You'd think after being overseas for several months and then returning home, we'd have lots of time for kickin' back and catching our breath. Actually, we often hear the question, "So now that you're back in the States, what do you do?" -- a legitimate question, I guess. But wow! The minute we arrived home we jumped right into the "Stateside pastoral ministry mode" that has always been our life. We've performed weddings, spoken at women's meetings, led Monday night Bible study group, made counseling calls, conducted an outdoor baptism service, and on and on. Of course, there's also the day-to-day correspondence with our partners and friends in Central/Eastern Europe, Israel, Canada, Ireland, etc., plus all the details that go along with mission presentations, coordinating university short-term trips and internships, and making preparations for "the next things" overseas.
Yet in the midst of our non-stop lifestyle, God has ordained rest in the whirlwind. His "appointed times" offer refreshment and spiritual renewal. We celebrated the Feast of Trumpets and were reminded to "wake up!" and seek the God of Abraham. During the Days of Awe we sought His face and asked for cleansing of any unrighteousness in the deep places of our hearts. On Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) we honored God in His holiness and rejoiced in the salvation that is ours through our High Priest who entered the holy place once and for all through His blood. And during the Feast of Tabernacles we built a "sukkah" (3-sided hut - see photo) on our patio and rejoiced that God dwells with us and that His Son, Yeshua, will come again and bring peace on earth. Hallelujah!!
Life is full. Life is hard.
God is complete. God is good.
He is our refuge and rest.
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