Gotta love the Internet!

Dear Andrew... "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart..." - Philippians 1: 3-7

There's lots to love about the Internet. Accessibility, connectivity, productivity, flexibility... But my absolute favorite is still the serendipity; those unexpected, pleasant surprises that touch your heart strings in just the right way.

So yesterday, when the networking protocols of facebook threw a photograph of our son, Andrew, my way, it was serendipity in all its definitions. The people who took the photo are not connected to me in any remote way. But, they "tagged" Andrew in the picture when they posted it on their facebook page. So, because Andrew is one of my "friends", the mysterious powers that make things happen on the networking site threw a copy of group on my homepage. How cool is that!

It's also a great picture because that's exactly where we are going to be in less than one month! Rebekah has been doing her inimitable exhaustive research and there are piles of books on Tuscany and Rome all over the house, with yellow sticky notes on the covers and tags on various pages. This pic of the leaning tower simply revved up the anticipation.

Then there's the more subtle message in the photo - in both the photos: the fact that our son is surrounded by people who love life, share his spirit of adventure, and are committed followers of Jesus. Andrew was hosting some out-of-town missionary/youth worker, using the gift of hospitality he learned so well at home. He was showing them around Tuscany for the weekend, along with his friends. These are motivated, on the ball young adults with the world at their feet - and they see it all in terms of how they can serve God.

Wow! That's a lot from one photo. But there's a lot going on, and I feel so privileged to be in the middle of this great adventure that is life, and to be witness to our son getting caught up in all of the possibilities.

Life is good. God is Great. The Internet is awesome.
Love and blessings - DEREK