A Note From Tom: October 12th, 2012

Hey, everyone!

Hope you're having an awesome week! Even tho' it might have had some "challenges" and struggles, let's don't give up!! God promises us what we need to make it through! 

I just read the other day in the letter Paul wrote to the folks in Colossae, who also had "tons o' problems", that God promises to give us…by His glorious strength, power, and might…the supernatural ability to…

…fly like Ironman? No.

 …leap tall buildings in a single bound like Superman? Not that.

…bend and stretch but never snap like Elastagirl in "The Incredibles? Nope! (But that's getting close!) 

Check it! He promises the supernatural superpower to be incredibly, amazingly, unbelievably…patient! (Col 1.11)

And He promises the power of "endurance"! That means "hold-on-and-hang-in-there-and-never-quitability"!  

That's a power I need! Especially when I'm having a confusing time. 

Tho' I did read something this week that made me feel better about myself…

Monday was Columbus Day and a dude explained that when Chris showed up in 1492 in America, he thought he had arrived in Asia. He stepped on the shore of Cuba, thinking it was China. When he jumped over to the Dominican Republic, he believed it was Japan (There have been talented baseball players from both those countries so that's kinda understandable). But he concluded that he was in India. 

It made me feel a less confused about myself! 

I do get "turned around" and disoriented easily. The other day, I was trying to find the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Gray, Tn near Johnson City, for a thing I had to do there. I have a new phone that has this feature where a bouncing ball on a map follows a blue path to where you're supposed to be. You just follow the blue while you drive. (It's not risky at all like texting and driving is! I took the pledge on that!) When you get off the blue path, you're officially lost and you stop, ask in a auto parts store if you need to (like I did), and go 'til you find the blue! 

When I found the blue again, I said, "There you are!" Got to the fairgrounds in thirteen minutes! Right on time!

This week, I was a little disoriented and confused. I might have gotten a little over committed in helping some folks. Even with the amazing team working together that we had, I kinda estimated that this thing would be easier than it was and would take less time than it has. At times, I started to feel my heart race a little. "Lord, how did I get into this? Where's the finish line? Are You there, Lord?...Lord?! …Hello?!"

I couldn't find the blue! "Yikes! I'm lost again!" I thought.

But then things started to come together! Guys with skills started to solve problems! And I had a moment in the afternoon when I was driving in my truck with my friend, Don. I asked him about his growing up. I heard about what it was like living on a farm between Clinton and Lake City with eight brothers and sisters and no electricity or running water in the house. "How did you go to the outhouse when it was frosty in the morning?" "You just did what you had to do with a smile! We never thought about it!" 

He told me about going to school in Clinton during the scary time of desegregation in the 50' and the days of the "Clinton 12".

Then I got a chance to talk about faith and the conversation took a turn to Jesus. And what it means to trust in Him. And why having faith in Jesus as our Savior is really the only thing that matters. It was a beautiful moment.

And I realized that maybe this whole thing was about that ride in my truck. And that conversation. I started to feel in my heart that maybe I wasn't disoriented and maybe I hadn't lost my way. My Shepherd knows where we are! He's leading me thru stuff! As we were pulling out of Home Depot, there was a break in the clouds on that cloudy day. I saw some blue.

"There you are!" I said.