Lake Huron

I can't believe that I went all weekend without blogging. I don't like missing sharing. It was a very full weekend. I wanted to blog at the end of my day on Saturday but there was not a moment to spare. I must say that Saturday was an awesome day from start to finish. Tim and I both had great starts to our day, we went for a power walk, walking through the Arts and Apples Festival here in Rochester. That was so fun, it was beautiful weather. We came home and got ready and headed to the church where Tim is filling a vacancy for a while. They were having a community outdoor picnic which we thought we would attend. It was nice to meet some people there and for me to see the church. It is 3 blocks from Lake Huron. Just beautiful! Then we headed home, took a nap and joined another pastor and his wife for dinner. It was a great evening of fellowship and sharing life and ministry together. We connected great - too bad they are moving soon.

Sunday morning was Tim's first full Sunday at the church. Angela and I joined him and we were blown away by the welcome that we received from the people there. They are so genuinely happy that we are there. God continues to place us in different places for a time. We do not know how long we will be there but for the time being it is a gift to be celebrated. We just felt loved on and that is something that God knew we needed. We've already been invited over to dinner and joined a couple families for dinner yesterday.

God is so amazingly good. This picture is the view of Lake Huron. Those who know me well know that the Great Lakes are my (and Tim's) most rejuvinating place to be. I stood on the shore looking out at all the sailboats - then closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the water lapping on the shore. It is so beautiful and peaceful. It just clears my mind, I love it.

Being with Jesus is the best ever. Most of my life I didn't understand what it meant to really be with Jesus. I mean really be with him. It was so hard to grasp. But I feel like the more God calls me to trust him, the closer I become with him. You know those times in life when your in a situation that is just so hard but a solution is out of your reach. You know that you can't do anything about it and yet you continue to fret and worry about it? Been there done that way too much. I would encourage you to seek the Lord like you never have before. Get desperate for him - cry out to him. David had no problem crying out to him, just read the Psalms. He wants us to cry out to him, he wants us to draw near to him. Realize and recognize that Satan does not want that to happen. We can be convinced that we can't get really close to Jesus. That is a lie - the truth is that Jesus promises to draw near to us. The Holy Spirit is a powerful gift. Ask Jesus to fill you - to pour His Spirit within you. Spend time with Jesus and you will find joy like you have never had it before. A good starting point is to find a quiet place alone. Open up your bible - I love the book of John - meditate on what you read asking God to reveal himself to you. Close your eyes to take away any distractions and just talk, out loud, to Jesus. I think talking out loud is powerful communication. Ask him to reveal himself to you in your life. He loves you so much and wants to have a relationship with you. It's not about a religion, but a relationship with Jesus. Close your eyes and listen to the following song. Listen like it's your prayer today.