At times it still feels a little like I am walking around in a movie. I thought by now the surreal sensation of being here would be long gone. The reality is that there are still moments when I think to myself “oh, right, this is not Minnesota.” At times it feels like a grand adventure which brings excitement and energy and other times it feels like an anxiousness which brings a feeling of uncomfortable oppression. In other places on past blog segments I have written about the way this type of experience seems to be an opportunity to encounter God in ways maybe not so common when living in a comfortable, familiar place. Too often believers decide that when this type of trial in our lives emerges that God has withdrawn from us in some fashion. I continue to attempt to delve deeper into this reality of encountering God in the midst of dark, painful or difficult circumstances. I’ve noticed that when I am in a familiar, comfortable setting my mind is in sort of a cruise control mode and my understanding of God seems to be altered. The best way I know how to describe it is that when I am in a comfort zone I have a certain self confidence which tends to reshape my image of God. To be a confident person is typically a good thing, depending on what you are putting your confidence in. Too often in my past the confidence I used to accomplish or succeed in life is rooted in my self. When that happens I notice a change in my perception of God and the place of authority I give Him in my life. God becomes, in many ways, an equal partner in the happenings of my life. I invite God along for the ride, so to speak, but give Him very little authority to do with me as He sees fit. In other words I am assuming control over my life as opposed to letting it go and giving it up to God. This is an extremely subtle process and very difficult to detect in one’s own mentality ( at least for me). Being in Slovakia has stripped me of much of the self confidence I might use to try and plan or succeed relying on my own efforts.