Time lapse, or simply life intervening? Which do you think it might be? Could it be both, or neither?

So, I’ve been involved with several things, lately, but it has drawn me away from other important things. My church has started forming small groups, people of like mind, or sometimes not so like mind, doing life together. We call them life groups for this reason. We get together periodically and share ourselves. I’ve joined one of these groups, meeting monthly, sharing a meal and simply enjoying each others company.

But I’ve also started a group. I have a small group of teens who meet every other week to study the Bible together. This is something I’ve been throwing myself into recently. It’s been incredibly rewarding so far, as I’ve seen their awareness open up. My goal with them is that they develop their relationship with the WORD on their own. Relationship with the WORD is not something that can be taught. You have to find your own way to it, or through it. And so, my goal is simply to facilitate their journey. And I have been on my own journey through it as well. It’s been incredible to watch them as they have begun to realize the relationship between the Old and New Testament, and how they fit together. To see the dawning in their eyes when they finally get how a certain phrase, that has new meaning today, was meant to be defined by the original author, and how it brings new and special meaning to the WORD within them.

There has been a lot of other stuff that has intervened as well. An incredibly, ridiculously good price on entire seasons of “The Gilmore Girls.” Unfortunately, there has been a LOT of time wasted there! And most recently, the discovery of Angry Birds Transformers! How cool is that!?!

But that all comes to an end this week. – Thank you, Pastor Tim, for reminding me of Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were able to stand for God in the time of testing BECAUSE they stood for Him all the time. They were faithful with God before they were taken to Babylon (before anyone was watching), which gave them the power and faith to stand with Him in the time of testing, when everyone was watching. They stood strong together in their decision to not defile themselves with the king’s food. Was it really a food issue? Or was it the principle? A decision not to bow down to the king’s authority, but to stand up for the KING’s authority!?

And so…. Next week, Monday, November 10th, I will be boarding a plane for Slavyansk, Ukraine, to join a team of doctors on a medical mission. I’ve never been on a medical mission before. I don’t know what I’m doing. Except,… I know I’m following the will of God. And I know that I should have been faithful in the secret place with God for a long time now. But I also know that it’s okay. As long as I repent, and do not bow now. Gilmore Girls, no more, not this week. Angry Birds Transformers, no more, not this week. “This kind can not be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (Mark 11:29).

I covet the prayers of the faithful as I go on this trip. We will be gone from November 10th through the 17th. I know that the LORD has incredible things for us. Blessings to all.