...like riding on a train

I have already said once, "life is like riding on an airplane." Now I can say, "life is like riding on a train."

I rushed to the train station this morning and was buying my ticket from the machine as I heard the announcement that my train was arriving. Thirty seconds later, I heard another announcement for the same platform --and I thought "Oh they just announced the train."

I finished buying the ticket, ran to the platform and jumped on the train in the same place that I have always gotten on the train to go to Vienna. Everything looked the same. However 40 minutes later, I realized that I had gotten on the train headed in the wrong direction. For some reason, they had switched the side of the platform that the train to Vienna left from, and I had not noticed or read this. I was on the wrong train and the wrong track. This happens.

Finally, with some good help from the conductor who showed me I was on the wrong train, a lot of extra time, and a big detour, I made it to my destination.

Today on the train, I found myself literally in the middle of an incredibly complex issue that has been coming up recently in a number of ways. I have been thinking a lot about the issue of our moral lives -our sense of right and wrong. What do I do with morality as I talk with Josef about his baby? Today I truly felt there IS a right train to Vienna -and I was not on it.

I think it is easy to make lots of rules in order to live a moral life. Morality becomes our God. We cut God out when we overlook the process that God wants to walk through in order to get us to our destination. What takes more trust -to follow our rules or to ride on the wrong train?

"Hello, this is Josef..."

Two nights ago a refugee called me whom I had lost contact with. He had moved away 6 months ago and I didn't know where he was. I had an idea, but I didn't know how to reach him.

Sure enough, Josef called me up to say that he had moved in with his Austrian girlfriend and they had just had a baby. Josef grew up in a Christian home in Africa. We have talked a lot in the past about trusting and following Jesus. This is important to him.

Now as I spoke with Josef on the phone, we talked for over an hour again about the Christian faith -this time about whether he should baptize his child! (If you are interested in knowing what I said, please leave a comment and I'll give you the details.)

Josef comes out of a Christian context -yes Africa. To think about faith issues is part of life for him. Interestingly, I also spoke with his Austrian girlfriend on the phone. She said, "I am not religious, but I want to support Josef."

Two things strike me about all of this. For one, here is a life and a situation that needs redeeming. In all its complexity, it is not out of bounds for Christ. This is Christ's workshop. Second, perhaps you can feel it, but it is easier to work and support the African refugee in this situation than it is the Austrian. This is Europe.

Homeschool meeting

Tomorrow we meet with the district school supervisor to set-up the testing for Tessa's homeschooling. The supervisor assigned to help us was the same man who originally blocked our request to home-school. we hope and pray that he won't make this harder than it needs to be! Please pray for us!

Luke's birthday

Luke had his 8th birthday today. When I prayed, I thanked God for his 7th. Everyone corrected me real fast. "It's his eigth!"
Here is Luke (2nd from right) with his school class.

Prayer Retreat

Two weekends ago, our team took the weekend to go on a prayer retreat. We began the day with worship together and then spent the next 6 hours alone in prayer. I meditated a long time on Revelation 15:3-4

“Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For all the nations will come and worship before Thee, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed.”

The phrases: "great and marvelous, just and true, who will not fear?" kept coming back to me and it was through these truths that the Lord helped clear my mind of all the worries and stress that has been piling up and brought me to a place to finally be still before him.

When my life is all over, I would like to look back to find a long string of such days in my life. I think our maturity will be measured more by these kinds of moments than anything else.