God's energy

It has been an exhausting couple of weeks.

You may have seen a few of my updates on facebook or twitter (I've been leveraging the "micro-blogging" when I have thoughts in order to prepare for trying to write blog updates - training if you will :-D), but briefly:

• We've been packing since the yard sale
• I began moving my stuff and some boxes two weeks ago, because
• I sailed the Chicago NOODs regatta Friday-Sunday last weekend (we won our section!)
• We moved boxes to our new spot across campus pretty much every night last week (we've moved because Lesley's replacement for next school year starts this week)
• I sailed the Queen's Cup, a race straight across to Michigan, Friday night and returned on the boat to get home at 7:30am just in time to get ready for church! (I got a little sleep on the way back, but still tiring...)
  

I don't mean to complain, or brag, about all this, although I am blessed to have such a wonderful, understanding and patient wife to let me continue to sail these events this summer before we go! Actually, I'm trying to set the stage and share a bit of what God is doing and revealing amidst the chaos:

Even as I have felt exhausted and sometimes physically weak, not only has God provided to carry me through, but I have still felt so excited and energized by forging ahead on preparations to go to Kenya!

Philippians 2:12-13 in The Message best described what I think I have been experiencing without consciously pursuing it (besides the Kenya prep), stating, "Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure."

I'm not really familiar with The Message, a paraphrase of Bible, or "The Bible in Contemporary Language," but that passage really resonates with me right now. The NIV is more obvious that it is in the context of discovering what salvation really means with the verses, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Philippians 2:12b-13)

Nevertheless, it is amazing to feel God "at work in me" and meeting me where I am - still wishing to sail as much as possible and toiling over moving boxes the only way my feeble mind sees possible - in order to continue to use me as he guides us to Kenya for "His good purpose."