a heart full of [eternity!]

While deeply immersed in a jungle of coffee trees it's not unusual to have 'things' drop on me.  Pulling branches down to my level makes the coffee cherries much more accessible, but can cause them to pop off as branches rub against each other.  Add to this the lovely insect population AND the fact that it's raining, and I no longer take notice of strange objects bouncing off my head and shoulders.  That is, at least, until it happens consistently.. for several minutes!!  I let go of the branch I was currently inspecting for any remaining red cherries, let it fling back up to it's original position, and slowly turned around.  Derek couldn't contain his laughter! He was almost doubled over and not even the hand over his mouth could muffle the sound of his guffaw!  Apparently he had been bouncing cherries off my unsuspecting self for quite some time, finding it just hilarious!!
I love Derek for a lot of reasons; one of them being his cheeky sense of humor!  Leave it to him to find bizarre ways to make me laugh :)  There is no conceivable way I could do this without him, muscle mass aside, although that does come in handy when we're moving 100 pound bags of cherry!  I'm also a big fan of his making an executive decision to stop for milkshakes and fries on the way home after a particularly long day!

[mango time!]

Making the most of coffee picking will be essential these next few months.  It's not especially difficult work, but the days are long, the trees have a tendency to blur together and shoulders do start to ache.  The potential is massive in either direction; as I heard in a sermon not too long ago, I must choose whether it will make me better or bitter.  So far we're just thankful to see a bit of 'fruit' from our labor.  Plus, the undertaking of a project other than weed wacking is quite refreshing!  And I always love an excuse to soak in good music for hours on end.
750 pounds later, round three of picking at the 'other' farm is complete and we were able to enjoy the remaining days with our visiting friend from Germany!  Delicious cheeseburgers, boogie boarding and a boar hunting expedition for the guys made for an awesome weekend!  His final night was celebrated with the inhaling of a significant amount of exotic fruits :)

[evidence of our fruit party!!]

I've known for almost a month that I was on the schedule to give a mini message at our weekly worship practice this past week.  My personality likes to scheme on these things for quite some time, brainstorming and writing out ideas, incorporating a funny story or convincing visual aid.  All this to say that I had a first rate idea of what to talk about on Friday evening, until God interfered on Thursday.  I was happily picking away when I 'felt' it.. This isn't about you, it's about me!  Not necessarily audible words but a strong feeling; the realization that I was so caught up in all my great ideas I had lost sight of the real reason for giving a message!  Surrender comes in many different shapes and sizes, that day it was in the middle of a coffee field; scrapping all my ideas, I told God it was up to Him to give me words to say! 

Long story short, He came through!  It wasn't immediate, but eventually He led me to a verse that reminded me of the two audio books keeping me company in the field all week.  The verse was Ecclesiastes 3:11 'He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.'  John Eldredge's book 'Beautiful Outlaw' says "Setting eternity in our hearts was cunning, so that every last one of us would be haunted all our days with unmet longings that would cause us to seek the only Fountain that can quench our thirst.'  Another of my favorite quotes comes from C.S. Lewis' book 'Mere Christianity', "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."   I hadn't appreciated what Jesus had been subtly weaving together in my mind all week, but the verse triggered the realization!

I'm not sure if the last minute lesson made any sense to the worship team, but it certainly brought clarity to my own life!  Being sensitive to the Spirit and allowing Him to lead me was an incredible experience, one I definitely want to make a habit of!  Eternity is in my heart, explaining the unexplainable cravings I so often find within me!  This world is temporary and I'm reminded of that in little 'glimpses of eternity' throughout this life.  As the Creator, God's incredible personality and life is reflected everywhere I look!  He knows me intimately and can speak to me in a myriad of ways, calling me to Him, expressing His love and inspiring me to seek Him!  

The awesome colors, textures and sizes of underwater creatures is mind-boggling!  I'm filled with wonder by simply sipping a perfect cup of coffee and watching a brand new day begin!  The antics of Kai echo the playfulness of God.  He is all around me; perceiving more and more of His goodness simply causes my heart to long, all the more, for Eternity with Him!  It also renews my desire to live abundantly, right now, to grasp the beauty in the world around me and the fields ready to be harvested!  I'm thankful for God's provision, His guidance and LOVE and for the incredible man I get to live this life with.  What an amazing journey this is..