The journey begins...or should I say continues

Well, we have the subaru packed to the ceiling with the bike rack on the back (which has caused a few small head injuries already today) We are ready to head for New Orleans. As we have been packing everything up this week I have been thinking about the journey that is ahead and ironically enough it has made me think of the journey that we have already taken to come to this point. My journey with Christ began in the pastor's office at Level Grove Baptist church and Eric's journey began at a Power Team service (by the way if you do not know what this means it is some crazy Christian body builders who tear up phone books and stuff in the name of Jesus...now you can enjoy Eric's story in much deeper way) From this point of accepting the Lord's call to follow we have both been trying to understand exactly what it means for us to leave our old life and follow Jesus in the way of the Kingdom. Too often we think that simply saying yes to the call is good enough so we settle in before the adventure has even begun. We just buy a Christian t-shirt, or put a fish on our car, and then we go on with business as usual. I know that this seems like the easiest way but in the end we missing out on an incredible journey with God himself. It would be crazy to think of the first disciples hearing Jesus call to them to come and follow and then read on in the story to find that instead of actually following they simply stayed by the shore and kept living exactly the same way they had been living before. This story would be drastically different from the ones we read in the New Testament. Because the first disciples were willing to follow with a whole heart, abandoning all that they had known before they were used by God to spread His kingdom around the world. They literally changed the course of history. We read of people who left everything to follow this homeless man from the wrong side of town who brought sight to the blind and declared that there was a better way...Jesus was not at all what they had expected; He simply was who He was and still today He is who He is. He is still calling us in the same way that He called them. Sometimes we get distracted and confused by all our stuff and all the good things we need to do but today Jesus is still seeking out those disciples who will count the cost and follow with reckless abandonment for the sake of the Kingdom. Eric and I have had many ups and downs on our journeys so far and each day we become more and more aware that God indeed is not safe but He is certainly good. And it is this goodness that draws us to follow. He is leading us all into new places and He is calling us all to loose our lives so that our lives can be found in Him. Today I pray that each of us would take time to reflect on where we have been and where He is leading us to go. I don't believe that there is any time to waste. There is a new song to be sung, a new dance to be danced, laughter to be shared, and enough love and grace to save the darkest and the furthest away. May we be found faithful to follow Him today and always... Sarah