Song of the South

I have to admit that the past few days have been a real test for me. We have had a grueling time getting set up for camp and the arrival of the rest of our staff. There have been countless boxes to move up and down floors and a pretty drastic adjustment to humidity that has been a challenge. Couple this with the fact that being away from Shannon and Owen Ray for the summer has started to sink in a bit and I have to be honest and say that I am a bit weary.

It is times when you are completely "worn slap out" that I think God teaches you about the vastness of His strength. You simply think that that the overall daunting nature of the task is too much to be overcome. However, these are the times where God really gets to come in and save the day. It reminds me of Paul words concerning his cryptic "thorn in the flesh" that was given to him by God to keep Him humble. Whatever it was, it left Paul feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. What is God's reply to Paul's plea for help? He says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."(2 Corinthians 12:9)

I believe that when we recognize this then God opens doors for us to truly thrive. God will never completely overwork us without giving us a time for renewal. As strange as it sounds, I feel like this summer is the beginning of a renewal and revival period in my life. I think a large part of this stems from simply being in the South and all that comes from that.

I have to preface quickly by stating that Texans generally draw a distinction from the "South" and believe we are our own distinctive region. There definitely are differences, but the food and open-arm fellowship are, for the most part, pretty congruent.

I had a chance to get out on my own a bit today and went out for lunch. Andrew (our worship leader) recommended a place down the road called "J. Rodgers BBQ and Soul Food." I went down there and while it was a pretty quaint place, it really re-energized me. The food (and BBQ) was fantastic. I had some great cabbage and dirty rice with some tender brisket and ribs and washed it all down with a huge glass of diabetes-causing sweet tea. The people around me were all "salt of the earth" type folks. To top it off, on the way out my radio was playing "Song of the South" by Alabama. It really made me feel at home.

For some odd reason when I read of Abraham going to Canaan (the future "Promised Land") I think of the South. I realize the logical inconsistently here, but it just seems to me like Canaan must of had some sort of "down home" feel to it. To an extent, I do feel like I am much closer to home here. Perhaps I'll take time to revel in my weakness so that God can be proven to be strong while I mend up here at home.

I love you all so very much...