It is not an abnormal thing for people around me to make observations that I never slow down. Sometimes I think I make my roommate tired with simply observing me in a normal day. I used to say I run on Mach 5, and took pride in my ‘busyness’ and ability to multitask. But there comes a point when Jesus says to my quality-time heart, “Where have you been? I have missed you. Could you come spend some time with me?”

I can be so consumed by the ‘busy’ that I forget to be interrupted in ways I need to be interrupted.

And I can be so consumed by the doing that I bypass the being completely.

I learned this lesson the hard way while I lived in Haiti. We would have days when no teams were in country and it became very quiet around our compound. While I much preferred the crazy schedule of back to back teams in country, God started revealing himself to me in the quiet days. I started sitting with sunsets for their entirety instead of just glancing while moving from one thing to the next. God started drawing me into the Bible in ways that I could not resist that time with him, and hours would melt away before I emerged. Worship became like a long drink of water after a day in a parched desert. Psalm 46:10 kept slapping me in the face on a regular basis: “Be still and know that I God.” Prayer became different for me. More holy. More sacred. I soon began to realize that those days with God were fueling the days I was serving the pastors, children and visiting groups from the States.

There is something about Haiti that makes the veil very thin between us and God. I used to say a lot, “If it is unexplainable, it is supernatural and that is where the Holy Spirit is tangible.”

But truly…that veil can be thin anywhere. If there is anything I hope God’s people have learned in the last year is that God and the experiences that come in following Jesus were never meant to be contained to a building. It is your home. Your significant other. Your family. Your neighbors. Your work. Your kid’s sports team. The gas station. Standing in line at the grocery store.

God is everywhere.

We like to think we ‘bring’ him along, but if God were dependent on us carrying him everywhere there would be a lot of places he never showed up. Because as humans we epically fail…a lot…and our actions are not always what they should be to honor God. No matter where you are at or where you have been, you are always welcome into holy God-space of being present with him. That invitation is always open. God enjoys it when we choose to be present. I believe it makes him absolutely giddy. He asks us to say yes to the being and this Lent is an excellent opportunity to enter into that space. Just say ‘yes.’

North Cross UMC in Kansas City, MO is launching Red Letter Challenge for Lent 2021. Join us in deepening your relationship with Jesus through the words he invites us to soak up and actions he calls us participate in around us. Resources can be found at playlearnshare.org/RLC and all our social media accounts. Zoom Small groups are available to join on Sundays at 1p, Tuesdays at 7p, Wednesdays at 7p, and Thursdays at 10a. Reach out to me if you want to join and I will get Zoom info to you! The beauty of our world right now is that people can connect from all over the world when we meet virtually!