Transitions

This month for me has been the beginning of some transitions in my life.

1. I'm gearing up for the fall and the ministry ahead of me.  As a college and young adult minister right now this is a whole new fall for me.  I have never had to experience an August where I am trying to greet new college students or focus on how I can get to GMU more often so I can hang with some of the students on campus.  
2. I'm also transitioning into the fall with my family.  August is usually back-to-school month where my girls are getting pretty pumped about going back to school (I hope that never ends).  So, my wife (mainly) and I plan out what activities the girls will be doing in the fall and what are their school needs.  It's pretty cool and I'll have to say that we have most of that stuff settled now which is nice.

Transitions can sometimes be very exciting as a new opportunity arises, but they can sometimes be tough as something unexpected happens and throws your life into upheaval.

Regardless of what transition you are going through right now, the one thing that doesn't transition is God.  As it says in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  He never changes and because of this Truth (and the many more He promises us throughout the Bible), we can rest assure that whatever we are going through today, He will bring us through it (maybe not perfectly without any bumps and bruises, but He WILL bring us through it).

So what transitions are you going through in life right now?  Are they good or bad, exciting or mundane?

Offer it before the Lord and see how brings you through it.

http://tompounder.blogspot.com

Slowing Down

I've been in a runners funk recently.  For about a week or 2, running hasn't been so enjoyable.  Actually, running is never enjoyable to me, but it has been more bearable up until recently.  So, for the past 2 weeks, it has been harder to run.  The first 5 or so minutes I run just stink and are hard on my legs so I decide early on to make it a 20-21 min run rather than my normal 25-26 min run.

So, the past few days I have tried to counter that hard first few minutes by going a little bit slower.  I start off with a slower pace and try to ease into the run.  And, amazingly, it actually worked!  The first few minutes have been really relaxing and I have made my normal 25-26 minute run with ease.  The difference was all in how I started and slowing down.

Every now and then we need to slow down in life.  We need to take a few steps back and look at the bigger picture and see how the Lord is moving in our midst.  In the fast pace world of Northern Virginia and the DC Metro area, this is particularly hard to do.  Everything needs to happen immediately.  But when we wait for Him, He reveals his path and provides the right action to take.

In Psalm 40:1-5, David talks about his waiting for the Lord and how the Lord heard his cry.  That is the greatness of our Lord.  He doesn't promise riches or wealth.  But He does promise to hear us and to provide (Philippians 4:19).

So take some time today to slow down, rest in the Lord's wisdom and allow him to meet your needs.