Today I am walking with my old familiar companion Sorrow. My recent experiences have transformed me, and taught me a few lessons.

We can never put our finger on God, get a grip on Him, peg Him, define or explain Him. He is the great mysterious wind that carries us where He pleases. He is the water that slips through tight grips. He is a master writer, laying wondrous plots for our lives. To this God I lower my head and whisper.... alleluia.

God is a Father who loves his children. I've worked with lots of children this summer, and loved them so much that I wept when they left. I touch the fringes of God's love for me in such things. He does not want me to be a busy little bee, buzzing around the whole world pollinating the Christian religion. I think that he is quite cramped and frustrated when we approach relationships with an evangelizing agenda. This time it was different. I said, "I come to you with empty hands. I will only love you for who you are." And I did. And God brought redemption to us.

Dave, here are a few things I believe, either for the first time or with new conviction:
-A person can plan his own path, but the Lord determines his steps.
-We must follow our heart...it will lead us to freedom...and God is leading it if we let him.
-Pain is part of the price. True relationships marry love and pain. It is worth it, though it hurts. Heartache reminds us that we can possess nothing in this life, but yet have everything with joy. Our deepest self longs for a deeper reality, where the record will be set straight and we can find true rest for our spirits. We live with that day in mind, yet walk through the now.

Here's a little battle cry that I've been living by since Jr. High....
"We boldly charge forth into each new day, not knowing if it will be our last, or merely our greatest!"