Breathing Room and Disorientation

I'm having a hard time getting my motor going to do anything but rest, breathe and enjoy my favorite aerobic recreation of cycling (280 miles over the past eight days; I know, crazy...). Don't get the wrong idea though. There is a never-ending list of honey-do's to help Jill feel settled in our new home, home office, office and midwest U.S. culture (I had eight months of commuting to adjust, but she will have been in Clark County, OH for just 3 weeks tomorrow).

Something significant has transpired in my spirit, but I can't quite put my finger on it or articulate it very well yet, so I'm going to process out loud with you (and graciously accept some peer coaching during which you can open and hold my heart by asking and listening if you are inclined).

It feels like we've crossed the finish line of an ultra-marathon race in which the finish line was hidden, and the only way to complete it was to run with intensity, nothing held back, until God decided to drop in the finish line on the course after about six years (Sept. 2004 was culmination of year-long development of Community Marriage Policy and beginning of our move to DC, while Sept 2010 is readjustment to our hometown). In some ways it would have been easier to continue living under duress of our lifestyle and circumstances on the East Coast. When you've been running hard it's sometimes very disorienting to STOP...like an Indy car driver going from 200mph on the course to a dead stop in the pits.

But it seems that God has appointed a new place for us to live, at least for a season (how does one ever know when in His service?)

In less than a month's time:
- He rented our house in MD to a Christian couple
- He arranged for a palatial home in OH with double the space of our home in MD and half the occupants (what's up w/ that?)
- He put us in proximity to family and friends (old shoe friends; the kind with which you are really comfortable cause you've been wearing them a long time)

And I just want to exhale, breath, and rest. Laura commented today that this weekend I've been living like Harley (our dog), "Mom, all he's doing is sleeping, eating, and exercising...I grinned, and went back to sleep...aaahhh!

Jill is trying to get settled in our new home, home office, office and a very different cultural setting; all that while dealing with yet another laptop crash, and fender bender in the High School parking lot (Welcome Back!)

We're not too worried about ourselves. This is our eighth home in five cities in twenty-five years of marriage; in other words, we're somewhat practiced at relocation and adjustment. Rule of thumb - Give yourself 3 months to adjust before getting worried about emotional undulations or confusion. Us humans are fairly resilient creatures, but we require time in transition to establish new patterns or to groove "old" patterns into new settings.

The best news is that Jesus moved with us. In fact, it appears He came before us to prepare the way. I know it may sound silly, but I did wonder if I would be able to hear Him and relate to Him in a similarly intimate fashion here (Oh) as there (MD/DC). I'm relieved that He is here too, and that hearing Him is as easy as ever; to hear Him only requires constant conversation.

Well, that's it the update on life at our new outpost, Clark County, Ohio.

God bless ya'll! Jeff