Fe
or, as the deer...
With half the day on Wednesday, May 2 and two full days (13 plus hours each) on Thursday and Friday under my belt, I sent a text to Brenda on Friday night and said with confidence, "I'm not going to make it. I'm not sure I have the physical or emotional strength to finish." She told me to suck it up...
I wept again on Friday evening. After supper there was a devotional in the gym presented by a Harlingen pastor. The service was in Spanish but I was able to pick up enough to know what was going on. The faith of these young men was striking, my estimate was that eighty to ninety percent of them worshiped with a real devotion that night.
I have had the privilege of singing the song, "As the Deer" with brothers and sisters of the faith for many years now. This Friday was the first time I sang it with kids whose only possessions were a set of tattered, dirty clothes and a new set of issued clothes that included basketball shorts, underwear, t-shirt, socks and a pair of sandals...AND NOTHING ELSE. Their hands were lifted in praise during these lines:
"You alone are my strength, my shield;
To you alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart's desire
and I long to worship You."
I have a good friend who has spent a good deal of time in Honduras, he told me a few months ago that he believes we (US Christians) have too many safety nets in place to be able to experience a deep, rich faith. I agree.
