Pajama Day

Today was one of those rare luxurious days I call "pajama to pajama": you change out of last night's sleepwear just to get into tonight's pajamas. After a long roller-coaster week of working hard, praying hard and, finally, playing hard, I got to spend the rest of my Monday just "chilling" with the Lord. No schedules, no pressure, no demands on my day - just hours upon hours of sleeping and waking up and eating breakfast the whole day in between casual conversations with Him.

I also had time to finish a book I'd started reading some time ago but neglected for one reason or another. While in the middle of it, I spontaneously struck up one such "casual conversation" and submitted a little faith activity a brother and I have been planning (in our enthusiasm, we probably got ahead of ourselves and forgot altogether to consult Him!). Hardly seconds had gone by after I returned to my book - which, on its face, had absolutely nothing to do with what I'd talked to the Lord about - and what do you know - He gave His surefire, dead-on, unambiguous answer to my question. And as I plowed through the rest of the book, He continued to confirm, and to reassure: some of the author's experiences were uncannily similar to what I (and some other people I walk with in faith) had gone through. Truly, "Commend what you do to Yahweh, and what you plan will be achieved,"(Proverbs 16:3). Anyway, more on that later. Here's the part of the book, Authentic Relationships (by Wayne and Clay Jacobsen), that answered my question:

"(I)n the course of your journey, you will find those with whom God makes a connection. You will find affection in your heart for them. This won't include only people who are easy to love; God will also give you affection for those trapped in deep bondage or need. Out of those relationships we may find ourselves walking more intentionally with a group of brothers and sisters, either as part of a congregation, mission team, or fellowship group. Most enduring friendships are formed in small-group environments where people share the Christian life for a season. I have always tried to have a small group of ten to twelve with whom I regularly walk in openness and honesty, and that has yielded some extraordinary fruit in my life."

Back to my pajama party :-)