It was great to be home at Fellowship after an amazing trip to Russia.  I really appreciated Ed’s talk about the church as a whole, waking up!  I thought he “brought it” in a loving and uncompromising way.  I think of the many times I have been sleepwalking through my faith journey… it’s wasted time that I can’t get back.

I was thinking after church yesterday how much going on a  mission’s trip can grow you in your faith.  You get out of your comfort zone and enter into the world of others.  That is the reality of Jesus.  His incarnation was him leaving his place of comfort and entering into our messed up world because of two main reasons.  First, it was his love for us.  It compelled him… it moved him to action… action is, after all what love is about.  Second, it was obedience.  Jesus was following the will of his Father.  There are plenty of times I don’t “feel” like going on a trip like this but then I remember the call of Jesus to GO and I’m off again.  Strangely enough, I never regret going.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  I wouldn’t trade my experience with our friends in Russia this year for anything in the world.  I learned from my parents at an early age that obedience brings blessing… God’s blessing.

I’m hoping parents got the wake up call yesterday.  There are so many things that pull at our kids today.  Making Sunday worship a priority is the parents responsibility.  It messes me up to see how Dad’s and Mom’s have advocated the decision making process in their homes.  We are the adults.  It is on us.  Wake up call time.

I’ll be filling you in more this week on our Russia trip.  Be praying for our team as the assimilate back into their day to day responsibilities.