Promises in the Rain

We stood in the street. Rain falling down.

Previously, I wondered what was bringing me to Fuengirola today. I had hoped to go to the beach, but cold weather, gray skies, and a steady rain made that walk a little less than pleasant. Still I went. I wondered if I should take my ipod and have music at least entertain me as I ventured out today. But I knew I couldn't bring that distraction. So I made the journey alone.

And then there I was. I was standing in the rain with my friend.

Would I have seen him if the sun was out and I was with a group of friends out on the beach? I would like to think so. Would I have heard him if my favorite song was loudly playing on my ipod as I danced around the streets? I would like to think so. But the truth is, he was why I was there.

We exchanged greetings and pleasantries, commenting on the weather and how well his companion, his dog was. I began to hear about his past and the journey that has led him to life on the streets. He shared a bit of his story. I shared a bit of mine. And soon we got on the topic of promises. There we were, sharing with one another what it meant to make promises and what it feels like when we break promises. At that moment several questions began to fill my mind. I wondered if he trusted me. I wondered how many times broken promises filled our minds with doubt. I wondered how many times I begin to question promises I know are true when the rain begins to fall, when challenges arise.

Just as we stood in the rain throughout our conversation, knowing that we would survive, I continue to stand confidently in the promises I know are true, no matter what challenges come my way.

So I say...let the rain fall.

A Fresh Start

Starting over.

I needed to clear out all the past ramblings that covered this page, to start new, to start fresh, exposing the depth of who I am and what GOD is doing here in Mijas, Spain. I am not satisfied with the general surface subjects, quick stories, random pictures, but must share my heart where there is something real, and true to speak. I don't want to speak what you want to hear, but speak what you need to hear, and what I need to share. And so here I am.

I am not here to coast through, to waste this time, to go through the movements. It isn't just a season of my life. THIS IS LIFE. So I choose to invest in others as scary as that can be. I choose to stop waiting to follow, but to step up and lead. I choose to stop waiting for things to happen, but make things happen. My trust grows. My heart exposed. My dreams explode. And as I take each step I begin to discover a deeper Love. Fears fade. Excuses disperse. and I choose to be, to move, to serve, to love in the midst of it all.

Mijas, has quickly become more than just a location, but home. It is more than the lectures and discussions that teach me about relationships, about teams, about making a plan. It is more than the community in which I live, where I can ask honest questions, where we share visions, where if we chose, we can get to the heart of each other. It is more than the "ministries" I am a part of, the soup kitchen, that continues to give me a stronger heart for those on the street, that teaches me about servanthood, and to allow GOD to bring an understanding between me and those I listen to. It is more than the chapel on the side of the hill where I hike to, to release and to intercede. It is home. It is life. It is the heartbeat of it all together that is...simply put...LIFE.