Silence.
All I can hear is my in and out breathing and the hum of the air conditioner.
I am on my face again – in this child's pose and on an old familiar blue rug – seeking God and hope and direction.
More silence.
I scrabble through my bible and find this in Jeremiah 30:7 (NLT)
"In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end they will be saved!"
And then return to that face-down casting of my attention and heart to an unseen, but not unknowable, God.
My time with Adventures in Missions is concluding as far as officially working for and with these folks. It is easy and safe to say that I sure do love them. It is also time to move to the next adventure in missional life. For me, this means being present in my relationship with Christ and being present in my relationship with people. This is all I know of "next."
No more shock and awe.
Just life and looking for the breadcrumbs left along the trail. It's the Hansel and Gretel sort of breadcrumbs that lead the way home and are often gobbled up by birds of air and beasts of field.
Katie and I plan to run the Kansas City half marathon in October so we run the sun up a few days a week.
I need to find a job and work on connecting to a place where my skills are needed and there is fit.
Meeting with M3, Trish, the weekly dinners with friends…and exploring the change of seasons.
This next season will surely involve plenty of coffee.
And prayer.
Because like many of us, I have no idea where God is leading.
I know that I am here, in Manhattan, Kansas…home.
After that, I know little.
Sometimes I have no words.
But that's okay, because I found this nifty bit a month or so ago that made my world better. Enjoy.
Psalm 65 1-3
Silence is praise to you,
Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
You hear the prayer in it all.
2-3 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us—
but you get rid of them once and for all.
Once and for all.
* * *
I will launch a new blog about "What We Notice" in the next days. I'll post the link here. Thank you for joining me in this Adventure. You make all of the difference in how well it will finish.
So good to read your post. I thought I had fallen off grid with my email issues. Please change my email address so I can keep up with you. Joe and my wedding is this coming Saturday at Opal Beach in Florida 🙂
Wish you could be here. I am praying for you and love you!
HURRAH Ginger! Have fun & know that I’ll be raising my frothy glass of creamy coffee to you and ours. I love you, too.
I love what you say here about missional living…being present with Christ and being present with people. Brings some clarity in my own search to define a missional life. . Also, makes me think…maybe I don’t need to define all things first…I just need to live out what I know. This seems to resonate with your “This is all I know of ‘next.'” Glad to be on this journey with you. Praying for the job situation. Praying for a deep sense of home. Praying for beautiful restoration that is beyond our imagination.
We hope that you will feel our love… feel the wonder of Manhattan and your wonderful friends and family there and know that God is with you and has always been with you… You are so talented in so many ways … we hope that you can find a job that utilizes these talents and the you so enjoy…….
You are in our prayers night and day……We pray that God’s will be done………………
Allie, you may not have any words sometimes, but you have a message of authenticity and just being human that resonates and brings life. We’re cheering you on in this next season!
thank you, seth. you and the adventures crew helped me to stop depending on myself and to value immersion in community rather than just “service to” community.
forever grateful.