Normal.

Conciseness is key. Or so I hear when it comes to blogging... Maybe I'll start on the second post, because on the first I thought it fitting to begin with an article from my most recent newsletter. I wrote it a few weeks ago, but it still sums up my feelings at the moment. Here we go:

Oh wait, how rude of me... welcome to my blog! Entertaining, intriguing, thought provoking- that's the goal for this here page. Interaction is another goal (but that's where you come in). I hope to show you China through my eyes. I'd love to hear your thoughts. And if you'd like for me to turn my head and show something else, let me know. Thank you. Ok, now we're ready:

Departure for training: Sunday, July 24th

Departure for China: Monday, August 1st

Normal.

I'm quite a fan of irony. At it's best, irony allows you to smile at otherwise weighty times. Weighty seems to be the best word I can put on the contrast of excitement and apprehension I'm feeling at the moment. Don't get me wrong, the excitement greatly outweighs the other, but there is still the feeling of, "wait, what am I doing again?"

Which is where the irony enters. I'm moving to southern China to teach English at a school whose names ends with "NORMAL University"! My anticipation has been amped up by the influx of long-awaited details provided by my friend Google, but I just keep coming back to that word- Normal. This is normal right? I'm about to leave friends, family and (no offense to the previously mentioned, but this is especially hard to type) Auburn football (whew, I did it). I'm about to throw off everything familiar and dive into foreign smells, curious stares, and shrunken personal space. This can't be normal.

Normal: (adj) "conforming to the standard." As soon as I turn heavenward to demand an explanation for my life, I'm hit with a truth coming down from the same upward direction. The Father's definition of "normal" is defined by what He has set as the Standard. That Standard threw off everything that was comfortable to Him, descended to the most foreign place possible, and poured out His life into you and me. That changes everything. If His definition of normal was the same as ours, we would be lost. If that's the real normal then there's nothing He can call us to do that He hasn't already done Himself.

I can't wait to walk up to ____ Normal University everyday and think of that. Not only is it normal that He's called me there, it's normal that He's going with me. It's normal that He's given me a Helper and a Guide. It's normal that He's going to open hearts and bring dead to life. It's normal that He's bringing people, cities and countries back to Himself.

On second thought, I sure don't want to be different.