Less Than 24 Hours From Home!

What seemed like a long time away--22 days--has passed by so quickly that it is less than 24 hours until I will be back home in Cabot, and once again serving as a child of God, a husband of one wife, a dad of two daughters and the pastor of a great local body of Jesus Christ--the Lord willing of course.  I never presume that what I plan to happen WILL happen, but am grateful for the many times when it has, and for those occasions when it hasn't but God has provided something even better!  (For those times when it hasn't and what has happened seemed at the time to be worse, is another day's post!) The time away has been productive on many fronts--my daily times with God havebeen great; Emmy and I have invested many quality hours together; the week-long missions trip through Tapestries of Life was great; getting to know Quinn and Lisa Seamans has been a major blessing--their dedication to Jesus and to seeing "the children come home" at the TLM orphanage is inspiring; I've written drafts for six messages; and watched Men's Fraternity videos and Rick Warren/Crown Financial Ministries "Managing Money God's Way" video series and have been blessed and challenged by both; and I've gotten to "rest" in God in a way that hasn't happened in a long time.  Now, in less than 24 hours comes the test of God's transformation in me--continuing to live the life with all the obligations of the daily life God has given me.  I look forward to the challenge, because by God's grace I'm ready!