I was blessed today by being stranded while our minivan was in the repair shop. Being that we have only one car, I had no easy way to get “home” (we are staying with a family until we return to Romania and don’t really have a home) so I spent the day at the public library and Taco Bell. Just me, my Bible and journal, along with tacos and pintos ‘n cheese. How could this possibly be blessing? I was forced, by the grace of God, into having a long overdue personal retreat day: a day of reflection, prayer, planning, and extra time in the Word.

Here part of my entry from my journal for today:

I just looked over my “life goals,” which I wrote as part of my 2005 New Years Day evaluation and planning time. My life goals were (and still are):

1. To follow Jesus.
2. To love my wife as Christ loves the church.
3. To raise my children as followers of Christ.
4. To be used to build and expand the church.
5. To be an effective science teacher, with broad and deep impact in students’ lives.

Numbers one and four apply to all believers, at all stages of their lives. The practical outworking of these may vary from person to person, but the calls to follow and serve are universal.

Number two—to love my wife—will be a high priority as long as we both live. The same with number three—raising my children—though my role will change as they mature and leave home.

Number five is a variable: it obviously isn’t for most, and it could change at some point in my life. But that is my vocation for now, and I want to serve the Lord with excellence in this.

All other goals in my life are subsets of these five goals. My life goals can be summed up as To live a disciplined, loving, God-centered and others-centered life. This statement flows out of the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40).

Grace and Peace