Too Long we've been silent

More than a month since our last post, wow - not for lack of activity. We have found our schedules rapidly increasing and our need for "down time" gets considerably less deserved attention each week. Fortunately, we have a long anticipated break beginning next weekend - a cross-country mini-van journey through the Badlands of South Dakota and onward toward exciting Douglas Wyoming (family owned property) and, most importantly, the Grand Tetons on the western edge of Wyoming. We have about 13 days in a row with just our family. We're excited!!! So even though our kitchen is torn apart because of a "minor" remodel and our bathroom has been unusable for a couple of days, we know there is relief in sight. Actually our inconveniences our quite mild and all the work should be finished prior to leaving this week. We had some long overdue work required on our house in order to get it into condition for our renters to arrive (middle of August). We're almost done.

We're entering an odd period of time with our team where we will not be together as an entire team (due to summer vacations, work schedules, etc) until the beginning of September. That is when we plan to leave. As our leave date nears, our hearts are increasingly filled with excitement - just sheer excitement. God has drawn near and His enduring and faithful love has not ceased to stir and focus us on toward His goal and call. Partly we've been preparing now almost 18months, but in part it's been the good favor of the Lord to reassure our hearts and align our desires with His. Despite all we're "losing" in moving away, our divine intensity is drawn from all that we'll gain. At the top of the blog is one of my favorite verses, as well of the late Jim Elliot's (one of my personal heroes). There is a promise of Life, true life, when we abandon all for our Lord. For us, the gain, the fruit, is embedding our lives more fully to our creator's and humbly accepting the privilege to serve him. As we all continually ask ourselves "what does God want with our life", I pray that we're not led astray to compromise or take short-cuts or fail to fully bow at the Cross in living an abandoned life to Jesus. Lord give us mercy to endure.