Opposition

I am not a superstitious guy. I am also not a guy who is paranoid about demonic activity or who feels that followers of Jesus need to recite scripture as if it is a magical mantra that expels evil forces.... But I am a person who has seen opposition. I believe that opposition is from the enemy and I believe we are called to stand strong in the midst of it; not by our own strength and power but exactly by giving up on our own strength and power.
We have come to a place in our trip where we have faced opposition. Our car had some troubles, our car repair shop caused even more troubles, our baby wakes up through the night regular hourly intervals, and I have received a phone call today from a friend who is going through the shockwaves of being diagnosed with a serious cancer. Do these circumstances come directly from the enemy himself? Maybe, or maybe not; that question is above my paygrade-- BUT what does come from the enemy is the psychological baggage that follows these kinds of circumstances. It is human and normal to face questions like: Is this path of life worth it? Does God not understand and see my friend's suffering? BUT the temptation to follow these questions towards despair and mental death/passivity is a pill that is offered from the pits of hell.
My wife and I have stepped out from the ordinary to go... the ordinary is not evil or wrong necessarily, but it is not what we have been called out to do right now. So, one thing is for certain, when anyone steps out from the norm, when anyone sticks their head out from the crowd, that person is in serious danger of getting smacked with some stuff that for lack of a better word I will call "opposition". We are at a half-way point in our trip. We are pushing forward and we are not giving up. We appreciate your prayers and have appreciated hearing stories from many of you already concerning your experience in facing opposition and having pushed through to the other side.

In Texas Again

Texas is its own animal. As soon as you drive in from New Mexico the road becomes pretty and smooth and there is grass in the fields instead of just rocks. Well, one of the big stretches of driving is now finished, Cali to Texas in two days by myself. I found the ride to be exhausting, but not boring. There is so much to see on the freeways! I also learned to do some motivational talking to myself; Don't worry I did not answer my own questions or anything.
I have already seen two sets of Grandparents, my little nephew Tommy, and my parents. Its turning out to be a good trip. We are now in Lubbock, TX until next Friday or so. Look us up and we will come by for a visit.
I am experiencing a little bit of culture shock already as life in Texas is so slow-paced compared to LA. Perhaps this is God's way of prepping us for a big culture change when we finally do get to St. Petersburg. I think it will be hard for me of course, but it will be interesting to see how Anya experiences reverse culture shock in Russia after having lived in the States for 5 years. Changes, changes, changes... Wow! Well, this is one of those moments where I am reminded that our faith is an ancient one, our God an unchanging God, and the only constant we have to hold on to is the love of the Creator as shown through his Son. The same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.