Still

I am sitting here in the late afternoon listening to the warm whispers of The Reminder by Fiest. The weather outside is mild and inviting, almost as if it is waving a white flag in an offering of peace after the violent heat that is "not appropriate" for early summer. I am reminded, though, that this is California. A recent road trip up north to Davis revealed that this state is as much desert as it is rolling hills and ocean views. Life is like that isn't it?

I appreciate the stillness of the present moment. And the clarity of hindsight. So, reflecting on the last few months and allowing the outside weather to influence me, I have decided to call a "truce" with my wavering emotions. I have sat in the desert for days and cried. But my tears did not flow enough to create a river that saturated and changed the land. I felt them on my cheeks...and then the dried up. Being a newlywed, I have also gazed upon hills of endless beauty and the dazzling seaside and known that even if I daily add a bucket of water to the ocean, it will not make a differnce. My joy will not cause something so vast to oveflow.

The passing of my dear friend and grandmother has been such deep sorrow. And yet the wonder of my new marriage and the building of our life together has almost "balanced out" the woes. And so, I sit with a stable heart rate and body temperature, in the late afternoon, with my music and my Savior...and I am still.

Moving

Dr. Keith Phillips spoke at a church we were visiting on Sunday. The man is a gifted (and might I add crafty) speaker. He has this way of making sacrificial life appealing. Really, he makes us want to pack up and move to Watts and start a street ministry. He does not butter it up...he presents a life of challenge, hard work, and living with a missional disposition. And yet the way the Lord speaks through Keith and allows the words to flow together just seems to get me every time.

I am not sure that we are supposed to move to LA right now. I am not sure that we are supposed to move to Africa either. Actually, I am not sure we are supposed to "move" at all. In the literal sense of course. But I am SURE that the Lord is "daring us to MOVE". There are things that we CAN do. We can be faithful with what the Lord has placed before us right now in Simi Valley. We CAN diligently pray for missionaries and visit them or send notes of encouragement. And we certainly CAN be willing and ready to pick up and move when God asks us to.

We all have skills and talents the Lord has given to us. We all have people in our lives that we directly impact. We may not all move to the inner city or across the globe with the good news of our Savior. But are we doing all that we CAN do?

Will you pray for us and with us? And will you commit to praying and asking the Lord to reveal what you CAN do?