Edges and dales and moors, oh my!

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord,
As we wait upon the Lord,
As we wait upon the Lord.

Our God, You reign forever
Our Hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the Everlasting God, the Everlasting God
You do not faint, You won't grow weary
You're the Defender of the weak,
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

I'm really blown away today by the steady, unchanging constancy of God. He's a rock - He's the solidness under our feet when everything else seems to blow and shift and change.

Last week I visited Derbyshire and saw some of the most beautiful
country there that I have ever seen - I saw the wide, bleak expanse of a moor filled with heather and brush; I stood on on "edge" where layers of rock have pushed their way through the earth to make a cliff, and just gazed at the miles and miles of rolling hills that I could see. Churches that had been built hundreds of years before, dry-stone walls that last centuries, land that had been gauged for rock and healed over, trees estimated to be about 2000 years old. And yet, the same unchanging God was pouring out His majesty and power through all of it.

Then I got back to Lee Abbey where during my absence a close friend and co-worker had left, and a new member of my team had arrived. More change, same God. I found out that I needed to move immediately from the room that I have lived in for 9 months down to the basement where I have wanted to live since the beginning of my stay here - more change, same God.

I realized yesterday that I often feel like such an inadequate tool for God to use; not because God did not create me with ability and talent, because He did. But because of my will, my ceaseless tendency to focus on my own agenda, my own needs and desires rather than seek God's heart for whatever situation I'm in or decision I have to make. And yet God isunchangingly patient with me. He encouraged me so much yesterday by allowing me to have an extremely small role in bringing a resident to church with us; getting toparticipate in that was so humbling - to know that despite all the barriers I throw up to Him, He still uses me. That is incredible!

Please pray for the work of evangelism at Lee Abbey. I sense as we approach Pentecost that God is stirring up the community - stirring up the people who are passionate about sharing Christ's gift of salvation with others and stirring up the gifts of the Spirit that contribute to that. Pray that we make ourselves useful for service!