The Fourth Day

As Cursillo ends, they begin to talk about the Fourth Day. You see, Cursillo is a retreat that lasts 3 days, and the Fourth Day is that part of your life that you step into when Cursillo is over. I've done a lot of thinking about what that means.

Cursillo is a coccoon. From the moment you arrive, you are served for, loved, protected, and nurtured in body, soul, and spirit.

For me, it began when I had to get into someone else's car for the ride up there. I had to separate myself from even my car (which is not easy). There was no escape route for me. But it was also a great transition. It gave me time to wind down my thoughts of home and spend a few moments thinking about the adventure ahead.

Conversely, on the way back after such a mountaintop experience, it allowed me a few moments to think transition back to "the real world" and all the responsibilities awaiting me.

So while I had Monday off from work, there was still laundry, and school, and kids, bills to be paid, and the dog to be picked up from the kennel, and the Amish Friendship Bread that had to be baked before it exploded in the kitchen. And today was back to work.

So now comes the hard part - living out my renewed committment.

We can always pretend to be perfect Christians. And we would always be wrong.

We should strive to live into the lives that God has for us, but the reality is that our Christian lives are a continuum. We often spend more time looking towards the altar than on our knees in front of it.

God help us to stay at the altar, and not outside the door.

anything but typical


Somewhere In The Middle by Casting Crowns 2007

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender
Without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences,
the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His
Or are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender
without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences,
the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle