The Spirit knows.

This morning we leave on our Midwest trip for ministry. I awakened early, a bit eager to begin traveling, and a little tense about communicating in a culture from which I have been long removed.

And then, an old truth dawned on me, “The Holy Spirit knows and has been preparing me for this moment.” We all face special occasions, difficult tasks, and hard to understand circumstances. That’s life! This week’s challenges of driving, preaching, sharing a dream, and arranging travel details are different than yours. However, your challenges are as real as mine and require the unique help only the Spirit of God can provide.

Before I ate a bagel and drank a cup of coffee, I was reminded that –

 The Holy Spirit brings truth and wholesome and redemptive experience to our remembrance. Those who have memorized God’s Word, meditated on its principles, and obeyed will have much material from which the Holy Spirit can bring to their remembrance.
 The Holy Spirit sanctifies our memory. The hurtful, negative, and damaging experiences of the past drift away from our consciousness as the good and redemptive are renewed as the Spirit speaks in us.
 The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray, brings words and dynamic ideas into our vocabulary and understanding. Dreams replace doubts and defeat. Vigor and victory replace whining whimpers. From out of the depths, the Spirit brings unutterable, deeply-felt longings and faith-filled possibilities.
There is more, but the Holy Spirit will minister to you also, far more personally and perfectly than me.

Careful now, you have a home state too! Michigan will always have a warm spot in my heart and the Detroit Tigers still have loyalty.

When we are in Indiana I will happily remind people that Pat is a Hoosier. And then, I’ll quickly add that she has not had to live there since 1967 and has almost fully recovered!

YOU MIGHT LIVE IN MICHIGAN IF.....

 
• You show people where you're from by pointing to a spot on the back of your left hand
• The only place in the world you can experience all four seasons in one day.
• You've never met any celebrities.
• At least one member of your family disowns you the week of the Michigan / Michigan State game
• You know how to pronounce "Mackinac." and get annoyed when other people can't.
• You've had to switch on the heat and the air conditioning in the same day.
• Your little league game was snowed out.
• Your year has two seasons: Winter and Construction.
• Driving in the winter is better because the pot-holes are filled with snow.
• Your favorite holidays are Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the opening of deer season, which you consider a national holiday.
• You have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week.
• You find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
• You know that UP is a place not a direction.