Lavished

While looking for another verse today that sums up what we are experiencing in our lives right now, I came upon one that is even better that I was imagining: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:7-9). Can you feel the weight of this verse? Scotty and I have been very aware of the goodness of the Lord as He is working out all the little details that we have been praying about for months. There are so many in Charlotte that we want to spend time with, and even with busy schedules, everyone is falling nicely into place so that we are able to spend much time in fellowship before we leave. We also see His rich mercy in meeting our support needs as new people seem to be coming on so quickly now that we are nearing our departure date. I was thinking of these things as I came across this verse and realized that what God is doing now is gracious, but what He has done for us through His son on the cross, and all that means for our lives, is awesome. He is making known to us His mysteries and you can sense the grandeur of His plan for us, worked out from the beginning and extending through eternity. It is humbling to know that He has a part for each of us in that. It is encouraging for me to be reminded that for us it means living in Bolivia and actively taking part in His kingdom there. This is our dining room in our apartment in La Paz. Our two dads are on the edges, with Randy, Scotty's old roomie, my mom, and Scotty pictured in the middle. We're playing our favorite board game called Settlers of Catan. The sun is streaming in through the corrugated roof in the entry way. I put this picture in because I know that much of our ministry will revolve around this table as we invite people over for dinner or coffee and engage in discipleship and relationship evangelism. This picture excites me to think about daily life and involvement with Bolivians in our home and the ways the Lord will continue uniting all things in Him, things in heaven and on earth.