Foxes have holes and birds have nests...

"...'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.'

Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.'

Another disciple said to him, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.'

But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'"

Matthew 8:19b-22

Foxes have holes and birds have nests... what about me?? This week I've been finding myself a bit anxious to have some semblence of consistency, tired of feeling displaced. I long to actually feel as if I live here- not like I'm just on a visit. I've been looking for apartments on craigslist, Katie's sent out an email- the right fit just hasn't turned up yet. I've been so blessed to stay here- dont get me wrong, but there is something to be said for getting to unpack...

I just finished my third day at Brixx, and so far things are going pretty well- it's more laid back than I'm used to, but I think once I start bartending and get a fairly consistent schedule I'll find my niche'. Fortunately they're cutting my server training period from five days to three so I'll be getting real people shifts on serving side next week, Saturday will be my first and maybe only bar training shift then I'll be good to go- not just a shadow :o) Before too long I'll be closing bar Friday, Saturday, Sunday and maybe one other day during the week... PTL for no more split shifts!!!

Besides getting myself on a consistent schedule, one of the things I'm commited to regarding my time here- however long it may be- is that first and foremost will be my church/community life- work will have to fit around that. I'm really hoping to figure out where I belong within the body of Two Rivers soon so I can start to feel at home there. Today, I met with the Jr High Youth Pastor and got another reminder of how much I've really missed working with youth, it's something that hasn't really been a part of my life since I left Menomonie over a year ago and it's high time to change that. It sounds like I'll get to love on 6th grade girls this year and maybe help with worship, I'm pretty stoked about that. During the conversation he posed some interesting questions as far as how long I'm here for, and if I'm starting to get any sort of sense of why I'm here... I guess it's too soon to tell.

Someday I hope I'll know why I landed in Knoxville Tennessee- but until then I know the most important thing is to not get distracted by what's ahead or next, and to focus on what's right in front of me because God's got me where I am at the moment I'm there for a reason, and I dont want to be staring ahead and miss what's right in front of me. I need to be following Him and glorifying Him in my daily life- abandoning all else.

That passage in Matthew 8 has always resonated with me- If we truly want to follow Christ we've got to be willing to give up EVERYTHING. If we want to go where He goes it may mean doing things that dont make sense- dont look right or practical to the rest of society... it may mean not really fitting in- it may mean feeling a bit displaced. The son of man has no place to lay his head... why should I?