And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

Typically after a 675-mile haul from Winter Garden (with the detour, more than 690 this time), my brain is mush and I have nothing to post the next morning.

It is not much different today, but I am going to share a handful of random images from the week that will keep the narrative rolling until I actually have something to say.

Good weather made the drive much more reasonable this time, and while we hated to say goodbye to the grandchildren Rebekah and I need to be home – and they all need to figure out how everything works without us camping out in the house.

And that statement brings to mind probably the most useful scripture for this moment (and also one of the most often misunderstood):

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

This does not mean, “it’s all good…” It also does not mean, “God makes everything work out in the end, so relax…” And it does not mean, “God makes difficult stuff happen to get your attention – it’s all for your own good…”

What it does mean is that it is our responsibility to actively love God, and it is also our responsibility to line up our lives with God’s purposes and – given our active love and our intentional following of Jesus – God is at the same time working for the good. This can be a powerful and beautiful confluence of God’s purposes and our deliberate response to God’s calling.

When we choose to follow Jesus then anything is possible. God’s power in that scenario is literally transformational.

Think about it, and let’s all live into the truth of if – DEREK