withbrighthope

[withbrighthope]

[withbrighthope]

Your primary task in life is to get to know God intimately and to send your spiritual roots deep into the soil of His love; to develop convictions and certainties about Him that will become the source of your strength when happiness isn't enough.

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[withbrighthope]

8/13/24

Sometimes God gives you a word, like, "I will provide a place for you to live*, and when it comes you'll know it's time to move into the future I have for you."

(*together, in marriage)

Sometimes you hold onto that word for years.

Some days it's easy to have hope for what you can't see, but know He's said. Some days the ever-empty horizon makes your heart sick.

Some days you rest. Some days you cry.

Every day, you try to shepherd your heart toward gratitude and praise.

And then...

After more than a thousand days of prayer, He changes everything in a moment.

Finally... Suddenly.

⚡️

Out of nowhere (and after waiting so long), you hold the proof in your hands that He was witness to every arduous day of the journey.

And on that day, you find that the evidence of His knowing means more to you than the evidence of His answer.

~~~

One month ago today, the God of whimsy surprised me and Peter by giving us a sailboat as our first home.

😂🕊️❤️⛵️😭🙌🏼

The past 31 days have contained: Coast Guard and marina inspections, scrubbing every surface bow to stern, the minor task of learning to sail (😂), studying marine engineering, chasing down 20 different leads trying to find live-aboard insurance, down-sizing, packing for a sudden move, and more.

As I said to someone the other day, "Either we're in over our heads, or we're walking on water... I choose to believe that we're walking on water."

Jesus has led us out into some new unexpected, unpredictable, and exciting waves.

But then again, in my story, the waves are the place I've always known to find Him.

🌊⛵️🕊️

"Some went out on the sea in ships;

they were merchants on the mighty waters.

They saw the works of the Lord,

his wonderful deeds in the deep."

- Psalm 107:23-24

[withbrighthope]

[withbrighthope]

[withbrighthope]

[withbrighthope]

I've been a Christ follower for 40 years and I trust God implicitly. I trust His love, His wisdom and His care.

Friend, trust God, He will never let you down. Amen! 🙏🕊️🙌

[withbrighthope]

[withbrighthope]

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[withbrighthope]

"In Hollywood as it is in Heaven..."

[withbrighthope]

This past weekend one of my dear friends from college, Kristen, suddenly went home to be with the Lord.

Because she was so young, because it was so unexpected, and because I wish it were different, the loss is still surreal...

One of my most quintessentially-Kristen stories happened right after her graduation from our shared Theatre department. Kristen was going to move that summer, so we made plans at her commencement to grab lunch a week or two later.

Cut to me reaching out the next week to confirm the details:

Kristen: "Oh, yeah, I can't make it. I moved to Florida."

Me: "--- What do you mean you moved to Florida?! You weren't supposed to go until June."

Kristen: "Well, I just realized it was going to be too hard to say goodbye, and that I'd rather not. So I packed up my car and moved three weeks early."

...I used to think I hated goodbyes more than anyone I'd ever met, until Kristen moved 800 miles overnight, just to avoid one.

///

Earlier that same year Kristen and I had performed together in a play called Doubt. It was a very small cast and we spent that winter rehearsing as a tight little unit.

Kristen's character famously appeared for just one 10-minute scene, but she captivated the audience so completely that more than a decade later her performance stays permanently marked in our memories.

One of our mutual friends recently reflected, "Life was full in her presence." It was that way both on and off the stage.

Following college we stayed in touch off and on for a decade, catching up through texts and an occasional call as we moved to opposite ends of the east coast (followed by opposite ends of the west).

And then, finally: a reunion.

A few summers ago Kristen told me she was traveling through California on a work trip. She drove south and I drove north and we remarked how surreal it was to finally come back together in the middle of a California desert. From the moment she stepped out of her car and smiled, her joy was as radiant and contagious as ever. We spent a couple hours laughing underneath the bright, summer sun.

I'll treasure it forever.

///

11-and-a-half-years have gone by, but these past few days have reminded me of that first phone call when I'd found out Kristen had moved without telling me.

After all this time, I again find tears in my eyes and "I didn't get to say goodbye" caught in my throat.

(And after all this time, I wonder if Kristen would still respond, "I'd rather not.")

///

As difficult as it is to imagine the years to come without Kristen here on this earth, I praise the Lord knowing she is with Jesus today. It is a deep peace to me.

I loved Kristen's relationship with God.

During one of our phone calls after college Kristen shared with me how she'd gone through a period of struggling with sleep. She attributed it to stress, anxiety, and a feeling of needing to get everything right. I asked her how she broke free of that season.

"I just realized that the only way to have real peace and joy came from knowing it didn't depend on me. I stopped hustling. I stopped trying to be perfect. I told God that I trusted He was the God of my story. Before bed each night I'd give Him my whole life all over again. And then I'd lay my head on my pillow and go to sleep."

I will think of Kristen's counsel again tonight, as I bring a mixed heartfull of sadness and gratitude for her life before the Father.

And when I lay my head on my pillow, I'll close my eyes and imagine Kristen right now.

I imagine her dancing, singing, and twirling.

If there is a stage in Heaven, I know she'll find it; I know she'll be there, worshipping through her art.

I picture her more dazzlingly radiant than she's ever been, as she and Jesus laugh together.

And I find myself dreaming of our next time together...

One day, before too long, I will get to be with Kristen again. I will run when I see her smile and we'll hug once more in a light as bright as the summer sun.

Finally: a reunion.

I can't wait to say Hello.