Ever had one of those weeks when you have so much to do, and no idea how you’re going to fit it all in? On top of that, add drama at work with some teachers who are making absolutely stupid choices that are unfortunately effecting everyone, and kids that are out of control because they are feeling the stress of the TAKS season…yes, it was one of those weeks for me. All glory to God that I had a great weekend.

It started out with a informative meeting with my ESL Ethiopia team…the girls are excited and seemingly everything is coming into place. I haven’t led a team since 2005, but it gets easier everytime…especially when you have a good team. Saturday, I finished the last of painting my apartment, went shopping, and hung out with some good friends…I even got to read for fun (haven’t got to do that in a few weeks). Today, I slept late (late for me) and got to teach Sunday school. TOOK A NAP (again, can’t remember the last time I did this) and visited with some friends…this afternoon I had a missions meeting at my church, and this is the reason I am writing this post…

This morning, I taught week 3 in a series called History Makers. The focus today was on 20th century missionaries and the impact they made on the Kingdom. Some of the missionaries we talked about were from America and one in particular, Annie Armstrong, never left her home state of Maryland. God used this woman in a big way (and still is using her) and she never went to a foreign land. After class, the church service was about serving those around you..basically doing missions right where you are planted….this afternoon during the missions meeting, we had a church planter from the Boston area come and speak to us…but I was so distracted by God’s voice, I can only tell you bits and pieces of what the guy said.

It all goes back to my struggle with not going to a foreign land full time and God keeping me here in America/Texas…although I do finally have a peace about it and know, for now, this is the right thing…He continues to break my heart for my country. Check out the following statistics:

• Life in America has changed greatly since 1994, with massive changes in technology, global politics, lifestyle choices and family dynamics. But one constant has been the proportion of adults in the population who are unchurched. During that period there have been noteworthy shifts in religious behavior, but the percentage of adults who have steered clear of churches for at least the past six months has remained stable since 1994. A new survey released by The Barna Group, which has been tracking America’s religious behavior and beliefs since 1984, reveals that one out of every three adults (33%) is classified as unchurched – meaning they have not attended a religious service of any type during the past six months. While that figure is considerably higher than the one out of five who qualified as unchurched in the early Nineties, it is statistically unchanged since 36% were recorded as having avoided religious services in the company’s 1994 study.

• When these statistics are projected across the aggregate adult population, the numbers are staggering. An estimated 73 million adults are presently unchurched. When teens and children are added, the total swells to roughly 100 million Americans.

• To put that figure in context, if the unchurched population of the United States were a nation of its own, that group would be the twelfth most populated nation on earth (trailing only China, India, the churched portion of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Japan and Mexico).

Tonight, the church planter told us that in the Boston area alone, 98% are unchurched. Churches are closing down almost weekly and being sold to housing developers and being made into condos. And the reality is that this is happening all over the country, not just in the North East…I could say more, but you get the picture. My heart aches for my country. And I’m glad. It should, and maybe yours should too.

God, you know my hearts cry, and you know I will go where you send me.

Please use me while I am here in America. While I am here in Texas

Continue to break…crush me, until I am nothing, and You are everything.

God, my desire is to stand bare before You, having no more

gifts or talents left because I used them all up here for Your Glory.

Bring people to the cross. Use me to make a difference God.

Amen.

I have just spent the last five hours sitting in a library working on ONE project. I am…..Language Arts.

I also just finished that class, so I am singing the praise of completeness! One down, and two more to go… Oh, and before I get started on today’s bit o’ wisdom, I recently discovered something else too. I really don’t like gingerbread…I mean, who eats the stuff anyway? No wonder they make gingerbread houses…its so the house wont get eaten! When is the last time you saw a sugar cookie house? Or an oatmeal raisin? Or heaven forbid a chocolate chip house, that would last maybe 10 seconds in my presence…

So, I was driving home last night with my music loud, listening to my favorite genre’, classic rock, when one of my favorite bands and songs came on. The band is called Boston, and the song is called Peace of Mind. Now, back in my youthful days I really liked this song because of the guitar solo in the middle..its one of the best if you ask me. Simple yet, determined. I completely looked past the songs message, and if you had told me that it had absolutely any spiritual undertones, I would have looked at you like you were crazy.

It seems that the music really drives the song. Its quick, its energetic, its just like the world, going through life so fast, yet really longing for peace. The words are simple, take a second to read through them, and ignore the yeah,yeah, yeah’s...they are really irrelevant to this post.

Now if youre feelin kinda low bout the dues youve been paying
Futures coming much too slow
And you wanna run but somehow you just keep on stayin
Cant decide on which way to go
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I understand about indecision
But I dont care if I get behind
People livin in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Now youre climbin to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesnt take too long
Cantcha you see therell come a day when it wont matter
Come a day when youll be gone

I understand about indecision
But I dont care if I get behind
People li vin in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…

Now everybodys got advice they just keep on givin
Doesnt mean too much to me
Lots of people out to make-believe theyre livin
Cant decide who they should be.

I understand about indecision
But I dont care if I get behind
People li vin in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead. look ahead.

Its evident that people have been crying out for something to fill the God shaped hole we all possess for ages. Something, anything to bring them peace will suffice..but that fix, that temporary satisfaction is just that, temporary. It goes away. Why can’t we understand , God made it that way on purpose. He wants to be the only thing that satisfies us, that fills us, that gives us peace of mind.

Boston had more wisdom than they realized when they wrote this song; people are living in competition, people are climbing to the top of the company ladder, and all we all really want is to have our peace of mind. I wonder if the writer might have been a believer? Check out the line that says: cantcha you see therell come a day when it wont matter, come a day when youll be gone. I don’t think he is singing about the day we will physically die, but when we accept Christ and die to ourselves…thats the day when competition and company ladders seize to matter and all we live for is Him…hence, Peace of Mind. He also hits pretty hard the line take a look ahead. Thats the golden nugget in the song…what lies ahead is where our focus should be, not the seemingly bleak circumstances that we are engrossed in at the moment…

Just what lies ahead? Past ourselves and our circumstances? Jesus and the only true peace we can have. I challenge you to grab hold and experience true peace. You will never be the same.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:7