I look upon all the world as my parish.

Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them. Psalm 118:19

I put myself wholly into Your hands.

Put me to what You will,
rank me with whom You will,
put me to doing,
put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for You or laid aside for You;
exalted for You or trodden under foot for You.

Let me be full; let me be empty;
let me have all things; let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily resign all to Your pleasure and disposal. - John Wesley

Journey helps open people up to encounter God in new ways. Many times, it is in the movement of leaving what is familiar and of exploring something new that creates space for people to go after things they might otherwise have been unaware of or blind to. – Bill Johnson, Defining Moments

John Wesley journeyed. A lot. Over two hundred fifty thousand miles by horseback. He also journeyed far in his understanding of who Jesus was and who he was in Jesus.

Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can. –John Wesley 

And now Mary Anne and I hold tickets Tucson to Istanbul and tickets Istanbul to Athens and tickets Rome to Tucson, and a journey. May we see His gates of righteousness and enter them. May we encounter Him and His image bearers in a new way. May we be aware. May we have eyes to see the good we can do, in all the means, in all the ways, in all the places and at all the times.

I put myself wholly into Your hands.

• • • 

Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses of the Negev. Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. Psalm 126

My God is too small. Deep within my broken heart is the Naomi mentality, that the hand of God has turned against me, and that the remainder of my life will be spent on the edges of the field, harvesting small handfuls after the reapers.

Which is the point of story. Why we are to tell and retell the stories of the mighty God we serve. Bill Johnson said that these stories are not only what He has done in the past, but are prophesies of what He will do, and more, in the future.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

It is so easy to forget. To not live in what is true.

And thus the refrain for the morning: Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD.

And Audry Assad sang all the way back and forth to the pool, I know and I believe You are the Lord; Help my unbelief, Help my unbelief.