Times of searching...times of wonder.

Life is a mystery and along the way we are granted clues that will enable us to discover once again our direction, even if it is only for the moment. I love to discover new things, whether it is technology, music, knowledge, or God's ever-changing glory. Like a young child, I position myself for learning, seeking and growing, all the while energized by my discoveries. That is why mystery is a good place to be.

However, the lessons we learn from wonder and mystery are not always easy. During the past four years the mystery of God has taken me to places that are often times uncomfortable. Places where the answers were not always easy and the way difficult to traverse. I find that through these challenging lessons, along with the uncertainties of life, a crisis can occur. While we seek to avoid any type of difficulty, conflict and yes, crisis, our decisions, and sometimes circumstances thrust us into these difficult and even painful situations.

The book of James has been very helpful to me and allowed me to be reminded to "Consider if joy...when you encounter trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance..." I know difficulties do not produce joy; however, the writer says to "consider it joy." I have to chuckle at this thought of considering something to be joy even though in reality it reeks of a root canal! James wants us to keep our minds on what God is producing in us...i.e. endurance. That which gives us power to hang in there...not quit...be tenacious, and yes, even be joyful.

So mystery drives me to wonder and curiosity, which leads to a place of searching. Searching can often times open a difficult can of worms; however, I hope this journey will bring me to a place where I gain endurance and in the end will see God working to produce something in me that only He can do.