today: thirty march oh six...
How cool is London? I found this picture on a website on St. Patrick's Day. They dye the water in the fountain at Trafalgar Square green. I just thought that was rather fun and worth a post. : )

Last Sunday I was introduced to all three services at my church as a missionary that is being sent out to London. What a blessing that time was for me! I got to see many friends at my booth I was assigned to out in the foyer, as well as getting to meet some new folks who have interest in what I am going to be doing when I move. I even had a guy, who I believe was a high schooler or maybe a college kid, come by to tell me about a great band that he loves that is based in London. This interchange with the afore mentioned nameless fellow makes me smile as I remember it. What a picture to me of why I love kids. He was hanging around waiting to chat for a little while as I was occupied with others. I saw him leave, and then when the crowd thinned, he reappeared.
"What's up?", he asked enthusiastically.
"It's been so long since I've seen you!" he continued.
"I know...seriously!", I said, playing along with him.
"Like at least five minutes", he quipped.
I loved it! He went on to tell me about this band that he loves, as well as mentioning a girl he knows who is in London who needs Jesus. The Lord continues to amaze me in his attention to detail. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..." (James 1.17) I see this as a truth. The Lord can and does use anything to affirm, encourage, and inspire. Chatting with this mystery kid affirmed yet again why I love working with young people!
I am spending today indoors working on organizing my world as much as possible, doing follow up with potential donors and assessing where I am in my goal to move. From the looks of things, I am at about the halfway mark of having my money committed. The goal I have set currently for being ready to leave sits at the end of May. I know I had mentioned possibly moving in with some friends to cut down on costs in this lean time, but it appears that I will be staying put until the middle of May thanks to a sweet friend who is helping with some expenses.

Trust..."assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something", Webster says. Ok, yes. I agree with the definition. A bit harder to put into practice, yeah? Yet another essential entity that must take root in one's heart in addition to one's head. Trust...a daily decision I continue to discover, just as love is.
All is on track as far as I can see. I continue to keep my headlamp on.
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you." (John 15.4)

I have returned home to Fayetteville from my two week stay in Little Rock with the family. My niece, Isabel (Izzy) arrived on schedule on 28 Feb bright and early. Izzy's older sister of almost two years is completely in love with this new addition to the Chad Brinkley household. (See pics below...Izzy and me, Chad and Ella.)
SNL, Jamba Juice sketch...funny. Random, but important. I do Young Life, remember? Random funny is the key to my heart.
I feel good about my trip to Ouachita, my college alma mater, where I got to see some of my favorite people. As I drove around Arkadelphia, reminiscing about my four and a half years there, thankfulness overwhelmed. The experience of a small college campus is priceless. Almost every square inch of the OBU campus, not to mention a bit of the Henderson State campus across the street (where I spent my junior year) holds a memory about which I could tell a (very detailed) story. I told my parents one afternoon after returning from Arkadoo that I have turned into them...spending my time driving around town looking at all the places I resided. I did not take pictures, as they have, but I confess I did think about it. I am sentimental and proud of it! A small college (about 1700 total on campus) holds such charm. Family...it sounds cliche', but it is true.
The next couple of weeks bring a distinct call for faith. In the mean time between jobs, my prayer for immediate provision moves to the top of the list.
My dear friends, the Addingtons, have opened their home to me for the next few months as I finish raising my money to move. I plan to move in at the end of the month which excites me mucho!
As the days get crossed off the calendar, my heart feels more and more displaced and ready to be in Londontown. The Lord continues to do intentional work on my person to prepare me...showing me areas that need to be healthier, revealing my need for more dependence on Him first, and challenging me to trust without limits.
Comfortable? No. Predictable? No. Beneficial? Yes.

My definition of "love" is being expanded and deepened to go beyond previous notion. The first commandment calls me to "Love the Lord with all [my] heart, with all [my] soul, with all [my] strength, and with all [my] mind" (Mark 12.30). The word "all" can be defined as meaning "completely taken up with, given to, or absorbed by". Webster gives us one meaning of the word "love" as "an unselfish love and benevolent concern for the good of another". I love the dictionary. I love understanding meaning. As a Christian, I equate God with love. If I were to diagram the sentence, "God is love", it would be rather elementary. As much as I adore the predictable structure of the English language, His character is beyond predictablity and structure.
For this deeper discovery, I am beyond thankful.
Soon...
kb