As I write this post, I'm sitting on a bed in a Motel 6 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Our family is investing the weekend visiting colleges with Emmy, our younger daughter.  To be frank, this is the worst motel we've ever checked into for TWO days.  Even though it's a non-smoking room, the whole place reeks of cigarette smoke.  The air conditioner doesn't keep the room cool--and I know it's fall, but it was uncomfortably warm all night.  The bathroom floor was sticky when we checked in, and there was only one towel and no wash cloths, even though we had told them three of us were coming.  It was as if they weren't expecting us.

What's that have to do with this week's topic:  Preparing for a God visit?  Everything, really.  When we're expecting someone, we prepare.  One would think a motel would be expecting guests, and would do everything they could to meet the guests needs and expectations.  In fact, when I was checking in last night, the woman at the desk told the person in front of me, "You may receive an online survey after you've checked out, and we want you to be able to give us all '10's', so if there's anything we can do to help that happen, please let us know."  Every person's idea of a "10" may differ, but the items I mentioned in the first paragraph don't add up to a "5" for me.

So, what are you going to do to make the 40 Days of Community a "10" experience for......... God?  You may have thought the last word in the sentence was going to be "you."  That's how we think isn't it?  How's the experience going to be for me?  The 40 Days of Community aren't really about us, even though, if we invest ourselves fully in preparing for God to join us DAILY, not just on Sunday, it will be the best possible experience for us, too.  This life is all about God, and when we do all we can to prepare for Him to not only visit us, but to stay with us, individually and together, life becomes everything He intended it to be, and that is all "10's."

I wish I could be with you all today, and I'm glad I'll be with you the rest of the Sundays, and in L.I.F.E. group with some of you throughout the 40 Days of Community.  I definitely want to do all I can to be ready and to make our "place" ready for God's visit with us over the next 40 days.  (As I was finishing this post Emmy said, "At least this is better than the hotel with the wire and the light bulb.)  She was referring to a room where we stayed in Tibet in the summer of 2010.  That WAS the worst room I've ever stayed in, AND I couldn't breathe to top it off.  The folks there didn't have the resources to provide a better place for us to stay.  What resources will we invest to make these next 40 days the best time God has ever had with us?  That's a question to which I can't wait to see the answer!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thanks so much for all Your blessings to us.  During these next 40 days we invite you to join us as we celebrate Your presence and power in our lives.  Join us in our worship, in our homes, in our work and play--everywhere!  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may honor You in all we are and do.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.