Living in the Dark Ages

It is amazing to see how much our lives have changed over the past 10-15 years. Since the beginning of our move 10 days ago, we Zilkies have been without phone and Internet access here in our St. Louis home. I have had my mobile phone from Rooftop (our new church) and have had occasional access to free internet and wifi, but not from our home. Sadly, this has caused some level of stress in our lives and especially during our move. It is not easy to be in a new home in a new city with 5 children 6 years and under and have no way to talk or communicate outside of the home.

Back in December we had a virus which shut down our computer for a week, but we still had our phone and we were just living life in Michigan waiting on God to move as he has in the months since. This was a good time for me as I read more, went to bed earlier, spent more time reading God's word and praying more. Julie herself commented at that time on how much she enjoyed the changes forced upon us. However, after 5 days or so the computer was fixed and life continued on.

These days however, everything is in flux and not having a phone or web access at home feels debilitating. In reality, it was not as bad as it seemed and was a great opportunity to slow down and think, creating space for me to be with God, family, and to meditate on all that God is doing presently in my life. It was challenging on Julie as well as she was usually the one left behind without a means of communication. Honestly, some times I took advantage and benefited greatly from taking the time to slow down. Other times however, I would drive around at night looking for wifi spots where I could see who emailed me that day.

As we settle into life here in St. Louis and back into vocational ministry, my most important goal and greatest challenge will be to resist the temptation to be too busy with "stuff", such as email, the internet, Facebook, this blog, and everything else. This stuff is not bad, but can quickly and easily drown out God and the voice of the Holy Spirit in my life. This happened at my last church and was detrimental to my relationship and intimacy with God and His Spirit. I want to live and be God's man here in St. Louis, building His kingdom, pouring my life out for my brothers and sisters in Christ , and also to be a light and unapologetic voice for the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of St. Louis who have yet to follow Jesus Christ. To do this I must protect and care for that which is most important in my life...my daily relationship with God and sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.