Be Still My Soul

Recently, I've been drawn to the words of this reflective hymn:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

~Katharina A. von Schlegel

well-developed

Well-developed faith results in well-defined prayers, 

and well-defined prayers result in a well-lived life.

-Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker

To be God's people in this place,

Live His goodness,

Share His grace,

Proclaim God's mercy-

through His Son,

Be His love-

to everyone

~text & music Charles F. Brown~

(to my sisters: I'm looking forward to the next time we sing together)

Sara and I had the privilege of meeting with a small group of believers in this lovely thatched-roof building

Sunday morning in Harare. The beauty and details, and yet over-all seeming simplicity of the structure

made it feel like a perfect place of worship.

a blessing for everything

I figure if the Rabbi had a blessing for Motel's sewing machine (Fiddler On the Roof), there must also be a blessing for my new Dell F6430. My old laptop served me very well, but it was time for a replacement before I head back to Zambia. I'm asking God to bless my laptop, watch over it,

and help me to use it for His glory.

Wings of a Dove

More than once I've read David’s words from Psalm 55:6 and felt a heart connection with his cry. Oh that I had wings like a dove and could flee far away…

Not that fleeing from life’s problems is the solution for dealing with challenges, but there are times when getting away for refreshment is definitely in order. After all, as David notes later in Psalm 55, God is our Refuge.

At the encouragement of several friends, I decided it was time for me to flee from the demands of Nahumba and spend some time away— out with the birds of Zambia for a few days.

my private chalet

inside

up :)

complete with a private toilet/washroom

Masuku Lodge, popular for its birding tours, had been highly recommended to me, and I wasn't disappointed. You can see why.

the dam

the main house, where meals are served

It was blissful. Just marvelous. There I was, less than 30 kilometres from home, but in the middle of nowhere—with no phone service, no internet, no people. Nothing except the beauty of nature and the luxury of lovely accommodation and meals. People dialed and redialed my cell phone, problems came to the door at Nahumba, urgent matters arose, but I didn't have to deal with those things. The world moved on while I sat on the lawn, gazed out over the dam, listened to the birds, and drank mugs and mugs of tea…

perfect. perfect. perfect.
(looking from the main house toward the dam)

I walked and jogged for miles each day, basking in the sunshine and feasting on the Michigan sky [In Zambia, a “Michigan sky” is bright, light blue with puffy, white clouds; a "Pennsylvania sky" is smaller-looking, more gray and overcast]. No one yelled at me. No one laughed as I wandered past. Instead, I was surrounded by scads of butterflies and birds, and the occasional annoying fly circling my head. I happened upon a few bush bucks, four donkeys, and two water pigs who were as startled to see me as I was to discover them. All that meandering through the bush, and I only saw one snake! [Thanks again to my friend Rebecca's grandma who prays for protection from snakes for Heather and I; her prayers are powerful and effective.]

The setting was exactly what I was looking for, a quiet place to pray and think and read and listen. Absolutely glorious.

It was so wonderful, in fact, that I got the brilliant idea of sending my parents to Masuku Lodge for their anniversary next month. Only problem is the flight from Michigan to Zambia… Maybe Plan B is in order.

main house lounge

main house looking toward dining room

tea service in every room :)

Thanks to each of you who prayed for me during my time away. I had a refreshing stay at Masuku Lodge, and highly recommend this lovely place.

the road back to the real world

In the morning, when I rise

Mozambique

Give me Jesus

Check Engine

A few weeks ago the "check engine" light popped on in my car. I never knew my car had a check engine light, and my mechanic skills aren't so great to know what the problem was. It had been a few days, and the red light kept glowing every time I drove my car. One morning as I was on my way to work, I decided to talk with God about my check engine light problem...

I glanced down about two miles later, and the check engine light was gone. It hasn't appeared since.

This week, I had my pre-trip doctor visit, just to touch base before I move to Zambia for a year. Well, after our little visit, the doctor ordered a test to be done as soon as possible to check some stuff out. I tried really hard to cast my concerns on the Lord, but I still had a hard time sleeping that night not knowing what the test results would show. In the middle of the night, I said, "God, remember the engine light on my car?..." I asked for the test results to be clear, and ultimately for God's will to be done... whatever it was, knowing He is in control of my life and schedule.

The nurse called me an hour after the test the next morning. "Everything's normal," she said, "Have a great trip!"

The results were clear.
God answered prayer.

Prayer Card

Thank you for your prayers!