reporting LIVE from California…

Blogging friends would you believe me if I told you I’ve actually felt guilty for not posting for all these days???  I want to apologize but I know I shouldn’t, I deserve a break from postings like the rest of us right?  Also, I’ve been working with a web designer who is making me a fantastic personalized blog & I realized since I’ve been gone that I’m sort of sick of thinking about it!  It’s been a nice break but I’m back!

So, my time here in Cali….  First up, a spiritual retreat of silence.  I started my retreat off with…sleep.  It was so nice to have 2.5 days of time and space to just be with the Lord.  I sensed God asking me to just “be.”  Be around Him, not necessarily with him.  If you get the difference.  Sort of the way Dave & I are around one another but reading quietly.  Anyway, we just sat together, and read together, and walked together and explored together.  I didn’t do much official praying or studying the Word.  I spent a little while going through my Beth Moore Bible study guide & I read a couple of chapters of John Whites book Daring To Draw Near, but for the most part, I was in serious chill mode.  That is, chill mode minus TV minus the internet minus my ipod and minus twitter texts.  It was a time to get away from some of the things I enjoy the most but become addicted to so easily.  All in all, it was a pretty awesome time.  I sort of wanted to pinch myself as I walked around these beautiful gardens enjoying the San Diego sun leisurely taking pictures and enjoying the goodness of the Lord.  My fave pic from the retreat center:

After that I killed some time by the ocean.  I just sat there listening to the waves & enjoying the sun.  It’s sort of amazes me that I always push stillness away but when I intentionally take it by the horns it’s profoundly life giving.  I spent a little time -of course- taking pictures of random beach sightings & here’s my fave:

Although, technically I think they are sea gulls 🙂

After my retreat, it was off to La Jolla to visit my mentor James Choung.  Without boring you of details, he was mentoring me on how to navigate line leadership in IV as a ‘matrix’ manager.  Helping me to think through my 3-5 year strategy to grow the BCM arm of IV in the Great Lakes region & giving me wisdom to pull in an extra $70k a year for staff start-ups & student conferencing scholarships.  Whew…good thing we started with prayer.  What I heard was, “don’t worry.”

All this talk has me really excited to get back to work for IV in August.  I’ve felt like my sabbatical year has been the huge gift for the LORD which has challenged me & grown me for what is next.  After meeting with James I don’t have any fantasies that my new position will be a bowl full of sweet cherries, but I do feel ready, if not slightly fearful.  James is a pretty flippin awesome dude & he gave me pages of great advice, it feels this little hike to Cali has been time very well spent.  

Now, I’m just sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for the movie “Pineapple Express,” to download into my itunes library so I can watch it on the plane.

See yall back in MI!  Yesterday, Ransom said on the phone, “Mama, I miss you.  Why are you not at home with me?”  Stab!  I gotta get back to my boy~ 🙂