Thanks And Everlasting Love

I got the opportunity this past week to go visit some friends in Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving. It was my first Thanksgiving away from my biological family. Instead I got to spend it with a different kind of family! Nearly a year ago some folks from our church moved to Santa Cruz to start another community of believers. It's amazing how their community has grown. The first day was spent at the park with the kids and at the house with everyone, and there was a little trip into town to get fixin's for Maple cake and sweet potato souffle. Thanksgiving was a blast, with over 20 people all together, from all over the world! It was like Thanksgiving with the nations!! Before dinner we all shared what we were thankful for and it was truly moving to hear thanks pouring from so many people's hearts, and to think of all I have to be thankful for. I found myself choking back tears. It was an amazing blessing to be there.
Friday the blessings continued. A church from San Mateo came up to the Ranch to have a leadership retreat, and they invited a guy by the name of Randy Knutson. He's the church planting overseer for the Vineyards in that area. It was so refreshing to be in the midst of so many people who are doing the stuff. The questions randy posed to us spurred me on to think about what the next season in my life will look like. Questions like: what do I believe Jesus taught? What do I believe that means to me? What do I believe Jesus wants me to do with the things that he taught me? What does praxis look like? I know, so now what do I do?
I don't necessarily feel the need to have it all figured out at once, but I do know that Jesus said to go.
Before the Friday night session was over Randy showed one of the last scenes of the movie Schindler's List. In the scene Schindler, a businessman in Nazi Germany who has bought 1,100 Jews to keep them from being killed in concentrations camps, comes out of his factory to leave. As he sees all of these Jewish men and women standing before him, he looks at his car and questions himself. "why did I keep this car? I could have saved ten more with this car!" as he breaks into tears he speculates of his wedding band " I could have saved two with this ring. At least one, I could have saved one. Why did I keep this ring?" Schindler's strength leaves him as he is overcome with grief in realizing that he could have done more. He nearly falls to his knees before his friends catch him, and walk him to his car to send him away.
What a beautifully moving display of the Father's heart for his children...
What a convicting display of what Christ desires my heart to he for his lost sheep.
Lord, Jesus, Give me a shepherd's heart for your family...