Daniels story

So we visited Salinas Valley Community Church today for a Sunday sermon. I'm telling you- it was so nice to be able to wake up in the morning- not nervous and in a rush to get to church to get ready to teach the lesson and feel so panicky about the craft for the kids- scrambling around for ideas (aaahhhh!!!!). It was a very calming experience- we were even there like twenty minutes early. I felt like I was able to breathe and I even slept the night before!

I miss only being minimally involved at the church. Isn't that sad? I think I'm just so tired of being there all the time- but I still feel called to be there is the frustrating thing. I'm just going to leave that as is and figure the rest of the year with God.

Anyways the sermon was about Daniel and how had he not been taken captive into Babylon God for him just wouldn't have been as big. It was also about his resilience, more specifically about verse 8 in the first chapter "But Daniel determined he would not defile himself"- after having been taken captive out of my home land and even having my name changed I would have felt so robbed! So naked of myself and what I've grown up to know as myself- how could Daniel have been determined to do anything? I would have just given up- but he still had strength left in him to put his foot down. He still held a piece of himself even though everything else was taken away. Even learning what his name meant was comforting (hebrew class memories) Dani-el (el being God and Dani meaning Judges) God Judges. Try holding onto THAT while the whole world is going topsy turvy.

I dunno it brought me comfort to know that maybe that's why I've had my summer of "babylon" -maybe God just wouldn't have been that big- maybe okay to rely on sometimes- but not the sturdy foundation I need to get me through this.