He goes before us...

In Psalms 139, David speaks of our God as being intimately aware with his entire life.  He knows his thoughts and words, his current journey: He “is acquainted with all my ways.” David then speaks of this intimacy existing from the first moments of his life: “My frame was not hidden from you, / when I was being made in secret, / intricately woven in the depths of the earth.”  By attributing this knowledge and expressed interest to the God revealed through the life of Jesus Christ, we see a game changer.  The one who is most intimately involved in our moment-to-moment existence, from the beginning, is the one who willing gave up everything so that we may understand the true meaning of our life. If we take it one step further and look at God’s words to his exiled people living in captivity, the reality of His promise to us becomes almost overwhelming: “For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

For Rozalyn and I, this reality has become so obvious in the past 4 months.  When we set out, there were so many pieces of the overall puzzle not within sight, but God has faithfully placed each provision in front of us without fail.  The most recent was a huge donation from two completely unexpected supporters.  With money running out, God reached out to us with another form of tangible love.  Even more, he chose to do this through the hands of his faithful children, which seems to be one of his favorite forms of provision. 

It appears to me that God knew back in April when we made the decision to let go that the hearts of fellow believers would be stirred in August to give us the means to continue.  And that right there is more than enough for us to say,

we never have to be afraid, of anything, ever again.   Hallelujah.

The art of being present

The past two months has been an exercise of our willingness to focus on the present.  With the unknown looming ahead, it has been more of an act of will power than natural outpouring.  Worries of money, a place to live, a vehicle, heartache over leaving Hawaii, all threatened to steal the joys of the present and still do at times.  However, God has continually redirected us to the here and now by ample provision, which never seem to come early.  A fully furnished apartment on campus, with room for our dog, was offered to us free of charge.  The day before we needed to drive across the country, a styling 1988 Dodge station wagon fell into our laps way below our budget.  She sailed 1800 miles through 10 states without a single issue, other than some strange looks. As we have shared our story, people have felt moved to support Rozalyn (thank you so much). This was all topped off with a month of family, friends and the familiar surroundings of the Black Hills. All of these pieces of grace have done much to remove distraction, but, even more so, they have been major affirmations in are personal pursuit of God.

Through it, we have learned that truly trusting in God requires one to pursue God today – right now.  As Manning put it, “[I]t is an act of radical trust – trust that God can be encountered at no other time and in no other place than the present moment.”  It is so easy to be consumed by past regrets/triumphs or by the future’s prospects/worries, but by doing so we miss out on the overwhelming amount of goodness in our current reality. “The sacrament of the present moment is always overflowing with immeasurable riches, far more than you are able to hold” (Jean-Pierre deCaussade).

We now find ourselves in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.  Rozalyn has discovered that a vital role in the school awaits her, and she is eager to pour herself into the students.  Evan is getting excited as he prepares for the 10 months of study that lies a short distance ahead. Through this time of transition, we have been comforted by Matthew 6:25-33, which I am confident speaks to not only our basic needs of survival but also to our emotional well being.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [1] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”