Friends in Faith,
I write this from my Tiny House, nestled between the Catskills and Adiorondacks. I have come home after a long and arduous journey. Ophelia the Outback and I will be doing day travel in and around Upstate NY – going to daily AA meeetings and prayer services. I will serve others in recovery to preserve my own sobrieity, sanity, and serenity. I will be delighting in time with my six grandchildren and helping out the family farm by making deliveries and running errands. Most of my time, however, I will be exploring solitude something I fear like the plague.
I have spent over six decades desperately craving companionship. I have used people like a drug, consuming their time and attention even as I was ostensibly caring for them. As a result, I burned out two wives and went through two trying divorces. I have done damage to my four children. Only by the grace of God do I have the hope of reconciliation.
Yes, hope springs eternal. I am always ready and eager to share the reason for the hope in me. I have hope in Christ.
- For a good night’s sleep, resting secure in the embrace of the One who protects and corrects me.
- For purpose to get out of bed in the morning and spend time in solitude with the One who never leaves me or forsakes me.
- For direction throughout the day (and all my days), confient in the One who guides me and provides for me.
This morning I sat in a candlelight sanctuary and meditated at an iconic painting of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Holding the lamb who had wandered from the flock. Jesus looked at the lamb and the lamb looked at Jesus with pure serenity. This is the hope I have. It is the hope you can have, in the Lamb that was slain to take away the sins of the world.
Come home, even if it is for the first time. The Light is on for you.
