Monday, March 11, 2013

Cal Poly Pomona XA

Recently, I heard from the current staff leader of my (Lindsay's) old campus group at Cal Poly Pomona.

Ironically, the leadership team flip-flopped from being primarily female-heavy to male-heavy in the course of my time there. For the majority of my time there, it seemed that all I could find were available women who wanted to step into leadership. But by the time I left, I said goodbye to a primarily male group of willing leaders.

Today, I spent some time looking through the current website of the group and was overjoyed as I read through the bios of leaders serving. There are still more men in leadership than women, but they have now recruited two women (hooray!) to join the ranks. Additionally, the majority of the people serving are in their earlier years of schooling there. This is a huge praise report! It is so clear that God has been divinely leading and very much at work in bringing these young people together to serve on a campus that so desperately needs the love of Christ to be exhibited and shared. They are doing large group gatherings more frequently now than ever (every other week) and have 3 weekly Bible study groups that meet.

I guess I just wanted to brag a bit about God and these awesome young people. And, of course, thank so many of you out there who have prayed and given to make it possible for the initial seeds to be planted on that campus. I'd say these are signs of further fruit on that campus.


Check out their website here.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

on the celtic daily evening prayer

Randy and I are in the middle of a season filled with waiting, questions, uncertainty, anticipation and transition.

We are waiting for our daughter to be born... (Patiently, because we have plenty to do before she arrives, but with such anticipation at who this little person will turn out to be! :) We wonder if she will arrive before or after her daddy graduates from seminary. [She's due June 10; he graduates June 15.]

We are waiting to hear back from PhD programs and hospital residencies to find out what our future will look like after the summer. (Thus, where we will live, what our financial position will be, whether or not cloth diapering will be realistic, how close we will be to family/friends and so many other questions will finally be answered)

We are waiting on insurance questions and prenatal care questions to know how to proceed with caring for my body and this baby for the remainder of pregnancy.

We are waiting. We are in the process of many things. But most of these things are out of our control.

From this place, I opened my Celtic Daily Prayer book to tonight's evening prayer and I came close to tears. A few times over the past few weeks, I have waited to do my daily Celtic prayer until the evening and each time, this prayer has touched a deep place in my heart. The continual utterance of the phrase, "Today, I believe" challenges me. I want to believe. However, I find it much more difficult to believe when so many of the preceding words resonate with me in such a real way right now.

Though I am poor...
though I am weak...
though anxious of heart...
tried as I am...
though [the way] may be hidden...
though the night is here...
though you be silent now...

But our God is the God of the impossible. He is the God who knows intimately the deepest desires, needs and situations in our lives. He truly is the Sovereign over all creation and knows all things. This is what I [am trying to] rest in each day. This prayer gives words to the cries of my heart tonight. Maybe it will resonate with you also.


:: an evening prayer ::

Lord, you have always given
bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor,
today I believe.

Lord, you have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Lord, you have always given
peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart,
today I believe.

Lord, you have always kept me
safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am,
today I believe.

Lord, you have always marked
the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden,
today I believe.

Lord, you have always lightened
this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here,
today I believe.

Lord, you have always spoken
when time was ripe;
and though you be silent now,
today I believe.

from the celtic daily prayer book from the northumbria community