May 2

Written by:
5/2/2010 4:00 PM 

 I am currently writing from the desert.  I can look out the window and see miles and miles of brown sand--Twentynine Palms, California.  I'm on a short weekend trip to visit Josh, Kim, and baby Claire.  

I have, for years, complained about Michigan.  I may have even done so in a previous blog entry!  I'm not big on winter.  I don't really like to be cold.  One would think that coming to California would be heaven on earth for someone who's upper lip curls whenever the first snow falls.  But, I have to admit that I'm not getting that sense of paradise.  Driving through Palm Springs did not spark a wanderlust.  Instead, it's made me a bit homesick.  I miss the people, I miss the sights, and I even miss the stupid drive from Kalamazoo to Battle Creek.  I have come to realize how much I love my home. 

We attended a church here in Twentynine Palms.  Roughly the size of NVM (possibly slightly bigger with a permanent building) this church was nice.  The pastor was fired up and entertaining as he taught.  The atmosphere was relaxed.  But as I sat there in that service, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude for NVM and the people there.  I realized more than ever that God has called me to NVM.  This weekend away has given me the blessing of knowing that calling and cherishing it.  I have a renewed sense of family at NVM.

I don't know who this blog will reach. As I've said in the past, it is really not my job to worry about my audience.  God will lead those to this blog if there is something He wants them to read.  I want to encourage anyone out there who may be reading this and struggling with a sense of belonging or direction. If you open yourself up to God's leading, He will bring people into your life who will be your family--God's family. Have you been reunited with someone you haven't spoken to in a long time? In my experience, when something out of the ordinary happens, often it means you should take a deeper look to see if God's working something big.  Open yourself up to why God may have brought you back. Have you driven past a sign or a church building that catches your interest?  Open yourself up to the possibility that you are being called there and be willing to take a chance--just one more time. In doing so, God may lead you to come to NVM or He may lead you somewhere else--it doesn't matter where.  But I know that there is a place for you in God's family.  I invite you to join me in trusting Him to show you who your family really is.  

And on a personal note...I love you guys at NVM.  I really, really love you.