Don’t you just love the advice and wisdom of people who know you really well? You know that simple, honest, heartfelt wisdom. I’ve been feeling pretty worn lately and one of my best friends left me an amazing message on my cell phone. I’ve saved it and listen to it often. It goes something like this:

“Stuart Delony.

You’re tired.

And I’m real tired.

But the Lord isn’t.

So lean on him.

He never gets tired.

Amen.”

I love my friends. They are an ever present blessing to me and my life.

“Stuart, it seems like a long time ago doesn’t it? I’m thinking of that day climbing that mountain to get to the top and thinking how difficult it was, but I was going to make it up there. ”

-my friend and brother in Christ and life

A friend emailed me recently a reminder. A reminder of the journey we had been on together. He called me to remember back to who I was years ago. To remember where the Lord has brought me from. To remember the work he is doing in me right now.

Often times, life gets busy and I forget. I forget who I am and who the Lord has called me to be. I forget what is important and what is true. And if I’ve lost that, what am I left with?

So take some time to remember. What does the Lord not want you to forget?

“We have to give up the small gospel that simply confirms what C.S. Lewis called ‘our congenital preference for the safe investments and limited liabilities’. The freedom of grace grants us many gifts, including that there is ‘therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus(Rom 8:1) This assurance of grace is meant to set us on the road of faithful discipleship, not just to assure us of grace at the finish line. Such freedom enables Christ’s disciples to love because we have first been loved (1 John 4:19). The grace that settles our account with God is meant to set us free from the self-interest for the sake of loving others with abandon.”

- Mark Labberton “The Lima Bean Gospel” in Christianity Today

A friend of mine sent me a note of encouragement that had this quote in it. It got me thinking (as most things do). Do I love others with abandon? And what does this abandon look like if it’s being walked out in my life? Either the gospel, or the way I’m living it, is bland like lima beans or vibrant like Christ. I just know I never want to be compared to lima beans…

Any thoughts?

I have a friend that I’m very proud of. His journey hasn’t been easy, but through it, he’s been a consistent man of God. I feel honored to know him and say that I’ve worked along side of him. I’ve written about Kevin anonymously before, but now today he’s sharing his story on his blog.

Yesterday Kevin quit his job and I continue to respect him more every day. Kevin was a pastor of a church and to say his experience there rough and un-Christ-like is to put it mildly. His last 2 years of pastorship have been a trying one. Yet, he continues to be positive and upbeat, knowing that the Lord is in charge. Kevin is an encouragement to me.

I’d encourage you to read more about his story in his post:
New Wine into Old Wineskins

Pray for his family in this time of transition.

There was also a bittersweet ending to this trip. We had to say ‘goodbye’ to one of my dear friends Jesse, who has been volunteering with us for a while. The Lord has taken Jesse on an amazing journey over the past few months and I have been honored to be apart of his story. Our kids loved Jesse, or ‘the Hobbit’ as they called him. The Lord is leading him into full time ministry and his first stop is working for the adventure branch of our ministry for the summer. The he’s going to go to bible school for a year and the work next summer at YD Adventures again. He’s not gone, but he will be out of our lives and community for the next year and a half. I know the Lord is going to do great things in this young man’s life and I’ll be excited to see where he goes. It’s just hard to say goodbye. To the kids he’s an to an amazing volunteer with loves them all dearly and spent countless hours investing in their lives. To me, I lose a close friend and confidant.

So may the Lord bless you Jesse Windle. God speed and a swift foot in your journey. Walking with God is an amazing road that will forever change your life.

You can read Jesse’s blog and keep track of his journey at The Hobbit.

[Side note: there was one more bittersweet goodbye on the trip. I said goodbye to my 'chops'. Yes, I mean my sideburns/handle bar mustache combo. I had grown to love them, where everyone else loathed them. We lived through adversity and had grown closer because of it. It may have only three short days I spent with them, but I would be forever changed. Our love was deep, lasting, and will not be easily forgotten. Good by Mr. Chops! Maybe someday we will meet again.]