[pictures]

Sometimes when I am praying and trying to figure out how to think about God, I ask for a picture... I am a visual person and having some sort of image to guide my thinking or to refocus me is so helpful. This morning I was so thankful for how God speaks to us through what we see everyday-- children laughing (and crying!), the sun rising one more day, rain washing down on everyone without showing favor or restraint... and then through Oswald Chambers I got another picture of how God works.

John 7:37-38 says, "If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within."

Every river finds has a greater source in the ocean, but the rivers, creeks, and streams touch parts of the land that the ocean itself doesn't reach. They are meant to flow out of the ocean and into the land... it takes time for them to carve their beds around rocks or even underground in order to reach the dry parts of the land, but they find a way.

The church where I work, Trinity Presbyterian, is studying Acts right now in an effort to figure out what it really means to be a church for this city and for the world and the resulting question for me is what does it mean to live a Christian life as part of that church? In his sermon Sunday Greg asked that question... does it mean to be nice to everyone? does it mean that I should just avoid doing bad things and live a good life? Is that all?

This is a big church... but sitting out here at the end of Fontaine Avenue it's not going to reach all the places and people that are thirsty. So what does it mean for me to be a part of this church? I know it means that God has sent me to live in a certain area of Charlottesville... I've been praying about it since early last year and He just opened doors and hearts to allow us to be on Short 18th Street downtown... so now what? I dont know specifically... I (for once) have no plan or timeline laid out... all I can do is ask that I will be like those rivers flowing out of the Source and trying to reach dry land.

Most of the time I just think like an (almost) 23 year old girl going about her business each day... but I'd like to think more about what it means to be a part of His business. What does it mean to be a Christian?

"It's understanding that the Spirit has come to reshape our
understanding of what it means to follow Him in the world, to send us to places
we didn't intend to go, to love people we did not intend to love, to bear sorros
we did not intend to bear. But we do that to honor God and for the good of the
world." -- Greg Thompson "The Spirit of Hope" http://www.trinitycville.org/worship/sermons_online.php