Ch-ch-changes

There's nothing like two major life changes happening in 48 hours. This week, I will leave my cushy office at Shepherd of the Valley and move to the new "World" headquarters at my kitchen table. The very next day, I will bring my oldest child to college for the first time. What a time for radical trust in God.

Why is it that the times when the earth seems to shift beneath our feet, God seems the closest? The guy who wrote psalm 46 must have had a week like mine coming up. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult..."

Now, I know that EVERY day, people change jobs; and I've known for 18 long years, that one day I would bring my daughter to college. So, the mountains aren't literally shaking. But my life is being shaken up a bit, nontheless. The place where I do my work will change. The number of people who sleep under my roof will change. And therefore, my soul is a bit shaken.

But the psalmist was right about God during times of change. God is very present. I can see that around every corner. God is filling me with a sense of freaky peace as I fill box after box with books from my office.

Another thing I know about change: What gets us through it is the strength of community. That's why after Labor Day I'm going to publish on this web site a schedule of times when I'll be at a coffee shop near you. Please stop by and see me. And tell me about the changes going on in your life.

Deb