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living for more than this world...

Monday, March 2, 2009

"We're having a deep conversation...can I borrow some face wash?"

What an amazing weekend! Friday morning started out normal enough, church, children’s church, lunch, swimming…a nice Friday. The FOCUS conference was suppose to start at 5 but everyone is late in this country so we showed up around 7 right when things started picking up. We thought maybe we were too late but it was really quite perfect. At this point I had few expectations and very few ideas of how the weekend would end.
“Find your small group leader for dinner!” Small groups? Aw dang it. I hate breaking up into small groups. I always get stuck with people who don’t want to talk. The 5 of us were from very different places; Egypt, France, Africa, Iraq, and of course buckeye country. I can’t help but smile when I think about how we all have such different lives and yet we’re all sitting around a table in Dubai searching the scriptures. Our group talked on and on about the mysteries of the scripture and we had a hard time keeping to the question. “times up” Aw dang it. I hate leaving my small group.
We stayed up late Friday night playing taboo. can you picture a group of girls, many whom speak English as a second or third language, tryin to explain a word without using several helpful words? ha ha loads of fun. At one point Kathrine came in and told us of her deep conversation with katie and then in the smae breath asked for face wash. She seemed to be high or half asleep...maybe both. It cracked us up! It may not be as funny to you but it gave us a tickle :)

The speaker. Stirring. Overwhelming. Wonderful. His name is Thabitti, originally from the Bible belt but is now serving the Lord in the Cayman Islands. He preached the Word purely and powerfully. I could have listened to Him preach for hours….we very well may have…I don’t actually know. My concept of time went out the window 
The weekend was about the promises God made in the OT and the promises kept in the NT. I love how He reveals things to us by His grace. It is by His power that He opens our eyes and hearts to His Truth. I’m telling you, this week God opened my eyes to some wonderful things. Christ is in ALL scripture. Anna and I are learning that as we read together and find Jesus in all things, big and small. Everything is about Him and His plan. Where can I go from your Spirit? If I go to the heavens You are there. If I make my bed in the depths you are there.
I sometimes hurt for reasons I don’t fully understand. I won’t let myself dwell in selfishness. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about The Lord and His glory. Where can I serve you, Spirit? You are in all things so help me to find you and do Your good work.
It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about the Glory of God.
I fail. Others fail. Pride puffs up and will eventually deflate. What then? Only the Word of the Lord will remain…

1 comment:

rachel joy baransi said...

love you emma. so true!

haha, yeah games with people who speak english as an 'extra' language are so fun and at the same time odd. i played pictionary with some people from italy, UAE, poland, holland and spain and it was amazing the words that they did know. even i don't know half of the pictionary words. I mean monkey & ape. If you know monkey i think that's pretty good, i don't expect you to know ape.

anyway. i'll reply to your email soon, i've been super busy.

love you!