Well, almost packed. Gotta cram that bike into that bag.

Who is like you, LORD God of Hosts? Mighty LORD, your faithfulness is all around You. You rule the raging of the sea and still the surging of the waves. Yours are the heavens; the earth is Yours also. You laid the foundations of the universe and all that is in it. You have made the north and the south; the mountains rejoice in Your name. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of Your power; love and truth go before Your face. Happy are the people who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence. They rejoice daily in Your Name; they are jubilant in your righteousness. Psalm 89

So Brandon and I sort of started to panic just a tiny bit. Brandon because he is one of those guy who likes to take care of it all. Not depend on anyone at all. Not so much liking the idea of living off of the mercy of others. Seems to be a genetic trait. Pulsing strong through the blood vessels, hitching up our britches and heading up the steep hill, one step at a time.

But God, ever-faithful God, sent me a little blog from the son of the very coolest people I know (my apologies to all my other very cool friends) who for his honeymoon rode bicycles across Europe for three months. And after it was all said and done and lived he summed it up: We went without a plan. We invited risk and vulnerability in faith that the world is more good than bad, people are more generous than suspicious, and that if we remained open and as generous as we could be, we would be taken care of in one form or another. We connected with friends and friends of friends. We were invited into the homes of strangers, shared incredible conversations and food and wine with people we would have never met had we booked our accommodations in advance. We found incredible rest and beauty on the banks of so many different rivers and in the shelter of many different forests. We tested our endurance and patience. We learned to push a little harder and further and to admit that we need rest.

And I know that last year I heard His voice over and over: I love you my beloved daughter. I will provide. I will be your comfort and your strength. Rest in me.

And John O’Hair reminded us yesterday from Philippians 4:4-7, yeah, my life verses that frame all my secret passwords, that the mark of a Christian is joy. Ol’ Francis said, “It is not fitting, when one is in God's service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look.” And Peace. Once again, Francis reminds me, “While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.” As in, If you do this, you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

And one last but not last but not least word for Brandon and me: Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

Risk and vulnerability.

Happy are the people who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.

Jubilant.