What a send off!! Thank you all so much for your presence in worship today and for your continued prayers. I hope you know that as you see your "red threads" these next 2 weeks and will be thinking and praying for me, I will see mine and be thinking and praying for you. I want to thank Tina, David, Dan and Darla for organizing the prayer time and giving us all a physical reminder of God's powerful presence with us and the bond that unites us in Christ no matter where we
I also want to thank you all for your words of love and support as I begin my journey. It is humbling for me to know that this journey is bringing you as much joy as it is bringing me. I hope I will be able to add to that joy by sharing the experience when I return.
As I reflect on your joy for my journey it dawned on me that this is how we should feel toward one another in our journey of faith. Each one of us should be filled with joy when we see others come to know the love of God and begin a journey of faith that will forever change them. Every time someone takes another step that helps them discovery God's will and experience God's grace we should celebrate together and give thanks to God. Maybe this is what Jesus was talking about when he said that there is joy in heaven when one lost sheep is found. Angels shouldn't be the only ones rejoicing as others walk and grow in faith - we should be rejoicing with them and with one another. My hope is that we would be able to keep this kind of joy alive for years to come as we watch one another experience the fullness of God's love and grace and as we journey together with Christ.
You will be glad to know that I am writing this blog post with all the technology I will have on the trip, so I should be able to share the experience, keep you up to date and share some pictures each day. Please know that with each post my thoughts and prayers will be with you and I will be thanking God for each of you and how your faith and love have made this all possible.
Shalom!
