On Mission

We have made it to Ft. Lauderdale, and there is a (free) Wi Fi connection here. I had expected to have a connection in Jamaica, too, but now I’m not sure we will have one.

We have had a couple of delays due to weather. We arrived safely, but late, in Ft. Lauderdale. We are now flying standby for a 9 p.m. flight to Montego Bay, where we will catch another flight to Kingston.

If we can’t catch the plane tonight, we will spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale and get an early flight to Jamaica tomorrow.

Dan has always told us that we need to be flexible. OK. It is actually a great trip. Dan is handling all the logistics, so the rest of us just know that he will figure things out.

We got upgraded to first class on our flight from Atlanta to Ft. Laud. Pretty sweet deal, especially since we had to wait for about an hour on the ground, in the plane. Not bad when you have plenty of room.

On the Way. Had weather delays. Now on standby for fly

Love and Music

There is a certain feeling of being love.  It is the openness of the soul, a complete trust in someone else.  I also experience this feeling in music.  It is an openness of the soul, and a carefree enjoyment of the moment.

 When God is driving the music, then he can speak to my soul through it.  It helps me connect with him.

 This thought just came to me today as I was mowing grass.  I had never really thought about that connection before.

Divine Refusal

I am learning, over the years, to handle expectations.  People often want me to read this book, check out this article, get involved with this cause.  Sometimes it is right on track and very helpful to me.  But sometimes it is not.  It is all good stuff, but it is not all stuff that God calls me to do. 

Last week I wondered, “What if I refuse to meet these expectations?”  Jesus often refused to do what people asked or expected him to do.  I went through the book of Mark (and some other passages) and found numerous times when Jesus refused to do something others expected of him.

He refused to get involved in an argument between brothers (Luke 12:14).  He refused to control his disciples’ obedience to Sabbath laws.  He refused to come when his family called him.  He refused to let a healed demoniac travel with him.  He refused to appoint James and John to his ruling cabinet.  He refused to tell the Pharisees where his power came from.  He refused to testify at his trial.  He refused to drink wine mixed with myrrh as he died on the cross.

The key is that Jesus allowed only the Father to direct his actions.  The Holy Spirit led him.  Jesus did not explain himself or apologize for any apparent neglect.  He always treated people with love, even when he was harsh with them.

 Of course Jesus had his critics.  They did not understand why he would not follow convention or bow to the wishes of others.  It made people mad.  But Jesus was not afraid of that.  He had a mission from the Father, and he would not be diverted from it.

 I need to stay in such close relationship with God that I have a real sense of his calling upon me.  Then I can know what God wants me to do and to refuse to do.  And, like all of us, I will have my critics.  But there is a real sense of freedom in knowing that I only need to please an audience of One.

Thunderstorms

I enjoy thunderstorms.  I know they can be dangerous, though.  When Lisa and I were engaged, living in Ft. Worth, TX, we had  a real scare.  It must have been a Saturday, b/c we were both off of work.  Our respective apartments were just across the sidewalk from each other.  We were coming back to our complex from shopping when we saw a huge storm coming up.  The cloud was huge and almost black. 

By the time we got back to my (soon to be “our”) apt., the storm began to rage.  I had no radio, so I went across the courtyard to Lisa’s apt. to get her boom box.  I could barely maneuver through the wind.  I got back to our apt. and could not figure out how to use the radio.  The power was out and I figured the boom box batteries were dead.  (They weren’t.  I just couldn’t find the right switch.)

With no TV or radio, we could only wait and watch.  The storm blew out one of our windows in the stairway, leaving glass shards stuck in the opposite wall.  A serious storm.  Later we found out that it was not a tornado, but a storm with straight line winds of up to 90 mph.  Someone actually died in that storm.

Having said that, I still like storms.  I like the thunder and lightning.  I love the sound of the driving rain and the wind.  These storms are especially fun at night, offering glimpses of daylight in the chaos.

So now I’m on my porch, waiting for a storm, but it’s just sprinkling.  Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little sunshine before it gets dark…Surely we are caught up with rain for a while.  

Get it straight

I do like to be organized.  Our moving process to our new house is continuing, but we still have more stuff to move.  Fortunately we are absorbing and putting in place all the stuff we are moving.  Unfortunately, that makes the process slow, and there is still more stuff.

 I had hoped to get the house all empty by the end of this month.  Not going to happen.  I really want to get it in top shape to sell this month or next.  We are closer, though.

 The good news is that things are well organized at the new abode.  It’s amazing how much better one can organize with enough space.  It is even easier to clean with more space. 

 Now I can get things in place, know where they are, and get to them when I need them.  It just feels better knowing that I don’t have a big mess lurking behind every closed door. 

 That’s true spiritually, too.

Blogging or 'Booking?

I have noticed that since I began Facebooking, I have cut back on my blog posts. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Blogging is a way to share thoughts, both profound and inane. Facebook is a way to keep up with friends’ lives. And people can share profound thoughts there, too.

I try to check up on people by Facebook regularly, and post “what’s on my mind” every couple of days.

During my daily life I am constantly thinking, “That would be a great thought for my blog.” Sometimes the ideas evaporate, and sometimes when I try to articulate them, they don’t seem all that important after all.

I heard about a teen blogger – one that my older daughter follows – who committed to try to blog every day for a month. If blogging is about sharing life, then that’s a pretty good goal. I always want to share more often on my blog, but time slips away.

I just don’t want my life to be like that, slipping away without my doing the most important things. It takes a mind and heart in tune with the Holy Spirit, to do what really matters. That’s a goal worth trusting him for. (Not striving for. Striving always gets me worn out and wrung out, and doesn’t do much for the Kingdom.)