Paul reminds us in Colossians 3, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (vs. 17).  This isn’t just a “if you can” kind of verse, but a command for us to put into practice in daily life.  And it affects all areas of our life – both words and actions.

As a team, we work hard for unity through a common vision and purpose, but sustaining team relationships with our words can always be challenging when we are pressed toward our physical or mental limits.  But God is gracious to forgive us and strive to forgive one another.  We are learning better as a team how to speak, challenge and encourage one another with our words.

Likewise, our actions are a reflection of the work of Christ in our hearts.  So whether we are digging holes or a trench (which we did plenty of today) or even playing with the kids – both are to be done for God’s glory.  So, we are learning that even in the mundane tasks that may seem menial and small, our actions (and attitude behind our actions) really matter based on this challenge from Colossians.

Today, we had another full day of construction at Ruby Ranch.  If we measured today by our sweat equity, we made a significant investment!  We worked multiple projects again: sandbagging and road repair; prepping fencing poles with chemical treatment and plastic wrap; digging holes for those poles and then in the afternoon we completed a 75 foot trench for a new water line and started placing the fencing poles.  We also had some kids join us in the afternoon which is always a great opportunity for continued relational investment and a break from some of the work!  If the bus ride home (we have about an hour ride to and from each day) was any indicator by those passed out from exhaustion, then we worked pretty hard today!

We make it back in with dinner waiting and so we march through the line pretty filthy but after the first bite is devoured, no one really notices the dirt or smell any more!  Then we’ve got a chance to get cleaned up before our evening team time.  We processed through our day and where we saw God at work today.  Then we took a practical look at the role of God’s Word in our lives and how to grow in dependency and hunger for God’s Word.

We are in the home stretch… and we try not to think about that.  We’ve got our final full day of construction tomorrow and would love to finish up as many projects as possible. Our team is all back to good health, so pray we would finish well!