Before The Throne

Just spent an amazing evening in the presence of God, and brothers and sisters....worshipping, praying, and sharing communion. It really doesn't get any better than that. Wish all my friends could have been there....those of you who were...well, you know....it was good! Real good.

Returning to the Rasberry Bush

On a Sunday morning (we went to church last night) I once again took a walk out to the rasberry bush by the red shed in the back of my back yard. It was overcast this morning...and it actually rained last night. There are not that many berries left on the bush...but those that are there are red, plump and oh so sweet and juicy. They are good. But you know....to successfully pick rasberries...you have to really look for them...because most of the time they are not very obvious. It is almost as if they do not want to be picked...they are definitely not just sitting there, glowing and screaming "pick me, pick me"....no they are hiding...under, around, and most out of the time out of sight. So that is why you find me doing my morning gymnastics by the rasberry bush...bending, looking, checking...and believe me, I find them. And they are good.

So this morning again I was out there ...and it got me thinking. This is how life is... most of the time the good stuff, the nuggets are not just sitting there screaming out to us to be picked, to be discovered, no they are hidden. Like the nugget of a quite moment on my green sofa in the morning, just listening to the birds out there...or taking in some of God's Word...pondering, thinking, meditating...listening to a word of encouragement from a friend....whole heartedly joining worship at church...listening to a great sermon....of finding a good book...

So my questions at the rasberry bush this morning.....am I really looking for the nuggets God has for me every day? Am I bending, checking, and looking around for "God sightings"...because you know, He is there...all the time...and He is good.

Fixing our eyes...

Amazing how fast one can loose sight of what is important....it just takes a conversation or two with someone who is on a different track...and wham, there I go...so, I need to get back to what is the bottom line...keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus the Author and Finisher of my faith.....

....and why I am at it...remember to PRAY for friends serving in outreach on teams in other parts of the world right now. We went to the airport twice this week.

Rasberry Season

I love this time of year.....it is rasberry season...and every day I sneak out in the garden early in the morning, hopeing no-one will see me....yep, in pj, robe and slippers and hair on end....carefully avoiding the wet spots that the dew has left on my struggling back yard lawn....to find myself picking red, delicious berries from my thriving rasberry bush by the back shed...and even though I picked the bush "clean" the day before....the next morning there is always a new bunch of berries waiting for that special plate in the freezer where they with great tender and loving care get frozen...one by one. And then the following day all dumped into a zip lock bag. At the end of the berry season, there will (Lord willing) be several of those ziplock bags waiting to be enjoyed during cold winter days. Yummy. I love this time of the year.

A Whirlwind of Thoughts

I don't know about you, but the most intensive part of my life is not all the stuff I do, or are involved in...it is actually processing all the whirlwinds of thoughts that seem to be running around within. There are so many things to process...all the time. People, happenings, words, thoughts, opinions, words written, words unspoken, work to be done, thoughts I have, Scripture, special books, .....etc. etc.

Well, get me right, I don't see all of this as a bad thing, it is actually quite fun to be able to think of things, go through them and look at them from different angles and most of all pray through it all...some of my favorite times to do this is actually early, early in the morning, some time before I step out of bed, and some time as I sit down to spend time with the Lord.

My prayer in all of this...is that I will have the thoughts of the Lord...have a clear conscience, and a loving heart....and a godly attitude!!! Because attitudes are so important, as they speak louder than our words.

So, when my anxious thoughts...and the not so anxious thoughts, multiply within....there is nothing better than spending a little time listening to what the Lord, my Master has to say in His Word, and then also spend time just allowing my heart to listen....before the throne. Then there is peace. What a glorious thing!!

Did I make any sense? I hope so. Have a wonderful day. In His Presence.

A week later

It is funny how fast a week can go...and also how long it can seem. But realizing that we got back here just a week ago...well, there is an aweful lot of stuff that has happened since. The main thing was of course that we had Global Outreach Weekend....it went well and we had some awesome people show up and share....in words and in deeds....only God knows how this weekend will impact lives around us. We are thankful!! I did put in a lot of hours and now....I am looking forward to having some time off...in the garden, planting, weeding...and just hanging out in that beautiful back yard right here .....a good thing.

Always when we come back from a long trip I wrestle with the basic question that pops up ever so often in my life....who am I? Where do I belong? Where is home? Only after you have lived cross culturally can you indentify with that....technically this is not home...at the same time as Sweden is no longer home either....well, for all of you out there who are thinking that I have somehow lost it...do not worry...I know that this is home....because this is where God has us planted right now. And it is good. This is our little outpost where we sit and watch the happenings around the Globe...and keep an eye on our friends out and about....pray and stay focused on what God is doing....all in all...a good thing.

Home

Just a quick note to you all.....we are safely home again. Thanks for praying for us on this long trip. We look forward to sharing more about our trip and to show you pictures......