The Glorious Gift of Wood Stoves

When I emerged from my room this morning, I found a fire burning in the stove. I'd been working on some sound editing in my room but since I have this handy-dandy invention of a laptop, I decided to move my work to the dining room area next to the stove. It is cozy here today. Simply nice. The house has a calm atmosphere today. Something we've been missing for a while. I am working, but it isn't too difficult nor strenuous today. The files I am editing are only voice files and I'm producing the various translations from the last Ministry School. The worst part is waiting for Garage Band to convert the final edits into mp3 coding. As I said, it's not so bad. I suppose it gives me an excuse to blog while I'm between the edit and conversion.

There's a burning, stirring feeling in me today. It's a compelling feeling. It's that "something is going to happen" feeling that brings you aware of the need for focus and intercession. I'll see what I can finish of these files in the next 30 minutes or so and then spend time pressing in.

Talking to Teresa last night made me aware of something else. She asked me what the church looks like here, how the ministry actually functions, what my purposes have been, what am I doing here, are there pictures, etc. Her questions boiled down to a simple phrase she responded with, "it's good to actually know where you are." I wish it were easy to keep you better informed about all these things. I guess, the basis for the complication of explaining is that, well, I am living life here. I'm working and studying, simultaneous to doing ministry full time. Should sound similar to what you are doing there. At least, the latter facet of the sentence should resemble the similarity. Being the friend she is, I know what she was really asking about and I know the questions you are all wondering have no fault to them. In no simple means can I answer all your questions within a public blog, so I will do my best to describe Exousia to you today.

Exousia is a small fellowship- roughly 70 people in attendance. We meet on Saturday evenings for our regular worship service. It is a free church in Austria- meaning it is not Catholic and it is not the State's church. It is an apostolic, prophetic, warring, worshiping family. They generally push for the "unreachable" in order to bring to Earth that which is in Heaven. They are unlike any other church I've been a part of or visited. They are raw, real, and burning. They are, of course, imperfect but they are striving and growing in great ways. They are teaching me many things while I, in turn, am offering them as much as I can.

Feel free to leave comments or send me emails with the details you're still curious about. I don't bite...most of the time.