i’m in grand rapids, and — due to a slight schedule chance — have nothing to do today, until this evening. this is a wonderful gift from god. last week, i was meeting with my spiritual director, and (as usual) talking about the speed of my life and my stress and blah, blah, blah. and i mentioned that i know that what i really need is a short retreat, a chunk o’ quiet with god before the storm of nashville hits. i had tried to find a spot in my calendar last week where i could go away for 24 hours. it was impossible, or at least a close relative. then this came up. david, jay and i are sharing one of those residence inn mini-suites, with a living room and a loft; and they two of them are out at meetings. so it’s just me and god (and, at some point, the cleaning lady) — just as a needed it to be.

thanks god — you know how much i needed this. meet me today. help me to quiet my heart and head. help me to know your presence. help me to forget about email and blogs and everything else, but you.