Loving God and Loving Others

We wash dishes, my son and I. The best conversations happen in the kitchen where we don't have to look eye to eye with each other. It's something I have learned having three sons. Do you ever wonder. .. I start out. If it's worth it all this? Living cross-culturally, serving others, experiencing change often, and even getting sick....  he finishes. Someone's been thinking. Is it worth it?  I sit in our international fellowship this morning. This gathering of people from different parts of the globe all serving here in our city. I am moved by the thought of the stories represented by the lives of these people. How would they answer this question? We all start out fairly idealistic. Thoughts of changing the world, bringing light, helping the poor, loving the marginalized capture our imagination and the possibilities are endless. I did not expect the life change God would do in me. The rough edges that would need sanding off, (and continue to need it), the dar...

I've probably written plenty of posts before surrounding the topic of trust but the journey has gotten tougher in the recent days. Tougher for my frail heart to trust. Choosing to trust the Lord in the face of fear is something my heart sometimes struggles to do. In the daytime it's easier. The nighttime is harder. When the busyness of the day wears off and I'm left alone with my thoughts sometimes fear grips me. The "what-if" thoughts seem to plague me daily, thoughts surrounding our future, the health of my husband, and the safety of my children. If I'm not careful the thoughts can run rampant and the feeling is debilitating. This morning my attention is turned towards 2 Chronicles 20, the passage when King Jehoshophat is desperately calling out to God for help.  "Lord, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You."  (v.12) The following verses grip my heart. Jahaziel, filled with the Holy Spirit, exhorts the people,  "Do not be ...