Joy in the Journey

  “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’” Deuteronomy 33:27   On Sunday as we pulled into a parking space at church I saw a young boy, thirteenish, running toward one of the Sunday school buildings. I do not have a teenager and so, have no idea about the teen programs at church. The boy could have been running for any number of reasons. Perhaps he was excited to see a friend. Maybe the leader/teacher brings donuts and he wanted the “good” one. Maybe those classes start a bit earlier than the service and he was actually running a little late. Those are all fair conjectures but in reality I have no idea why he was running. What I do know is the impression that I had when I saw him. He was a slight boy, well-dressed and carrying a Bible. And running, with a huge smile on his face straight toward….. and that is where my knowledge ended and my impression took over. Running, I percei

  “I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remain in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5   The past few weeks have been extremely enlightening. I have learned so much and I doubt that I can do it justice in these few small sentences. Reading those words you might think I’d been on a mission trip or doing intense Bible study. I have not. What I have been doing is simply living my life but with a huge amount of help and the gift of vision, from the Holy Spirit. First let’s talk about struggle. The other day I was on the fringe of a conversation about finances. I heard a woman say that she and her husband struggle. That struck me as odd because they have far, far more than they need. This was not a conversation about poverty, about trying to provide food and shelter. No, this was about paying for the third car, the nicer home, the extras.   Later the Holy Spirit poked me with her words. She does not struggle but I