Humbled, buoyed, and blessed

This sobered me up a little today.  I finally got around to watching the raw video footage of the Japanese tsunami (March, 2011) that Audrey sent me a week or so ago.  We complain about the wind, the rain, the SNOW - but Lord, thank You for having mercy on us and sparing us from tsunamis, tornadoes, and flooding like in Japan, Missouri, and along the Mississippi River.  Wow.

That said, there has been much to be encouraged about in our lives lately... most notably what God is doing in some lives close to us; indeed, what He is doing in our own!  We have been discipling a couple through a chapter of the Bible that was referenced in the sermon today - don't you love when God does that?  To me, it's like a gentle confirmation that we are doing what He wants, what He's led us to do.  It's an incredibly exciting time, although we're beginning to see first-hand that when doing what you're supposed to be doing in God's work, you open yourself up to attack by the enemy.  In a way, it's kind of fun.  He surprised us this week and got us pretty good, but now that we're aware of what's happening, I almost feel like shouting, "Bring it on!" 

In a most humble way, of course.  ;)

I'm counting my blessings at the moment, too, trying to implement a common theme from my BSF study over the past 8 or so months: remember what God has done.  Boy, the list is long and I am thankful.  The kids are out of school; everyone's healthy; Ro's new job is going fairly well; our LifeGroup is amazing; our church is strong; we get some family time for a camping trip next weekend; I have incredible, prayerful friends; I have a loving, forgiving husband; good health; beauty all around me.

To borrow a phrase from my friend Kim, today I feel humbled, buoyed, and blessed.