"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #13

Spotlight please.

          Give  our “ME” a top hat and a cane…position the spotlight just so… be sure it captures the best side of our  “ME”…add a microphone so that our “ME” can be heard …and now presenting ….center stage…drum roll please... “ME.”

          Isn’t that how we want it? We want the attention, we want it to be all about us, we want to be heard, we want to be right, we want it our way, and we want it now. It’s all about me…ME...ME!!!

          Oh Lord, forgive us. We know in our hearts that it is not about us. But our “ME” can be so demanding, so dramatic, so loud …so like a diva. Help us to take off the top hat, lay down the cane, step away from the microphone, and step out of the spotlight.

          Give us a song and dance for You. Not to draw attention to ourselves, not for our applause…but for Your honor and glory… to praise and worship You.

          In the dance, in the song, in the beating of the drum…help us to abandon our “Me” in humble submission to You alone.

          Goodbye “ME” …your journey is over. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #12

        We took a little detour from the road we’ve been on this summer and spent a week at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, attending the Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers. This little side trip was a much needed break from the dusty journey that we have been on.

          And what we found among the puppets, between the mimes and the clowns, in the sign language and in the dance, and hiding in the shadows of the black light…were friends of the creative arts. They blessed us so much as they shared of themselves and their talents. We ended the week with enough encouragement to keep us moving ahead on this journey.

          We’re going to keep on singing and dancing and moving on down this dusty road. 

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #11

Yea…we’re still here…but Lord…our feet hurt.

It’s been a tough six weeks. A lot of rough terrain on this dusty road.  It’s been a nasty part of this journey.   It’s been hard. It’s been painful. It’s been emotionally wretching. We’ve felt the frustration and cried the tears. We’ve felt the pressing and the pain. We have, at times, wanted to quit, to turn around, to run away.   We have fought and kicked and screamed.

But you know what Lord… I think we’re finally getting the purpose of this journey.

IT’S  NOT  ABOUT  US!!!!

Are we empty yet? Empty of ourselves? Because that’s what this journey has been about. Being emptied of ourselves. Being emptied of ALL that is not of YOU, Lord.  Our flesh is stubborn. It wants center stage. It wants to be heard. It wants its own way.

So, here we are Lord…in this empty, desolate place …where we feel emotionally drained and battle weary. A little bruised, a few scars, and sore feet…but you know what, Lord…we’re beginning to see the value of the past six weeks…the value of this whole journey down this dusty road.    We’re beginning to move out of Your way, to allow You to take the lead. You’re becoming greater…we’re becoming less. And we know it’s all because You love us and desire only the best for us…even if at times it’s a dusty, painful journey to get there.

We’re wondering what’s up ahead.

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #10

Lord, is that singing we hear?  It’s faint, but someone is singing.  Hey, it’s coming from us!   There is music rising up from the inside of us. When did that happen? Somewhere between the complaining and the praying and the waiting, You put a new song in our hearts…a new heart attitude.

It’s not that we have any more answers or direction, and we still don’t know where we’re headed …but…singing beats complaining. It’s much more pleasant to listen to. Even if we aren’t singing on key…we just need to keep on singing.

 Even though the road is still dusty and the journey still seems long and the new places are still unknown…we’re going to sing our way down this dusty road.

And if we lapse into complaining Lord …get the duct tape.

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, praise His name…for great is the Lord

and most worthy of praise.”

Psalm 96: 1, 2a, 4a NIV

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #9

“I will lead you and guide you and not let you fall by the wayside.”

It’s been a while since our last blog.

 No, we didn’t give up and take another road.

We’ve been going over some rough terrain.

We’ve had to stop and rest for a while.

Dump the sand out of our shoes, dust off our feet, nurse our stubbed toes.

Those rocks and hills can be rough.

Lord, we admit that want to run ahead of You, and when we do we catch a glimpse of a mountain in our way.   We admit that we allow frustration to set in as we become discouraged with the pace of this journey and the road conditions.

But as we find rest in Your promises and wait on You and Your timing…we find that the mountain… was just a speed bump.

We just need to slow down and take our time…one dusty step at a time.

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #8

OUCH, Lord. We can feel you pulling out the weeds inside of us.

Is that a rototiller You’re running Lord?

 We know that You are preparing the ground. You alone know the type of soil inside each one of us.  

Lord, plant Your seeds deep. Anchor them in so that the storms of life can’t uproot them.

That is the purpose of this journey. And we know that both sunshine and rain are needed for growth.

Please grow the reality of Your love in our hearts.

Help the roots of joy to run deep and burst forth.

An abundant crop of peace would be welcome.

Plant extra patience, Lord --

 we use a lot of this and we don’t want to run out.

Help kindness to come up early and often so we can share it with others.

May giant buds of goodness grow from our hearts.

Let the fragrance of gentleness flow freely from us.

When the storms come, keep us staked in faithfulness.

Help the seeds of self-control to grow tall and sturdy,

 so we won’t easily break.

Fertilize us with Your words of truth.

Continue to pull out those weeds Lord, even if it hurts.

Help us to continue to grow and mature to become more like You.

May we in turn sow into the lives of others.

 What a great harvest!

"Dusty Feet" Our Summer Journey... Entry #7

Lord, I’m not sure we packed the proper attire for this journey. We may need to rethink our wardrobe. This road, this journey to new places, is dustier and rougher than we first thought.

We need the right size belt – to hold us up in truth.  We don’t want to be caught with our guard down.

Are breastplates in fashion this season? I suppose if we want to survive this journey with our hearts intact, we’ll be sporting the latest style.

Ah, yes, shoes, Lord…these sandals aren’t cutting it. Our feet are getting dusty. This road is rough and we need more protection so we can walk in peace.

A shield…what every well-dressed warrior is wearing these days. If it gives us the faith to keep moving on down this road…we’ll take one…make that seven.  Do they come in different colors?

Yes, if there is one thing that needs protection – it’s our minds. Lord, for You we’ll gladly sport helmet hair.

A sword. Cool.  Nothing better than a double-edged sword. Now there’s some power. We’re packin’ Your Word.

Thanks for paying the price for this outfit with Your blood.

We could never have afforded it.

Help us to wear it well.