Sunday, May 02, 2010

Anticipation and Excitement Are in the Air!!!

I love surprises! I love the feeling of knowing that something good is coming! Things like a vacation you are anticipating, surprising someone else, getting together with friends or one of my favorites, Christmas! Things like that are just exciting to me.

Something else that has begun to excite me is God working among us. I know that may sound a little odd, because God is something that should excite us all the time. And while God does excite me all the time, lately it's different. There is something different in the air, there is a new anticipation and excitement lingering. The excitement of... I don't know what's coming, but I can't wait!

When our kids were growing up one of the most fun things for us to do as parents was to plan vacations and not tell our kids where we were going. They loved waking up in the car to discover where we were headed or not finding out until we boarded a plane where we were actually going. We did that several times and even did that when our kids were pretty much grown for the last vacation we took with just the 4 of us before my daughter got married. They were just as excited about it then as they were when they were younger. The anticipation of them not knowing where we were going but knowing it was going to be good, was almost as much fun as the trip itself... Almost! There was nothing quite like the ultimate destination!

That type of anticipation and excitement is what I'm feeling from God right now! At Highland Oaks Church of Christ where we go to church, God is up to something! There is something different in the air... good things are coming, you can just feel it! The spirit among us is changing, growing, evolving into what I believe God has called us to be. God is calling us out of our comfort zones, out of church, out of the box we've put Him in (as Pat so wonderfully put it this morning) and into our community like never before. The people are excited, the people are ready... the people are ready to let go and let God!

It reminds me of those surprise vacations we took with our kids.... except now, we are the kids waiting in anticipation of where God is leading us! We have no idea where we are headed, but we know that God is in control; so wherever it is... it's going to be amazing!

God is challenging us to stretch beyond ourselves, beyond what may be comfortable, beyond anything we could ask or imagine. God is challenging us to have faith in Him and just follow His lead. He's telling us to trust in Him completely. While the anticipation of where we are going is exciting, it's nothing compared to the destination! I can't wait to see where God takes us... I know it's going to be an amazing journey! I'm ready for the ride... I hope you'll join me!

With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more
than anything we can ask or imagine. To Him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21


Blessings!