A call

October 23, 2018

Well, it has been an interesting few days.  Five, to be exact.  Crazy that it hasn’t even been a full week that I’ve been gone for the Annual Board Meeting in Baja.  Someone told me things are heavy at the home in Oaxaca.  I wonder what I’ll encounter there today.

At one point this weekend, as we stopped for lunch along the dusty highway.  The food in northern Mexico is actually remarkably different than in the southern part, and the tacos we were eating shot me back to a memory of when I was sitting at a taco stand with my high school youth group, eating food that was so delicious and foreign to me at the time.

And here I was now, everything feeling so natural as I sat at a table with the board of the organization I’ve worked with for five years – having flown from one part of Mexico to another to be there.  High school me had no idea that in nearly 20 years I’d be in this place.

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out…”

Thank You, Lord, for forming me up in such a way that I obeyed when I was called to go out.  Help me continue to hear Your call and to obey.

The storm

October 9, 2018

Yesterday we sat in an attorney’s office for two hours, finding out that someone who previously did harm to the home is trying to clear his name.   Seriously, challenges seem to come in spades in October.

But I’ve decided that instead of dreading what October might bring us, we should begin to look forward to seeing the ways God will work in the midst of the trouble.

Yesterday seeing the rainstorm coming over the mountains almost seemed like a threatening reminder of the dark cloud over the start of the day.  But then the hours of rain that came with it seemed like a hopeful promise.

May we not fear the storm, but look forward to the ways God will work and the blessings He has in store.

Doubt

October 6, 2018

“…So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus.  But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”

Yesterday I was so frustrated by many things as I headed to Oaxaca.  Frustrated by people, by situations, by myself.  I even got into a tiff with the person riding in the car with me over something that was so trivial.  But as we approached the nearest town, I gained perspective.  I realized that it is October, and things often seem set against us this time of year.

I calmed down and explained to the person with me the other things that were on my mind.  It helped a lot for me to diffuse the anger building up in me, and seemed to help the situation a lot.  We both seemed in a pleasant mood after that.

“Jesus immediately reached out his hand, and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

Joy

October 3, 2018

“Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world.  It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives.  Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world…  The surprise is not that, unexpectedly things turn out better than expected.  No, the real surprise is that God’s light is more real than all the darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all the human lies, that God’s love is stronger than death.” Henri Nouwen