put the map on the table

Big things have been going on in my real world this summer.  Life has been moving very quickly and I’ve been trying to keep up.
One byproduct of this speed is that I haven’t written anything since May.
I don’t even mean publicly, I mean that no words have flowed from these fingers in four months.  It’s the longest I’ve gone without any words to share or record in some way.
In those four months I interviewed for, got offered and accepted a new call.  I packed everything I owned in a small truck and moved six hours northwest.  To the land of all the lakes (like a lot of lakes).
In those four months I’ve been praying, making preparations, saying goodbye to my first real home away from home, moving to a new state, a new church, a new community.  I’ve been learning names and creating rhythms.
To say these four months have been difficult would be shortchanging them.  But throughout these four months I have seen and heard God in some of the clearest ways I ever have.  He called me to this place and I’m starting to see why.  I can feel my heart falling into place here.
Every few days I look around and think “Is this really a place I get to live?”  The beauty of God’s creation is all around me at all times.  It reminds me of my first job in ministry when my friend Mark and I used to look at each other and say “I can’t believe I get to live this life.”
Last night I was on the couch, unwinding after a particularly intense week.  My phone went off and the message was simple, “I’m taking the kayaks out if you want to go with.” I literally jumped off the couch.  There was no question in my mind that a sunset kayak trip with this new friend and colleague was exactly what I wanted to do.  Sorry Dance Moms, you’ll have to wait.
And as we paddled across the lake talking about life, ministry, family and all things in between I took a deep breath in and thought, “I can’t believe I get to live this life.”