Trust

Yesterday I decided that I was going to go back to Tahoe for the weekend.  Tony Campolo is speaking at a church in Tahoe this weekend and I wanted to hear what he has to say.  First, though, I knew that I needed to get the oil changed in my car.  So I tried last night at the big box store auto place.  I stood in the lobby with about 5 other people as one employee walked in, looked at all of us and walked back out.  I left.

This morning I took my car to a local place.  Got right in, sat down and started working on the order for my cousin's wedding ceremony in a couple of weeks.  Pretty soon there was the mechanic sitting next to me with a bolt in his hand, or what I came to know as the oil plug.  Long story short, I own a Ford, everything is expensive and I won't be going to Tahoe this weekend.  G.G. came to my rescue.

Over lunch with G.G. I started thinking about the amount of trust I have in God and how incredible that comes across to believers and non-believers alike.  There are people out there really worried about me and the future.  They keep asking very good questions about whether or not I'm looking for jobs or what I might be thinking about for the future or what I want to do with my life.  My answer isn't calming any nerves.  I don't know and I'm not worried.  I'm not trying to deliberately be naive or vague or flippant about it all, I really just trust that God is going to make things happen when God wants them to happen and I just need to trust.

This process makes me aware that most followers of Jesus trust in God's plan only to a certain extent and then take control and let things happen their way.  We want to believe that God has a plan and will take care of us, but when push comes to shove it's so much easier to trust in us then to trust a God that is pretty invisible at times.  We may say that we trust God, but the truth is we usually trust God when things are going right, not when they seem out of control.  I'm totally guilty of that usually!  Truthfully, I would probably more concerned right now if I didn't have some reserves to fall back on...reserves that I know God provided, which makes it even more apparent that God is in control!

My knowledge of my situation, though, is not what other people see and even when I explain it there is a look of disbelief in the eyes of those around me.  How could I walk away from a perfectly good job and not have a plan or be worried?!  I'll say it again, it's all God.  I know that things will be okay, that I will be okay.  I just need to trust.

6 years later

It's been six years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall.  This morning I was reflecting on the time I've spent in Mississippi, wondering when I will be back there again, marveling at all that God has done in the Gulf Coast and through the people of the Gulf Coast when I suddenly remembered a conversation Yo Momma and I had with a resident of Pearlington on our first trip 6 months after the storm.

I think it was Ms. Virginia, I'm not positive, who looked at us after worship at the First Missionary Baptist Church and said "I am so grateful for the storm.  It if hadn't have happened I would never have met you!".  I couldn't believe that she was saying that, as we stood in a building next to the 100 year old sanctuary that had been completely destroyed by Katrina.  I couldn't believe that as we listened to her share her story of losing all that she had.  I couldn't understand how Ms. Virginia could be grateful for that storm. 

I get it today.  I am grateful, not for the horror of the storm, but for the experience of giving, serving, being served and witnessing the way that God has worked through the devastation Hurricane Katrina left behind and changed the lives of those who lived there, those who volunteered there and those who have come to love the Gulf Coast.

No, I don't think that God caused Hurricane Katrina nor any natural disaster to happen purposefully for the sin of the world.  I do think that God will use each and every circumstance to bring about change for the good...and I have seen it happen firsthand.  Six years later, I am grateful for the storm.

These days

This not having a job thing isn't a hardship.  At least not right now.

All last week was spent in Tahoe, pretty much doing nothing.  It took about 5 days for my mind to settle down, my soul to rejuvenate and my body to recoup.  Yo Momma had volunteered to babysit Miss P during the day, so around 7:30am she would arrive and the fun would begin.  Did I mention that she turned two?  Yeah.  The terrible two's are upon us.  The meltdowns were impressive.  They didn't work, but they were impressive.  She is kinda cute though.

Friday afternoon and unto the late night hours were spent slaving over the cake on your left.  Miss P's birthday party was Saturday and there had to be cake!  It went pretty quickly, despite having to mix color after color after color.  I'm contemplating taking a cake decorating class sometime soon.  It could be fun.

The weekend was filled with family, party, bike riding and friends.  Not to mention the book reading and quiet time.  Tough times.

The part I'm not enjoying, as much, is the time to think, ponder and wonder.  After 12 years of being constantly busy, this time to let down is reminding me of things I've left undone, unfinished, regrets and so much more.  It was much easier to ignore all of that when I was constantly planning for the next thing.  God and I are doing a lot of talking about days gone by.  Guess that's a good thing, right?

The part that I'm relieved about is the lack of worry about what's next.  Others are doing enough worrying for me!  :)  I'm enjoying the time to relax, be free of job stress and take in views like these every so often.

Something to remember

The people pleasing, perfectionist part of me would love to make every one in the world happy.  If life ran the way I prefer, I would do or say the right thing, in other people's eyes, all the time.  I've faced the reality that I can't.  I do not like that reality but there it is, in black and white.  In reality, I am a mistake filled person who can't always please people.  Not perfect, not pleasing, just me.

The reality of my life is that I live in the grace of a God who loves me and forgives me.  I live in the presence of a God who knows my insecurities, my weaknesses, my temptations, my faults and my strengths.  I follow a God who knows where the deepest hurts are in my life, a God who brings those hurts to the surface little by little to deal with, to expose to the air and help them to heal.

I walk with a God who doesn't withhold love even when I'm at my lowest, ugliest, most fragile, tender, broken points.  I am a Christ follower who messes up regularly and is forgiven and loved anyway.  Trying to remember that today.

Friday Five: Road Trip Edition

Jan at RevGals writes:

My husband and I just returned (on Wednesday night) from a long road trip up the middle USA to Canada, going through various national parks, and on to the Puget Sound of Washington State. This brought back memories of family road trips with my children and when I was a child, so the idea of today's Friday Five arose.

Tell us about five road trips--in your childhood, in your family, in your recent past, with friends, and/or hoped-for-places-to-drive-to. Don't forget the one that stands out as the BEST or as the worst time.

Road trips are my favorite!  Some melt into each other, so here's what I came up with.

1.  Traveling to Iowa could probably take all five but I'll make it one. The most memorable of those trips were when we drove the Chevy Truck. Kid's in the back (before the days when people traveling in the bed of a truck was frowned upon), parents up front...mostly.  My parents, being the ones who love back roads, always love to tell the story of us driving across California and Nevada with nothing but tumbleweeds in site.  We finally arrived in a large town and I spotted McDonald's or Burger King or something and piped up from the back of the truck "Civilization!"  That may have also been the trip where Jesus and I first really connected, thanks to the lack of civilization, an Amy Grant tape, devotional book and God's touch.  

My first road trip to Iowa was at the age of 3, last road trip at the age of 17, when I got to drive Grandpa O's car. That was memorable!  If the speedometer crept up to 65 while I was driving, Grandpa would freak out!  But it was OK for him to drive 85.  Loved that guy.

2.  Traveling with Boompa and G.G.  We never went really far, just a few hours away, but it was with the 5th wheel!  Boompa always drove and G.G. was the co-pilot.  Us kids got to sit in the back seat as we drove to whatever campground awaited us.  I'm not sure the driving part of the trip was the most exciting but it was staying in the 5th wheel, making s'mores at night and being with Boompa, G.G., their friends and whatever family might have made the trek as well.  The best time was when they got a new 5th wheel that we could ride in while driving.  THAT was a fun trip!

3.  Over the last 12 years of Youth Ministry there have been MANY a road trip.  From the 11 hour car ride home from Tahoe (we had avalanche control, snow, sun, sleet, rain, hail and lots and lots of traffic) to the one where we saw the zebra's at Hearst Castle and started picture taking opportunity (we were the first car to stop.  By the time we left there were 30 others!) to the time we were going to Lake Shasta and were passed by the Goldfish Mobile.  There are many, many stories...if you are a former youth member and have a favorite story please share it in the comments!  In fact my horror story of a road trip came from youth ministry.  It involves whiny girls, boys up to no good, leaders who were anything but helpful, snow that would not stop, a emergency call to Yo Momma to come bail us out (after one of our leaders had to go home suddenly), a tire blowout on the way home in the WORST part of a city and my finally just exploding into tears.  It's amazing that we ever took another trip again.

4.  One of my favorite road trip memories involved a plane ride.  Lil Bro and I took the trip we had always been dreaming of, courtesy of the National Youth Workers Convention...or at least that gave us the excuse!  We headed out to Nashville the first year the NYWC was held there.  We went a week early and drove around Tennessee.  We went south to Chattanooga (who knew they were in a different time zone!) and over to Memphis to go to Graceland, where we passed our exit and had to turn around...but not before I saw the Mississippi state sign!  I had to drive across the border just to say that I had been Mississippi once, I was sure I wasn't going to be back there again.  Ha!  God knew better.  That trip was one that won't be easily forgotten.  That NYWC was probably my all-time favorite.

5.  This last one is one that hasn't been taken yet.  It's a trip around the country.  I have an urge, many days, to just get in my car and drive.  To find the little out of the way places that can only be found by taking your time and driving through small towns.  My goal is to visit every state and what better way to do that than by driving?!  Money and the right traveling companion is the only thing stopping me from doing it right now!  One day, it will happen!

The days after

Sunday was the day.  The day where tears were shed, farewells were said, loving kind words poured over my head and laughter abounded.  There were presents, cake, salad's and Mike's rice...yum-o!  It was a mostly good stuff kind of day.  There was, though, the conversation, that I innocently walked in on while trying to collect all my stuff and hustle it out of the church.  The conversation between two people who could be vying for a job I had less than 10 minutes previously, finished.  I tried really hard not to listen as person A told person B his views on how to do the job I had just finished, better.  I tried, as I gathered up my song folder, guitar chord book and pink duct tape, to ignore that fact that I hadn't even left the building and already was being, well, dissed.  It didn't work so well, as I found out on Monday morning at 5:30am when I awoke with the perfect remark that I could have said to person A, "the body isn't even cold yet!".  After which I would have flounced out of the room in grandeur. Alas, I did not say such words and I did not flounce but ooooh I wish I had a do-over!

This morning I woke up early again.  This time it was the things that I inadvertently left behind.  Like the little guitar ornament that Nat gave me a few weeks ago that has been hanging on the microphone stand or the angel magnet that Meg gave me that kept my music from flying off the music stand.  Or even my copies of the last two songs that we sang on Sunday.  It's small stuff that was left behind, but big stuff to me!  (Meg, search and rescue mission? please?)

I wonder what I'm going to wake up early thinking about tomorrow.

One more day...and a link

In 24 hours I will have officially ended my time as employee at church.  It won't be the last time I will be at the church but for right now, I will be worshiping God elsewhere.  It's a big step.  A big journey.  I'm excited about the new adventure.  Excited about where God may take me.  It's good. 

Tomorrow, however, will not pass without a bazillion tears shed.  As I told Yo Momma recently, this is a good-bye of sorts.  Sure, in a couple of weeks I'll be at the VBS re-cap meeting and a couple of weeks after that at the church campout (cuz I just need to) but tomorrow I turn in my church key and this chapter of life as Youth Director will be closed.  It's a good-bye.  The journey has been full of adventures and joys as well as heartaches and despair.  I wouldn't trade it for anything...anything.

I've learned a lot along the way.  I've learned about who I am, who I want to be and what kind of person I was created to be.  I've learned about where my passions are and where they are not.  I've experienced great success and great failure.  I've also come away with a picture of who God is for me.  Not every Christians picture of God is the same, much to my utter dismay.  But occasionally I find someone who sees God like I see God.  Today, I came across an article I'd read a couple of years ago but was reprinted on a blog for today.  The God that is talked about in this article...that's my kind of God.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to have learned that over the last 12 years.