Is. 55:10-11

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Glancing Over my Shoulder

Today was the kick-off of Long Beach ministry as both staff and student leaders met to both plan and pray about this semester. It was such a sweet time and God really unified our hearts in vision and purpose, yet today I felt 'off.'

I couldn't help but think back to last year at my last Student Leader retreat at ASU. I spent time talking with my other senior friends discussing scripture and the Holy Spirit's role in our life. We had to speak about what legacy we wanted to leave behind and Immanuel shared a song he wrote in Mexico entitled "More than Conquerors" in which the chorus of the song still randomly resonates in my head from time to time. Life is different now.

Our regional conference is coming up and now on staff I so wish for the students of CSULB to attend and hopefully glean as much out of it as I have the past four years. It breaks my heart thinking too of friends from those years who now have made their own choices in walking away from Christ in their lives.

Reading through 1 Samuel yesterday, I was struck by a verse where Samuel is crying out to God distraught the people are asking for a king to be like all the other nations. The Lord responded saying, "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." What a sad thing to reject a perfect and just king!

One of my favorite painters, Caravaggio, depicted this scene entitled The Calling of St. Matthew. The thing I love about it is he painted Jesus' hand mimicking the manner of Michelangelo's Adam. The limp hand sitting there while God's was stretched out from heaven as pictured in the Sistine Chapel. But Christ came to Earth to die for us so that we may live! He took on human form for us! For an instance in time, Jesus had the ability to be weak as we are. Will you respond?

The Airport Game

My good friend Sarah has an "airport game" she plays anytime traveling where you try to find someone you know unexpectedly. While I play along, I also have another airport game I play. Aside from people watching, I've been inspired from the movie, The Terminal to always look around and mentally plan how I would survive if I were trapped in an airport for a month or so. Which vendors would I befriend and where I would want to sleep at night. It may seem like a strange thing to think about, but it's a glimpse into how my mind works! (I also have always secretly wanted drawers full of other countries currency separated so if I need to travel I'm always prepared like the spies are in movies or like Doc is in Back to the Future...maybe that all comes from my previous desire to be in the CIA!)
Anyways, I think airports are great places to think about where I've been and possibly am going in life. I look around at people from so many countries and can pray for them while wondering if maybe God will call me there someday. One of my good friends asked if I ever felt like I am in Narnia in life. Wondering which place is really home...Texas, Arizona, California, Holland...sometimes I can feel that way. (I even took a photo by a lamppost in Holland thinking about this!) Even the Levitate tribe upon entering the promised land were not given any land of their own, but they were given God and His promises. In 1 Peter 2:9 it says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." So as we are the priesthood, we are not always given some place to call a physical home. But really, life on this Earth is just like an airport. We are waiting on our departure to arrive to be with our Lord and Savior in heaven. Meanwhile in London, we are getting glimpses of the world beyond the lamppost while eagerly awaiting Christ's return.

There is only so much time before the flight takes off. How much more then do we need to work towards things that matter.