Saturday, June 11, 2011

Changes

As I wrote of in my last blog, as followers of Christ we are just temporary residents of this world.  Our world, our normal, our home place is the Kingdom of God.  As such we are to find our center in our personal relationship with the Father and maintain communication through His ever present Holy Spirit.  What that means is that wherever we are...we are at "home".  We remain connected to Him and everything else can change.

Well, I experienced that this week.  I had a thought while walking home from the office on Mon.  Here I am in downtown Washington DC in a suit and tie walking past the tall buildings of a center city toward the Metro for my ride back to where I am staying.  Couldn't be any different from hauling Amish in a carpenter crew truck or living next to a horse and buggy Mennonite farmer.

Although only 24% of men in the US own a suit, 99% of those work in cities.  I saw them this week (and sweated along with them) in the 102 degree heat of Thurs afternoon.  That's when I had to take a walk of about 10 blocks from one VA building to another.  On Mon while dressed for my orientation I had to walk around several blocks of downtown (because I exited the wrong street from the Metro station).  By the time I got to the meeting I was soaked...literally...from sweat.  After checking my ID and giving me a temporary pass to the building the security guard handed me a paper towel to wipe my face!

I'm in a downtown building where the security is tight.  ID cards, scanners, armed guards and nobody just wandering around.  Security for the internet, encrypted emails when sending important information.  No funny programs loaded on the network computers.  They don't have time for the little evil bugs to be turned loose on the systems that control what is happening.

Several other changes I noticed this week.  People who didn't know me...complimented me.  I got compliments on my glasses and on my ties.  I'm not used to someone noticing that kind of thing and saying something about it.  Friendly people, especially the black people.  I'm having fun with them.  They are loose and yet are very competent in their jobs.  I was introduced as being just as crazy as they are so I would fit right in.

I was also introduced as being a former pastor so that I could be contacted if someone had a spiritual need.  Now that's a change from the business world I've been traveling in.  Quite a few believers there praying for what is happening.  I'm sure I'll learn more about that as time goes on.

I'm walking the equivalent of 4-5 blocks on each end of my Metro ride each day.  I'm carrying my soft-side brief case and yellow school bus lunch box (not really!).  The Metro is full of people either listening to their ipods, their phones, texting, reading their ipads, the paper or sleeping.  Yep, sleeping standing up, sitting down...any way they can.  Sometimes the a/c works on the Metro.  Sometimes it doesn't.  The men usually congregate around the escalator stairs where the a/c vents pour out cold air while waiting for the next train.

Downsizing and energy efficiency are the words of the day.  We'll be thinking about these as we design buildings, utilize space in existing buildings and keep the facilities from hindering the programs for veterans.

One thing hasn't changed.  I'm right in the middle of the battle for the hearts and lives of men and women.  I have opportunity to be courteous, stepping aside at the Metro, holding a door open for someone or just smiling to someone who needs a smile.  There are men and women all around me who still are not firing on all cylinders regarding their gifts, their leadership abilities and with support to do the job they have been entrusted with.  I'm going to get to help build leaders, build a team and contribute to the change of the government culture.  I believe many of the people I am working with right now are going on to be leaders in other government agencies in the future.


Changes.  Plenty of changes have occurred and there are plenty more to come.

Please be in prayer for my immediate supervisor, Mike, his supervisor, Bernard, his supervisor, unnamed and Bonnie who is our Deputy Under Secretary..  When God wants to do something special you can bet the enemy will rear his head and attempt to destroy it.  Let's summon the warring angels to come fight alongside me...and you wherever you are...to bring the Kingdom of God to bear on this world.