Spiritwick

I've gotten this question a lot over the last few months as I've prepared to go to Uganda.  The real answer, and the only reason I'm capable of leaving the girls for as long as I am is this:  God.  I'm trusting God to take care of the girls while I'm gone.  I'll be praying for them and for my husband every day that I'm gone, and I hope you will too!  However, I don't write "God" down on the emergency contacts lists for them, and there are obviously real preparations that have to be made for them while I'm gone. One of the reasons that I'm going on this summer trip rather than on my church's winter trip is that my older nieces are out of school for the summer now.  Between them, my sister, my mother, a friend, and my husband's flex-time allowances at work, they should be well-cared-for even if something unexpected happens to whoever was scheduled to watch them on any specific day.  I am soooo thankful to have my loving family l...

The last couple of days have found me particularly focused on the logistics of this trip.  Do I have all the clothes I need?  What supplies do I still need to procure? How can I best get myself ready for the trip and my family prepared for my absence? When a thunderstorm woke me up early this morning, my mind quickly jumped back into the fray with these thoughts and kept me awake.  Apparently, I'd become anxious about everything because my sleepy mind then started to lead me into other anxiety-producing thoughts too.  After about an hour, I managed to get back to a fitful sort of a sleep. When I woke up for good this morning, I disregarded what my Bible reading plan said to read next and went to Psalms.  Psalm 94:18-19,22 spoke to me this morning with these words: When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. But the Lord has become my fortress, and m...

About 13 years ago, I was a very young and new college student. I was curious about what God had in mind for my life, but I had NO idea what that might be. Sometime in the midst of this, I went on a camping trip one weekend with some old high school friends.  The parents of one of these friends was kind of hosting and coordinating the weekend, and one night, they had a little mini-lesson they shared with us.  They talked about how they had just finished a Bible study on the Temple of God. They learned all sorts of applicable symbolism that was interesting, but they had one illustration in particular that they wanted to share with us.  The wicks in the Temple. Inside the Temple, stood a golden lampstand that gave light in the inner Holy Place.  It was an oil lampstand that used wicks.  The Bible is replete with references to light. I'd even grown up singing "This little light of mine." I was familiar with possible symbolic meanings for light.  I was even f...