Recovering from Vacation

Well, my brief season of frantic travel is over for now. The past two and a half weeks has seen me log over 2,000 miles on my family cars. It was nice to see the family but I am glad to be home for the forseable future. One theme that has been going over and over in my mind has been taking time to pray. I am not talking about the verbal petitioning of God - asking Him to intercede on my behalf or for friends and family. But the kind of prayer where I am sitting and listening, reading and meditating. Even before this little vacation God has been gently showing me that I need to work on my listening skills. I tend to talk, but when other people are trying to talk to me I am easily distracted (how selfish is that!). I need to work on not doing this. I need to stop thinking about whatever and focus on whoever is talking to me and what they have to say. And God has shown me that I am doing this to Him as well. :( This past weekend I watched "Left Behind". I first watched this movie when I was called up to active duty back in 2002 and I really like this series. I keep praying for Cloud Ten pictures to continue the movie series (there are currently 3 movies all told so far). My point is that there are times I feel so much like the charecter Bruce Barnes. He was the Pastor of a church where his entire congregation is swept up during the rapture, but he was left behind. The lines that stick out to me the most are, "I stood here and preached Your Word. And I was good! I knew your message! But knowing and believing are two different things." My prayer is to be a beliver and not just a knower. Verse for today: Psalm 46:8-11, ESV Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah