Obviously I can talk about the most recent events in our little corner of the world. The biggest thing happening right now is that we live in Portland and not back “home” in the Bay Area. Since you are family and friends you also know that it has been a difficult adjustment for me.
This blogging business has got me feeling reflective. And so, since I’m a teacher at heart, I’d like to answer the question, “So far, what have I learned in Portland?” This can easily fill up pages and pages of this blog, so I will narrow it down to 5 things:
1) It doesn’t pay to be cynical. Cynicism robs you of joy, growth in Christ and the freedom that forgiveness brings.
2) It’s better to put yourself out there than to wait for people to come to you. Sometimes it’s best just to introduce yourself cold turkey.
3) “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” This nugget of someone else’s wisdom continues to resonate with me.
4) Speaking of wisdom…how I react to critique or rebuke reveals how wise I am…or, more fittingly, how unwise I am.
5) Our Pearl Pastor says that “marriage is a good death.” He’s got that right! Sometimes I’m too busy trying to live, that I get in the way of what God wants to do in our marriage.
These life lessons could be learned anywhere, but I believe that I had to move away to learn and struggle through them…nay, to even realize that I needed to learn them! Thanks, Fran, for being brave enough to uproot us and bring us here and for staying the course. Thanks, God, for calling him here.
So now, how about you? Could you tell us about some lesson that you’ve learned these past ten months?
