Who says it has to stop?

This part of my nomadic journey has brought me to the busy courtrooms of Center City, Philadelphia, the smooth highways of suburban New Jersey, and the strikingly white rooms and halls of the First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown. At first, I had myself wrongly convinced, that because of my geographic location, the thrill of following Jesus to the ends of the earth would not exist here. I have come to find that this is not so, and am somewhat ashamed to admit I previously thought otherwise.

Despite my prior misconceptions, I have come to realize that I am still following Jesus to the ends of the earth, and it just so happens that I'm at THIS end of the earth, in the NorthEast of the US, a place I hadn't anticipated would continue to be a part of my journey. Furthermore, I could even say that it is that much sweeter here because I hadn't anticipated it and it is such a shock.

Initially, I found myself longing for the intensity of worship I experienced in Latin America, comparing my current material circumstances to those of my dear friends in Mexico and Honduras, and comparing the desires of my heart between one chapter in life and the next. And as I compared and compartmentalized my experiences, I realized that they are not as separate as I was making them, but amazingly connected because God uses my past to push me into an even greater future.

These are all a lot of vague musings that can be quite simply put as thus: I am certain God has called me back to the US because He wants to teach me something amazing and He has something great for me here. There is no point pining over a past that is not in my immediate future, and I'm better off seeking God where I AM and not where I WANT to be.

Proof of the above:

Since I've been home, a lot of people have told me that I am "glowing", and one even asked if I am in love because I have that glow about me. I laugh each time and wonder what everyone is talking about. It wasn't until I was asked if I was in love that it all made sense. (Stay with me here.) I'm coming off of a year and a half of learning about God in ways I never have before and falling in love with Him in ways I never have before. Like Moses, when he comes down from Mt Sinai (not that I am as great as Moses), my encounter with God shows on my face; my countenance is different because I have experienced God's presence. None of that has to do with geography in the literal sense, but my proximity to God and my faithfulness to Him.

Nothing in the Bible says that I can only worship God with abandon when in Faustino's church, or that I can only live in community at the Second Floor or above Chepe and Lourdes. This spirit-filled life of power and faith directly correlates to my attachment to God, not a place.

So here I go again, starting from what feels like scratch, but this time with my eyes tilted slightly higher, my mind slightly more focused, and heart clinging a little harder to God than before.