The age old question...

Today, like every Thursday, we had our Community meeting. It's a time where we all meet together, go over a few announcements, have praise and worship, and a speaker. Okay, maybe it's like church on Thursday night. I remember Sarah saying that they were her favorite meetings, and I think that I am starting to understand why. Here on the ship, it's nice to gather as a community, and to focus on one thing that does unite us...our faith in God. I know that Sunday is usually considered the day to go to church, and we will...but we are encouraged to go out into the community and come alongside the local churches. So, in the end, not everyone here on the ship will be going to the same place on Sunday. So, needless to say, it's nice to gather together.

In our community meeting, Becca asked the question..."Why are you here?". It's funny, I've asked myself that. (Most times, I've wondered..."Am I really here? Is this really my life?!") Usually...I don't answer myself. It gets harder to answer the question when others have asked me, and they have. I can't remember what I've come up with...I am sure that it had something to do with my desire to use my education (which I do believe that God has blessed me with) for more than my own purposes and survival. And that is a truthful answer. Although, I've often felt it a bit incomplete. Today, I think that I finally found the answer to that question for myself.

Have you guys ever not been able to express yourself...but found that a song could so accurately? As if were written explicitly for you? I'm not saying that these songs were...as a matter of fact, I know that they weren't...but, they projected everything that I could never say.

During worship, we sang a song that I have loved for some time called "Everything", by Tim Hughes. The lyrics are as follows:

God in my living,

There in my breathing,

God in my waking,

God in my sleeping.

God in my resting,
There in my working,

God in my thinking,
God in my speaking.

Be my everything (x4)

God in my hoping,

There in my dreaming,

God in my watching,

God in my waiting.

God in my laughing

There in my weeping,

God in my hurting,

God in my healing.

While we were singing this...it all made sense to me. I'm here to live and breathe God. I'm here because I want to incorporate Him in everything that I do. And, as if to help my thoughts along...the worship team mashed up "Everything" with a chorus from another song of Tim Hughes' that goes as follows:

Here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that You're my God

You're altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me

And, there my friends...is where I found my answer. My answer is, I'm here to worship...and I don't mean just clapping or lifting my hands or attempting to sing pretty songs. I mean, learning to worship God with everything that I am and in all that I do. I'm here to bow down...and I don't mean on my knees, I mean surrendering in all aspects, saying "Here, take my life." I'm here to say that He is my God.

This is the view from the port side of Deck 7 where we are docked in Togo.

So, dear friends...dare I ask you? What are you here for?