Greetings from Austin St.

Happy Saturday! Busy, busy day! I spent most of the day getting some things ready for next Saturday and then I got my nails done. I am ready for Bruce to come home and I haven’t heard from him as yet today. I am most anxious to hear how his talk on Christian Action was received. And I am most interested in sleeping better!

Isaiah 32:17 “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness is quiet and assurance forever.”

1 Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit…Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

I am 53 years old and soon to be 54. And at this age I am still very busy. Due to lots of activity (and age) I have found the need to make lists. And after I make a list and I have accomplished part of the list, I find myself making a new list just to sort through what I have left to do. If I do not practice this skill then I find myself in a sea of confusion and do not prioritize what needs to be done and then I am a mess! I become emotional and over whelmed and no fun to be around.

But when faced with a situation that has many facets that require me to sit and sort through the possible solutions and trying to decide what to do first or which way to turn; a list is not what I have make. When I am confused and unsure, the place I go is prayer and the person to whom I turn my attention is God.

A storm is a place of confusion because it is unpredictable. If you have ever seen the movie Twister, it shows a wonderful visual example of the unpredictability of a storm. Becoming a part of the storm is a losing attempt, but staying in the eye or the center of the storm is the safest place because there it is calm.

When confusion is swirling all around me then I pray for God to take away the confusion and let me be at peace with Him. When I arrive at the throne of grace in my prayer time there I find calmness. The storm has not gone away, but now because I am not concentrating on the storm I am focused on the One who is the giver of peace and calmness I can more clearly discern where to begin and how to figure out the steps needed to resolve whatever problem I am having. I have also found that if I focus on Christ then the storm seems to begin to diffuse because I have taken myself out of the storm. If I can keep Christ in front of me and claim His assurance then calmness and peacefulness is present. And sometimes that peace comes through surrendering whatever the problem is over to Him and letting Him take care of it in His own time.

If you are facing a problem or situation and it is swirling around you like a Texas Twister, and it is such a hurtful problem that you don’t know what to do first or how to feel; then go before God. Focus on the face and heart of God. Remove yourself from the storm and stand in the presence of God where there is no confusion. Standing before God is standing in the eye of the storm where there is peace and calmness and God’s voice is there to dry your tears and surround you with His assurance that will say, “I am here and I love you. Let’s work on this together.”

Please pray for continued safety for Bruce and the team and participants on the Kairos weekend and for a safe trip home.

Take joy in the journey and carry an umbrella! Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis