We just finished up a summit here in Port Charlotte, FL. The weather here has been beautiful. My body has already registered that it is summer and I think it's gonna have a hard time adjusting to the fact that it's not...oh, well spring shall come and my tan will disappear. That's life!This summit has been really great, 15 mins from the beach, host home with a pool, and 5 mins from the mall! I have also had a great host mom. She is 79yrs old and just spot on! When she told me how old she was I couldn't believe it! She has great memory, good style, and an amazing cook! I have really enjoyed her. She and I have had some really great talks about life, her kids, her marriage & divorce, her son that died 2yrs ago from alcohol and about the gospel and living out the Christian life. It has amazed me that I can relate with a 79yr old woman and she can relate and humbly ask me questions. We talked the other night about how we were both at a place in our life waiting on the Lord and open to whatever He has for us. Amazing! She has gone to a Lutheran church most of her life up until about 2 yrs ago when she got tired of the rituals and wanted something more. God was faithful to draw her to Himself and reveal Himself to her. She found a gospel centered church and now has an active and intimate relationship with the Lord and has a hunger and desire to see Him use her for His glory. She has been a challenged and encouragement to me.
The Lord has been doing a reviving work in my life this summit. I guess I'm always needing to be revived...guess it's good I'm in a Revival ministry! Thankful that the Lord is patient and always pursuing me. He is opening my eyes to areas of sin and self. I so often walk in the flesh. My thinking for the last month or so has been that I cannot walk in the spirit. That task seems daunting to me! I can't possibly walk in the spirit for the rest of my life! How foolish and ignorant I am. I have learned that really as long as I'm not sinning and living with the fruit of the 'spirit' than I am pretty much walking in the spirit! HELLO! That's crazy! With that mindset it totally seems possible. But if I do choose to walk in the spirit (which happens more than not) I can acknowledge that and ask for God's grace and then..LIVE. It's been such a helpful truth for me this summit. I can call out for His grace and in that I can have the fruit of the spirit. So simply yet often so difficult.
The next couple months are going to get busy. We head out this week for our next summit in High Point, NC aka furniture capital of the world! I will be staying with one of my favorite camp families I met this summer! After that we have a week off at a retreat place in the mountains (ok, so maybe things won't be that busy;)) But then we have a conference in Asheville, NC at the Cove which is always a crazy time for me. And then we head to Athens, GA...which is just an hour from home! We also have a lot to get ready for our summit in Canada. Please pray for God to meet with us and give us strength.
"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of your flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." -1 Peter 2:11-12
