California, Cuba, Colorado?

California's economy has been the pits and it seems that thinks aren't even close to getting any better. Wendi complains that we need to get out of the state and others that have left said they like to visit but they'd never live here again.

A couple of years ago I was on my second mission trip to Cuba. While I was there, I had a chance to e-mail home and I remember telling Wendi that I was ready to move to Cuba. I think the big draw was the church in Cuba. They were close-knit and there was a real sense of community. The political climate had brought persecution to the church and as a result, being a follower of Christ was difficult. Under adversity, one's faith is really strengthened and you are totally dependent on the Lord.

I've been in Denver area for the past 2 days and from what I've seen, I think I could live here. It reminds me of Salt Lake City or Boise. The views are incredible and Denver has every convenience that a big city offers (except for Tommy's). When I called Wendi she reminded me that I said the same thing about Cuba. I had also mentioned that I wanted to move to Maine too and I hadn't even been there. I admit I do like to go to different places and sometimes I imagine what it would be like to live there.

Today in presbytery we examined, ordained and commissioned a young man into the ministry who will be taking his family to the Czech Republic to be a missionary with a local church in the eastern part of the country. They will have a difficult time learning the language and he described the town they would be living in as similar to Pittsburg - an ugly industrial city. He spoke about the sacrifices they would be making to live there and the potential suffering they would experience living there. But he knew God's calling him to that place and it sounds like God has equipped him for this time and place.

He got me thinking about where I was and what I was doing. As much as we complain about where we live, I have a faith community to which I belong, a job with a definite sense of calling and know that for now this is where I belong. So, the answer to this question is Fresno. That's where I'll stay - as least for now.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." - James 4:13-15