This past month has really been such a blessing. From digging deeper into some friendships to GEM annual conference (AC) and meeting up with some of my youth at a camp they attended in Assisi; there seemed to be some common threads that ran through it all. The Lord is at work! Not only in people I am working with but in me as well.
This past week was a pretty intense schedule with travel to Poland for AC and then to Assisi the day after arriving back in Italy. My time at AC was a real blessing as I had plenty of opportunity to meditate and reflect on ministry. It was good to be challenged, and have time to reflect, with some good questions. Questions like: If someone were to come and hang out with me for a month, what would they really learn? Am I living as a sent one?Do I see myself as living out a calling or filling a role? Have I formed an alliance with fear? Do I confuse disillusionment with failure? The Lord is first in my life but is He my center? These were just a few of the questions that were asked during my time at AC. After returning and at the camp in Assisi I faced other, similar, questions (of course this time they were in Italian). The theme of the camp was SVEGLIA or WAKE UP! The passage they focused on was Romans 13:11-14:
“… The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently as in the daytime… clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (NIV)
Everyone at the camp was challenged to examine their lives and choose whether or not we would live our life with Christ in mediocrity or in complete surrender to Him no matter how far outside our comfort zone that might take us. It was good to have these 2 events back to back. I was reminded that I probably don’t ask myself these types of questions often enough. It was encouraging to examine my life before the Lord over the past week. It was also a great reminder of the things I need to stay focused on. Something that stood out to me in both these events was a sense of urgency. An urgency to respond to the Lord’s call and direction when He asks me to. Not to hesitate, but to take more risk.
One of the parables that was shared at AC was constantly on my mind and heart while listening to the message at the camp. Matthew 25:14-30 the Parable of the Talents. This parable speaks of 3 servants, each given responsibility over an amount of money according to their ability to be fruitful with it. 2 of the servants invest the money and are able to return not only the money the master entrusted to them but an increase as well. One servant, that entrusted with the lest amount of money, didn’t take any risks and though he returned the money the master entrusted him with his master was very disappointed with this servant because he didn’t even put the money in a bank to gain interest!
This parable struck me in a new way at AC but it was really during the camp that I was hit hard by it. While at the camp one of the girls was telling a story about going to visit some nuns in a convent where they had taken a vow of seclusion from the world around them. They had limited visitors, if any at all. One of those nuns had been there for about 80 years. She used this as an example to explain to the young ladies in her group that although the Lord calls us to be separate/holy from the world around us we are entrusted with being obedient to the part of God’s Word that is very clear that we are to share the Good News we have received with the world around us. I immediately thought of this parable that was just mentioned at AC and thought about how very sad it would be to stand before the Lord and give an account like the last servant who did NOTHING with what he was entrusted with. I can honestly say I am not the last servant in the parable but I would like to stand before my Lord one day being able to thank Him that He entrusted with more because of my faithfulness.
So this month, since the Lord has been impressing on me the importance of remembering to evaluate my life before Him, asking some questions that aren’t always comfortable but are very important to be asking, I would like to challenge each of you to do the same. Before the hustle and bustle of the fall roles in. Before all the kids go back to school and busy schedules surface as summer fades away, would you take some time to evaluate your life be for the Lord? We are all in this walk together. We all want to see each other run the good race that Paul speaks of. Please let me know if I can be praying for you in any way! May the Lord bless you all in the coming month.
Praise:
- some good time of reflection and evaluation before the Lord
- mom and dad able to come to visit in a few days (leave US Aug. 10 get back to US Sept. 9)
Prayer:
- preparation and planning for youth group and restart of all ministries in the fall/September
- safe travel for and with my parents as well as good family time.
