Pursuing Jesus in Pittsburgh - It's A New Day

So we arrived in Pittsburgh last night at 10:15 pm and got home to the pile of mail and our cozy home on a chilly January night at 11:15.  Waking up this morning, each of us is continuing to ponder what God wants us to take away from what turned out to be a momentous trip.  

I (Mark) will record what God is leading me to share. When you come to the land where Jesus was born, lived, died, and then was ultimately resurrected, it has a way of bringing the Bible into an intense focus. While life back home proceeds, and of course, you care deeply for family and friends who aren't with you, your being is very present to everything washing over you during the trip.  So when I read back through the daily entries, I think most about how God spoke to my heart, letting me know how much He loves me, and that I need to faithfully follow Him regardless of my circumstances.  I need to worship Him in spirit and truth (Woman at the well - John 4:1-30) and not within a system filled with outward rituals that signify outward purity while inside I am filthy (Matthew 23:27-28). So I pray....

Dear Father, help me to choose the path of staying close to Your side, taking Your yoke (The Word of God) and learning of You, knowing You are gentle and humble in heart, and that You are able to give me "rest" for my soul (the peace that passes all understanding) regardless of the circumstances I must face.

And while Cynthia and Maria may emphasize something a bit different were they to include their thoughts here, I know from our conversations on the trip that their hearts resonate with mine in these thoughts I share now, which brings the trip back to where it started in the opening scripture found in Matthew 11:28-30...

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

As Michael Card would say in his song, Joy In The Journey, "There is a wonder and wildness to life, and freedom for those who obey."

So if you haven't already repented and given your heart and mind and soul to Jesus, (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) do so now, and follow Him as His disciple. And if You have already done that, dive in further and continue to learn of Jesus, knowing that process will never end, and that it will only grow deeper and more special with every day You have to live on this earth before one day You join with Him in heaven (John 14:1-3).

Finally, we (Mark, Cynthia and Maria) hope and pray this blog has been a blessing to you.  It surely has been a blessing to us to be able to go on this wonderful "journey" where we have found great "joy" through the Holy Spirit's guiding and His quickening of those things He desired we remember by sharing them in this blog. 

Blessings from Mark, Cynthia and Maria. 🙂🙏

The front of our home
311 Peebles Street Pittsburgh PA 15221



Comments

  1. LMLJanuary 26, 2023 at 5:54 AM

    What a blessing to be able to share in your journey, seeing the Holy Land through your eyes! Thanks so much for "taking us with you"! 😇

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