A PLACE TO CALL HOME

The Lord gave Israel all the land...

Not one of all the Lord's good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Joshua 21. 43-45

Now...return to your homes in the land...

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law : 

to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to keep His commands, to hold fast to him and to serve Him

with all your heart and with all your soul.

Joshua 22. 4-5

I "roamed" many places from childhood until age 38, when Pat and I moved to Mission, TX., where we have been for the last 35 years.  Mission is our Home, our "Home away from Home," where we have put down roots and built relationships.

My father said, "Any place is a good place, once you learn to live there."

Mission has become a very good, wonderful place for us to live.

It has been and is our place to learn and live by the commands and laws of God, to love Him, hold fast to Him, serve Him,  and experience "the Lord's good promises."

We live here, as Israel lived in their villages and towns.  This is the place the Lord has settled--"assigned?"--us, to learn and to live in His grace and for His glory.  This is the place for us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."  As we eat our daily bread, learn the customs and ways of our neighbors, breaking down barriers with forgiveness and love, in holiness and righteousness in the face of temptations of the day, for the glory and in the hope of the Kingdom of God.

To the extent that our town, with its leadership in government, business, education,

courts, and culture seek and follow the ways of God, we have the opportunity to experience "all the Lord's good promises."