Hope

Change it Up

January 3, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

This is lovely sketch was made by artist Rebekah Leigh Marshall. I am found her work online. I’m fond of tandem bicycling…

I’m four months into my 57th trip around the sun. That is a sobering statement. Oddly it is also an invigorating challenge.

What new things can I learn to do? What old things can I make better? What about my character needs refining? What about my character needs sharing? Where are my gifts, talents and skills needed?

Those are some of questions I have pondered prior to the beginning of the New Year, 2014. And like most people I have lists: lists for groceries, projects, tasks, reading, writing to people; you name it. I probably have written a list. But this year isn’t about lists.

I’ve learned some things about myself in these many annual trips: I like some things to stay the same and I like to change some things. Unfortunately the things I’d like to stay the same are completely out of my influence to remain the same. (think children growing up and moving away). The things that I’d like to change and are completely within the realm of my influence to accomplish I have often not accomplished. blegh.

As I have pondered my lists and recognized my one very-within-reason-to-change character flaw, I chose the word for my change-it-up efforts for the year: Resolve. I explained my choice more fully here.

My firm commitment is not just to complete my lists. Or change a character trait. Although those are both great things to commit to accomplishing. No my firm commitment is to live out the words of Paul to the church at Corinth. Near the end of his letter he wrote this: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Now a casual reading might give the impression this about being stodgy and stiff; that you’re supposed to never change and never rest. And like most times when we take a verse of Scripture out of its context we can run the risk of misinterpreting what is there for us. So a brief interlude for a valuable point of history:

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth because they had started to live their lives like everyone else around them rather than following the teachings of Jesus as they had been shared by Paul. The church had the same values as the culture. Paul spent a lot of specific writing reminding the Christ followers what it means to actually follow Christ. And near the end of his letter he encourages them to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Knowing the context helps me to try to make sense for my own life of following along the Way. I need to break things down into little pieces that I can somewhat wrap my head around. So here’s what I’ve learned in looking at this verse and why I’ve ended up with the one word Resolve for my focus this year.

Steadfast is not a word we use in daily conversations. Why not? Maybe our culture doesn’t support a word like this; listen to the definitions: fixed in direction; a steadfast gaze. firm in purpose, resolution, faith; a steadfast friend. unwavering. What is steadfast in our culture?

Abounding is also another word lost to our regular speech. Too bad. It’s a cool word. It originates from Latin and means overflow, or run over.

So stitching these word meanings into this verse helps me see that as a Christ follower what I do in my life with the Lord (which is everything because He lives in me, in you if you name His name) isn’t wasted. It’s not in vain. I can be fixing my gaze on Christ, getting to know Him more and more, and overflow with what He shows me in His Word. So, how I live my life, how I speak to others, how I spend my time, how I show grace to those who hurt me, how I forgive and forgive and forgive again, is not just me going through the motions. It is God at work. Changing it up in me, making me look more like Jesus every day. WOW!

I need to get on His two seater bike and be in tandem with Him. And what a ride it has been so far; He promises the adventure of a lifetime!

He has promised many good things but most of all His abiding Presence. Life here does not get any better than living daily with the awareness of His very real Presence.

I resolve to be on the bike in Tandem with Jesus.

What are you changing up this year?

Please also visit Rebekah

A New Year, A New Day, A New Attitude

January 1, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

New New New! There is enthusiasm. Relief. Anticipation. New Year. New Day. New Attitude. If you’re a bandwagon-er you are probably also one who makes resolutions. My soon to be sis-in-law posted on Instagram today that their resolutions to eat less junk food and exercise more were broken on Day 1 when the cake they planned to take to a football party broke on its way from pan to plate for frosting. Instead of repairing it, they ate the broken cake with frosting on each bite. Resolution dissolution on Day 1.

Been there? Of course. Most regular people have difficulty with resolutions because they focus on negative behavior. Ironically, what we focus on is what we reinforce. So if we are trying to change something we can’t focus on what needs to change but rather what the is goal. All kinds of research in human behavior shows that if you want to be able to do something, you picture yourself doing that something. Focus on the positive result not the negative to be changed. Psych 101.

For decades I have been that person who wants to improve. Learn new things. Change old habits. Yes, lose weight. Eat healthier. Exercise more. Yada Yada Yada.

Well this new year of 2014 is a perfect storm of learning and application for me. If you’ve visited my blog before you already know the major life changes 2013 brought my way. All good but all of them very hard to walk through. Lots of tears. Lots of goodbyes. Lots of losses.

2014 is about New. New place. New church. New life. New Attitude.

I have read many great books near the end of 2013. I have begun applying new learnings. I have been encouraged by colleagues in new communities online. There is much to do. I could be overwhelmed with all the new applications, but instead of feeling fragmented and working down a list of things to do, I am choosing to focus. On just One Word.

Instead of a list of resolutions I have chosen My One Word. Resolve. It is a word to encompass all the lists. It is a noun meaning a firm determination to do something.

I am a great starter. I love to gather the info, the materials, all that is needed to accomplish a new idea or project. When we moved last year I was confronted with just how many projects and needed materials I had gathered! I have lacked follow through (to quote one of my dear family members) and that is a character flaw that I want (and need) to change. So my one word for 2014 is Resolve.

Resolve is a strong word. A firm determination. Not a ‘I-want-to-get-around-to-doing-that’ kind of word. Resolve is a ‘kick-butt-and-take-names’ kind of word. I want to be a woman of my word. I want to be known as a woman of The Word. Someone people can rely on; to trust to be full of wisdom and follow through; to complete what I’ve committed to.

I chose the picture of the sand dunes at Oceano as the back drop for the word Resolve since sands shift but Resolve does not.

The beauty of this word Resolve is that it aligns with God’s desire for me as I walk this life with Him. “Be steadfast (resolute) immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”1Cor.15:58

If you are tired of making resolutions that fall apart the first day (like a cake I heard of) spend some time reflecting on a character trait you want to grow in your life.

Hop over to My One Word and join in the community. Take the step and commit yourself to just one word for 2014.

Resolve.

Reflections of 2013

December 31, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

2013 is coming to a close.

I am relieved. It has been a year of dramatic changes. There is always change taking place whether we see it or not; our children grow over night; the plants and seasons change without our notice. But some changes are very perceptible and measurable. Those are the ones that I’d like to slow down!

As I reflect on this year (which is what I have the habit of doing on Dec 31 every year) I am amazed at all that God has brought me through. I am grateful for His provision, protection and most of all Presence.

He has taught me much this year about relying on Him when all around me is changing. Psalm 46 begins and ends with the reminder that God is our refuge and stronghold. Just before the end of the Psalm is the often quoted, “be still and know that I am God”. How can we be still when there is so much doing that needs to be done?

This is a big part of what God has shown me this year: how to ‘be still’ while still moving. Now if that isn’t an oxymoron I don’t know what is! Yet it is a Truth that is worth reflecting upon as this year ends and a new one starts.

When you look at the surface of a large body of water ( I am most familiar with the Pacific Ocean but you insert the image that fits for you) there are waves that change in height and frequency depending on the wind. Storms stir up the activity on the surface and being on the water can be rough and dangerous.

Below the surface, into deep water, there is only a gentle motion, almost unnoticeable. The current is present but the motion can be described as nearly still. As I have pondered the mystery of how to be still and still doing, the Lord brought this image to mind: go below the surface of the busy-ness of life, into the depths with Me. He is a very present help, a refuge, our strength, a stronghold, a deliverer; His Word is full of the images that remind us of His Presence in spite of the outer turmoil.

Sometimes the turmoil was overwhelming and I didn’t handle it all very well. I could beat myself up over it. I could lament and stay stuck in ‘my woe is me’ attitude. Or, as I learned through the study of His Word, I could see myself rightly as He sees me. I practiced time alone with Him, with His Word, in His creation, walking and talking with Him alone. Learning from Him along the Way. These sacrifices of “my time” were gifts He gave back to me in volume.

We can say, ‘I’m too busy to be still’ or ‘I have too many demands on me to make time for myself like that’ and keep rushing ahead without peace. We wonder what the Bible means when it says things like ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on You because he trusts in You.’ How is that supposed to happen? That must be for someone else that has time to sit around and read and pray. “I don’t have that luxury in my life.”

We can repeat the same pattern of thought and behavior that gets us back to being stuck, or we can choose to go forward thinking differently about ourselves and our circumstances, thinking God’s thoughts.

Oswald Chambers reflected on Isaiah 52:12: “He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our ‘rear guard’. And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.”

As this year closes, I am grateful for this knowledge and for the opportunities He gave me to practice and apply these Truths in my life. And now He calls us forward to grow and change. Not to stay the same. We as Christ followers are to be about the business of becoming more Christ-like not about the business of shoring up “the way I am” or “the way I’ve always done things”. There is more to do, grow and change.

I am making plans for this new year. I reflect on what has passed this year and reach forward into the new. God is already there, reaching His hand back to me to lead me forward. He wants to do the same for you. Will you take His hand?

What is one area you are planning to make changes in this coming year?

From 1st to 2nd and the In Between

December 17, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

I have been silent. Hours of time spent by myself in silence.
What used to be something I filled with too many things now is actually a comfort to me. I have been learning to let go and to wait in ways I have never before had opportunity.

There is loss and longing that I face. I don’t deny.

It’s our first Christmas out of our home of 15 years. Our college son flew in from his out of state U and then in a whirlwind hour and a half was out the door driving to our former town. To see friends. To work the holidays where his summer job offered time. Beautiful to have work. And friends to welcome him in.

He is facing the changes in his own way. It’s not his home anymore. Our home where the Hubster and I live will always have a place for our children to stay when they come, but the childhood home? That’s gone.

He sent me this picture yesterdayHis kitty, who lives with our neighbors now. If you look closely you can see his hand in the reflection. She was inside. He couldn’t hold her. She would lie in his arms like a baby. I ache.

I have been reading a lot in this season. Wonderful books. Encouraging. Deepening. Challenging books. A Million Little Ways by Emily P Freeman in which she helps us see. A Confident Heart by Renee Swope in which she helps us look at ourselves through the lens of Truth. Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey (more on that later!). I have also been reading an Advent devotional called Emmanuel published by She Reads Truth.

I am reminded that this is not my home, that I am a sojourner here, not just here but HERE. I am living between the 1st and 2nd. Jesus’ Birth the first Advent of Jesus. The looking forward to His 2nd return as King. How am I doing?

All of these writings have given me encouragement, comfort and a sense of being understood. I am the poeima of God, made to live the art that is my life. I no longer need live in the shadows of the past. I am gifted to serve the community in unique ways.

This too early out of bed morning I began Jeff Goins latest book The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing. And right there in the introduction was a gem for this day: “The challenge is what we do with these times, how we use–or waste–our waiting. The slower times contain a wealth of wisdom for us to tap into, but only when we recognize them.”

How am I doing? I am learning. To believe what is true. To be honest when it hurts. To be open to possibilities. To give grace to those around me who are also living life in the open. In between the now and not yet.

There is JOY in this place. So many people and circumstances for which to be thankful. Change is hard but change is good. Only God is constant.

Only God.

30 Days of Giving #18: Write

November 18, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

The new and old are coming together in me. It’s not been easy letting go…

I ran the risk of losing something that held value. Like forgetting the person who gave me what I’ve held since childhood; a trinket that has no value other than the memory.

Leaving a place that is full of the memories of life; roads driven, paths walked, beaches strolled.

Leaving is hard. It’s important to acknowledge the pain of loss, the difficulty of change.

But don’t stop there. That’s called being stuck. Or if knowing change is hard keeps us from making changes, that is fear. Fear of the unknown can keep us from growing. From fully living the one life we’ve been given.

In facing the hard and chipping away at it a little at a time the process of change can be manageable. Loss is still painful. Change is still hard but little by little, bite-size even, changes can be handled.

In the big move there were 1000 decisions at least. I didn’t count them but I know there were hundreds for sure! What to keep. What to give. What to sell. What to donate. What to store.

Books were hardest for me. Some valuable for their age and condition. Some valuable for the laughter they brought. Some valuable for the markings made in the reading. We have 6 boxes of books left. I have unpacked one. My journals.

My life on paper from the ripe old age of 13 to present day. I don’t read through them on a regular basis. I don’t need to. I know what season of life each journal cover holds close. I glance at the cover and remember. Ah yes. High School. Another? Early motherhood. Yet another? A book of deep grief.

Collections of quotes, song lyrics, poems read and copied, poems written by hand and heart. Prayers cried through. Praise recorded. Deep wounds brought to Light for healing.

The old and new coming together in me.

I write. The following is from a class I am taking currently:

I write because I have this sense of responsibility.

I write because I was given stories by elders who are now gone; there are those behind me who see faces in scrapbooks but those lives are meaningless without the stories.

I write because I was given the oral traditions of our family and must pass them on to the next generations whether they stop to read them or not

I write because I hold my hand back into the past to hold its hand while reaching forward into the future to grasp its hand; as if I am the connecting conduit from past to future.

I write because I have a burning passion to allow the telling of the dark parts their freedom from hiding that they can be revealed and healed in the Light

I write because there is a holy nudge gently prodding the stories, the words, the phrases out of my head through my heart

I write because I need to

I write because it helps me to think aloud onto paper

I write to process

I write to be free

I write to record my personal Old Testament; to record the faithfulness of God at work in my life and my family’s lives.

My current journal’s cover. It will remind me of this year of The Big Move. No one may ever care to read what’s held close by this cover but I must write.

I’m a writer. It’s how I process life and am able to offer myself to others.

What are your thoughts about writing?

30 Days of Giving #12,13,14,15,16 & 17: Grace

November 17, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

Life is full even for a recently empty-nester. Deep conversations with friends far away…

Participation in online Bible study & book groups.

Tearfully praying for children and adults in the ravaged Philippines. Feathering the new nest. Finding my boots packed in a bag, in a box, under random stuff! Learning new ways of cooking for my vegan hubster.
(this is butternut squash & mushroom bruschetta made with vegan cream cheese and udi’s bagels)

All these things I chose over sitting at the computer and writing about the things that I have been prompted to reflect upon in my personal challenge of 30 Days of Giving.

I could get down on myself because I have not been “diligent” to write daily.
I could, but I won’t.
I am choosing to give my self the greatest gift: Grace.

For too long I have lived in bondage to my worth being tied to productivity.
I choose to show Grace.

For too long I have thought mean, unacceptable thoughts about me: thoughts I would not tolerate if I heard someone speak them to another human being.
I choose to speak Grace.

For too long I have neglected the need for rest when my body calls for it; thinking a nap is a shameful waste of time.
I choose to respond to Grace.

For too long I have lived under the burden of unrealistic expectations for daily accomplishments as if to prove how capable I am (and thus worthy of love)
I choose to receive Grace.

Grace is a gift. It is given by God freely. It can’t be bought. (think earned)

Like many gifts, this is given because of Love. And like many gifts received, it is often neglected or unappreciated or misused.

Grace is meant to be shared: with yourself and with others.

When mistakes are made (and they WILL be made) show kindness.
When things get broken (and they WILL be broken) show gentleness.
When you don’t follow through on something you said you would do (life happens) show patience.
When temptations come to do other things that take you away from commitments you’ve made (to others or to yourself) show self-control.

You might recognize some of these words: kindness, gentleness, patience, self-control. They are some of the listed characteristics of the evident life of the Holy Spirit in a Christ-follower.
The evident life of the Holy Spirit is a gift of Grace from God to those who name His name.
The greatest gift ever given is eternal life through Christ because of His substitutionary death. What?
He took my penalty. Your penalty. On Himself. He lived a perfect human life never falling short of the glory of God. How?

He is God Incarnate. In a human body. Jesus lived a life you and I can never live on our own.
He died the death we deserve because the distance from human to holy can’t be spanned by human beings.
And then?
He rose from the dead breaking forever the bonds that hold us in the terror of eternal separation from a holy God. Jesus made the Way for us to be brought across the distance between human and holy. He offers us this gift of undeserved, unearned favor, eternal life with Him, by Him.
And now?
If you know this Truth, and you believe this Truth, then you get to live this Truth on a daily basis because of Grace.
This is Good News! This is a gift to be shared; Grace to be lived and shown to the world through your life.
If you are not, if I am not, showing Grace to ourselves then our words are empty.
If we do not show Grace to others our words are hollow.
Grace is given. Grace is received. Grace is a gift opened up, applied and shared.

I choose Grace.
And you?

Imagine Relief

October 25, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

Reading His Word this morning I found myself on a road in a crowd of jostling people…

if only I could touch the hem of his cloak

I felt the desperate urgency of a timid hand reaching, knees bent low, face turned up watching…

I know I will be healed…

Immediately.

Who touched my cloak?

Sarcasm from the men…You see the crowds pushing and ask Who touched you?

I did. I was on that dusty, crowd filled road. I felt her relief.

Can you imagine? The shame? The harm suffered at the hands of many physicians who didn’t have a clue why or what to do? The financial drain? The physical drain?Her desperate need was her motivation to reach out and touch, not be a bother,

just the hem of His garment would be enough

Relief. Immediate relief.

It’s the same today.

Just a touch of His Presence brings peace. comfort. healing.

Wounds that have bled inside hidden from the world for more than her 12 years

Heart wounds inflicted intentionally

Soul wounds at the hands of others

Whatever your need…

reach out and touch Him.

The Kingdom of God is at hand…

Perfect Love: Exceeding, Abundant, Beyond

October 17, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

The most difficult thing I’ve had to do in the past 6 years happened this summer. We moved after 15 years. Not just once but 8 times since June. But the moving wasn’t the hardest part.
The hardest part was not being able to move our pets with us, who are both 10 & 11 years old. This became evident as my husband kept hunting for work out of our area and even across the country.

Miss Arwen was kindly cared for during our first move by our wonderful across the street neighbors. They had cared for her on many occasions over the years and they already had a cat who Arwen knew and was comfortable with. They were happy to help us keep her stable while we were still looking for our landing pad.
The thing I kept saying over and over throughout this crazy time was “There are no unknowns to God.” This truth of God’s omniscience helped me stay ‘somewhat’ sane.
Finding a temporary home for our dog Tux was a different story. Our new tenants allowed him to stay in the backyard of our former home while we were in flux; I came every morning to feed and walk him. His favorite walk was at the beach.

Tux loves to run and play with other dogs. I thought putting an ad on Craigslist and posting of his availability on Facebook would make it easy to find someone wanting a playmate. Not so.
Week after week went by. A sweet older couple wanted to give him a try. We arranged a weekend stay. He was too energetic for their 3 cats, so Tux came back to our old backyard and back to the morning walks.
More time passed; my husband had accepted a job out of the area and we would be moving into another temporary place where we knew no pets were allowed. Our kitty was welcomed into our neighbors’ family, so we knew she would be fine.
The ad on Craigslist for our dog finally had a response! A woman on a ranch with two dogs was looking for a playmate for the younger of her two. The timing was perfect! It must be the Lord answering my prayers! We took Tux up to her ranch and the dogs all got along right away. She was a sweet woman with plenty of fenced space. This looked like a great home for him.
The goodbye was tearful for me but we also knew it was only for two weeks; I would be able to see him again when I came back to the area to meet the movers for our final move.
Everything seemed to be going fine for Tux; she texted a picture of him cooling down in the water trough one hot August afternoon. He was doing well, or so we thought.
One Tuesday evening she texted that she couldn’t keep Tux any longer. No explanation. We had a text conversation about the fact that we were four hours away and that I would be back in town on Saturday. I went into a panic! What were we going to do? We had no options! I cried. We prayed for wisdom and for a miracle placement.
When I returned to our area that weekend I contacted our local shelter to see about surrendering him. I was told there was a 4 week waiting list for an appointment to interview us and to meet and evaluate our dog. They began to tell me how I could try to “re-home” him myself, but I tearfully explained the 10 week process we had already been through and that this was my only option. She said she was sorry but there was nothing she could do. I would have to take him elsewhere. I was alone with this dilemma; my husband and sons were all in different cities and states. I sat in the truck and just sobbed. I did not want to take him to Animal Services. He was 10. I was sure he would be euthanized.
This was too much! I was angry about my husband’s job. I was broken over having to leave our home, our friends, and our church community. I had “held it together” through all these crazy moves during the summer while he hunted for new work. But this news was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I fell apart, alone in our son’s truck, crying over our dog and everything else all wrapped into one.
Ever so tenderly, wonderful words of love came into my mind: “You’re not alone in this. I will never leave you or forsake you.” “You can do this, in My strength”.
I met the woman and Tux early the next morning, pre-dawn on her way to work. I spent the last day with him walking him at the beach with a dear friend. I took him to a nearby backyard to borrow water and bath him before I drove him out to give him up. The people who received Tux were very compassionate and encouraging. They told me to check on the web in a couple of days and I could follow his adoption process. I tried not to cry but I failed miserably.
I drove away that day, leaving our family dog and leaving the community I loved all at once. Oh so hard.
From our temporary housing in our hew town, I checked their website the next day and his name and age was already up! Three days later I checked on their website to see if his photo and info had been posted. His name was gone! I called to see if he had been adopted. The gal said “noooo just a minute”. I got a sick feeling as she put me on hold. When she came back on she had a different tone altogether. Very cheerfully she said “Someone from Woods came over and selected him to move over to their shelter adoption program on a trial basis. If he passes their evaluation he will stay there until he’s adopted.” This was amazing, miraculous news! This was the place that had told me there was a wait list to even interview! Who could have arranged these details? Who!?
Only One that I know. The One Who loves with a perfect love. The One Who knows my heart and my broken places and cares for me just as I am.
I don’t deserve this kind of love. He knows that. This exceeding abundant beyond love is what grace is really all about. Perfect Love.

This is Tux posing for his adoption portrait. He’s available in case you’re interested. God knows. God sees. God cares. God loves with Perfect Love!

Real Faith is Vulnerable

October 14, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

If you’ve dropped by before, you know that my family has been in transition mode for quite awhile: 113 days our belongings have been in storage; but who’s counting? We house sat, we were nomadic, we rented a cottage for two months. We are in finally in our garden condo now. We don’t have internet yet so I am sitting at a local coffee shop using their free internet to write this post.

My husband and I began praying about the next step for our lives way back in April. Throughout this six month upheaval I have heard two statements again and again; whether it’s someone I know well or someone I’ve just met.
“I could NEVER do that!” “I don’t know HOW you are doing this!”

These statements are common because they reflect all of our hearts. Change is hard. Change is scary. Change takes a.lot.of.work.
You see, I could never do this either. Leaving our home of 15 years. Selling or giving away most of our furniture and other possessions. Donating dishes, clothes, decorator items that I really enjoyed. Lots and lots of change. When I have tried to live through these circumstances in my own strength I have either fallen apart under the stress of the change or melted into a puddle of tears. Only those two choices. Really.
So the response to those two statements is the same: ” I can’t do this either. It’s Jesus in me is doing this move thing. Not me.”
I am tired.
I cry. A. Lot.
I miss my home, my kids, my friends, my church community and our pets.
And then I am reminded of why we made this big move. This guy has been the servant leader of our family and it was time for him to fly.

I unpack a box, look inside and can see where this statue used to sit on top of our piano. (Which was invited to stay in our former home, now a rental.) Seeing this gift from a dear friend just undid me.

But then…a beautiful, still, small voice reminds me of why the gift was given. And in that same box is a book written by another friend. Another offering of love meant to encourage growth and change.
So I put them together and took this picture.

I am challenged to trust again. Trusting God with this new place. With this new season. With my friends far away. With friends I haven’t yet met. With my husband’s new job. and health. and my fears begin to fade…in the Light of His Word
“Behold, I will do something new. Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

Routes & Journeys

September 30, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

This is the view I have from the back of our tandem. Not too shabby, eh?

This man and I have been on a journey together since 1991. At times the route has been plain to see: work, caring for little children, home responsibilities and time with family and friends.

I would call those parts of the journey the flats; few bumps and fairly flat terrain.

This year has been a different terrain, however. Our journey has taken us into uncharted territory; no map, no direction, no labeled route. Just trust and keep pedaling toward the next turn as the Light reveals it.

This part of the journey has involved leaving. And letting go. And good byes.

And all of that is hard. I have spent too much time looking at the journey from this perspective.

We pedaled into the unknown toward an unknown future.

But I trusted the One to Whom there are NO UNKNOWNS.

And He is faithful.

We moved out of our house and into suitcases and boxes. And after 96 days of nomadic life, in 7 days we will land in a downsized space in a new place because of this

The real Captain of the tandem is taking us on a new route. It has taken us far from family & friends; from familiar places.

We’ve begun the hunt for a new church, new cycling paths, and new experiences while making effort to maintain our established friendships.

Hard but good.

As I was reading today in the new Proverbs 31 OBS book A Confident Heart, this verse jumped off the page:

“Do not call to mind the former things or ponder the things of the past. Behold I will do something new, now it will spring forth, will you not be aware of it? I will even make a road way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

He has made a new road way. A new route.

I am known. I am seen. I am loved & cared for beyond what I can imagine.

You are too. Do you realize it? I forget sometimes. Do you?

I know I too often take my eyes off the One Who is doing these new things and instead I look at the ‘if only’ or ‘I wish’ and I lose sight of the Way He is leading and I get off His route and into the weeds. And get a flat tire. Or stuck. I need help.

Psalm 121 says “I will live up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

The journeys of life can feel like they are taking us on routes away from what is known & familiar & safe & predictable.

But the only true journey is on the route which leads toward the Heart of God. That route may not feel safe. (But He is good.) It’s definitely NOT familiar or predictable.

But this journey is taking me right where I want to end up. In His secure, loving embrace with a whispered “Well done…”