I’m listening to North Point’s Easter message, titled “this changes everything.”

Inside of their video player they have a section where you can type notes and email them to yourself. I did just that this morning.

Here is what it looks like onscreen.

Find it here.

I read this last night from a devotional book just sitting around called Deeper Walk: A Relevant Devotional Series from Relevant Books, left over from past stinters:

There is a place between here and there. A piece of ground in the middle of take-off and landing. A section of the unknown within beginning and ending. You probably find yourself there from time to time. It’s the land known as Inbetween.

Inbetween is one of the most rugged places in life. You aren’t fully here, and you aren’t fully there. Your emotions and hopes are strewn across an endless list of possibilites. Door knobs of wood, brass, and silver line the path, but which willopen? In the land of Inbetween, the paths are lined with sealed envelopes and foggy dreams. Excitement runs forward and fears hold back. And if you stay long enough, you feel the tremors of your soul.

The land of Inbetween is downright scary. It’s a place of blind trust. It’s where the pedals of faith meet the narrow road of fortitude and where movement is demanded though there is no place to go. The worst part about this land isn’t the uncertainty or frustration that accompany it - it’s that God likes it when you’re there.

While he’s no sadist, God loves the  land of Inbetween. He loves what it does to us. He loves the humility and dependence it creates in our hearts, so He creates innumerable forks in life’s road that swerve us into the land of inbetween…

So what will hold you steady when you walk through the terrain of Inbetween? A recognition that Inbetween is God’s design. In one miraculous moment, the Creator of the universe placed you in the greatest Inbetween of all time - the place between this earthy creation and eternity. Life’s smaller lunges forward and backward are merely postcard reminders that there’s something greater than this place we’re visiting.

-Margaret Feinberg

This is it, this is how I’m feeling, here in the land of inbetween.

–I wrote this in Word, when without a wireless signal, while still in Barcelona…

I’m in Barcelona and I think there are a few things that I would like to remember from this trip. Mainly, that I need to take time to reflect, time to just think, and be. The time that I’ve spent in Starbucks, or in Cuitadella park, or downstairs in the hostel have all brought deep thoughts – things that could not have happened if I didn’t take the time to just go, to get away. I wrote this in my journal just today,

I know Lord that a lot of this is about leaving. It’s about discovery and depth, truth and change, light and dark, it’s about patience, dependence, getting over myself. It’s about staying in an unfamiliar place until it becomes familiar. It’s about depth, about giving everything up so I can rediscover it all again. It’s about hiking to the top of a castle hill instead of taking the easy way. It’s about meeting people I never would have met if I had not taken this trip at this moment with these people. It’s less about old buildings and more about new friendships. I’m not sure I would have known much about theses things had I not just done it. Lord I am thankful for these things, the depth of life that exists beyond the commercialism, along the spiritual journey. I am discovering, exploring and I never want to stop. I don’t want to be content with this stuff of this world – or just become something because it’s easy, or there is money in the madness. I don’t want a nicer car, the biggest house, all of these things that don’t really matter. I just want somewhere to call home. Even this jail cell has provided a warm bed, new friendships and undiscovered thoughts.

I’ve journaled a lot since being inside this pocket of western culture. I’ve needed to think, to come away – to avoid the bombardment of things and just read – just think. I’ve been reading Proverbs and I’ve been amazed by their depth, like even a secularist can’t deny the wisdom inside of those 31 chapters.

In the midst of writing this I was finishing my last of the 4 Donald Miller books, Through Painted Deserts. All of this is flavored by his experience and thoughts of driving from Houston to Portland with his friend Paul.  It’s a good read, all of them are. Hard to pick a favorite, they’ve all landed with me at just the right time at different points in life.

So, on Thursday I caught some sort of funk that my body has been fighting all weekend. It’s the sort of thing that wears you out and you don’t want to do anything else besides watch tv, and well, I don’t have a tv here in Slovakia, so instead I’ve been watching season one of Heroes since Friday night. I’m nine episodes deep and I’m hooked. All this, I think is good news for Aaron on my team who has been trying to get me to watch Heroes and Amazing Race for quite some time. I also caught up on the most recent episode of Lost, but I’m still waiting for the writer’s strike to be over for a new episode of The Office, it’s killing me without Jim, Pam, Michael, and Dwight in my weekly life. I’m loving how similar these two shows (Lost and Heroes) are even in their advertising.

interesting, no?

In addition to that, I’ve had time to read friends blogs, and get reaquainted with the news in the world in which I live. I’ve been trying to stay clear of election stuff, mainly because I don’t want my mind clouded with political mumbo jumbo until time is closer to the actual election.

So, I’ve found several interesting stories, one on Nicaragua, which interests me because it’s the place where my friend Courtney is currently serving on her world race. The article is about the massive amounts of cocaine which wash up on the shores daily in this small town in Nicaragua.

I also found this, a website created by a guy with a great idea he wants to present to google. He’s trying to figure out what it will take for them to hear him out. The website was born about a year ago. His story is fascinating, I’ve been watching and reading it most of the morning.  It’s inspiring and more than that, is laid out into three chapters, which Aaron Stanton, creator of the website labels as “sharing ideas, building ideas, and releasing ideas” I don’t know about you, but to me, it sounds an awful lot like “win, build, send” the ol’ three-fold philosophy. This idea from, Dr.Bill Bright, is timeless and ideas that are manifest in the most enterpreneurial minds of our day.

So, there are a lot of things I still want to update you on and even more things that I want to make videos about, hence why my mind is swirling. Here are a few:

1. The weather (4 days of sunshine in a row, major praise)

2. Smoky Mountain Dancers, Kosice (I’m in a linedancing class that is taught in Slovak, videos sure to come)

3. Language School (the frustrations and victories of learning Slovak)

4. Ministry (students are back February 18th, but we’re planning all next week)

5. My failed attempt to switch to wordpress.org

I’m reading Acts straight through and there are so many things that I’m learning and wanting to change about the way I operate in ministry. The early church inspires me to proclaim the gospel boldly here in Slovakia and everywhere I go. I recently heard a talk from Eric Theonnes, about being gospel people. I remember this talk so specifically, it was the first day of the area staff conference and I was wiped out, I fell asleep in the middle of the talk. So, why am I writing about a talk that I fell asleep in the middle of, well to highlight the fact that ministry is exhausting and that even if you fall asleep, people remember good talks. I also remember this talk because in Biba’s notes there are only a few things in English, she tells me that she just writes which ever comes first to her (English, Slovak, I guess this could include other languages in her repertoire) she had written, “we are gospel people but we live in a performance world.” This is so true, isn’t it. We’ve been completely set free by the power of Christ’s blood on the cross and ressurection, yet we live like we have something to prove. Something in the midst of our desperate need for grace, mercy and truth. I’m amazed by this in my own character but also as I read through Acts, I notice how these people in the early church were people of the gospel. There are things said like, “and each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) In Acts 2, there is an intense (by our standards today) definition of community,

“A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity - all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:43-47)

(and I didn’t even copy that from biblegateway.com)

So, in reading things like this, and in thinking on the character of my community in which I currently live, I have a lot of changing to do. I think the thing that probably sticks out to me the most is the fact that I am so selfish. Especially living here and in receiving things from America, I want to hold on so tightly to them, because I can’t just go out and get them anywhere, but that prevents community, it doesn’t foster it.

I’m reading so many great books right now, more on that later. So, in my currently reading section, don’t get overwhelmed, I’m just a sponge right now, and in a position (please note the word choice) to hear from the Lord. I want to know where He wants me next year and so I’m asking Him about that a lot, which will soon, no doubt inspire a fast. Which, unfortunately, is not a spiritual discipline that I am used to.

Currently Reading:

Acts

Currently Listening to:

Through the Static, Jack Johnson, released today, find it on itunes