4 Awesome Days

This post is way overdue, but I wanted to take a moment and thank God for the opportunity Trish and I had to get away and rest in early March. Early on in Trish's treatment process for thyroid cancer, I wanted to give her something she could look forward to towards the end of the process. So, we made plans for what ended up being a short, but fabulous get away together. God made care for our kids available through grandparents and Trish and I spent 4 days on the beach and by the pool in the Dominican Republic. It was so wonderful to rest, be together, see new sights, experience a new culture, walk on the beach, and be refreshed spiritually. Praise God.

There were a few ways where God worked in my heart in particular ways:

• I read The Shack. I have heard reviews on this book from people that loved it and people that hated it. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground. I'm in the camp of "loved it!" I would recommend you read it... no matter what you've heard. Keep in mind, I read this on vacation...I didn't read it critically or study every word and nuance. I'm not advocating every bit of theology portrayed and I recognize that the story line is troubling (although gripping). However, I will say that I was moved towards intimacy with Jesus. I felt the author's portrayal of what it means for a person of faith to suffer and what it means to commune with God (and each Person of the Trinity) was enlightening. Bottom line, I felt the book enriched my journey with Jesus.
• I read a portion of Undaunted Hope: The James Gribble Story. Gribble was a pioneer (first to a given people group) missionary in Africa in the early 1900s. I was so moved by this simple man's commitment to Jesus, absolute dedication to God's call on his life to share the Good News of Jesus, determination to go and work where no missionary had gone before, resilience in the face of insurmountable odds, and faith in God's goodness and perfect plan no matter what his circumstances were. In one of God's great ironies, this book, paired with reading The Shack, expanded my perspective of what it means to relate with Jesus intimately and follow Him wholeheartedly.
• I felt God, very clearly, saying "Your vision is not large enough." For over two years now, I've been laser focused on working to launch one church, ClearView Church. It seems kind of funny, because there is still a lot of work to do for ClearView to be ready for Grand Opening and be self-sustaining. Yet, I sensed God telling me that it isn't enough to pray and work towards the launch of one church...or even a church that starts other churches (as we pray ClearView will). What does that mean? I'm not sure. But, I believe God said, "Think bigger!" Only by His grace and provision...
• Trish and were moved by experiencing a bit of the Dominican culture. These are friendly people that, for the most part, live in poverty. Yet, many seemed happier than many Americans I know. Many shops we were in had Bibles in prominent places. We weren't there long enough to get an accurate feel for the spiritual climate there, but our hearts were burdened for the people of this country.

I'm not sure what God will do with any of these reflections. But, the trip was wonderful and I came home refreshed. One neat note...on our first Sunday back, I shared these same reflections with our ClearView family. Afterwards, one of our couple's approached me and we talked of their desire to return to their home country, Jamaica, upon retirement. They're dreaming of starting a church there. Perhaps ClearView could be a part of that! THAT would be a bigger vision! God is good! :)