Change of plans

By now, you are all surely eagerly expecting my soon departure to Florida to partake in my sabbatical rest. Not so fast, my dear friends, the time has not yet come.

My original plan was to leave on October 29th, with the intent to be in Florida by the first of November. Recently, Gary Thayer (my current employer) asked me to stay for three extra weeks in order to help finish a rather large job we had recently acquired. Far be it from to me to refuse the man (and company) that has treated me so well in the past few years!

Therefore, I have decided to extend my stay in Lafayette until after the Thanksgiving holiday. This shakes things up a bit, but doesn't really rattle my cage. I don't necessarily believe that this is just a random occurrence, I believe that YHWH is orchestrating this and has more for me to accomplish before I leave. I will embrace this blessing, not just for the financial reward (I'm not working for free!) but because I know that God wants to do some things in me. 

Nevertheless, there are a few minor consequences to this change:

1. My "sabbatical" will be shortened.
   Initially,I knew that labeling a 4 month time period as a sabbatical was a bit of a stretch, but I was willing to make the stretch because I knew that I would have plenty of time to rest and meet my goals. After factoring in some other variables, it might only be 2-3 months. Not that I'm complaining! I still feel very honored and blessed that I am able to take an extended break from work. But I wonder if the term sabbatical still applies? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
2. I will not completely avoid the Indiana winter.
   Not really a big deal, but many of my friends were giving me a hard time for skipping the frigid temperatures...unless the heat wave continues, in that case, please ignore this point.
3. My sabbatical/time off (seriously, we need to resolve this issue so I can properly address the time between Thanksgiving and my return) will look very different than I had originally planned.
   Again, not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure that God is using this to teach me a lesson (perhaps about time management?). Knowing that I might only have a couple of months amplifies the value I will place on my time spent with Jesus. It will make those moments that much more precious.

Just another reminder that "change is the only constant" (a favorite expression of the great Charity Ramlal)

I Surrender

Do you remember the song "I Surrender All"?
Wait, is it a song or a hymn? Hold on a sec, let me check.

Ok. Fun fact: according to Merriam-Webster, it is both. Interesting, I've always thought that a song had to be really old and be "voted in" to be a hymn.

Anyways, I had this song stuck in my spirit yesterday and I just kept on singing the chorus over and over again throughout the day. I don't think that Jesus minded that I kept it simple (I couldn't remember the whole song) because there is so much power in those words, or rather the meaning of those words.

I have surrendered everthing to Jesus, well, I'm trying. I give up my desires, my passions, my life so that I can have His desires, His passions, and His life. I don't release these things blindly, and I surely didn't release them easily. But Jesus has won me over. He has proven his ability to handle the things that I value.

The cool thing is that the more I give to him, the more confident I feel about him having control. My increased reliance on him brings forth a decreased reliance on myself. I don't even want to have control again! I have complete confidence in him.

Paul told the Philippian church that we have been given the privilege of trusting in the Messiah (1:29). How awesome is that?! This isn't something that we do begrudgingly. It is an honor that has been given to us as children of God.