.

I wander back to my old work site at times, it’s got great trees, a great spring breeze, and great memories. But the office I lived in for 20 years I had to move out –  passed it on to someone else and I moved to the new building. I can’t complain but sometimes I still do.  However I do get to squat “hotel station” in pretty much any empty office or conference room or window of course any picnic table (wifi works!). I need to take these opportunities more to not work from home but work from “other work”… I can’t do it all the time, but sometimes. 

My old building has charm, but really my new building is where my people are, my group and all those who need me to answer questions. I had to move forward, people and the new space I helped design and get online were waiting for me. You can visit old places but “you can’t walk backwards into the future”.

My old office doesn’t carry the spirit of me in it anymore, not even the sight of the door, even though I was there 20 years. It was given new paint, new furniture, and the once great window is covered by plastic for construction, eww… So, the picnic table does keep its functionality, and I thought I would sit under these old trees and reminisce and work, but I had no laptop battery power left – I need a new charge. 

So I can’t even claim these were the same trees, “good ole days”, old stomping grounds or not. These trees had NEW FLOWERS and NEW bees and they moved on from spring to fall to NEW spring again. These trees will bear NEW fruits… GEEZ, NEW, NEW, NEW…  I guess we ALSO must move FORWARD with the Spirit breeze. NEW charge of our batteries, NEW surroundings, NEW lives, NEW memories… New Callings… New trees and NEW Me’s….

God told Israel: And I will put my Spirit in you and move you… New… Even Jesus didn’t have a place to lay His head… NEW… Hand to the plow, don’t look back.

We aren’t supposed to return to our old ways, old days, or see life with the old gaze. We are made NEW each season to bloom, to fruit, to share, to even shed. Shed the leaves in the fall. Wait out the winters in our lives. Spring again… We are a NEW creation of God everyday. God never changes, but He earthly died to fill us spiritually afresh with Him.

Remember that old view.

But EMBRACE the NEW.

God knows it suits you.

True. 

Amen

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Luke 9:57-62 The Cost of Following Jesus

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”  Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

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Ezekiel 36:23-32

 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you [Israel] have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!