Instead of sending my report to a few, I decided to post my notes here. Enjoy! And for the curious, only one fish was harmed in the catching. All the others are presumably still eating salmon eggs.

I realized that pretending everything is okay when it is not is a lie. 

Every now and then, Father gets stuck on an idea and obsesses about it with me for a long time. Lately, every time I ask Him if He has any counsel for me, He has been saying the same thing: “Love, Preston.”

My agnostic friend offered interesting counsel. Sitting by the fire with me, he said, “Preston, you have to embrace the security that must exist between you and your God and live there, untouchable as a person, regardless of what anyone might say about you.” 

All was well.  The only difference between the daylight of tomorrow and the darkness enveloping the bedroom was that I couldn't see.  But that didn't alter the fact that I was secure.   

Is the reputation of darkness all that it's cracked up to be?  Is darkness really that deep?  Is it honestly the absence of light, especially the light of Christ?  Are our only options to hunker down and wait for morning or cut and run in any direction hoping to stumble upon a flicker of light somewhere in the dark? 

How dark was it?  So dark that I couldn't see my brother, eighteen inches away, or even my hand in front of my face.  

Each man labors under the weight of his own burden--except for David.  He carries his own as well as the yoke of grief that every man, woman, and child under his care feels.  Alone with the weight of the world, the fire illuminates his warrior face.  

Ever so slowly, like a locomotive turning the wheels of a loaded freight train, the strength of the Lord begins the process of reclaiming lost ground. 

If composed, the score for these words would read, "Andante with fortitude."  These weren't dance tunes.  These were steady, major chords of resolute encouragement.

It's not hard to see how some of David's most meaningful Psalms were penned during the days described in chapter 30.  And I'll tell you right now, I am going to sit next to David at dinner one of these days and get the unabridged version of the chase scene. 

Do you really believe God would let you slip from His care? If He let this happen, He would invalidate His infallible Word.

Your decision is not going to ruin God’s day. Neither is your decision going to separate you from God. He is in you! It is not possible to miss Him when you are trusting Him.

The people you speak to softly, those you are quietest around, are the friends closest to your heart. God’s quietness is not distance, disfavor, or indifference. 

Most compelling is that I can determine a course of action toward resolution and relief today. Even a cursory assessment of my options declare the plans I should adopt. Right away. I can do this….  

All of the personal options I listed earlier are God-given abilities, but please note: God is not mentioned in my listing of personal resources. 

My history, training, resume, and abilities confirm that I have resources at my disposal.

In time, their wings grow stronger and their independence more confident.

God’s opinion of you should be the definition of self you cling to. Seeing yourself as He sees you must define who you are.

If you have satisfactorily defined your identity by the stamp of earthly success, finding motivation to redefine your identity—by any other standard—seems nonsensical.