A crazy two more weeks before I leave for Uganda and from there to Israel. I am keeping my eyes wide and my heart open. What will God put before me to see, witness and touch? What attacks from the "enemy" are coming my way?

God is most powerful and to be trusted... however, that doesn't mean it all works out the way "I" want.

In the last few weeks, I can see God saying, "Trust me."

Recently, there has been an Ebola virus outbreak in Bundibugyo... not to far from Fort Portal... and in Israel, tanks have pushed the boarders in the Gaza Strip.

Both situations, significant to an American on a short term mission trip... yet, everyday to those living beyond the boarders of a culture to self centered.

Still I find peace.

Peace that passes all understanding and a peace beyond all doubt.

Keeping up with Dr. Myhres blog, regarding the Ebola virus, I found one reflection that really touched me.

My mind keeps reaching back to some words of the Psalms which I can’t place, though a thousand have fallen at my side, yet I will trust.
We feel the falling of Jonah so acutely, we were both on the same front line of the same battle fighting side by side, yet he went down and we have not.
I know I can’t trust in anything other than God . . . Certainly not in not dying, which is not guaranteed, as Jonah shows. If we make it through this then what about the next tragedy? Safety is not the basis of trust. Instead our trust needs to be in God, inexplicable God, dangerous God, other-than-us God, who does not order this world according to our will, but knows more than we do and loves more deeply.

As viruses are contained and peace talks resume, I think of the next tragedy... and I trust.

I admire a faith that finds itself writing such powerful words as those above. Complete trust. It's where I want to be... It's where I am going.

peace.
johno~

Breaking free, ready to fly
Head down, on the ground tethered by my side
Don’t they know I want to be free
Look through my eyes, you might just see

I'm Chasing the field of hills turned green
Open to the things unseen
Redemption red, winter white
She Lights my darkness and helps me fly

“Ending poverty” they say, is just a lie
Dying in a dirt street, hear little children cry
One man opened up the door
Giving more than bread crumbs off the floor

To those chasing the field of hills turned green
Open to the things unseen
Redemption red, winter white
She Lights their darkness and helps them fly

One step doesn’t make you walk
One word doesn’t make you talk
It’s the child who gets up again
And the child who’s life is in your hands

Who am I to think I AM
I’m just a beggar with a secret plan
Crawling on a old wood floor
With a map to find an open door

To the fields of hill turned green
Seeing all the things unseen
Redemption red like winter white
No more darkness only Light

Ready to fly

peace.
johno~

In the beginning, God chose the Jewish nation to proclaim His name; announce Him to the world. He could have picked a stronger nation like Egypt or Rome or someone else, but He didn’t. God has always taken the less the smaller to show His power. Now the Peace has come. Funny, it really didn’t look like what we thought it would look like. However, the promise still came in a lowly manger.

The Promise came in the lowest form, with all odds against it and by the power of God became flesh. God would come to where we are and rescue us with His power not ours. This is what we were made for. It’s the “Mitzvah”, the command given to us long ago never to forget.

These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Some of you may remember one of my first blog entries, On the road. It was my turn to listen to the Spirit. I will let you re-read the story If you like.

In short, Whitney was from the South, Texas. She was broke. She was an un-wed mother who just gave up her child to adoption. She knew God, but was losing hope because she didn’t know “who” He was talking about. Am I stretching this? Very contrasting to the Ethiopian eunuch, yet, the spirit led me to her to remind her of the LORD and his promise. He met her where she was… on a street curb.

Jesus said this, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Mitzvah, which means commandment or Mitzvot [plural] which means commandments.

How would our world be changed it we lived by these two Mitzvot? I’d like to find out.
I believe God placed “certain people in certain place at certain times so that they might reach out for Him and grab hold of Him because He is not far from each one of us.” We all travel the road everyday; are we listening to the spirit? Do we share the Mitzvah along the road? Do we live the Mitzvah?

The “Road to Gaza” describes, for me, the story of God meeting a man right where he is. What is my response everyday as I listen to the spirit?

Each person I meet, wherever I am, is the commandments [mitzvot] to love the LORD and proclaim his promises in the Messiah and love my neighbor so that we might have fellowship with the LORD someday in heaven. It gives me hope and builds strength even when I don’t know the final out come, I know what it looks like because of faith.

I grew up alone as a child. No father around, mother working all the time I felt alone. However, many people met me on the road to show me something about the LORD’S love for me.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [the temple] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commandments [mitzvot] and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

One of the men who walked with me on the “road” told me this good news, and when I ask him, "what do I do now?" he said, “share this with someone else.” He left, to Texas, and I went away, to college, rejoicing. Well, I wasn't happy about school work... you know what I mean. Rejoicing about not being an orphan boy, a bastard child. Rather, a true child of God the Father.

The “Road to Gaza” is my journey following and listening to the Spirit of the LORD. It is not about simple nods and greetings along the road as you pass by people. It is walking 140km or farther alongside one another telling the story of the new covenant. Some will leave rejoicing. Other might choose to take another road. That’s ok, I’ll still be walking and I'm sure I'll meet some more people along the road.

I hope this answers the question, “Why the Road to Gaza?’” It is not a short answer. Sorry. However, it’s an honest answer. It may also answer why my blog entries drop off here and there. It's me asking myself the question, “am I listening to the Spirit?” Empty spaces reveal a transparent answer.

I do desire more accountability. I want to listen and see more. It’s one of the reasons I started my 52 people photo blog. Who are the people I’m walking with? It makes you stop and look around. Daily being lead by the Spirit.

To my friend who asked this question, thank you. You know me a little better now. Maybe more than you ever wanted too. You are one of my best friends though we have never met face to face. When the day comes, if we are not to old, I would love to literally walk this road with you.

Peace.
Johno~

Now enter a story about a two travelers who inspired me.

Acts 8:26-39
Philip and the Ethiopian
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: (Isaiah 53)
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, 
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? 
 For his life was taken from the earth."
34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 37 Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

It’s a fairly simple story, (spared over time, delivered by the Spirit), but it most likely would not rate in the top 100 best known documented stories of this new beginning movement which was sometimes called, “the Way.”

However, it’s in this story I found the name “Road to Gaza.” It’s a simple story of two men, two worlds, two men listening to one God and lastly, a mysterious unknown ending. When I first took the time to really read this story, I would end up asking, “What just happened here?” I'm not sure if I really "got" it the first few times reading it. I guess I would have to say it took several years. Yet, It challenged me to listen, watch and eventually I would act. It is a story that is larger than the recorded words on one page could fill. As I read this story over and over again, I’ve come to see a bigger picture of God’s everlasting story and the LORDS enduring story in my life, because of these two men who met on the road to Gaza.

So the journey continues and soon to follow will be more of my thoughts.

peace.
johno~