Thinking about June

Staying close to home is more fun sometimes that going somewhere. This week, we've been remembering why we love Northwest Arkansas so much. Thursday night was a concert at Gulley Park, Friday night was a cookout with some of the staff here, and yesterday we drove over to Eureka Springs for the afternoon. But we've had a busy June and it's fun to remember it. Mike and Susan dropped in to help us celebrate John's birthday.

Tisha and Tozer--the next generation of Kingdom builders at our big National Conference in Dallas.

Amazing Dr. Winter--still looking forward after 35 years of Perspectives.

The "War Room"

It was fun to unite Pasadena and Northwest Arkansas USCWM staff.

Liz and Gloria--the hospitality committee

JP--my boss!

Sussi and her control central team

Kevin, our friend of many years in Little Rock, is helping bring Perspectives to Brazil

Dinner with John's brothers Bryant and Ed and wives at Spring Creek Barbeque on our way out of town.

As Good as it Gets

Normally, I catch up from the weekend on Mondays, but I have a new bullet in my job description--getting out a resource newsletter to Perspectives alumnae. What looked like a short hour or two turned into an afternoon at our office, but it is a joy-filled task and I was well aware that God had given me a great privilege. I went home and cooked the corn on the cob and tomato wraps that we had bought at a roadside vendor we just discovered, right on Crossover by our house. Life is good.

It was beautiful and cool so I went out to do a little painting and ended up priming two garden benches that had weathered over the winter. Then the phone rang. It was Evan, husband of Emily and father of our dear Ella and Easton. John pretty much did the talking as I painted but I noticed my heart kind of sinking as they talked. As much as I love what we are doing right now, there is always that ache that there are grandkids a 15-hour drive away that I would love to be taking to the park, reading to, treating to McDonald's for breakfast, having puppet shows with, playing dress up with. The threatening cloud of dispair over my head turned into a full-fledged rainstorm when I came in, checked e-mail and found out about Carolyn, free of cancer for 16 years, but now faced with it again.

Just what kind of Christianity am I on a team trying to export around the world anyway? If it isn't able to fill the gaping holes of "heart hurt"--whether it's serious like starvation in a world far away or life-threatening anywhere or loneliness and disappointment--what good is it? He tells me to test me in this and see what I will do. I'm stepping out on what looks like thin air and you are the solid rock, suddenly materializing. It's good--and--it's worth exporting.