Two roads diverged in a wood...and I took the one to the left

Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

Marc and I watched a sermon from the Pastors' Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention last night. This verse was the basis of the sermon, and the speaker was Dr. Tom Eliff, who was my pastor in college, and who is now the Vice President of the IMB. He is, and I mean this absolutely genuinely, one of the best men I have ever known. Marc and I love him, respect him immensely, and rely on his perspective. He always preaches right where we are, and while I can say this of few preachers I have ever heard, he's as good a preacher as Alan Floyd, our pastor, who I'm convinced is one of the best in the Southern Baptist Convention. We feel about Tom Eliff the way we feel about Jerry Rankin...they are men who call us to be more like Christ, whose focus is on Christ alone and not on themselves. They are, in every sense of the word and in spite of their positions of "power," ordinary men who long only to glorify the One who has called them. The sermon was tremendous and much needed by the two missionaries sitting on the couch in our office last night.

It's hard to allow God to break up the fallow ground in our lives, isn't it? I know it was when I lived in the States, where my life was awfully, awfully comfortable. It's not any easier here on the field. It's human nature, I suppose, to settle in, to find a comfortable place, to become complacent. And let's face it--the fallow ground is tough, and when it's broken up, it's a bit painful. Sometimes, God does something big--maybe He moves us across the world to a totally new culture and language, for example--and it's in these big times that He really works. Maybe the big times are more about what God is doing in us than anything we can do on His behalf. I can tell you this: God has done more in our lives in the last eight months than we had allowed Him to do in the last twenty years. He's moving us toward something that's bigger than us. Sometimes that scares me. But someone pointed out to Marc the other day something important about being scared. Being afraid is not a reason to say 'no' to what God has for you. It's not an excuse. And it's not the same as not being at peace. (Forgive the double negatives there, please!) As God moves in big ways in our lives, as He breaks up the fallow ground, we might be afraid, but we are not alone. He is faithful. I'll say it with my dying breath. He is faithful.

Well, it's nearly 7a.m., which means it's time for me to head to the store for my daily trip for bananas. That's really not as self-sacrificing as it seems--the store is only 3/4 of a mile away, so I'm only walking a mile and a half altogether. But it's a fun time for me to listen to worship music, be outside the apartment, and most importantly, have some time alone!!! Oh, I forgot--the title is a joke about our walk last night. Marc and I walked a couple of miles last night in our neighborhood, just sort of exploring the place and enjoying each other's company. Part of our walk took us on a short hike in the woods behind our building, and we actually came to a fork in the path. Marc said, "Alright, Mrs. Frost, which way do you want to go?" My reply was, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one to the left with the big, scary dog." Not as poetic as Robert Frost's version, but definitely more literal. Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you are praying for the rain of righteousness that God wants to pour on you, and that your husband successfully fixed both your living room door and your dining room table yesterday. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye