Perfect for flying a kite!

So I turned into the drive-thru lane, 5 cars deep. My ’97 Escort, a sniffing distance behind a Jaguar.

A Jaguar? At Taco Bell?

Odd. Not exactly where I’d expect to find the owner of a $70,000+ automobile spending his or her free time.

Yet, I can be like that. Not acting like who I am. Pulling into the drive-thru line for pettiness, selfishness and scarcity-mentality.

C.S. Lewis once said, “We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

The neat thing is that when I start acting out of character like a Jaguar in the Taco Bell line, God begins to remind me who I am. A kind of conviction of righteousness, you could say.

“Angie, that’s not who you really are. ” He says kindly, beckoning my heart. “Act like who you really are.”

And this is where I’m finding life change. Not in the rules that never wooed my heart to different behavior. Rather, out of love and the reminder that I have great worth.

Valued beyond even a Jaguar, in the eyes of my Father.

One of the best parts of the 2 years has been how God raised up my friend, Kristina, to become an instructor alongside me.

See our group picture from last night.

It’s really happening!

He makes me lie down in restful places, He leads me beside quiet places, He restores my soul.

He guides me in the paths of truth for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of a wedding and work to-do list that’s endless, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your fatherly boundaries, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of people who don’t always undertand me.

You anoint my head with precious and costly things, my cup overflows.

Surely You will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

We’re in Genesis right now and have laughed pretty hard at some of the names.

I laugh even harder at the way Scott pronounces them, like his mother tongue is Arabic or something.

When reading Genesis 5, we came upon the name Mahalalel, Scott called out like a Middle-Eastern father, “Mahalalel! Mahalalel! Come for dinner!”

Today, we read about Jacob and Esau — and the lesson about how to take lying to a whole ‘nother level — in Genesis 27. We’re reading a Bible that puts everything chronologically, so it puts Genesis and Chronicles together, it took us to 1 Chronicles 1 where we found another great name:

Oholibamah.

No, I’m not kidding you.

“Mahalalel, Oholibamah, and Steve! Come down for dinner!” Scott says laughing.

I think we’ve landed on our kids’ names.

There’s Cathy, the 50ish woman who offers samples at my Publix grocery store.

There’s that guy who has grease on his hands and “assistant manager” on his shirt at Shell.

There’s a 20-something in the Jazzercise class (where I sometimes sub) who is fighting for her marriage.

I want to know them. But I don’t…yet.

In Process

I really want others to know the abundant life available as a Christian. But it’s easy to let life and busyness get in the way of really seeing someone.

So I’m asking God to open my eyes to who He sees that I’m to see. (I was challenged about that, again, last night as I read Matthew 25:31-46.) My heart—more than ever—wants to see them, not because it’s the “right” thing to do, but because my love of God moves me to love those He loves.

The cool thing is that it’s not up to me to conjure up emotion and outreach. It’s Him and His power. Since He lives in me, He’ll give me the boldness or compassion or whatever I need to reach out. I think of it like, Jesus, will you love this person through me today?

There’s that blond high school grocery store check-out girl at Clemens.

What would it look like if I intentionally went to her lane every Saturday morning, asking her how she’s doing and really stopping to listen? Maybe she offers something about school or boys, and I ask her about that the next week. Maybe I find something at the dollar store that I would’ve thought was cute at her age, and buy it for her?

The 6 o’clock news doesn’t report news in process, just after-the-facts. But life’s a little more in-process.

At least mine is.

————————————

More Big News!

Scott’s Applying to Join Me As a Missionary with Campus Crusade

My friends joke that I’m a natural recruiter, and say that I’ve recruited myself a husband to join me in ministry. I laugh but am so grateful. Who knew that would happen?

Before me, though, God had been working in Scott’s heart, causing him to consider full-time Christian work. Over the time we dated, he’s learned about Campus Crusade for Christ and how his gifts and skills with computers and technology are greatly needed at our World Headquarters.

(Think of your computer frustrations and multiply them by 1,000 and that’s part of the role of the Information Technology department.)

In November, he came to Orlando for my birthday and to talk with the people in the IT department. As we drove away from that meeting, he turned to me and said, “I want to join Campus Crusade.” I was floored. Woo hoo!

Next Steps

Scott is in the process of applying to Campus Crusade to become a missionary. If accepted, he will go through New Staff Training this summer, a month after we marry.

After that training, we’ll move to Iowa/Nebraska to raise financial support we’ll need as a couple in ministry.

After we’ve gathered additional supporters for Scott, too, we’ll move back to Orlando and both work at our headquarters.

WOW…It’s a sweet season of ministry and personal life, that’s for sure!

Please Pray:

• For Scott as he fills out his application.
• For Scott & I as we continue to get adjusted to him living in Orlando. (He moved in with friends a month ago so we could finally be in the same city.)
• For both of us to continue to grow spiritually—together and separately.
• For me as I continue to direct the Staff Web—wisdom in how to best serve our staff members through the Web site.

Ok, so I’m not expiring, but my Web domain name is…on April 23, 2008.

That’s 3 days after the wedding. Huh. A tad ironic, I’d say.

Stay tuned for scottandangie.org.

What’s been the most influential/helpful book on marriage you’ve read?

Tell me!