Walk the Talk

I am what you see.

Nothing more. Sometimes less.

Always struggling step by careful step to walk the straight line, hand in hand with Jesus. Stumbling more than you know.

You may have known me in the past. We may have never met. But the words on this blog are who I am now, who I have become since Jesus radically began transforming my life six years ago.

One confession, though: it's much easier to talk the talk than it is to walk the walk.

And part of my walk now requires me to support my brother and his wife as they go off to serve God in another state and, at some point, another country.

It's one thing to believe that I should go where God calls me to go. It's one thing to believe that people all over the world need to know about Jesus.

It's quite another when God asks you to go...or your family to go....for a lifetime.

I've known about my brother's (and his wife's) decision to become a Navy Chaplain since March. Six months ago, the post I wrote shows I didn't respond well to my brother's calling. But in that short amount of time, God has brought me "this far," as David said (2 Samuel 7). He has given me more peace and comfort about their moving away than I ever thought possible.

Don't get me wrong--I am still sad at what their relocation will mean to me, my parents, and my children. I'll definitely cry about it more than once. But it's not about me or them. It's about God. About submitting to His calling. And one lifetime is just not enough to serve him with all fullness and abandon.

Such understanding is the result of a God-consciousness that I have been learning to have every moment of the day. If you would have told me in February that God had called me to start blogging to help me grow closer to Him, I would have told you that you had it wrong--God called me to blog to help others grow closer to Him. Oh how sweet are the blessings that come from obedience.

Johnathan and Liza, I wish all the blessings of heaven to pour down upon you as you embark in obedience upon this new path that God has ordained. But I'm giving you fair warning: I'm plotting to invest in an awesome web cam and will be seeking your John Hancocks on a contract that requires you to call home to me once a week even if you have nothing to say...just so I can see your faces and hear your sweet voices. Oh, and I'll be planning our family's every vacation to be wherever you are...or wherever you're willing to let the five (or seven) of us tag along.