The days seem to grow shorter between my writing periods. J Or perhaps I am simply discovering the need to write more. I am finding that writing helps me process life….moments of joy and moments of sadness. Its good to be able to get thoughts out onto paper, though sometimes they can be a bit alarming when we see them in stark black and white.
On the activity side of life-things are going really well. We’ve spent the last two weekends
getting the house in Chatchnesago ready for the Davis’s (and myself for 2 weeks) to move into. Its been fun watching the house come together. We’ve gone from painting to beginning to furnish—its almost like watching someone creating a painting or a composition, yet this is a home.
This last weekend I was also blessed again to have the chance to go to TLC. J It was an unexpected surprise and I was so grateful for that. Louise (member of Team 2000) asked me if I could help out with the story in Sunday-school. She asked if I would tell it English for the farang kids and she would translate it into Thai. The story was from Acts 14 (?) about Paul and the storm on his way to Rome. I had a great time paraphrasing it in English (it’d be so much fun someday to be able to do it in Thai). I’d forgotten how much I loved telling kids bible stories. Louise translated into Thai and Diana (a Treker) drew pictures on the board to illustrate. Pretty much we had a great time tag-teaming the event. J I also got to know one of the ALH girls a little bit. She remembered me from the week before and when she saw me began tickling me. J Why, I’m not sure but I tickled back and proceeded to let her piggy back ride up and down the stairs a few times when we were going up and down (which was more than I thought it would be). And I also ended up sitting with her most of the time/playing games with her. Such a sweetheart. I hope to get the chance to hang out with her more.
After church we went over to the mall for pizza and a movie (Iron Man) to celebrate Jason’s birthday, which he fully enjoyed both (the rest of us did too). Then it was back to Lopburi…rather a long drive but eventually we made it, by 1 am. J Jason asked me to tell him a story…so I took about half an hour and paraphrased The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. Definitely glad I’ve read it so many times.
On more of a deeper note, things seem to be going all right with me and God. I’m continuing to soak in these opportunities to get to know Him better. I think the reality of me heading back to the States is beginning to sink in a bit, which has made it a bit more rocky emotionally recently. Sometimes I’m not sure so sure how I will handle it but I’m trying to do my best to give it all up to God and let go of it.
I had a couple quotes I wanted to share with you from Manning’s Ruthless Trust. Definitely a thought-provoking and very convicting read. He talks so much about what it means to be beloved by God and what it means to truly trust Him. Its been convicting in a lot of ways….how do we really love God and love others and yet still rest secure in God’s hands and dance to his heartbeat? He talks about saying yes to acknowledging the imminent presence of Christ in our daily lives. He says, “This yes is an act of faith, a decisive, whole hearted response of my whole being to the risen Jesus present beside me, before me, and within me; a cry of confidence that my faith in Jesus provides security not only in the face of death but in the face of a worse threat posed by my own malice; a word that must be said not just once but repeated over and over again in the ever-changing landscape of life.” (99). So…what do you think? I thought that was particularly challenging as I feel like I’m at this pivotal point of saying yes to so many things—yes to loving God more, yes to loving others and serving them with my life, yes to being open to whatever God has for me here and in the States. But yet this yes is an ongoing process. I find it so encouraging that it is not just one instant and then over and done with. Rather, God invites us to say yes…again and again and again. Richard Rohr once said, “We are born, not once, but again…and again and again.” What Manning says here reminds me of that-how can we keep saying yes to God?
So, challenging to say the least. J But life is good. Check it out: “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The way He related to Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene is the way He relates to us. The recovery of passion starts with reappraising the value of the treasure, continues with letting the Great Rabbi hold us against His heart, and comes to fruition in a personal transformation of which we will not even be aware.” (Manning, p. 131) I love it-so much discussion on what it means to be passionate about God, about life, and about drawing closer to God. This time is such a gift of that. I’m realizing that as I am out of my comfort zone, as I am out of what I am familiar with…it seems like God keeps drawing me closer to himself and I am learning what it means to trust him more. What a blessing, hey?
No comments:
Post a Comment