"Are we there yet?" I can imagine every parent has heard these words a time or two this summer as you have been traveling and having summer adventures with your kids. Even as an adult we keep asking this question as we travel along our spiritual journey. The Father’s tender answer to this is mostly, “no.” I do not think any of us this side of heaven ever gets “there.”

The kids and I are having a fantastic and a very busy summer. Weddings, family parties, get-togethers with friends, and camping. With all this busyness, it can be hard to stay mindful of spiritual things. 

I have been talking to my son A LOT lately about having an attitude of gratitude. I see him so quickly fall into the mindset of focusing on what he wants instead of being content with what he has.

There are three, no four, times in my life that are permanently etched in my psyche. If I take a moment, I can still feel the depth of the pain. For three of them, I lay on the floor bawling like a little child in a fetal position. For the fourth, I knelt with my head on my son, Justin’s knee pleading for the life of his son, Judah.

A friend told a story of being held up at gun point. The assailant threatened to shoot him unless he surrendered his wallet. His reply was, “You can’t threaten me with heaven.” Hmm … you can’t threaten me with heaven?

At the end of June, we are traveling to the beaches of S. Carolina for our annual family vacation. We plan for our vacation with excitement and anticipation, making all kinds of preparations. Preparations such as making hotel and resort reservations, obtaining maps, making lists of what to take, etc. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

Have you ever had one of those projects that just feels like it will never end? I just finished a project that I am lovingly calling, "The Murphy’s Law Project." Every possibility of mistake and coincidence seemed to come together in a mess of sighs and disbelief.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a trip to our Wesleyan church family’s General Conference in St. Louis! The Lord further showered me with adventurous moments too, but He then turned them all into abundant, eye-opening and enriching memories, more than I could imagine – Praise the Lord!

Ministry, like love, is accomplished over the long haul. Recently I have had several reminders of this truth.

As I go along on my journey with God, He never stops surprising me. He takes situations that look defeated and raises them up to glorify Himself. I had a situation like that recently. I lead a women's Bible study and we had a situation come up that really divided the women in the study.

When I was a kid, I had the privilege of riding down to Florida every spring break with my grandparents. I was glued to the “TripTik” along with the binder of directions my grandmother had printed and updated with handwritten notes each time we made the journey. The odd forks in the road, the multi-year construction detours, and the best rest stops were all labeled. And I loved that! Even now with GPS, Google Maps and TripAdvisor, I appreciate the value of that personalized guide.

Something that God is showing me is just how much I still need to rely on Him daily for my every need! I wasn’t a huge fan of the last book we just covered in small group, however it made me realize that I am chasing the lion.