Starbucks thoughts

I'm sitting in Starbucks, enjoying the fall-ish flavor of steamed cider and the smooth track of the pen across the leaves of my Moleskine. The gentle hum of the espresso machine gives rhythm to my thoughts. And, as usual, there are many thoughts.

I'm thinking about journeys and roads and pilgrimage. I wonder if I should go as much as I do, if the short-term investment I make in various people throughout my travels makes up for the lack of long-term investment here at home. "One should never be where one does not belong... Don't go mistaking Paradise for that home across the road," interrupts Bob Dylan's gravely voice over the loud speaker. Timing is everything, and that was as smooth as a movie scene. I have to wonder if I do that.

I'm thinking about God's hand at work in the unseen realm. I wonder what I would think if I could see everything that He's doing right now in my life. I don't think I would like it, because I wouldn't understand the context of Eternity. So I suppose that I'm content with my current sight, and with the grace-accompanied understanding that comes with sight.

I'm thinking about singleness and desire, and finding full completion in Christ. I'm thinking about dreams, and stored-up love, and how hard it gets to wait sometimes, and just how sweet it is to drink in Jesus with joy and thanksgiving when the ache creeps in. In the words of a friend, "the empty place setting for this constant table for two will remind me that no matter if I'm hungry or full, God always guides me home."

I'm thinking about fears, and confronting fears with truth, and living the command to let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, and let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. I wonder what would happen if I always obeyed these two commands.

I'm thinking of 1 John, and the mind-blowing truth about who I am in Christ. I wonder that I ever forget it. Your sins are forgiven for Christ's name's sake. You know Him who is from the beginning. You know the Father. You are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. You have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. Why do I doubt? How can I forget?

These are the thoughts on my heart as I sit in Starbucks tonight. Jack Johnson's smooth crone replaces Bob Dylan's gravely croak. I finish my cider and close my journal.

Let the peace of Christ rule, and the Word of Christ dwell...

One more trip...

Back in January I asked y'all to pray for me as I traveled to Thailand to capture images and stories of girls saved from sex trafficking. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support during my time out of the country, as well as your faithful prayers and support since then. This is a continuing project— image editing and organization is complete, and we are now working on writing for the book that, Lord wiling, will be published sometime next year.

I also wrote to you in June, asking for you to pray for me as I traveled to Kenya to document a school in Mombasa run by missionaries. All of the images are sorted and edited, and Carol (the lady I went with) is working on getting the non-profit set up for the school itself. I'm looking at putting together a short book about the school, and will start work on that in January.

God has proven Himself so faithful to me, and so gracious in His provision. Again, I quote that line from The Valley of Vision— "It is sweet to be nothing and have nothing, and to be fed with crumbs from the hand of my God." It seems this is a continual theme in my life… but I think that my perceived "lack" increases my awareness of His provision.

I'm writing to ask for your prayers and support for one more trip this year.

Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bring good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' "

I believe that this is my calling as a missions photojournalist— to tell of God's faithfulness throughout the world, and bring it back to His people and strengthen their faith by saying, "Your God reigns."

Through a very long and somewhat confusing chain of "random" connections and God-ordained conversations, I met Amy Swift, a missionary in Rome. She works with Campus Crusades for Christ, and is using photography as an outreach to local college students. She has asked me to come to Rome to teach photography as a further outreach. I plan to leave on November 2 and return on November 24th, and the entire trip is focused on using photography to support and uplift the men and women who are actively building His kingdom.

Please pray for me!! I will visit family friends in Northern Italy, do some photography work for a mission base in Slovenia, teach photography to college students, conduct portrait sessions for various missionaries and families, document Campus Crusade's work in Rome, and possibly do some work for missionaries in Florence, as well. As before, I will regularly update here on my blog, so please make sure that you subscribe or follow to stay up-to-date on all that God is doing. You can also follow me on Twitter.

And please pray for me as I prepare! I am experiencing a lot of spiritual warfare in the preparations, already, and I'm struggling to trust that everything will come together the way it is supposed to. I need to earn or raise enough money for my ticket over there, and to cover in-country travel expenses (including transportation from city to city), as well as some preparatory expenses. It's so, so hard for me to continue to trust God's provision. I want to know how before I move ahead, but right now, God keeps telling me to trust Him.

Thank you all for your prayers. It is a blessing to know that I am uplifted by so many faithful friends.

Definitions

TRAVEL :: to go from one place to another. journey. to proceed or advance in any way. to move in a fixed course. wanderings.


JOURNEY :: the traveling from one place to another. a distance, course, or area traveled. a passage or progress from one stage to another.

PILGRIMAGE :: long journey, undertaken as a quest.




Blessed is the man whose strength is in [God], whose heart is set on pilgrimage. — Psalm 84:5




Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. — Mark 6:31



:: just a few of the thoughts swirling around in my head as I go to sleep tonight ::