8 Bags Packed...6 to go...

It seems appropriate after a 12 hour day of packing and sorting to comment once again on the amazing volume of nonsense that we have accumulated in our home. I don't think that we'd even fit the category of "pack rats," but, after now 4 months of sorting and sending out stuff, I think we may need psychological intervention.

Do you have any idea how weird it is to get into items that you believe are of value (a stack of unsent greeting cards,favorite jammies of the kids, full bottles of cleaning supplies and kitchen gadgets) and to make the summary judgement..."this does not go to The New Place?" Filling up boxes and boxes of perfectly fine stuff that needs to go somewhere, anywhere, before this is all done.

We've had friends dropping by for months who go home with armloads, trunkloads, of new "treasures." Yet, I feel a little guilty knowing that it could be the same anchor to them someday...

8 Suitcases full...many more miles to go before takeoff in 10 days...

When you're preparing to leave your community, for an extended time, it is a beautiful thing to see how many people really love you. Everyday now we have phone calls, cards and people stopping by to bring us food, hugs and favorite memories. Why can't I live in appreciation of those lives that are planted in this garden alongside me consistently, with such deep affection? Only now, only am I stopping to appreciate all that have graced our lives. I mean I've always loved and been thankful for them...but perhaps the quality of relationships, the beautiful lives represented in our sphere, we have taken a bit for granted? Will there be enough time to let everyone know how deeply they are loved?

I was reading an old story just the yesterday about a teacher standing on a hillside teaching and transforming the lives of some 5,000 + who were gathered around him. The teacher had several companions who always traveled with Him and they, conceivably, got used to seeing all the profound and humanly inexplicable events that surrounded the teacher. But there they all were and the people were getting hungry. Sadly, to the mind's of the companions, there was not enough food, not by a long shot, to feed all the crowd. In fact, when the inventory was done, there was only 5 rolls of bread and two fish. But, the history reveals that the teacher taught a great lesson to his companions who even though they had seen Him perform impossible acts of mercy...they were unable to comprehend how the "fix" they were in with such little food and so many mouths, could possibly work out. The teacher was undaunted by the situation and simply gathered the meager offerings, gave Thanks for them and began to distribute the food to the entire crowd who were fed...and satisfied! Over 5000 men PLUS women and children who were there!

I've often thought that I would have been one of the companions who was stuck, entrenched in my thinking that was limited to only what was humanly possible, reasonable and practical. Even though I had walked with the teacher for so much time that I knew He was in the business of defying all things that were humanly possible, reasonable and practical. Yet, even still, I would have stood there reporting that there was not enough food to feed those people...anyone could tell you that!

I can tell you that even though I have more personal stories than my mind can even recall at one setting that give evidence that the teacher is not remotely limited to what is humanly possible, reasonable or practical...still as I look at the hurdles ahead of us (seems to be just about as big a task as feeding the crowd of over 5,000 with only 5 pieces of bread and two fish)...and think "there's no way this is humanly possible, it's not reasonable, it's not practical."

But that's exactly the point.

I guess this whole thing of going to The New Place is to remind us that the teacher wants to put us in the position where nothing is humanly possible, reasonable or practical...just so we can see...sitting right here on the front row...how He is going to defy our limited thinking...

Let's enjoy the show...