So…. haven’t blogged in a while.  It’s been a whirlwind- getting packed and moving over the holidays.  We took 2 trips up, spending much of the week before New Years getting started on the unpacking process.  It’s actually gone really well and we’re so grateful.  We love the house we’re renting and it’s location.  Not only is it a 10 minute walk to the ocean and amazing views, it’s right across the street from the grocery store and lots of cool restaurants.  Santa Cruz is a very local kind of place- in others words, there aren’t very many chain stores or restaurants-lots of new places to discover.  But there is a Costco, so I’m happy 🙂

I’ve had the chance to do plenty of reflecting on change and transitions in the last few weeks.  Learning a new place, starting a new job, getting the kids into new schools, even getting a new license and vehicles registered at the California DMV- now that’s a party! I don’t think I realized that it was a big deal to me to know how things work, where to go, how to get stuff done. I’ve carried around a (largely mistaken) belief that I’ve got a pretty good handle on things.  When that was stripped away, I’ve found myself at loose ends and looking for something to hold onto.

And you know what?  God gave me something. It was actually on our drive up here- cruising along I-5, many miles north of LA.  I was nodding off a bit in the passenger seat when I happened to look out the window and saw a little sign tacked onto a pole.  It simply said: 

That’s it.  Trust Jesus.

I know that whoever put it there probably had non-Jesus followers in mind when they nailed it to the post, but at that moment, that sign was meant for me.

I’ve only been here a couple of weeks now.  The list of what I don’t know- about my job, the church, the community, my neighborhood, even how to get places– is a very long list.  The list of what I do know around here is quite short.

But those two words tell me a lot. RIght now, they tell me exactly what I need to know.  I hope they tell you the same thing.