Day before the storm...

Let me talk through this. The last tiem I wrote consecutively on Multiply was probably in February and March where I was doing a lot of praying about a major decision. When I came back from NY, I went with the decision, and my life is what you see it is today. My point is that I'm thinking that I need this a lot more than I think I did. Being able to write, to vent, to just open up completely to no one in particular online may be one thing that keeps me from falling apart. It helps me to calm down, keep emotions in check, and have proper retrospect so that I can put wisdom into practice.
So here we go. I'm going to be pushing myself really hard spiritually this month, starting tomorrow. I did a soft version of it today. I started off waking up early and reading a Psalm to ponder on as I walked to do ministry at Messiah. Once I got here, I sat down, prayed, read a devotional, and prayed some more. I then opened up my Bible and read a little bit of Timothy to think about some more. I finally listened to a sermon online for me to learn and get soem feeding from too.
It does feel like air after you've been drowning (which reminds me of how it was such a shock during the retreat when I dove in the pool and couldn't feel the bottom). But its' like that first breath you take from being submerged in a pool. You gasp for air, get air, but it's not as comforting as it should be. Mainly because my body has to throw out all that water and begin filling up with the right amount of air. Of course in the Christian life, there is no maximum amount of God. You just keep filling yourself and filling yourself. It was a good start today. This whole month is about reconnecting with God, finding that first love again, and defining who I am by who I am in Christ - not about what I've done and not about what ministries I'm involved in. It's gonig to stretch me a lot. I just know it.
So the goal tomorrow is to actually begin writing out what I've learned spiritually. Today, though, I learned that being salt means we have to affect the world around us. What's funny is that elder Dan Cura shared a devo about it a mere hour after I read it. It's like being the salt of the earth means that we have to affect that around us. Salt has no option. We have to choose to be salt and begin changing the world around us for Christ - flavoring that world and those people. If we get persecuted, even by those close to us, we should still nto stop because it is denying who we are - the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
There you go. That's today's little thought. Tomrorow should be a little more interesting. I'm going to miss a lot of people this month. But it's something that has to get done.

Standing for God,
Mark