Mobile Fellowship

Philippians 4:11-13

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Tonight, my wife and I left our house in Bangkok at around 5:45pm to go over to a friend's house for dinner at 6:30pm. Our friend gave me directions over the phone earlier today so I was not worried. At around 6:20pm, I felt we might have missed a turn so I phoned our friend to get some advice, but received no answer. We kept driving.

Eventually, after passing a few bridges and going along the river for a ways, we pulled over to consult the map. Two more phone calls went unanswered and we headed back in the direction we had already come, looking intently for the appropriate landmarks. More phone calls went unanswered. Eventually, we passed the place where we had turned originally, noting the jam of cars a few kilometers long now congesting the way back towards our friend's house. It was now almost 7:00pm.

Our friend called, apologizing that her phone had been on silent mode. I told her we should probably take a rain check on dinner since it would likely take another 40 minutes or more to make our way back towards her place. She understood and encouraged us to have a 'date night.' That sounded good, so we headed to a mall, getting there at about 7:15pm and enjoying dinner together.

After dinner, we boarded the Skytrain and headed to a night market where we stopped at a vendor selling DVDs. We chose a movie to watch together and headed back to the Skytrain, boarding and going to the stop near our house. We then got in a taxi where we realized, once we were 5 minutes from home, that we forgot our truck in the mall parking lot! Now we have to figure out whether or not to go pick it up tonight (traffic issues) or wait until the morning (high fee)...

Speaking honestly, nights like this can eat away at our sense of contentment and joy at our circumstance of living in one of the planet's biggest cities. For two kids (we're not grown ups yet) who grew up tromping around in the Appalachian mountains, Bangkok can feel fairly suffocating. We just go back from a short vacation to a beautiful new (to us) island. It seems that whenever we get away and breathe fresh air for a while, reacquainting ourselves with aspects of the planet other than concrete and asphalt, we have a discussion related to how sure (or not) we are that God wants us in Bangkok and not some mountain or beach getaway (people need Jesus there too, right?).

My phrase for what we experienced in the car tonight is 'mobile fellowship.' It's my humble attempt to apply the verses quoted at the beginning of this blog. We truly want to be content in all circumstances! Which is more enjoyable, sitting in the car for 1.5 hours and getting lost or having an edifying conversation with my wife, without kids? Well, they were one in the same tonight...praise the Lord! Yes, its' a small thing, but it illustrates a crucial point for our Christian walk: What dictates our contentment? Circumstances or the Lord? We certainly don't have it all figured out! We are truly thankful for God's Word in passages like this one that helps focus our hearts and minds in the right direction.

(I still don't know what to do about the truck.)