here till tomorrow, and I must say, it is very relaxing.

So far summer has been a blast. I am looking forward to the next month before I go to IHOP-KC. I will be spending time in Marietta until Riverstone Summer Camp, July 3-8 and on the 8th I will be heading out to Kansas City.

I've been able to do some good reading too. Clowning in Rome by Henri Nouwen has been my favorite. He writes about prayer, solitude, celibacy, and having communion with God. He suggests that everyone in community must take time to get alone in solitude to develop a deeper relationship with those whom you are in community with.
I also read A Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards. He tells a story paralleling Saul and David, with David and Absalom. This book is incredible for any leader and I highly recommend it. He illustrates the brokenness with which David has as a King.
Lastly, I have been reading an old friends blog, Mo Isom. She has an incredible story and I encourage anyone interested to go to the beginning of her blog and read the posts about "Her Story." The Lord has used her powerfully, and it is cool to see.


For those of you who follow my blog, I will be updating my blog/website within the next week. Check back to see how things will change. The URL will still be www.kurtpmiller.com. Thanks!

College Graduate

I must say, it is weird to think that I am done with Lee. I have finished my school here, but it will be hard to leave. Lee has become a part of me. Friends have come and they have gone, and for a moment I wondered where the Lord was, but He has been faithful to remind me of His faithfulness. The reality is that he has sent me to Lee and Cleveland for a time and season, and the time and season is now up. This is good.

I have learned a lot of new things, met a lot of good people, and given my heart to this school unlike I ever have before, but if I know one thing I know that I have my eyes set on a city who's builder and maker is God, just like Abraham. In the same way that he packed up and left not knowing where he was going, I will too (Hebrews 11-12). I want my vision to be steady so that I am not like a reed shaken by the wind. I planning to go to IHOP-KC for a season right now and don't know much after that, although I am excited and expectant. Lee has given me a desire to incorporate sound theological doctrine, depth, and study into the body of Christ so that we may be rooted and established in His love. My official transcript will state,

Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies, with Minors in Biblical Languages and Spanish.

Who knows where this will take me, I simply hope that it will cause me to love Jesus well so that the Lamb may receive the reward of His sufferings.

As I leave Lee, I am thankful to say that I have very few (if any) regrets. In some way this is how the Lord uses the foolish things to shame the wise. I have spent the past three years studying Theology and sitting in a small room praying to a God that I don't see. It seems dumb, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My time at Lee and with the Prayer Room culminated in a Prayer Conference focused on Intimacy with Jesus in which 700 people pre-registered. Somehow the Lord has taken our weak efforts and attempts to bring prayer back to Lee and has made it a central focus of the campus. I am expectant to see what happens at Lee University and in Cleveland TN.

(Now that I have more time on my hands, look forward to more posts)

Recent Events

Here's a brief update (and a random picture I took in Israel).

This semester has been difficult but great. I don't think there has been a time in my life where I have grown and learned more spiritually, practically, and academically. I was stretched more than I knew I could handle, but (of course) the Lord showed me His faithfulness. He helped me when I was in need.

In May I moved in with 3 guys who have grown to be my closest friends (John Bush, Caleb Hughes, and Steve Gilliam). We have had a blast living together, but more than that we started a home group type meeting on Monday nights that has been really powerful for our campus. Each week we have close to 60 students pack into our house and worship the Lord together. It was a great opportunity to learn about the Lord and discipleship. I also think I might have started doing something that is part of my future/calling... Teaching.

I taught 2 of our meetings and realized that it really is something that I love. I had a couple opportunities to teach when I was in high school, but at the time I didn't realize it was a gift/talent that I had, I was just doing it because of the role I was in. The Lord has given me a passion to teach/preach the bible and see people fall in love with Him. I am looking forward to more opportunities in the coming months.

Another recent update (that not many people know) is that I am actually finishing school a YEAR early. I will graduate with my Undergraduate in Theology in May! That's exciting. I have some thoughts about what I will do afterwards, but nothing definite yet. In the end there are 2 things I have on my heart to do: 1) minister to the Lord in some sort of House of Prayer setting (not necessarily IHOP), and 2) teach the bible. Right now I do not know the steps that the Lord will use to get me to those two desires, but He put them in my heart close to 5 years ago, and after waiting, the desire to do them has only grown. This proverb describes it best:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

This verse has vast eternal implications, but practically in my life I have hope to one day sit defore the Lord and gaze at His beauty night and day praying for His justice on the earth. For the past few years this hope has been deferred, but I am believing and trusting the Lord to bring it to pass as a tree of life.

One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4

My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2

Update

Well, It has been a little while since I have updated, and for all you regular readers I apologize tremendously. School is now done, and it finished in a fantastic way. The Lord continued to move in power and it was lots of fun! Finals week was hard, but great at the same time. Now, I am leaving for Israel tomorrow!

I am going on a trip with my school (Lee University) to Israel. We leave tomorrow and will be back on May 20th. I realize this was a quick update, but I must go. I am going to try and update while in Israel. If not, get ready for pictures as soon as I get back. THanks!

Faith

I was doing some reading and came across a fantastic quote by Jonathan Wesley that I thought would be good to blog. Check this out:

"Pride had already destroyed the very angels of God. It was likewise in great measure owing to this, when the tempter said, 'Ye shall be as gods' (gen 3:5), that Adam fell from his own steadfastness and brought sin and death into the world. It was therefore an instance of wisdom worthy of God to appoint such a condition of reconciliation for him and all his posterity as might effectually humble, might abase them to the dust. And such is faith. It is peculiarly fitted for this end, for he that cometh unto God by this faith must fix his eye singly on his own wickedness, on his guilt and helplessness, without having the least regard to any supposed good in himself, to any virtue or righteousness whatsoever. He must come as mere sinner, inwardly and outwardly, self-destroyed and self-condemned, bringing nothing to God but ungodliness only, pleading nothing of his own but sin and misery. Thus it is, and thus alone, when his "mouth is stopped," and he stands utterly 'guilty before God' that he can 'look unto Jesus,' as the whole and sole 'propitiation for his sins.'"

Wow. I want to be humble.

Life is good...

Well, today is Easter. What a day. The day that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and the fact that this power gives life to our mortal bodies. Wow. That truth is far beyond my human words (and I can not even grasp what I just wrote). Wow.

On another note. I have recently been wrestling with how hard life can be, but finally the Lords grace snapped me out of it. When I get caught up in everything I have to do and get so focused on me I am just being selfish. Since I am at home I started thinking about all my parents are doing in their lives right now and it really put it in perspective. I really do not have any struggles right now. In fact, I should be rejoicing at how easy life is for me! Haha. I mean all I do is pray, learn more about God, read, and study spanish (sometimes, not nearly enough though). So basically, I am living the best life! Haha.

Well, thats it for now. Hope this encourages you. haha. Cya