It's the last day of October, the 31st to be exact, so I thought I'd return to the blogosphere. I took a self imposed blog fast for the last half of the month and I made up my mind not to comment on other blogs or write a post of my own. It was refreshing to not feel the need to publish every thought that was rolling around in my head. For a week of that time, my family took a much needed vacation to the sugary white beaches of Florida's Emerald Coast (where the picture of the sunset came from). The rest of the time has been immersed in 2007 planning, budget meetings, the Fall Family Fun Night, and ministry.
Another reason why I took a break is because I wanted to clear my head and reset a bit in regard to my writing. The idea of Downshoredrift is that God is at work all the time, moving us closer to Him. It's like when you are in the waves at the beach and you think you are in front of your umbrella and chair, but in reality you have moved down the beach and you didn't even realize it. That's called Downshoredrift. Well, God is always at work to draw us to Himself and sometimes, it is so imperceptible that we don't realize it unless we are really paying attention. I want to continue to write about that and keep giving praise to God.
Sometimes, we can also drift away from God. One decision leads to another, and before we know it, we have grown lukewarm or have compromised ourselves. It can happen so quickly, that we do not even realize it. Fortunately, grace is greater than all of our sin and coldness of heart, and like a life guard, God rescues us from the waves that would tear us apart.
So, Downshoredrift embodies the movement of God in our life and it also characterizes the battle that we are in to keep our eyes open and to stay aware regarding truth and lies. I want my writing to be both pastoral and prophetic, so that I can call people to the loving arms of their Father God, and also warn against dangerous paths that we might be headed down. Downshoredrift has become a powerful metaphor for me, in that it describes the full range of emotions and activities that present themselves in our daily lives. Fortunately, God is always at work and His grace is sufficient. He is more than enough. I want to live with my eyes wide open and see God at work and give Him praise. I don't want to miss a thing.
So, God has been at work! Caelan, my 1 year old son with cancer, seems to be getting stronger every day as he gets over the effects of his radiation. His appetite is up and his blood counts have been higher. Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers! God is faithful!
God is really working in our church as people are growing in their relationship with the Lord and others are coming to Christ. God is adding to our church in awesome ways and we are reaching out in our workplaces and neighborhoods like never before. We had a big Fall Festival type gathering on Sunday night that was probably the biggest event we've ever done, and there was a lot of joy. So, praise God!
I have been reading about the continuing issues in the SBC in regard to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This continues to grieve me and I'm going to be writing quite a bit about it later this week and in the future. But, I know that God is up to something and I pray that we all submit to Him in this.
We are facilitating several trips to South Asia next year, and I might be going on two of the three. We'll see, but there are some really incredible opportunities opening up for us. I'll keep you posted.
Well, it was good to reintroduce myself! Let me leave you with this verse, Job 42:4-6:
4"You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."
May we all have encounters with God this week that moves us from the realm of hearing about Him to truly experiencing His presence for ourselves. May we all be brought low before the magnificence of Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe. May we trust Him completely and throw our lives into His care with reckless abandon. May we see the Lord and worship Him.
Alan,
Good to have you back.
Posted by: Paul | October 31, 2006 at 04:23 PM
Alan,
Welcome back!
I'll be looking forward to your next posts.
Posted by: David Rogers | October 31, 2006 at 05:16 PM
Alan,
Praise the Lord for answering out prayers for Caelan,You, and Yours.
May God continue to Heal and Bless Caelan's health. Great to have you back and looking forward to reading of the Gift that God gave you.
In His Name
Wayne Smith
Posted by: Wayne Smith IN HIS NAME | October 31, 2006 at 05:37 PM
Good to have you back, chief.
Posted by: Joe Kennedy | October 31, 2006 at 07:18 PM
Welcome back to blog town, Alan...
So good to hear that Caelan is doing better!
Posted by: John Stickley | October 31, 2006 at 09:57 PM
Glad to "see" you back and hear how your family is doing.
Posted by: Kevin | October 31, 2006 at 11:49 PM
Alan,
Welcome back. It was a chosen fast, and wise I'm sure, on your part. But a forced fast for us. I'm glad you're back. Calen continues to be prayed for by all of us. Funny how we begin to feel family like so quickly, but we are family and grateful for it.
Paul B.
Posted by: Paul Burleson | November 01, 2006 at 06:15 AM
Glad to hear about Caelen. And oh yeah, good to have you back.
Posted by: Jamie Wootten | November 01, 2006 at 07:49 PM