Now is Enough

When thinking about the future it is easy to be overwhelmed. I don't know that anyone feels differently from this. Numerous factors are both out of control and impossible to know. Any time I have spent in what our lives will look like in Zambia has led to a difficult and frustrating day. The day-to-day issues are pleanty to deal with. Last week while staring down a long list of things needed to be accomplished to go to Zambia, I was encouraged by the peace that I feel in knowing this is the next step. So I take each task in the moment which they are in and try to allow the future to unfold rather than to disect it.

Last week God said to buy tickets and get ready. I spent several days searching and sending out texts that we were going to move on this. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... I had not found tickets which made my heart sing yet, but I knew about how much they would cost, and how long the trip would be. Unlike last year when we went, when there were several 21-26 hour trips, all I could find were 30-40 hour trips. Average price ranged from $4,000 to $5,000. Any time I wondered if that would change in the future, I could talk myself out of action and spiral on the unknkown future. Now has been very grounding. Mallory and I were sure it was time to buy tickets. The money was not all sorted, but the day I sent out messages saying we were going to go for it and buy tickets, I got a reply back from a friend who said their church would like to sponsor the tickets. The commitment to going and living into the timing pressed in my heart allowed this church to move, and make a way. Mallory and I were so excited to see God move this way.

Thursday I got online and found tickets for $1000 less than I had ever seen and were pressed with urgency to get them. I felt a surge of energy as I pressed complete on our order and the confirmation email came. It is official, we are leaving the United States 24, February and headed to Zambia. We have spent the last week celebrating, laughing, and mourning. It will be wonderful to go, and it is a lot to leave.

Part of leaving so soon is that with every task accomplished, there are more to do. When the tickets were bought, I was thrilled and moved. The church who pledged funds for it sent them this week, and we are so thankful. What felt impossible the week before was done. And then the list for the future crashed back in. Car, rent, visas, ext. The moment of thankfulness is crowded out by the tasks of tomorrow. I am finding that if I stay in the very second which I am living, there is no anxiety there. All the factors out of my control do not follow me into the present moment. This is where I am finding the peace to move into the next thing on the list. Car was the next thing on the list.

I promise the writing will get better, but I am thankful for you reading and taking the journey with us. While it is interesting to try to be vulnerable and comprehensive in this format, I will do my best to let you know what is going on. Thank you for being a part of the Austins Abroad family!

Present in Eternity

We are Eternity

We are divine

We are love

We are light

“Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” This is the first sermon of both John the Baptist and Jesus when their formal ministries begin. Jesus says, “repent, for the Kingdom is Heaven is near.” I want to share what this means today.

God has been doing some big things this year. It has been a year of transition, growth, discomfort, but also interest in the future for many of us. The Church often looks to the future in times of change. Many pray for the return of Jesus, and long for Heaven. I want to talk to you about this. There is no reason to leave. Do not be afraid. Believe in God for the future, and this trust will allow you to live in the present. Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you in Luke 17:21, and says He is preparing a place for us in John 14:3. These passages point to an eternal life with God which begins now. This is the Gospel which Jesus speaks about constantly throughout his ministry. The Kingdom of Heaven is in you and it is being prepared for you. The question is, will you seek Heaven within you? God, who is everywhere, is in you. Will you be silent and still enough to find God in you?

Through the past 10 years I have gotten many testimonies of people who were mowing when they heard from God, or in the shower, or running, or gardening. God shows up in times of stillness of mind. There are no barriers between you and God which can block you from being with God. So when is the Kingdom, and where is the Kingdom? The Kingdom of Heaven is eternal. It is within. Our access to it is found in the present moment. This is why even as you read this, you can pause, listen to your surroundings, gaze around the room in full attention, and you will notice your thought patterns shift. When you are present in this place, in this moment, the future and the past automatically begin to fall away. This is why Jesus says, do not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough trouble of its own. It is why He often talked about the lilies and the birds. You were not created to toil for your future. The work that God has for you is that of Mary, who sits at Jesus’ feet. This is something that is done in your heart. You can live with God moving through your thoughts all day.

Currently you go about your day and think about all kinds of things. Do not think of them as good, or bad, but rather, distracting. Several times in the next 24 hours bring yourself to full attention in the present moment. As you soak up the second you are in, remember God is in you and with you. Take a few deep breathes continuing to be mindful of God in you. As you do this several times in a day you will find you have thought about God more today than perhaps any other day previously. If you go on doing this, your life will be shaped more and more by God thoughts and you will live in deeper levels of peace. Repent for the Kingdom is near, is not about feeling bad, but changing your mind, (literally your thoughts) and thinking differently about where God is and where the Kingdom is. The Kingdom is here. The Kingdom is now. The Kingdom is within. Let us enter into it through the present moment and live with God in His Kingdom today. Begin to explore the many rooms of the Kingdom that Jesus has prepared for you. I love you all. Hope you have a wonderful month.

God bless you,

Caleb Austin

December 2025

Jesus comes into the earth with little, living in lowly places. Growing up in the midst of normal humanity, He received the highest teaching from God. As He grew in grace and wisdom with both God and man He lived in the Kingdom. The Kingdom became a present reality within Him. So much so that when He began to preach He said, “repent for the Kingdom is near.” Later He would describe the Kingdom that comes within a person as we throw off our old life, our old understanding, our old wine skin and begin anew.

He told of the Kingdom within which is inherited by those who are poor in spirit, humble, meek, hungering for righteousness. This message was not about being right, but was found in being willing to learn, to listen, to wait. From a place of new understanding, a new life is born. As Jesus was born from immaculate conception, so is the Christ and the Kingdom born in us.

Christmas is a wonderful time when we celebrate Jesus coming into human form and bringing the teaching of God that has set us free. That message of the Kingdom is still breaking forth in those who are teachable, who are hungry, and available. There is a light within you that Jesus carried. Let your light shine this Christmas season. Presents are nice, but mercy and love are much more valuable. Forgiveness is a gift which lasts. Compassion and kindness are difficult to put under a tree, but are the true gifts of Christ. Let these things bubble up from within you. Don’t just give the message of Christ, but live Christ’s love in the discussions and interactions you have with family. We are all anxious to share the blessings we have received this Christmas. Extend the forgiveness and compassion which God has given you to others.

I wanted to take this time to thank you and all of Angola UMC for the past few years of love and memories. Mallory and I have been praying since we returned from Zambia about what our next steps would be and a few months ago we heard very clearly to go back to Zambia to live for a season.

We are making plans to move after the first of the year (shooting for mid-February) and praying for the transitions coming up. We want to be faithful to what God is asking us to do and to share the love of Christ wherever we go. Thank you all for being so kind to us. We ask for your prayers as we move forward to take the family into this next season of life. God bless you all, and Merry Christmas.

Love,

Pastor Caleb and the Austin Family