Its been 47 days since we got back from our Short Term Missions trip to Hungary and Moldova.... I haven't touched the blog since then. Here's an abbreviated version of what I should have posted:

1. We made it back safely! - The trip back was fairly smooth (some issue with ticketing at Heathrow but it was resolved quickly), and went a little quicker for me than I had anticipated. Unfortunately my wife got a little sick. It was good to see friends, family, and our puppy :)

2. Post Ministry Depression - there is a serious let down coming back from intense ministry to some of the seamingly un-important things about daily life. The tendancy, which I was already aware of, is to rush to the things of the world to satisfy. Being reminded of sin and its affects in the world around us cause a further spiral. Some jet-lag probably doesn't help either.

3. Do all as unto the Lord - rediscovered the truth of Col 3:17, and seek to consider the opportunity to glorify God even in the workplace.

4. Preaching to your own heart - when you prepare to share the word of God the truth of what you are studying so does penetrate your soul. I had a communion devotional to prepare for soon after Moldova, this was quite renewing for me. Especially the beautiful words of Spurgeon from a great little evangelistic book, All of Grace which I brought with me to Moldova.

5. Church Family Camp - went on our annual all church camp at Mt. Palomar, CA. Guest speaker Dr. Ron Allen changed my understanding of the Biblical Definition of Praise , beautifully explained Psalm 87. The times of relaxation and fellowship were good, but the most fun was playing paintball for the first time in probably 15 years.

6. Computer Problems come in bunches - had 3 people in my life with computer breakdowns all in one week. Two complete operating system reinstalls/upgrades after hardware/software failures. My wife was quite gracious for the extra time these took after work. Then when I found out another persons server which I lightly maintain had hardware failure, I could only laugh. Faced with the events of #7 below, fortunately a friend was able to pick up the task and help me out big time. It ended up being quite an effort, taking most of the weekend.

7. Spiritual Discipline, Family Worship, and Hell in one weekend - One of my favorite modern Christian authors, and a former Hope Bible Church Camp speaker, Don Whitney was in town. I was invited to Calvary Bible Church's Men's Conference, where I was encouraged to increase steady devotion to the spiritual disciplines , and was moved by the diminishing practice of family worship . I also had a chance to meet some new brothers in Christ, and some old friends. After a sweet time of small fellowship with Don on Saturday Night, he preached a great message on at our church on Sunday. The message covered Jesus' words about Hell in Matt 25 . The entire message was impactful, but one aspect specifically brought new understanding which I may share about another time. So thankful for Don, especially for his testimony through his battle with colon cancer.

Whew! Feel sort of caught up now :) I could share about how satisfying it is to be pursuing discipline, by waking up a little earlier and spending more time in the word and in prayer. Times have been sweet with my wife as well, reading, praying and singing together. The pursuit of God is truely the only satisfying effort in life.