"Bethel"...God is in our midst

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Over the past 5 years Julia and I have figured out the perfect way to make sure that our house gets cleaned at least once a week....invite all the students/staff over for dinner on Sunday....that'll do it!  The tradition has developed into what is now known as "sunday night dinner," and its one of the things that we do here at the ESBS that we're proud of, and we think adds to the life of the community in important ways.  Everyone comes over at 6 and stays as long as they want...no agenda...other than to just be together.

This year, Brent and Laura Brooks have decided to host the dinner at their house every so often.  They out-do-us every single time.

Yesterday while we were at Bent and Laura's I just kept looking around their house, watching the 20 or so students/staff/kids/and friends from the community talk, eat, and just be together, and it began to occur to me that while I'm busy worrying about keeping costs down, recruiting student for next year, and all that other distracting stuff that just kinda' happens anyway, God has been building a solid and vibrant community right under my nose...and I haven't given him enough credit for it.

Yesterday, for a minute, it became obvious to me that what God has done here for the school, and for those involved, is good, really good.  And as much as I have vision and drive for the future, it's important to recognize that what we're experiencing RIGHT NOW is rich and full of the life of God.  It's a miracle of the greatest design that God has knit together all of our lives, and that after 6 months of a hard push through the Bible, our community is alive with the life of God.

It just occurred to me yesterday that Lake Lure has become my Bethel...and if you know the story from Genesis 28 Bethel means "God is in this place"...and like Jacob, the worry of life often distracts me from taking stock of that reality.  Every now and then, as happened yesterday, my head gets jerked out of the hole its in and I look around and realize that our lives here are brimming with the blessing and presence of God...He really IS in our midst.