A nearly perfect day...and some homesickness

...for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:4-5

I don't know about you and your walk with Christ, but I can tell you that I am becoming more and more aware of the "lofty things" that I have raised up against the knowledge of God. Most often, they have to do with what I want, what I think I need, what I think of myself. My prayer this morning was simple--no formula, no prayer I've memorized, just a simple plea: more of You, Jesus. I'm begging and pleading for more of You. Maybe it's this place that has stretched me to my limits, or maybe it's just the natural progression of a maturing Christian, but I am having to moment by moment take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Yesterday was a nearly perfect day. We woke up to a cool morning with mist across the lake in the back yard. We had time for a good quiet time. Then Marc began making chili for us and our friends in a huge pot he got from the cafeteria. One by one our children came out of their rooms saying the same thing: "It smells like home!" Then we had about 25 people for lunch, all talking while we ate chili and chips and cookies. What fun! Then we went to the auditorium, moved couches in, and watched the Florida/Tennessee game. The wife on the couch next to me is from the St. Augustine area, and we really enjoyed watching the game with other Gator fans. How about Tebow! Not bad for a sophomore! We were really proud of him, and just of the way he carries himself. I am sure he's not perfect, but he certainly seems that way on camera, doesn't he? After the game, and the Gators' trouncing of the Vols, we headed back to our quad for more chili with our friends. It was just a wonderful day where we didn't have to think or take in any new information. What a blessing!

But you know what? They put up that aerial shot of the Swamp, and I got this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. At first, I couldn't identify it. Nausea? Sadness? Oh...homesickness. That's what that feeling is. I miss Florida. I miss the Gator sticker on the back of my car. I miss talking about Florida stuff in class. There aren't many of us here from Florida. I don't know...it was hard in a weird way. I was so glad to get to watch the game, but it made me homesick. Of course, we miss people very much. But this was the first time I missed the place--the heat, the stickiness, my house--you know, just everything that's Florida.

Well, I should go. We have house church in half an hour, and I'm sitting here in the kitty cat pajamas. We're pretty casual in our group, but not that casual. Tonight's cultural worship is African, and I hear we're going to be outside for some of it. Cool! This week, we concentrate on the persecuted church. That should be interesting, enlightening, and heart-wrenching all at the same time. Pray for us that we will finish well. And pray that when we wake up tomorrow morning, the next step in our visa process, our Letters of Invitation, are on our email. Pray really, really hard for that, please. I love you guys so much. Thanks for reading this. Blessings!
His,
Kellye