blank.

I have not blogged in a little while. It’s definitely not that nothing note-worthy has happened or that I have not had time to record it. It is simply that my blog has been blank or that my mind has been blocked [or lazy] to write. Well, it ends right here, right now!

You heard about my lovely weekend across the border [in MN], but you’ve missed out on the adventures south of here last weekend. The Plover quiz team trekked down to the bluffs of Prairie du Chien for the first quiz meet of the 08-09 year. Our Luke-filled brains, piled out of the large Mennigan van after 4+ hours of driving. It was my first time coaching and for all of the arm-chair coaching I’d done in the past, I discovered that I was woefully lacking any ability. There are things like momentum, timeouts, scoring and encouragement [not to mention team dynamics and mediatorship!!] to be considered. Yikes. Well, we made it through with minor injury. Literally. Danny whacked his head on a pole during the lunch game of 500, but he was okay and his quizzing even improved! My team is a superstitious one… Things like, I always do well in this chair/side/shirt or maybe I’ll do better without my hat are often thrown about the room. On the way home, we experienced Wisconsin ’s largest corn maze, located in Lodi . It was… cold. Some of us forgot to bring warm clothes and others of us forgot that muddy shoes shouldn’t be put on van seats. We laughed a lot.

Another bit of blankness that broods beneath my surface is this seemingly insurmountable task of contacting people for support raising as I return to Austria . My skills at procrastination and rationalizing said procrastination are truly astounding – something to be praised if they weren’t so stinkin’ wrong! And still again, God’s grace opens my eyes to see His fingerprints on my life and this process. He comes at the just-right moments to give strength and relief and motivation… How motivating the gospel has been for me in these moments! My heart for Austria grows with each thought of the dark hopelessness that exists there now contrasted with the bright hope the gospel brings! I am truly amazed that God would ask me to be apart of this spreading of this burning hope. So, pray for me as I contact and get others onboard with this great work!

a few of my dear friends.

Kristin - you are brave and counselor-like ;o)

Mandy - you are diligently relational. And well, cuter than you are big ;o)

Jack - you are committed to my meeting your high expectations for me. :o)

and Peggy [we didn't get a pic!] - you are amazingly great at cribbage!!

Maybe not tomorrow.

I was able to spend the weekend with dear friends from college this past weekend. We caught up and laughed and played cribbage and fought and prayed. And something struck me as all of this was happening: I began to see again how faithful God is to act in our lives.

Prayers that we've prayed for ourselves and others are being answered in power by God. People are coming into relationship with Him. Ministries are growing and churches are reaching out into the world. God's Word is going forth into the valleys of western Austria, spoken from courageous men and women there. I am incredibly encouraged.

Yet also, families are falling apart, boyfriends are confusing and non-responsive, parties are awkward and make us feel like freaks. We oversleep through church. Life keeps coming at us in discouraging ways. Our weaknesses keep visiting us.

And for me, it's easy to focus on the discouragements more than the encouragements, making my faith in my Faithful God dwindle. Add to that the fact that movies portray months and years of life within 1.5 short hours. I see pain and then relief come almost instantaneously, assuring me that my "real-time" life must be failing miserably at making progress at any rate!

But, oh, how sweet is God's gracious help here... to remind me of his faithfulness. Some of my desires and prayers may not be answered until I'm 50. Or 73. God will give patience. Some friends will find Jesus because of my witness. God will have been the Light shining from me. Families can be refortified in any season - it must not be right now, though I'd like to bypass the pain sometimes. In the midst of all this, I [read: we] can be assured that God hears our prayers and knows our hearts. He will answer, just maybe not tomorrow.

I'd still like to praise Him today.

What words are

I have not yet been able to articulate exactly what I’m thinking about this concept of “word.” I love words because meaning is conveyed and pictures are painted by the use of them. Proverbs is filled with dichotomies between the wise and foolish use of words. Words directly reveal what is in our hearts. The Earth was created with a word from God. Jesus is the Word, who created, saved, and will rule this universe.

And some of this power has been given to me – to us – to exercise. I use this power whenever I open my lips or pick up my pen [or computer, as it is]. Will I kill or give life? I guess that’s up to what’s inside my heart, the wellspring of my life. God’s Word always gives life because His heart can only be filled with Holy, life-giving things. Psalm 19 reveals how God’s Word/law revives, purifies, endures, gives joy and light to its hearers. My words? – Well, they need a lot of time on the stove of my mind so that the evil will prayerfully burn off.

I often pride myself in a beautifully turned sentence or even just a pair of words – ones that depict a vivid scene or evoke a powerful feeling. I spent much of my life rearranging the pieces of my word puzzles that eventually [or hopefully] become sentences. As I do this, I hope that undergirding Truth becomes evident because if it doesn’t, then they are just pretty nothings.

And what of when I do not have time to play with them, when I must simply speak my mind/heart on the spot? Even here, I must be vigilant, not letting that any murderous words come bubbling forth without restraint. But I also think that it would just be better if I sieved what went into my heart by God’s Word, kind of like Proverbs 4:20-28 suggests. Or like that kids’ song goes – Oh be careful little eyes, what you see…Oh be careful little ears, what you hear… [Why do I think that I grow out of the stage of preaching this to myself?] In this way, the probability of God’s life-giving Words coming out of my mouth increases.

Oh words, they are scarily delightful… like little flames!