The Holy Spirit was teaching us so much as we traveled through Austria and Italy. Through museums and cathedrals, ancient cities and castles, we were truly in the world of man's achievements. Over it all, John was seeing the futility of the wealth and grandiosity, but at the same time, the perfection of God's sovereignty. All that 'is,' no matter what, is under His dominion. Whether good or bad, all things will serve Him in the end.

How great and huge and determined is God's love toward us! His love is mercy, dominion and power. God gave us an adventure in our trip to Italy and Austria but in this time He also touched our loves other than Him.

When we give God our small yes to His love, His love proves to be all-encompassing. He will undertake and secure our love for Himself. It is like the book of Hosea says "I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord."

As we traveled through Europe (Italy and Austria) we experienced the purposes of God through our daily steps. We were being guided to occasions beyond our understanding or knowledge. What appeared as common movement through a trip amazingly revealed itself as the plan and steps of the Lord.

Carole is grateful that God's love and need for us is greater than our need for Him! His powerful determination to have us is stronger than ours to have Him. Helen Whaley writes: "There is no "I" in love, there's Love." Every story is Christ's Love Story. . . of pursuit and passion and capture!

The Cross is there to set us free and that happens through pain. Yet what we suffer through and die to, what we experience in life, is all HIS story. . . His purpose. "I" am not the subject of my own history. We do not really know the meaning of our own existence with God. That which we need the most and want the most, is intimacy with Him and that is what comes on the other side of dying. For every Cross there is always a resurrection life that makes it all worth the process and the pain.