January 25, 2014. Called aside, alone with God

The last time we blogged, Karen and I were preparing to relocate to the back lot of the repair place on the other side of the St. John's River to have our motor home serviced. As with most vehicle repairs there's always something more than what we take it in for, and that was the case for us, as well. After a full day, and some additional expense, as well as the necessity of some B&R ice cream, we returned to NAS Jax and our familiar space 16. Some of our neighbors had changed, but Tom(NAS space 17)next door came out to greet us and help us back into our space. We did the basic set-up and reviewed the events of the day. Our vehicle had been serviced, we met some interesting and helpful people and we were once again provided for and protected by God. But there was something which bugged me about our day "in the real world". Somehow we became so involved in our repair, the details of the service contract, the expense, the time we were spending in the customer lounge waiting, that we lost track of our ministry and the reason we were on this journey in the first place. When we were heading back to NAS, I began to get down on myself for not being out there in the battle for the Vietnam vets and the lost souls we needed to reach. Karen gave me the proverbial "slap upside the head" and it dawned on me that I had earlier that day(January 22), read and completely not heeded my Streams In The Desert devotional which spoke directly to the need for rest in the hectic pace of life, work or ministry. The rests in a musical piece are just as crucial to the melody as the notes. Sometimes we need to just accept that God calls us aside from the routine and wants us to be out of the action, but know that in these times He is alone with us. After we count the rest, we jump back with the notes assigned to us. The rest was essential to the overall piece. Thursday morning I still felt a little down, and while we were planning to call Mack, our 84 year old ex-neighbor from NAS space 15, he called us from Arizona to tell us he loved us and missed us. How blessed we were by the call and God's "surprise" and His reminder that He is in control and setting the path for us. Be at Peace in His Presence. The message of the January 22 SITD devotional which I reread on the 23rd, 24th and again this morning is well worth reading if you have it, or can find it on the Internet. Slow the pace, get alone with God and enjoy the "music of life" and the rests which are so much a part of it. PRAISE THE LORD.