Rejoicing even at the airport

I began this morning in North Carolina, and I am ending the day back home in California.  And in between I had some of the adventures we all have when we "take to the air" to try to get anywhere these days. 

After arriving home and flinging a few things out of my suitcase to try to get myself re-oriented to home, I checked a few of the blogs I regularly read and guess what?  As they say where I just came from "God is always working on both ends of the line."

I just caught up with The Quiet Quill, where D.J. talked about the Word of God being relational.  I began this morning - at 4:00 a.m. N.C. time - reading "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near." (Philip.  4:4-5)  Then I thanked Him for the week that just was, and hurried to catch my ride.

I boarded the hotel shuttle for the Charlotte airport at 5:00 a.m. and before I knew it the young driver was telling me about his experiences attending private Christian schools until high school when he began at a public school.  He talked about the culture shock, but also listed the positive things he had learned from the transition.  I shared with him an old Keith Green song that said, "Just keep doing your best, and pray that its blessed, and He' ll take care of the rest."  He said, "I like that one."  But he acknowledged he had never heard of Keith Green (who died before this young man was ever born.)  I felt like a little old lady, but a content one.

Then I board another shuttle and the driver, a young lady this time,  says, "Good morning."  I replied, "Yes it is isn't it?"  She began to talk about having an attitude of gratitude, and about how she did not understand how people who had their health and their families could ignore God's blessings, just because something had not turned out the way they thought it should.  It blessed me just to be on a public conveyance and be able to discuss the Lord and how good He is to us.  Talk about culture shock!  Trust me, this does not happen much in Northern California - more's the pity.

While on a road trip this past week, I passed one church's outdoor bulletin which read, "Autumn leaves.  Jesus doesn't."  I smiled for a half an hour over that one.

In the past week I have been in four different airports, all of them large, bustling places with a ubiquitous coffee shop around every turn.  Newspapers call from myriad stands all over the place, but good news is often scarce.  This week, however, the whole world got to watch and rejoice while 33 miners were pulled from the black hole in which they had survived for weeks.  Thank God, from whom all blessings flow.

So I am home - and I have about a dozen vignettes to share with you about things I have seen and enjoyed and experienced.  Granted, it wasn't all rainbows and roses.  You cannot go through an airport these days without either being required to throw away something you didn't want to, or being induced to buy something you didn't mean to, or both.  Nevertheless,  I am rejoicing in being home from the airport!  Talk to you soon and have a wonderful day. ....Marsha Y.