Prelude

Sunday, March 21st.

Actually, I should probably provide some background information at this point.

My grandma had a stroke in January of 2009 and I moved back to Oregon to take care of her in February 2009. So for the past year I have been with her 24 hours a day/5 days a week. My weekend would start at 6pm on Friday night and end at 6pm on Sunday night. Because my life was so confined and non-social during the week, and because I was going through some serious transitions (spiritual as well as environmental) I felt it necessary to flee on the weekends, thereby making it a habit to go to Portland and spend time with friends and family.

Though, getting away made being at grandma's more bearable, I mentally struggled with finding an opportunity to sit under the teaching of the Word of God. I really didn't want to spend 3 hours of my Sunday morning going to church...afterall, I only had a few hours in my day before getting back to life with 'g'. So this was a topic of prayer constantly playing out before the Lord. So to summarize, for the past year I have been fleeing to Portland on the weekends, visiting friends and family and taking care of my grandma during the week.

Well, in the past few weeks, the Lord responded to my prayers on this matter. How do I know it was the Lord? Peace and contentment followed. See, what y'all don't know, is that my dad has a fully furnished trailer on my grandma's property that is not being used, except by him every other Saturday morning. And though I knew, all this time, I could stay there on the weekends and still have some time away and not feel like I had to flee to Portland; I couldn't bare the thought. "It would be too close", "I wouldn't feel like I really got away", "there is nothing to do here"; these and many more thoughts stirred up in my mind in response to this idea. In addition, I didn't know how to have a life in Corvallis again. Let's just say there were many things holding me back from even considering this as an option. Then, a few Saturdays ago a friend invited me to Saturday night service at Solid Rock in Portland and I went. And the message taught that night included the pastor asking of us three questions to closely consider, and one of those questions resonated deeply..."What is holding you back from fully following after the Lord?" This is a question many a believer asks themselves, however, that night, this was a question I fully let the Lord ask of me and I fully received the answer the Lord gave me. My response occurred in three ways: a committment to a child; attending Saturday prayer the following Saturday at Calvary in Corvallis and...this weekend, staying at my dad's trailer. Three outward expressions in response to the inward workings of a magnificently omnicient and living God.

Okay, we are up to date and ready for Sunday, March 21st.